It is more than just a circus now.
If Celtic’s pathetic attempt at the second half of 2020 resembled that of a travelling circus, then their take on 2021 is one that seems to be embarking on a mission to upsurge the whole Cirque du Soleil.
No win in four, including a galling loss at theRangers and three incredibly lacklustre draws against what used to be inferior opposition, have left Celtic staring dangerously below them as they conjure up their best attempts to surrender a Champions League spot. Add the Dubai fiasco to this, and it makes for incredibly unpleasant reading for Neil Lennon’s men.
In fact, it shouldn’t even be his squad anymore. It simply is time for Lennon to go.
Sure, it may be harsh on the man who has won every trophy in Scotland with Celtic as both a manager and player, but all things come to and end and sadly, Lennon has now surpassed his already heinous sell-by-date in the Paradise dugout.
However, Lennon’s post match interview at the Toni Macaroni Arena was incredibly subdued; an inability to admit defeat left more of a sour taste in fans’ mouths than if he had simply accepted his fate and owned up to Celtic’s woes.`
As quoted by The Glasgow Times, Lennon said:
“This club has been at the top for a long, long time. We’re going through a difficult season. There’s an expectancy to win 10 in-a-row but it’s never guaranteed. Even when we won eight, people were talking about the 10. We had to go and win the nine, and we did that, but there was a lot of expentancy going into the season.”
Sorry Neil, but that is a coward’s way out to me. Forget the European shambles, forget the horror show in the cup against Ross County, there is only one thing Celtic fans wanted this year. The Ten. And with those quotes right there, you have chickened out and shown absolutely no desire to fulfil what every fan could’ve gloated about for years to come.
If you’d tried your absolute hardest, but theRangers were simply the better side throughout the season – no qualms. Just hard luck. But the results ever since that first derby loss in October have been nothing short of disgusting – and that is something we will not let slip. We are simply too big to back down and accept mediocrity.
“It’s been disappointing, there’s no question about that, but the club isn’t a shambles – far from it – and it isn’t in crisis off the field”, Lennon went on to say.
“The board have been magnificent. They’ve presided over nine titles in a row and a quadruple Treble. That is unheard in any era of football. I think people need to take a step back and put a bit of perspective on it.From my point of view, it’s not been good enough. We’ve not played well enough and we’ve not been consistent enough.”
That last part is true, but the way the club has conducted itself over the last six months has been nothing short of a shambles. The players, the board and the coaching staff all need to look at themselves long and hard and accept that it has been nothing short of disastrous; and that starts with you walking, Neil.