CELTIC CEO Peter Lawwell and his hand picked management team of Neil Lennon and John Kennedy left Celtic Park around 11.45pm last night having had a frustrating evening trying and failing to bring in some last minute recruits.
Niall J has already made the point this morning on The Celtic Star that the correct thing for us as a support to do is put aside out disappointment at another underwhelming performance by the club in the transfer window and focus on the football and in particular the remaining league matches as we look to win 9 titles in a row for the second time in our unbroken history.
What is happening across the city isn’t something we can control. They signed a veteran striker on a new deal last week only for him to pull up injured the next night. He is out for five to six weeks apparently and the replacement from Hibs in a late night swap shop situation shouldn’t cause us any great concern.
Morelos continues to make headlines for his off and on the field antics – what is he, one yellow away from another suspension? Scott McKenna should sort that one out this afternoon when the two indulge in their usual jousting content.
Jack is injured and Tavernier is coming back from an appendix problem, he could be back today or maybe not. It seems somewhat rushed that one, desperate even.
If Aberdeen can’t be beaten today there will be huge pressure on Steven Gerrard and Celtic will get a significant boost ahead of the game at Hamilton in the early kick-off tomorrow.
The frustration among our support is tangible and the heat is very much on the three late-leavers from Celtic Park last night. Failure to deliver 9IAR after their performance in the January window will surely see the three of them struggle to keep their jobs.
After the December games against the Rangers there has been an acknowledgment from inside the club that we need to find a new way to play against the Rangers who use a narrow 4-3-3 with their wide players pushing in to help their striker. Then if they get their noses in front, they revert to a 4-5-1. They have used this in the Europa League to great effect this season and in December it outfoxed Celtic’s predictable 4-2-3-1.
Neil Lennon since the winter break has used three different formation – the one mentioned above plus a midfield diamond shape and the 3-5-2 that has been so exciting to watch.
Young Welsh was recalled from his loan spell at Morton a week or so ago and was on the bench last weekend against Ross County.
With Jozo Simunovic unlikely to play tomorrow, coupled with the ongoing injuries to Elhamed and Bitton and the deadline disappointment regarding Filip Benković, Neil Lennon should look at starting the Development defender tomorrow to keep the 3-5-2 shape.
Benković opted for Bristol City on Brexit Day and our own BR-Exit had something to do with that decision. And the player himself quite understandably might have opted for the guaranteed game time fighting for promotion in the highly competitive English Championship rather than the possibility of being a bench warmer at Celtic under Neil Lennon.
If you think back, Lenny preferred time use Celtic’s own players when he returned after BR-Exit and when Benković returned from injury he was mostly an unused substitute.
Maybe after suffering from a severe lack of game-time under Rodgers at Leicester City, he just wanted to play football?
There was another BR-Exit factor on Brexit Day ( of infamy) in that the current Bristol City CEO was the man in charge at Reading and the guy who gave Brendan Rodgers his first job in management. The two have remained friends ever since.
Compare and contrast with Rodgers’ relationship with Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell. Despite public politeness, make no mistake their is no love lost there, so the chances of the life-long Celtic Supporters doing Celtic a favour were remote, even after the club’s massaged his ego last week on social media. You cringed too at that one?
Rodgers remember already loaned a player to the Rangers this season.
Lawwell didn’t trust Rodgers to spend money on the transfer market. You would have to say that this was a fair and reasonable position to take. However that doesn’t mean you try to do it yourself or totally control those tasked to do the job.
Nick Hammond was even being referred to as a Chief Scout by a Lawwell friendly outlet last week. He, like Lennon and Kennedy, are there working for and under Lawwell who has too much influence in areas of the club that should not directly concern him.
The Arzani, Shved and Bayo signings were all apparently CEO productions so his own record is closing in on Rodgers’. Will Celtic get any value from these players? There is little to suggest we will.
The two new signings Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro could be different, given they are products of the new structure – even if Lawwell is still influencing matters.
All of this however is for after the league campaign is over. Hopefully our failure to bring in a winger – despite selling two, having two injured and Lawwell’s two out the picture, or a central defender – despite being one short of having a back three for a game at Hamilton, won’t prove costly.
For the Celtic CEO and his management team, the stakes are high. It’s 9IAR or it’s PL- Exit.
ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…
Irish Passport reminder for Celtic fans as Glasgow Delivers Brilliant Brexit Day Message…see HERE.
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