JACKIE MCNAMARA has called for Neil Lennon to ‘step up’ after the Celtic board appeared to back him amidst calls for his removal from his role as manager. McNamara played with Lennon from 2000-2005 and the pair remain friends but that doesn’t stop the former Dundee United manager is saying that the Irishman needs to, along with the team, improve immediately in order to salvage the season.
Speaking to 67HailHail’s podcast, McNamara said that the board need to publicly back him or sack him as the silence is damaging to the confidence in the manager.
“They’ve done it before, it’s more or less the same group of players and you need them to step up.
“You need Neil to step up.
“You have to have one or the other. You either back him and say ‘This is the man we believe in, he’s going to take the club and get the 10-in-a-row.’
“Or, it goes the other way. Just now there’s so much uncertainty.
“There’s no point changing it unless you’ve got someone better than what they’ve got there.
“It does seem there’s a lot of people wanting change, wanting Neil out. A lot of people didn’t want Neil at the start, even though he was doing well.
“For Neil, it’s survival mode at the moment. If we had not got the draw, do I think we might’ve sacked him then? I think possibly yes.
“By getting the draw you could argue the players are still trying for him, getting back from two goals down mentality.
“But there’s so much hysteria around Neil losing his job, people talking about it. The players will be uncertain.
“I think you need some kind of support ‘look, we’re backing the manager, we’re right behind him’ and that can galvanise them.
“It looks a bit ‘them and us’ at the moment. He’s criticising the players for being lazy. It’s creating a divide inside the dressing room.
“He either has to get the backing and get the players back onside knowing he’s going to be there…because there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“Players will not be looking round to see or the rumours coming in, who’s the new manager. It needs to be resolved quickly.”
McNamara is right, players read the news whether it be social media or online so they will see some of the criticism that has been levelled at their door. The team have a good run of fixtures now to bounce back and potentially win a fourth consecutive treble.
Lennon has won five titles as a player and five as a manager which is an astonishing return. However, his shortcomings in the modern, tactical side of the game have been exposed and fans have been hoping for a new name after some disappointing defeats coupled with abject performances.
Lennon deserves our support if the board maintain he has the support of the dressing room but fans can demand that the club up their performances of late.
