Celtic Banter Archive September 26 2013

26 Sep 2013 20:57:00
Hi Ed. there is a? Named iain(2 I's) constant spouting guff about our club and manager, I honestly believe he's a zombie.
Anyway wouldn't you consider putting up one of your polls to have him removed? I know alls have rights to say but this? Is a downer mate. only a suggestion, ., .kbarry {Ed007's Note - Play nice now.}

He has much a right to post on here kbarry as any of us do. Or do you have a problem with freedom of speech?

Gaz.

26 Sep 2013 13:50:35
people need to stop looking at the hear and now on the subject of players coming and going we will win the championship again have a good Scottish cup run and we have 3 massive game to watch at periodic

we r making money as a result that will help us when rankers are back from the dead witch will mean that we will be able to remain the team to beat for year after that when Scottish football will be able to get a sponsor for the spfl and negotiate a better TV deal

Rankers back from the dead you say? Cannot happen "DEAD". We shouldn't even have them in our thoughts. We should be miles away by the time and IF sevco5088 get to spl. Waken up an, ., .kbarry

26 Sep 2013 09:14:16
Anyone know anything on the boy from Uruguay

All I know is if he signs celtic fans will say he's the new saurez and he will be worth 20m

Maybe the new Messi and worth 200 million. your point?

26 Sep 2013 00:54:45
Obviously last night was a right sair yin and there is no dressing it up!

Neil Lennon has been the Manager since March 2010 with no real first team management experience and went onto win all our remaining league games that season. Then when we are in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup against Ross County, gubbed 2-0.

Season 2010 - 11
On his first full season in charge, the very experienced Walter Smith was the Manager at Rangers who were still our biggest rivals. He fell at the first hurdle of European qualification however, the Club were in both the League Cup and Scottish Cup finals. We lost 2-1 in the final of the League Cup in extra time. The Scottish Cup was a 3-0 convincing win over Motherwell in the pouring rain. The game that changed where the SPL title went that season was Celtic losing 3-2 up at ICT in May and the league was lost by one point.

Season 2011-12
This season did not get off to the best of starts shall we say.

We were out of Europe again however due to our opponents fielding 5 ineligible players, we were reinstated into the Europa League group stages.

In the league and only into October we found ourselves 3-0 down at half time to Kilmarnock and 10 points behind the league leaders. In the second half of this game Celtic scored 3 goals and levelled the match. Due to the way the fixtures fell and on Sunday 6 November, we were a massive 15 points behind Rangers and away to Motherwell who were in 2nd place. This game for me was huge, Motherwell scored first and laughs could be heard all over Glasgow for all of 3 minutes. Stokes levelled, we went onto win the game 2-1 and moved into 2nd place. It was 12 points now with a game in hand. Neil Lennon went on an unbeaten run, overturned this deficit and on 28 December beat Rangers 1-0 and knocked them well and truly off the top. Neil Lennon won the league by 20 points (10 if you take away RFC's Administration deduction).

The Cups - He reached the League Cup final and Scottish Cup semi-final.

Season 2012 - 13
This was an unusual season as Celtic started without their main rivals of well over 100 years.

This season started early August with hope in the Champions League qualifiers with wins home and away against HJK Helsinki and for the first time Neil Lennon guaranteed us European football until Christmas with Celtic actually winning. However, he went one better and Celtic defeated their next round opponents. We were having a party in the Champions League!

In Neil Lennon's first Managerial jaunt into football's elite competition, he qualified for the last 16 with 10 points and a home win against the team many think of as the best in recent years.

In the league complacency was an understatement and by the end of 2012 we had dropped points to Ross County, Hibs, St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, Dundee Utd and ICT. We were however top of the league and 6 points clear with a game in hand. We did win the league by 16 points even with inexcusable complacency.

The Cups - League Cup semi-final and winners of Scottish Cup

2013-14
This season started in July with 3 rounds of Champions League qualifiers!

The first round was a stroll against part time opposition, the second round should have been a stroll but was nervy with only 1 goal scored, the third round resulted in a 2-0 defeat away from home but it was the manner of the defeat. Celtic were poor defensively and started without an out & out Centre Forward. Yet again, Neil Lennon turned this around with a 3-0 win at home and we are in the group stages of the Champions League.

In the league we are 6 games in and have dropped points to ICT at home and now are out of the League Cup.

Neil Lennon did have rebuilding to do when taking over from Tony Mowbray and very few have remained - Brown & Samaras probably the most notable.

