WHOEVER will be the Celtic manager after this season ends is unclear and it seems that those among our support who want Neil Lennon to get the job on a permanent basis are in the minority.
When Neil Lennon took over from Rodgers we were 8 points ahead in the league but faced extremely difficult away matches against Hearts in the League and Hibs in the Cup. Rodgers had lost on his previous visits to both Tynecastle and Easter Road, in fact he’d lost on his last two matches at each ground, so it was always going to be a tough ask for Celtic to get two wins.
That however is exactly what Neil Lennon achieved. He has increased the lead at the top of the Premiership to 11 points with his 13 point advantage after the win over the Rangers being reduced at the weekend with the goalless draw against Livingston and the Rangers counter-attacking win at Motherwell yesterday.
And one Bear reckons he’s hit on a get rich quick scheme, who wants to be a MillionBear?
“Gonna stick a $100 on Celtic to finish second after correctly predicting their draw today. They will lose away to Hibs, draw at home to Killie, lose away to Aberdeen and Rangers and win at home to Hearts, and lose out on the title by Goal difference. RETURNS – $5.5 million I believe,” the Bear stated.
It’s the hope that kills them…
Gonna stick a $100 on Celtic to finish 2nd after correctly predicting their draw today. They will L away to Hibs, D at home to Killie, L away to Aberdeen & Rangers, & W at home to Hearts, and lose out on the title by GD. RETURNS – $5.5 million ???????? I believe @marvellous_77
— Ian Moore (@RangersMan84) April 6, 2019
Sunday is the biggest match of the season for Neil Lennon, who at the weekend stated that he’d be giving all the credit for a league win to Rodgers. That train of thought isn’t applicable to the Scottish Cup though with Rodgers having got us past Airdrie and St Johnstone, both at home in the earlier rounds, before Lenny’s mission began by beating Hibs away and looking to reach the final by seeing off Aberdeen at Hampden.
“It’s a partial claim for me, this eight in a row title. For me, it’s down to Brendan and the work he implemented and the foundations which are in place. I want to do it for him as much as anybody else,” Lenny said to the Evening Times.
“To finish the season unbeaten would be great. It has been difficult, I won’t say it’s been easy, but we are going well. I think performances can get better. The win over Rangers was obviously psychologically huge for us. We then came off the back of that with a decent performance at St Mirren.
“This is still very much so a Brendan team rather than my team. There are players here from my pervious time but it’s still got Brendan’s stamp on it.”
Hearts or Inverness Caley Thistle contest the other Scottish Cup semi-final, so wins against the Dons and probably Hearts in the final and it will be job done for Neil Lennon ahead of his big job interview.
It will very much be HIS Scottish Cup win and that’s how he’ll stand the best chance of a successful interview, despite it seems, a minority of supporters wanting him to be the next permanent manager.
The BBC’s Tom English asked the question on Twitter this morning. He asked “would be interested to hear Celtic fans view on this…Should Neil Lennon get the Celtic job full-time?
So far 2710 people had responded with only 24% voting yes and 76% voting no. A win on Sunday, maybe with a better display too, would go a long way to changing some minds.
Would be interested to hear Celtic fans view on this…Should Neil Lennon get the Celtic job full-time?
— Tom English (@TEnglishSport) April 8, 2019
So it seems unclear that Lenny has yet done enough to win over the majority of the support.
There are those who look at the events of the past week and believe that a new manager coming in without any real understanding of how Scottish football works, how everything will be done to assist the campaign to stop 10IAR and that Neil Lennon knows exactly what to expect, he has been through it all and nothing will surprise him and unlike the careerist Rodgers, he will stand his ground and fight our corner at every stage of the next few seasons.
If you think 8IAR has seen a new level of hysteria then you should strap yourselves in for 9IAR and then the ten. It’s going to be crazy.
Peter Lawwell, for all his faults, will be perfectly well aware of this.
However, if it’s Neil Lennon or someone else the extent of the summer re-build job is highlighted in this tweet which shows the extreme side of the work that needs doing…but it does show that there’s plenty of work to be done.
Let’s have a heated debate.
People I would let go at season end:-
Lustig
Sinclair
Burke
Ntcham
Toljan
Bitton
Compper
Boyata
Hendry
Gamboa
Kouassi
Izzy
Allan
De Vries
Congleton
Lennon
Duff
Players in last chance saloon:-
Griffiths
Ralston
Simunovic
Lawwell— Desmot Dermond (@desmotdermond) April 6, 2019
