“Basement Dweller” Charlie Nicholas: “I’m not a bitter man – Oh Yes I am”

“Basement Dweller” Charlie Nicholas has responded to Martin O’Neill brilliant put-down on the BBC ahead of the Scottish Cup Final on Sunday by arguing that both Neil Lennon and Martin O’Neill’s achievements as Celtic managers do not merit being compared to either Jock Stein’s or even Brendan Rodgers. That the best you’ve got Charlie?

Nicholas as a Celtic player could have been up there with the likes of the Lisbon Lions or Henrik Larsson had he stayed around at a club that was clearly suited to his style of football as a young player breaking into the team and making a name for himself under the guidance of Billy McNeill. What has he to say about Cesar’s record as a Celtic manager?

Before reading Nicholas’ response in his Daily Express column I had this short exchange of emails with a reader, Gordon, who started by saying:

Enjoy the moment. The past is history. The future may be Covid.
Andy Walker has chosen to respond to Martin O’Neill comment re the basement pundits.No hint of congratulations.If the cap fits Andy.
Hail Hail.

My Response: Nicholas is the worst, Gordon.

Agreed David. Very sad to read  and listen to ex Celts who are trying to scrape a living by pandering to the anti hoops brigade.They missed the gravy train that the current players enjoy a ride on.

A bitter and spiteful Charlie Nicholas, writing in Daily Express (via their sister paper Daily Record) this morning hit back:  “Neil Lennon made history by completing the quadruple-treble but it doesn’t put him up there with true Celtic managerial greats Jock Stein and Brendan Rodgers.

“But I would also say the same about Martin O’Neill. Martin signed some world-class players and also inherited a few, such as Henrik Larsson.

“He brought in big players and Celtic were paying them fortunes. Reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup Final in Seville was fantastic but I never saw Martin as a true great.

“Lennon is a bit like that. I absolutely applaud his achievements in winning a treble as a player and a boss but, on the managerial front, his triumphs have come at a time when the title races weren’t overly competitive. In fact, if he had lost any of them he would have been out of a job.

“Lennon is not up there with the greatest in Jock Stein and I would go as far as to say he hasn’t delivered what Rodgers did either. There’s no denying Lennon has been a success and it is an extraordinary run that he has continued.

“I know it was a bit of a gift what he inherited from Rodgers but Lennon deserves credit for getting Celtic over the line. They now go into the history books and I congratulate him and his team.”

Celtic’s Quadruple Treble Winning Captain Scott Brown also used the media platform around the Scottish Cup Final to call out whose ex-players he regards as simply being jealous of the current Celtic side’s achievements over the past number of years.  This morning Nicholas responded to that one too.

“There is a suggestion that ex-players who criticise Lennon or don’t wish the best for Celtic are jealous. I have never been jealous but I am envious of this Celtic team. I would have loved to play in this era, lifting the trophies they have.

“Celtic were not dominant against Hearts in last weekend’s Scottish Cup Final but it was all about getting the quadruple treble in the bag. It has to be acknowledged that Celtic have produced some high standards over the last four years.

“But you can see those standards are slipping and there are weaknesses in their team now. The level has dropped from where this team has been. Hearts had one hand on the trophy, but Celtic managed to rediscover their old trait of never giving in and battling through it.

“Celtic also got a little bit of luck with the penalties. Conor Hazard was the hero in the shootout, but he actually had a very poor game. They dug in and got there and that is all that matters.”

Dismissive of a penalty shoot out win For Celtic when he scored in the last one that Celtic were involved in the Scottish Cup Final which lost to Aberdeen in 1990 and he’s never bothered to undermine that achievement for the club he choose to join ahead of Celtic when Arsenal no longer needed or wanted him.

Imagine not staying at Celtic where you could have been regarded today as an earlier version of Henrik Larsson?

Imagine leaving Celtic and choosing that Arsenal team rather than following King Kenny’s example by going to Liverpool?

Imagine choosing Aberdeen ahead of the club who developed you as a player and ho you supported as a boy when your basement dwelling days in English football were over?

Every Celtic supporter going to the games on supporters buses will be familiar with this line in one of the Rebel songs: “I’m not a bitter man” where the guys at the back of the bus will all shot the add-on: “OH YES I AM”. That perfectly sums up Charlie Nicholas for me. “A bitter man”.