Before Tony Mowbray we had Gordon Strachan and Martin O'Neill, has Neil Lennon been allowed to spend as much as these two?

Martin O'Neill brought us Sutton, Hartson, Lennon, Agathe, Balde, Thompson as well as the first domestic treble since Jock Stein and a European final. Players like Lubo, Petrov, Larsson and Mjallby were already at the Club.

Strachan brought us Boruc, Nakamura, Zurawski, Scott Brown and JVH (he signed over 30 players), on paper Strachan's successes were better than MON.

Neil Lennon has come into the role of Celtic Manager as Scottish football continues to be on a decline, financially anyway. Without a huge wage, I doubt we could attract the players MON and Strachan did.

None of these two inherited the mess Neil Lennon did.

Neil Lennon is still a young manager learning his trade, thing is what about the pressure thrown in? Hate mail(to say the least)delivered to his family home, physically attacked at his place of work, media hatred fired at him constantly. He is celtic through and through and is a top top young manager. The only man for celtic, ., .kbarry

Strachan had his moments too (Clyde in the Sc Cup with Du Wei and ICT etc) but he did vastly reduce the wage bill left by MON while attracting a better class of players than we have at the moment.
He managed through a massive transition of players and financial restraints and still delivered SPL titles and an initial last 16 CL appearance.
He also won the elusive treble, which seems beyond us now and to be fair; obviously had loads more experience.
Neil Lennon has had the most difficult task in terms of following Mowbray's mess but he is managing to produce CL football on a regular basis - exceptional under the circumstances.
The demise and death of Rangers has had an adverse effect on Lennon's reign, financially in terms of quality and cost of signing targets and the demise of the SPL to attract players.
A frustrating thing for NL must be the constant re-building that is required, as his top players are sold while maintaining the demand for success.

JJ

If I'm not mistaken, Gordon Strachan didn't win a treble- only Martin O' (one) and Jock Stein (two) have won domestic trebles.

The Patient

Patient, Strachan never won the treble with Celtic.

There was also the 5-0 Bratislava defeat.

I think Neil Lennon is the man for the job but I would like to see him be more disciplined with the players.

Good post as always Mrs E. NL has to learn how to use the hairdryer now and again! Its all very well backing your players but sometimes a good kick in the backside is what is needed. As for the records, spot on. NL has had a different challenges to contend with both personal and financial. (before the undead gripe, NL's issues were not self-inflicted they are signs of the times and remnants from a bygone age) On the face of it he has risen to those without the resources which were available to other managers. He is the man for the job right now and long may he and his team continue.
TinyTim Hail, Hail.

The way some try to say Neil Lennon has it easy as there's no RFC or cannot be judged 'properly' is ridiculous.

I would say Walter Smith was a successful Manager and no doubt has given the Rangers support some great memories but when you look at his previous experience before taking over from Graeme Souness at Rangers (I wish they had kept instead of the disastrous move to Liverpool), Smith worked as an Assistant to Managers like Jim McLean and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Smith was also afforded the luxury of spending over 50 million in transfer fees, which at that time was more than any other Club in England never mind Scotland - remember this was the early/mid 90s. During this time and with no real challenge, Smith won the domestic treble just the once.

Then when Neil Lennon was in charge, Walter Smith spent more on Kyle Lafferty than Neil Lennon did on Kayal, Hooper and Izzy put together.

Yes Neil Lennon does have a much stronger squad than most in Scottish football but what is the difference between Neil Lennon today and Walter Smith during the 90s with his RFC squad?

Neil Lennon will not take Celtic to financial ruin nor he does not have a Laudrup or Gasgoine.

He does have flaws Tiny Tim, inexperience can show and I am disappointed to be out the League Cup so early.

Mrs E Nice post but why you bringing Walter into the conversation. back in the 90s his heyday as you point out he did have had millions to spend as you say but majority of the other teams had more money back then compared to present. I mean when was the last time you ever heard of a money signing of note these days at any of the top flight clubs celtic apart.

@7 - Sorry I thought my comparison to Walter was clear.

Even though Neil Lennon can get Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League, some fans of other Scottish football Clubs feel Neil Lennon's management credentials cannot be fully judged as there is no RFC and Celtic are financially superior to other Clubs (i'm not debating this point).

However, in the '90's heyday' Celtic were not cash rich and had well publicised financial difficulties. I brought Walter/RFC into the this for the reason if spending 50million does not make you financially superior to the rest of the Clubs in the league then I do not know what does. Is Walter or RFC's 9IAR ever judged as Celtic were financially weak?