Back to the topic ... I genuinely believe that he needs to calm down...Yes, be passionate but don't go snarling onto the pitch! I think he needs a older/experienced assistant next to him to keep him calm. After a match, take a few minutes to compse yourself before approaching the ref. No one listens to you when you shout ...
Think your being a bit harsh here, i mean what else could he do, no other team will take the maniac!!! Sugestions----He could try modeling Kappa shell suits. or---Balaclavas. Maybe advertising---- Eucryl smokers tooth paste Clairol hair colouring. Kleenex tissues. What else could he do if he lost his job ???
Two points Ciaran posted article yet he did not see what happened when Neil Lennon went on pitch , he said he switched off TV. I would suggest, he isn't a good person to make this point if he did not watch the whole episode. Maybe a wee bit of an agenda Ciaran? Trevor says Lennon is an embarrassment; to me that is a very good reason to rally behind and support Neil Lennon. I think that over the last nearly 50 years I can only remember one passionate Celtic Manager who has not been very successful and that was Tommie Burns. M.O'Neil, David Hay Billie McNeil Jock Stein even Jensen were all passionate. For what ever reason, Neil Lennon has had to put up with filth bullying, death threats, unfair treatment by referees as a player and as a manager. Neil did not change as a person once he came north to Scotland but the Northern Ireland fans who previously worshipped him turned and booed him and threatened him. To most people who have followed Neil's career Scottish referees seem to take their stance from the Ranger's fans hatred. It is unbelievable the pressure that has been put on him. SFA wrote to him about a mild remark about a forthcoming referee, at the same time as Neil was giving evidence against people who had tried to kill him. Yet Kenny Shields made a more damning remark about the ref of Killie's next game against Celtic but no letter from SFA. We need to be seen to back him because if Neil leaves God knows who we will get. We can be pretty sure it will not be any manager with any meaningful reputation. Everyone will know that Neil will only leave Celtic because the bigots have won. Who in their right mind would want to take over, especially when any prospective Manager would know that despite turning around a losing team to winning cup and league within two seasons.
There is one recurring theme on the Lennon issue which consistently gets up my nose ; this whole arguent that goes along the lines of " if he leaves/if celtic replace him...the bigots have won " . ****ing idiotic point of view.
Rogue Leader. Lennon would certainly be going no where from a football point of view. The only possible reason he could go is because the SFA and the referees are following the intensity of the bigots. Rangers go on the death bed, all their old favourites including Jock Stein knew and Lennon (whatever colour of hair , teeth, Roman Catholic, wee six,) any reason does them. Referees cheated us and Lennon in 3 games since Rangers collapse. If you can tell me any other referee in these islands who has had to go to court to give evidence against two men that attempted to kill him. The case was delayed by former Mr Rangers Findlay so that it would have max impact on Neil and Celtic. Rogue name the manager who has to operate under those terms.
Lets say for arguments sake I totally agree with all you have said there ; it is still not the point ; how other people think or act towards neil lennon - or even what effect that may have on him - has to be taken out of the equation when making a decision on who is the best person to manage celtic. I have long stated he isnt experienced enough ( wasnt experienced at all when appointed ) and this shows in his tactics/tinkering/impulsiveness/decision making etc....in my opinion anyway. Thats something Im happy to debate with celtic fans, what I wont go along with is letting the thoughts on neil lennon managing celtic being blinkered by the other issues, lets call it a " hate campaign " for want of a better term. Whether or not people have a certain attitude toward him because of his religion, his place of birth, his demeanour, whatever, is utterly irrelevant to the issue of him being the best person available for the celtic managers job. Too many fans are single-mindedly " getting behind " neil lennon as a response to the actions of the very bigots they proclaim to abhor, failing to look at the wider picture and allowing their way of thinking become little more than a reaction.
Football wise you may have a point, about when he started and his switches etc. Looking at him from a negative point of view you would certainly be right. However what cannot be taken from him is that he took over a team, lacking in ability, lacking in motivation and with very little money he has won the cup and the league within two seasons. Now in all fairness if we were realistic that is all we could have expected football wise. In my opinion he has built a good young team that can only improve and that on most days play very good attacking football. To be honest I cannot think of a better experienced manager that Celtic could attract to do better. If you add on the the circumstances that he has had to put up with. Honesty the bhoy has done well.
