The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[tyroneman]

NL was a good player, was never a box-to-box or goalscorer, but did his job, breaking up oppostion moves and and knitting things together, giving the ball to better players to create something with. Celtic fans appreciated him at the time and it's poor form to try and revise history now.

The problems we do have now however are that:

- some players are disgruntled and simply want away, so operating at 50-60%
- othr players are not devleoping through good coaching (e.g. Frimpong)
- tactics are basic and not fit for purpose.
- in game adjustments are rarely working
- Gerrard has assembled a decent (not great) team where they are tight in terms of tactics and application.
- other SPL teams have regressed
- there is no home crowd to add a 12th person to proceedings

The 'talented squad' line is also myth, certinly if our benchmark is Europe.

What we really have is:

- 1 above average striker (Eddie), 1 decent striker, who is perpetually unfit  / unavailable (Griff), 1 striker who the jury is very much out on (Ajeti) and one who has produced nothing for the ridiculous fee paid to date (Kilmala)

- Wide we have JF (plays one good game in 4), MJ (a talent, yes), Elyanoussi (as streaky as they come and not someone who can be relied on to give a consistent 6-7 performance every game and Christie (never a winger, but a good player if used correctly)

- CM we have Calmac (very good player if used correctly, often not used correctly however), Brown (good servant but finished at top level), Soro (who knows - can't get a game), Turnbull (who knows, can't get a game), Rogic (streaky and never fit enough to last 90min x 3 games in a row), Kousassi (who knows, on loan)

- Defence we have Frimpong (all the potential but seems to be regressing through lack of good coaching), Ajer (decent, but not as good as he thinks he is), Julien (8ft tall and can't outjump 5ft forwards, still our best centre half though), Elhamed (a utlity man and a bench warmer on any decent team), Laxalt (good player), Taylor (limited player), Bitton (another utlity man and a bench warmer on any decent team Duffy (limited and needs protected frmo pace, but could be ok ni the right, with the right people around him)

- GK we have Barkas (very disappointing) and Bain (a scond / third string keeper anywhere else)

The scouting network has been very hit and miss and no-one has thought about replacing Brown with a proven, seasoned DMF

All told we have a very, very average team on balance, that is (was) good enough to win the SPL year after year when there was no challenge but very limited in Europe.

Lennon and his team do not seem to be developing players, bringing on the younger players or being tactically astute enough to boss / change games.

All told it's difficult to see how we get out of this rut unless there is a seismic shift in attiude, application, tactical awareness, structure, coaching, development and fitness and management.

[Angelo]

We're in trouble, there's no doubt on that. Lennon's time is up at CP and even he knows it, people are saying hand the letter in and walk away but how many of you would walk away from your own job right now? Wise up. It's Peter's decision to make and i'd say there have been a few secret meetings held regarding his position. Some tools are now even criticising Lennon as a player which i suppose just shows how much of a hateful, spiteful good for feck all tosspot they are but it doesn't surprise any of us one bit.

Celtic are playing no where near what they're capable off and that's down to the management because it's just not one or two individuals but the team collectively and if management can't sort that out (which is their job) then it's game over, it hasn't helped that we've just played something like 8 outta the last 9 games away from home but we still should be better. Where do we go from here? and if PL sacks him soon then who do they bring in? I've no doubt they've an eye on a few and have probably already approached someone and i doubt very much it'll be any of those silly English names that have been floating about here...The next few day's and week will be interesting

Criticising him as a player?

He was average, that's not criticism, that's just the truth.

A couple of goals in a few hundred appearances while carrying a pot belly about. You'll notice there were not too many big teams coming in for Lennon when he was a Celtic player.

If you thought he was anything above average then I'd seriously question your knowledge of the game.

FFS man! You don't understand football if you think lack of goals is a good reason to criticise NL as a player.
He was a vital piece of a midfield at that time. Whether he was a good player or not, is not relevant to his inability as a manager.

Vital piece of the midfield at doing what?

Passing the buck, he couldn't run, he didn't create, he didn't make many tackles, he didn't score.

He was as average as the day was long and was regularly targeted by the fans, lets not rewrite history here. Neil Lennon was loved by the Celtic fans because of his identity and what he went through on a personal level. But as a footballer he was regularly the target of howls of derision because he was an extremely limited player who could do little constructive.

For a guy with such limited ability the fact that he was able to play so many games, captain the club and play with some great players was like winning the lotto.

Neil Lennon is about as good a footballer as the much maligned Glenn Whelan was. There's a reason nobody really came in for Lennon at Celtic.

[Angelo]

CELTIC star Neill Lennon blasted fans yesterday for driving his dad away from Parkhead.

