Good lennon interview in the sunday mail, well worth a read. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wed-hold-against-english-big-3037733 âWe are three years down the line but probably donât get the credit. Maybe looking back on it people will say, âThat was good.ââ Give this man the job for life.
We'd get pumped. Regularly. We have no striker. RECENT trips to England have proved more than scouting jobs for Neil Lennon. They have allowed the Celtic manager to make assessments favourable towards what he has constructed in the east end of Glasgow. In his search for new signings, Lennon attended Fulham’s FA Cup win over Norwich City last week – a jaunt that led one newspaper to claim he has been lined up as the replacement for the under-pressure Carrow Road manager Chris Hughton. From watching the English top flight in the flesh the Irishman has concluded the current Celtic team would compete favourably in the division. “What I think is with my own group of players we would be OK in the [English] Premier League,” he said. “We would hold our own. Maybe we wouldn’t be top ten, but we’d be mid-table anyway. I don’t think we would be in the relegation dogfight. There is quality down there, no question about it, but there is a lot of mediocrity as well. I think they can over-egg the standard down south.” While billions of pounds of television money continues to slosh through the EPL, Lennon is having to adapt to more straitened circumstances. A big signing for him is the £1.7 million he paid for Stefan Johansen last week. A big season is one such as the current campaign, where his team could go unbeaten in a league that has no other serious title contender, win the Scottish Cup and not bowl over either their own fans or the wider football public. Indeed, the five defeats in six Champions League group games is considered the major feature of the club’s season. The recent break in Turkey has allowed Lennon to take stock, he says, and seems to have had him concerning himself with the glass ceiling above his head. “You are always looking to improve. Whether you can improve in the environment we are in is another thing. All you can do is keep getting results, keep looking to recruit well. That makes your job better – when you have good players coming in. “It is funny, we are three years down the line but we probably don’t get the credit. You are in a no-win situation sometimes. Maybe looking back on it people will say: ‘That was good.’ “If you win, you are expected to win, and if you lose you get criticised. That is just the environment we are in. I am the Celtic manager at the minute and accept it.” http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-would-be-mid-table-in-england-lennon-1-3273996
but there is a lot of mediocrity as well. I think they can over-egg the standard down south.” Never a truer word was said.
I agree with that.... But we still wouldnae score any goals. Big Virgil would get into most sides in the EPL..... I am not sure we could say the same about too many others...except maybe Fraser Four Star.
Present team would struggle imo. If we were in the epl we'd have a whole new team though. Extra money and income we could generate as a resjlt and we'd be able to compete on transfer fees and wages we can offer. A fact many english detractors often overlook when they ask how we'd do in england
Current team would be 15th to 10th... In a 5 years, it would be pushing for Europa league - 8 to 5th but Celtic would never be top 4.
TV money alone is what £30m a year to a relegated side- and more like 40m plus for mid league side? Interest would see bigger opportunities for sponsorship too. More ticket sales too and probably price increases for those tickets. Celtic (and rangers) could fill most epl stadia with away fans at the best of times, for proper epl games most certainly could sell a few tickets. Our value would shoot up too. Mr Desmond is placed ready should this eventuality ever happen to get us there and would invest to get a competitive team out to further drive up the clubs value
my green tinted specs will not allow me to agree given the funds I think we wouldn't be far away. only natural as we are the biggest club on the planet....potentially
the EPL is pish! just watched Chelsea Man u there and nearly fell asleep! we would be the same as we are now a champions league team
It would take years for Celtic to accumulate the budget capable if challenging the bigger teams...who wouldn't sit back n watch us get richer/stronger. Honestly, couldn't see us getting top 4...
Aye. Probably. Although a little bit of me thinks we'd go ****ing nuts in the transfer market given the chance.... I have nothing to base this on other than being a big of a dreamer. I think our expectation levels would go through the roof though.
We would be taken over and billions would be pumped in because of our potential, especially in North America.
I think Desmond would step in, buy up the remainder of the club, go nuts to get us a team to compete and then sell up for a big fat profit. Maybe im dreaming too, but its what Desmond does imo. Did the same with the airport he had in landaan I believe.