To be fair rl, I would suggest that the majority of Celtic fans want Neil Lennon to stay because of what he has achieved in his short time as manager and not because 'should he leave, the bigots would have won.' I would also suggest that the references to the latter are more in relation to the possibility of a situation arising whereby the disgraceful treatment, to which he's been subjected, was the only reason he left. I believe, in any case, that showing a more passionate and vocal support for Neil because of what he's had to put up with is a right and proper response from Celtic fans. At times, I have been unhappy with his tactics, tinkering with the team, and IMO, too late responses when things aren't working but he transformed the team immediately after Tony Mowbray's unfortunate time in charge and we are now league champions so I would like to see what more he can achieve next season.
You, me or super hooper couldve transformed the team after mobray left ; again another inexplicable appointment by the board - seriously , did you know anyone who thought he was going to be the manager to take celtic forward ? I dont agree the majority of fans want lennon to stay " because of what he has achieved " ...whatever that may be exactly ?.....I believe the majority of fans want him to stay because they see him as " one of us " and are locked into somethingof a seige mentality on this issue. Are you both suggesting that , when mobray left, celtic would have been unable to attract a manager with some previous experience and a track record ? On one hand I can go along with our need to take a chance on younger, unproven players with potential and a sell on value ( although it has been both costly and negligent not to have a couple of older/experienced players in there too ). We shouldnt be taking a chance on a younger, unprovan manager with potential. Frankly, with the state of rangers and the rest of scottish football, celtic should have disappeared over the horizon by now. We havent because the board has made consecutive mistakes in the most critical of appointments at a football club, I for one am tired of hearing this "celtic family" **** that gets trotted out.....just get the best person available. We have underachieved, and all this stuff which currently centres around lennon is nothing but a convenient smokescreen to obscure that fact. I could go on, but I will finish with one last question. Do you really think it is appropriate that the manager of celtic is arguing with members of the general public through Twitter in the wake of a cup semi-final defeat ? And if not, why the **** is he doing it ?
I am not aware that he is 'arguing' with members of the general public through Twitter nor am I particularly bothered about it in any case. I do accept that we have underachieved this season but under Neil Lennon we have won two competitions in the two years since he took over from Tony Mowbray under whom we were disastrous and that is to be commended IMO. I was bitterly disappointed that we didn't take the lessons which should have been learned from the Kilmarnock defeat, into the Hearts game. We have won the league, however, and I believe Neil Lennon deserves the chance to better his achievements next season. You've made some points that cannot be proven, nor indeed disproven for that matter, so it comes down to a matter of opinion - though I'm not so sure you, sh or I "could've transformed the team after mobray left" so easily! Who do you see as the experienced Manager with a proven track record whom we could attract and who would be guaranteed to win more than Neil Lennon has so far?
So we have underachieved for two years and once again have failed to learn from defeats. So, who do d I think shouldve ben appointed after mowbray ? This is the question that always come up...who else is there ?.....that cant be answered without going back in time to when, or indeed well before before the appointment was made ; obviously we disagree, but I think there were plenty of other potential candidates who were neither looked at nor sounded out. some kind of previous celtic connection seems to have become a prerequisite for the job, why is that ? and dont you think it is rather self-limiting ?
I agree that we should not limit ourselves to a manager who has a previous connection with Celtic but was not aware that we did so - certainly Tony Mowbray and Neil Lennon had connections but not so, Martin O'Neill or Gordon Strachan before being appointed. I am disappointed that we should have but didn't, win more this season. I do believe, however, that having won the league, Neil Lennon deserves the opportunity to manage Celtic for at least another season - if we do not have more success next season then it may be time to find another manager but that remains to be seen. ('Time to go' - for me now anyway!)
RogueLeader You seem to have a great opinion of yourself as a football manager. I certainly have no reason to believe that I could have brought Celtic on from Big Tony left and that is after having quite a good playing career. I would love to know some of your achievements as a manager to enable you to make your claim, I notice Espania Celt did not agree either. You are now so full of hatred for Neil Lennon that everything he does and everything he doesn't do you are putting it up for scrutiny. That close examination is based on hatred, trying to get things to prove your point. Are you jealous you did not get the job a head of him. Talking about what he does and doesn't do on twitter is simply as stupid as talking about when he goes to the toilet or how often does he clean his teeth. In my opinion and I have seen this before from you, you don't like a Celtic fan, player or Manager with passion. I suppose it was the Barcelona Manager and Messi who were to blame last night. Imagine a team with over 70% of the play and about 10 chances on goal could not score. Conceding a goal because centre /backs could not handle a player running at them. Chelsea played no football just like Hearts and Killie, but Chelsea didn't need any referees fault. I think the Barcelona fans will still support their manager and team. RogueLeader true Celtic fns support the team ie players and manager through thick and thin. If you think this is thin I advise to walk on because in years to come their will be a lot thinner days.