The former Northern Ireland player was booed by supporters during last Thursday's Uefa Cup semi-final at Parkhead.

The heckling has disgusted the midfielder's shocked dad Gerry.

Lennon said: "Dad was really upset and he told me he wouldn't be coming back to see me play at Parkhead because of what happened.

"He wasn't over for the Boavista match but he was watching it on TV and could hear what went on.

"He's obviously very proud of me playing for Celtic and to be honest it has probably hurt my family more than me."

Lennon has been delighted by the countless messages of support he has received including that from Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, but he admitted that he'll find it hard to forgive fans who abused him.

He said: "I'm not pleased about what happened and it will take me a long time to forgive the fans who barracked me.

"Playing in the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup is hard enough without having to go through that. I wobbled for 10 minutes or so after it, before managing to compose myself.

"Personally I thought it was unjustified but I received some nice cards and messages from fans.

"They apologised for what happened but I'm big enough and ugly enough to get on with it.

"I was pleased to hear fans singing my name on Sunday (when Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 at home) but I haven't forgotten what happened last week.

"It's still very much a sore point for me."

Lennon, from Lurgan, Co Armagh, stressed that fans had to understand the pressures on players to get a result during big matches.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that our best performances in Europe have come away from home.

"The tension is so intense at Parkhead sometimes and the fans have got to realise it's not the same as domestic games." Lennon's father refused to comment last night when contacted at his home in Lurgan.

It's not the first time that Lennon has been tormented by fans.

The Catholic father-of-one was regularly taunted by sectarian supporters at Northern Ireland games.

And he quit international football after receiving loyalist death threats in August.

[illdecide]

Angelo...TBH this is the last time i'll ever respond to one of your posts because TBH you're just an attention seeking lower than a snakes belly good for nothing person (very nearly typed another word there). Would love to type a whole lot more but would only get banned. Have a nice life (Not)

[Angelo]

Angelo...TBH this is the last time i'll ever respond to one of your posts because TBH you're just an attention seeking lower than a snakes belly good for nothing person (very nearly typed another word there). Would love to type a whole lot more but would only get banned. Have a nice life (Not)

Jesus Christ, would you ever grow up. You're behaving like a 5 year old because I stated some facts about Lennon.

He was an average player and is a sub standard manager, he managed to carve a very successful career for himself out of football and make himself very rich because he Celtic fans felt a lot of sympathy due to the sectarian abuse he suffered. As a footballer and manager though he underwhelmed and I think his conduct has been poor at times. Let us not forget how he was happy to chuck Alan Thompson under a bus to save his own skin.

Think you need to have a long look af yourself in the mirror if you are getting so upset and taking things so personal over valid criticism of a football manager

[clarshack]

CELTIC star Neill Lennon blasted fans yesterday for driving his dad away from Parkhead.

The former Northern Ireland player was booed by supporters during last Thursday's Uefa Cup semi-final at Parkhead.

The heckling has disgusted the midfielder's shocked dad Gerry.

Lennon said: "Dad was really upset and he told me he wouldn't be coming back to see me play at Parkhead because of what happened.

"He wasn't over for the Boavista match but he was watching it on TV and could hear what went on.

"He's obviously very proud of me playing for Celtic and to be honest it has probably hurt my family more than me."

Lennon has been delighted by the countless messages of support he has received including that from Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, but he admitted that he'll find it hard to forgive fans who abused him.

He said: "I'm not pleased about what happened and it will take me a long time to forgive the fans who barracked me.

"Playing in the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup is hard enough without having to go through that. I wobbled for 10 minutes or so after it, before managing to compose myself.

"Personally I thought it was unjustified but I received some nice cards and messages from fans.

"They apologised for what happened but I'm big enough and ugly enough to get on with it.

"I was pleased to hear fans singing my name on Sunday (when Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 at home) but I haven't forgotten what happened last week.

"It's still very much a sore point for me."

Lennon, from Lurgan, Co Armagh, stressed that fans had to understand the pressures on players to get a result during big matches.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that our best performances in Europe have come away from home.

"The tension is so intense at Parkhead sometimes and the fans have got to realise it's not the same as domestic games." Lennon's father refused to comment last night when contacted at his home in Lurgan.

It's not the first time that Lennon has been tormented by fans.

The Catholic father-of-one was regularly taunted by sectarian supporters at Northern Ireland games.

And he quit international football after receiving loyalist death threats in August.

I remember that, the fans were getting very frustrated as NL kept passing the ball back. Didn't make sense when there were guys with the quality of Larsson and Sutton up front.

