Who will take the brave decision? On past form it will be Neil Lennon that makes the call just as he did in 2014.
The manager will recognise the situation, he knows that he has nothing more to offer the team, when he has been drained and is running on empty.
In the summer of 2013 Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper were sold, only Virgil van Dijk of the replacements made any impact. A years after beating Barcelona Celtic were fortunate to get away with a 6-1 defeat in the Nou Camp, the regression was obvious.
Johan Mjallby announced he was leaving in spring 2014, a few weeks later Lennon did the same with Ronny Deila coming in to obey the orders of the Chief Executive. A decade earlier Martin O’Neill had speculated on life in the slow lane.
Now in November 2020 the situation is far worse. Far, far worse. Not one area of the club is functioning, not only the team.
In their last three SPFL matches the defence has lost six goals. Today Hibs ensured that Celtic needed two goals to get a draw which was salvaged by a stoppage time equaliser from Diego Laxalt.
After a comfortable first half the roof fell in early in the second half. None of the watching Celtic fans were surprised. We’ve been watching it all season. Scott Brown barging into Martin Boyle was as pointless as Chris Jullien giving away a penalty in Matchday Two at Kilmarnock and so it continues. There is no understanding or shape in defence, that has been the case all season.
Following the defeat from Ferencvaros Lennon revealed that players wanted to leave. After the fourth home defeat of the season, 4-1 against Sparta Prague he said that culture change was needed.
Lennon did his job as caretaker when he came to the club in February 2019, last season he clinched a ninth title but a CEO or Director of Football with his finger on the pulse would have detected the issues and problems brewing inside the squad.
Surrounded by sycophants Lawwell isn’t known for admitting to mistakes. Since the draw at Kilmarnock, the defeat from Ferencvaros it has been obvious that things are badly wrong.
The problem for the CEO, as he discovered in the spring of 2019 is that there is a very very limited pool of candidates prepared to work under the current regime. Most will put in a phone call to Leicester to see what the job is really like, the restrictions.
It is more common to dismiss a manager than a CEO, neither are capable of winning a 10th successive title.
The team is lost, the journey on the team bus back from Edinburgh tonight will be grim, the players plotting their escape in August will be pleading with their agent tonight.
This team won’t win seven or eight games on the bounce, even an unlikely win at Ibrox would only reduce the deficit to single figures. They have won two out of their last eight matches.
Whether it is Lawwell or Lennon that make the call it is clear that the club is in freefall. Someone needs to get the ball rolling, there is no sign of improvement.
Hopefully Dermot Desmond is aware of the latest disaster, if the two men in charge won’t do the decent thing then it is time for a repeat of 2016 with the Irish businessman taking decisive action to clear the decks and give the club an outside chance of salvaging the season.
Yes the last eight domestic trophies have been won, next month a fourth treble can be claimed by beating Hearts but two wins in eight games is the current reality that has to be arrested with the two men at the top of the tree removed.
