Today is the 1st day of February. Thank God for that.
After a month of speculation, contradictory messages and general confusion the January transfer window meat market has closed for business. This crazy exchange of footballing labour can be put to bed for another five months and we can all get back to focusing on the football.
There are clear issues arising from this window and there are evident concerns but there is no time to dwell now. There is now a clear pathway to 9 in a row to be navigated starting on Sunday lunchtime with our visit to take on Hamilton.
I’m well aware Lennon will be disappointed. He asked for a smaller streamlined group to work with. Quality and experience over quantity and the naivety of youth. He didn’t get all of that.
Lennon got a striker and a defensive midfielder in Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro both with reported talent but unproven. The experienced players the manager publicly asked for didn’t materialise. If Lennon has issue with that I wouldn’t blame him. I don’t expect him to complain in public there is too big a prize to go for this year to start making noises around broken promises.
He does have his smaller squad. Both Scott Sinclair and Lewis Morgan have moved on and a few players on the periphery of things have found loan deals. Eboue Kouassi, (Genk); Jack Hendry, (Melbourne City); Lee O’Connor, (Partick Thistle); Jonathan Afolabi, (Dunfermline Athletic) and Conor Hazard (Dundee) have all found clubs and hopefully a lot of game time to aid their development.
This will give him the streamlined group he wanted to work with for the run in. It also means a few less players not getting first team games to knock at the managers door or have frustration lead to disharmony in the group.
What Lennon did want was a couple of experienced players to help his charges navigate the stormy waters ahead. It has been a full on season on and off the park for Celtic and Lennon with his experience of managing Celtic previously and with an illustrious playing career behind him knows that what lies ahead will be tough.
That experience he craved was for events on the park but he more than likely wanted strength of character in those experience bodies to have an influence in the changing room and keep everyone focused on what happens on the grass.
Make no mistake from February to the end of May is going to be a tough old ride. Celtic will not only be dealing with their direct opponents every week, the attention as we head towards that ninth title will be in forensic detail. That scrutiny will come from our own support but also from those with an agenda, those looking to eke out advantage for our rivals and they will use any means necessary put obstacles and injustice in the way of Celtic in the months ahead. Lennon was looking for help to guide his team through that. He knows what we’ve seen so far will only be the beginning.
If we already feel we’re being treated differently that’s because we have been. Expect that to be ramped up over the next four months.
Lennon would have wanted a defender. He will have concerns over the injury records of Simunovic, Elhamed and Bitton. Filip Benkovic would have been that security Lenny would have liked. It is not Lennon’s fault that didn’t materialise. Can we really not compete with Bristol City on a six month loan deal?
Further forward the constant inability to remain available for selection for Elyounoussi and Mikey Johnstone will also have played on his mind. Lenny clearly felt comfortable enough in getting players in that he was willing to sacrifice Sinclair and Morgan. Again if promises of facilitating at least one replacement weren’t delivered you cannot blame Neil Lennon. Jordan Ibe, Christian Atsu and Anthony Gordon all appeared to be approached and all it would seem were either unwilling to move north or in the case of Gordon willing but blocked by their parent club.
That begs the question why were such approaches left to the last hours of a month long signing opportunity? We knew Sinclair and Morgan were for the off, we knew our two first team wide players hand in regular sick notes and we don’t appear to have been prepared. Again if the manager flagged up his requirements weeks ago why was it left so late? That’s not Lennon.
To some Lennon will be seen as a puppet in all of this but that would be unfair. Lennon made his wishes known. He does look weak when they aren’t delivered but the manager has a job to do and rocking that boat now would only give the sideshow in the press more ammunition.
Lennon’s acceptance may be perceived as weakness but to focus on the job in hand shows strength. He may well have a choice few words for those who have let him down in private but the public domain is not where we need to have this played out.
And for all Nick Hammond and Peter Lawwell’s inadequacies in the market for purchases has been clear this month, they can be commended for standing firm when it comes to interest in our own star turns.
The likes of Kris Ajer, Olivier Ntcham and of course Odsonne Edouard have all attracted a great deal of interest possibly even concrete bids. That these players haven’t been sold is the other side of the transfer coin that often gets overlooked. Winning this title and performing in Europe in the weeks ahead doesn’t only come down to recruitment, retention of players also plays a key role.
For now we have to move our focus from what might have been to what lies ahead. The time for dwelling passes when Celtic take the field tomorrow lunchtime. The title run in to nine in a row starts then.
A United front, a siege mentality or tunnel vision whatever we want to call it, when our team takes the field on Sunday it becomes Celtic against the World. We close ranks and we focus on the prize. Green and white ribbons on a ninth consecutive league trophy.
All without the distraction of the transfer window. That ship has sailed.
Niall J
ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…
Irish Passport reminder for Celtic fans as Glasgow Delivers Brilliant Brexit Day Message…see HERE.
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