Oh The Irony, Neil Lennon’s ‘Good to Talk Message’ as Celtic ignore supporters

Neil Lennon understands that tomorrow’s game is the most significant match against St Johnstone since the one in May 1998 when Henrik Larsson and Harald Brattbakk goals stopped Rangers doing the Ten.

After the worst run of results since probably the dark days in the first half of the 1990s Celtic is in danger of Eating Itself, much to the delight of the long suffering supporters of Glasgow’s Tribute Act.

This was almost immediately met by this response from the Green Brigade.

Celtic lost that particular exchange with the supporters. The club’s decision to  erect new fencing around the main entrance to the stadium due to concerns over further supporter protest tomorrow and this decision has actually added fuel to the fire. It’s one big mess really. They just did it rather than explaining the reasons why it was necessary to make this move.

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For Covid reasons the club have to protect the Bubble or we risk allowing the virus into the squad. We also run the risk of further protests outside the ground resulting in Celtic Park being deemed unsafe to stage matches – how many people reading this have seen their business or place of work closed due to the pandemic? St Mirren lost two matches this week, both 3-0 forfeits and Hamilton lost one. Dundee Utd are in big trouble over their next two games. Celtic need to avoid getting into these type of situations.

The Scottish Government know that they made an error for judgment regarding the way they dealt with Celtic and Aberdeen and the statement that was released commending theRangers for their speedy action in dealing with their players caught attending the birthday party. (I know this for a fact as I have been dealing with both my MP and MSP on this and the latter told me that he had raised the matter with Ministers on my behalf).

I believe that they know that their statements were inconsistent so last weekend Celtic weren’t dealt with severely after the protest with the hacks all there asking questions of Nicola Sturgeon. Don’t bet on that happening again though folks.

And if Celtic win don’t think that you are being done out of a protest. There will be no need to protest and it could be damaging to our club and our outsider’s chance of winning Ten in a Row.

Last night a reader, Gordon Hamill reminded me that Celtic’s league win back in May 1979 wasn’t all about ten men winning the league. He said:

“Celtic did not win the league with 10 men. They had a turbulent season drawing 6 matches and losing 9 out of 36 games played. It’s a long road…”

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Celtic have been rattled by the run of poor results, the terrible defending, the sight and noise of last week’s protest and Neil Lennon has been speaking about how he’s been man-managing his players to guide them through Celtic’s latest “turbulent season”.

“I’ve had a chat with a few of them. They are all head-scratching, but they showed on Thursday night what a good team they can be,” Lenny told the media as reported by Scottish Sun. (Celtic don’t trust the fans media to speak directly to our players or management and they wonder why there is a disconnect).

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“We speak to them individually as well as a group. I had a long chat with Jeremie Frimpong on Thursday afternoon before the game. I had a good half an hour sat with him. He was outstanding in the San Siro. I don’t know if it had anything to do with our chat, but he played bravely.

“I don’t just want to speak to them about football. I want to get to know what’s going on with them. I want to know how they are getting on in Glasgow with the restrictions, how they’re coping. They are also human beings. Jeremie was pretty positive about the whole thing and it manifested itself in his performance in Milan.

“They are good boys, they are really good lads and they are working really hard. I’ve done it with many of them. Senior players and younger players. The response has been good. Kris Ajer is still a young man, Ryan Christie is the same and so is Odsonne Edouard.

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“We are having a bad run, probably the first one we have had in five, six or ten years. There have been long chats with a few of them over the past few days, just to see where we are as a group.

“I thought they did a lot of good things in Milan and that pleased me. I know it’s all about perspective and I don’t want to sound like a happy clapper, but I don’t think we are a million miles away from being a real force again and a good side.”

Looking away to tomorrow’s match, the most important game against St Johnstone since May 1998, Lennon understands the significance of the game for him personally, the players and indeed the club.

“We know what’s at stake and we know what we have to do. If we play anywhere near the levels we did in Milan and we transfer that into Sunday, we’ll be fine. We looked more like ourselves in Milan, although I was disappointed with the third and fourth goals. We had enough bodies to deal with it and we should be dealing with it.

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“But I thought we were outstanding going forward and we looked a threat. We played very well under the circumstances and we played with bravery, so we need to take that forward now.

“In the second half of the game over in Prague the week before, we dominated for 35 minutes after half-time, but it didn’t feel as though we were going to break Sparta down. This time, it felt as though we were going to break Milan down on more than one occasion in the second half at 3-2.

“The frustrating thing is we’re chasing a game when we shouldn’t be. We’ve had a few hiccups to sort out and settle down defensively, but overall I’ve got to be pleased with what I got in Milan in terms of quality. I think we lacked a little physicality in certain moments, that’s all. We need to tackle better and we need to do the dirty bits of the game better.”

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Lennon revealed that David Turnbull will be back in the squad today after his period on the sidelines due to his positive Covid test while away with Scotland Under 21s.

“Turnbull will be back for the weekend. He’s had the Covid thing, so he’s done all of his testing, his heart testing and his physical testing. Hopefully, he’ll be in the squad for the game. He’s done his isolation and he’s done all of the tests, so he should be available.”

Leigh Griffiths, Moi Elyounoussi and Shane Duffy all missed out on the trip to the San Siro, so we’ll have to wait and see if any af them make the squad for tomorrow’s game.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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