Former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell has said that Neil Lennon and the team have benefitted from the club’s vote of confidence by sticking with them back at the end of the year. The supporters were promised a ‘January Review’, allowing the manager to take the team into The Scottish Cup Final back in December.
Goals from Tom Rogic, Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and David Turnbull wrapped up the three points for the Scottish Champions against tough, top six opposition.
Caldwell believes that the team are benefitting from the confidence growing amongst the ranks.
However, in January, the club dropped twelve points and currently sit eighteen behind Rangers (with one game in hand). Caldwell says that it is ‘slowly but surely’ for the club but it is more a case of too little, too late. With three wins in a row, ten goals scored and one conceded, the statistics may blur the reality that for periods of all three games, Celtic have looked pedestrian.
Individual skill masks a lack of tactical nouse in the final third with some questionable defending still apparent. Neil Lennon has achieved an enormous amount with the club but it appears that his second spell will inevitably come to an end due to a number of failings this season.
Ultimately, the league appears to be over. Those that are inherently optimistic will know that it will take a minor miracle to claw back 18 points and put Rangers under real pressure.
The supporters were promised a January review and omitting this would be offensive to the supporters. The club need to, one way or another, update the support as to what they are planning – especially when the season ticket renewals will be opening up.