Like most Celtic fans Paul Slane was shocked by what he witnessed at Saturday’s Glasgow derby.
The stale performance on the park was difficult enough to come to terms with but the lack of activity in the dug out was as notable as the below par performance on the pitch.
It may have been selective editing from Sky Sports but almost all of the dug-outs shots showed Neil Lennon, arms folded looking completely disconnected from the action on the pitch.
During his first spell as Celtic manager the media image was almost a caricature of a fiery Irishman at war with everything- lashing out at water bottles, match officials and most famously a retreating Ally McCoist on the touchline at Celtic Park.
When he returned, older and wiser, in February 2019 there was an attempt to portray him as more mellow, thoughtful and restrained compared to Version I.
This season that process seems to have advanced. Although not quite at the show staring levels of Tony Mowbray Lenny 2020 looks to have been robbed off his fire and drive, almost as if he has been sedated.
Slane was at Celtic when Lennon took over from Mowbray with the Daily Record picking up on his comments on Open Goal:
Seriously, I need the real Neil Lennon to turn up. That is not Neil Lennon. I honestly believe the man standing on that touchline is a stunt double. I really do.
Even on 70 minutes, Celtic are passing the ball side to side and he’s not saying anything. I remember in training if I passed the ball backwards he would be screaming the head off me.
“The way they played it was like testimonial, I thought John Higgins and Martin Compston should have come on, that’s how bad it was.”
Lennon will meet the media tomorrow to preview Celtic’s Europa League tie against AC Milan.