[Angelo]

CELTIC star Neill Lennon blasted fans yesterday for driving his dad away from Parkhead.

The former Northern Ireland player was booed by supporters during last Thursday's Uefa Cup semi-final at Parkhead.

The heckling has disgusted the midfielder's shocked dad Gerry.

Lennon said: "Dad was really upset and he told me he wouldn't be coming back to see me play at Parkhead because of what happened.

"He wasn't over for the Boavista match but he was watching it on TV and could hear what went on.

"He's obviously very proud of me playing for Celtic and to be honest it has probably hurt my family more than me."

Lennon has been delighted by the countless messages of support he has received including that from Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, but he admitted that he'll find it hard to forgive fans who abused him.

He said: "I'm not pleased about what happened and it will take me a long time to forgive the fans who barracked me.

"Playing in the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup is hard enough without having to go through that. I wobbled for 10 minutes or so after it, before managing to compose myself.

"Personally I thought it was unjustified but I received some nice cards and messages from fans.

"They apologised for what happened but I'm big enough and ugly enough to get on with it.

"I was pleased to hear fans singing my name on Sunday (when Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 at home) but I haven't forgotten what happened last week.

"It's still very much a sore point for me."

Lennon, from Lurgan, Co Armagh, stressed that fans had to understand the pressures on players to get a result during big matches.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that our best performances in Europe have come away from home.

"The tension is so intense at Parkhead sometimes and the fans have got to realise it's not the same as domestic games." Lennon's father refused to comment last night when contacted at his home in Lurgan.

It's not the first time that Lennon has been tormented by fans.

The Catholic father-of-one was regularly taunted by sectarian supporters at Northern Ireland games.

And he quit international football after receiving loyalist death threats in August.

I remember that, the fans were getting very frustrated as NL kept passing the ball back. Didn't make sense when there were guys with the quality of Larsson and Sutton up front.

He was a fairly limited player. Nobody said he was terrible but there's no way Lennon is a Celtic legend on his abilities as a player and manager. In reality he owes Celtic so much more than Celtic owes him and that's generally not the way it is with legends.

I think his arrogance among all the flak and poor results shows him up in a bad light. Further disappointing to hear today that the board will not be taking action until such time as the league race is completely out of reach. We can still salvage this season but not with Lennon at the helm.

If the genuine alternatives are Roy Keane or Strachan then we are as well cease operating as a football club.

[Applesisapples]

Shane Duffy has taken a lot of shit in the past weeks for his displays. But it is obvious from last night that the problem is not the centre backs but a gutless misfield led by Scott Brown who is a shadow of the player he was.

Just stop. I thought Duffy would be a great signing but he has been really poor. I can now see why he wasn't getting a game in England. Just because the players around him aren't performing doesn't give him a free pass. Ajer was awful last night but Duffy has been just as awful in other games.

Duffy buried his father a few months back, that may have some bearing on his lack of form. But how do you build confidence as a cb if you're exposed. It is a common concept even in GAA that you protect your fullback.

[general_lee]

Angelo...TBH this is the last time i'll ever respond to one of your posts because TBH you're just an attention seeking lower than a snakes belly good for nothing person (very nearly typed another word there). Would love to type a whole lot more but would only get banned. Have a nice life (Not)

Jesus Christ, would you ever grow up. You're behaving like a 5 year old because I stated some facts about Lennon.

He was an average player and is a sub standard manager, he managed to carve a very successful career for himself out of football and make himself very rich because he Celtic fans felt a lot of sympathy due to the sectarian abuse he suffered. As a footballer and manager though he underwhelmed and I think his conduct has been poor at times. Let us not forget how he was happy to chuck Alan Thompson under a bus to save his own skin.

Think you need to have a long look af yourself in the mirror if you are getting so upset and taking things so personal over valid criticism of a football manager

You are actually poison at this stage and your shité posts are getting tiresome. You're portraying your opinion as "fact". Just admit you personally resent Lennon and you might actually be taken seriously (did he shag your sister or something???)

I bet you're one of these cünts that would be over patting him on the back if you met him in person. He spent 7 years at the club because "the fans felt sorry for him" f**k I haven't read such shite in my life.

[general_lee]

All told we have a very, very average team on balance, that is (was) good enough to win the SPL year after year when there was no challenge but very limited in Europe.

Lennon and his team do not seem to be developing players, bringing on the younger players or being tactically astute enough to boss / change games.

All told it's difficult to see how we get out of this rut unless there is a seismic shift in attiude, application, tactical awareness, structure, coaching, development and fitness and management.

Great post, a lot of good points covered but the last bit sums it up. Ultimately the changes need to come from board level. Operating in a piss poor Scottish league there needs to be a degree of realism from fans. All the board care about is the balance sheets and are happy to be dominant in Scotland and chance the arm in Europe. Relying on Rangers slipping up rather than having faith in the current squad and management sums it for me where the club is at right now. 10IAR is becoming a curse and while it looks nice it just papers over the cracks that have been there for a few years now

[Angelo]

Angelo...TBH this is the last time i'll ever respond to one of your posts because TBH you're just an attention seeking lower than a snakes belly good for nothing person (very nearly typed another word there). Would love to type a whole lot more but would only get banned. Have a nice life (Not)

Jesus Christ, would you ever grow up. You're behaving like a 5 year old because I stated some facts about Lennon.

He was an average player and is a sub standard manager, he managed to carve a very successful career for himself out of football and make himself very rich because he Celtic fans felt a lot of sympathy due to the sectarian abuse he suffered. As a footballer and manager though he underwhelmed and I think his conduct has been poor at times. Let us not forget how he was happy to chuck Alan Thompson under a bus to save his own skin.

Think you need to have a long look af yourself in the mirror if you are getting so upset and taking things so personal over valid criticism of a football manager

You are actually poison at this stage and your shité posts are getting tiresome. You're portraying your opinion as "fact". Just admit you personally resent Lennon and you might actually be taken seriously (did he shag your sister or something???)

I bet you're one of these cünts that would be over patting him on the back if you met him in person. He spent 7 years at the club because "the fans felt sorry for him" f**k I haven't read such shite in my life.

Not at all. You lads should be ashamed with the way you are conducting yourselves on here when VALID facts and VALID criticism is subjected to the manager on the results and performances. It doesn't take long for you guys to start flinging out insults and trying to intimidate when anyone rightly criticises Lennon. You're behaving like a petulant child.

Lennon is not good enough for the job. He wasn't good enough for Bolton or Hibs and he's certainly not good enough for Celtic.

Maybe the likes you and the rest of the Lennon cheerleaders might do us a favour and piss off out of here when Lennon goes as you seem to be far more invested in the cult of the manager than the football club itself.

Embarrassments.

[Main Street]

All told we have a very, very average team on balance, that is (was) good enough to win the SPL year after year when there was no challenge but very limited in Europe.

Lennon and his team do not seem to be developing players, bringing on the younger players or being tactically astute enough to boss / change games.

All told it's difficult to see how we get out of this rut unless there is a seismic shift in attiude, application, tactical awareness, structure, coaching, development and fitness and management.

Great post, a lot of good points covered but the last bit sums it up. Ultimately the changes need to come from board level. Operating in a piss poor Scottish league there needs to be a degree of realism from fans. All the board care about is the balance sheets and are happy to be dominant in Scotland and chance the arm in Europe. Relying on Rangers slipping up rather than having faith in the current squad and management sums it for me where the club is at right now. 10IAR is becoming a curse and while it looks nice it just papers over the cracks that have been there for a few years now

The current squad is almost good enough but there's a big hole in the most important position at CM. Brown is the captain and probably the only player big enough to be captain, but he's no longer good enough to hold his place on the team.

[thewobbler]

I wonder if it'll ever dawn on Celtic supporters that the key to them becoming more competitive in Europe, isn't the board, or the manager, but a more competitive league that they don't win every season.

If the league isn't competitive, international interest (sponsorship, tv money, plus player awareness) wanes. If the league isn't competitive, local interest (attendance, sponsorship, tv money, plus player awareness) wanes.

You simply won't attract top international talent to live in shitty, miserable Glasgow as it stands. The core competition is unattractive, and for the most part of the world, unknown.

[Main Street]

 You obviously aren't a person of culture Wobbler, Glasgow is a grand place, though I prefer Edinburgh.

[Angelo]

I wonder if it'll ever dawn on Celtic supporters that the key to them becoming more competitive in Europe, isn't the board, or the manager, but a more competitive league that they don't win every season.

If the league isn't competitive, international interest (sponsorship, tv money, plus player awareness) wanes. If the league isn't competitive, local interest (attendance, sponsorship, tv money, plus player awareness) wanes.

You simply won't attract top international talent to live in shitty, miserable Glasgow as it stands. The core competition is unattractive, and for the most part of the world, unknown.

Teams from the Czech, Danish, Austrian etc leagues have done well in Europe in recent years.

Sevco are going very well in Europe at present.

Celtic should be doing a hell of a lot better with both the playing squad they have and the money they have in the bank.

We have Scrooge in the boardroom and a chap who is probably not good enough to manage Glenavon overseeing the on field activities.