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Extremely complacent, arrogant. Do they have succession plan? Sky Pundit slams Celtic hierarchy

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Andy Walker has delivered an incredible attack on the Celtic hierarchy, accusing them of extreme complacency and being arrogant over the domestic challenge.

Neil Lennon remains in charge of Celtic despite a grim run of just two wins in 10 matches with the hoops out of three competitions before the start of December.

For four years Celtic have had a monopoly of domestic competitions but the alarming European performances are now filtering though into the domestic game.

Over the last couple of years Cluj, Ferencvaros, Sparta Prague, AEK Athens, Malmo and Maribor have turned Celtic over in Europe with Hibs and Ross County recently showing up the same vulnerabilities.

Peter Lawwell has overseen everything inside Celtic Park since late in 2003 while Dermot Desmond has been the biggest shareholder since Fergus McCann sold up in 1999.

Summing up views that many fans will agree with on Sky Sports this morning, The Sun reports Walker saying:

Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, has called for unity and insists ‘there is no complacency whatsoever’ at the club. I beg to differ. It’s extremely complacent to replace a manager of the calibre of Brendan Rodgers by appointing an out-of-work manager in Lennon and not allowing him any coaching staff of his own.

It’s also arrogant to completely disregard the growing threat of your one and only rival for the title. Too many people at Celtic have been laughing at Rangers for too long and didn’t take the progress under Steven Gerrard seriously.

Why do the Celtic fans see a change as necessary? Well, despite an extraordinary financial advantage, their team has been eliminated from the Champions League, Europa League and Scottish League Cup before December having spent millions on players who can’t get a game.

Like I’ve said, management is brutal and unforgiving and it’s the job of a manager to get results. As Lennon said himself on Wednesday, I would have understood had he been sacked after the League Cup exit to Ross County.

If Lennon turns things around and somehow gets his players back onside, I’ll be the first to admit I got it wrong and acknowledge what a remarkable job he has done but what if Dermot Desmond and the Celtic board are blindly sticking by him, refusing to bow to mob rule but ignoring the obvious out of spite?

I don’t think Lennon will be successful with these players. For the avoidance of doubt, the only trophy that matters for the Celtic fans this season is the title and not the two Scottish cups that are available in the space of six months. Do they have a succession plan? Surely they are thinking of options? Are they doing their homework behind the scenes as to who might be available? What kind of manager will succeed Lennon if they do eventually make a change?

Does he have to be out of work? Who is the next, younger version of Rodgers, a coach who has a track record of improving players, getting results and playing good football? Rodgers was a huge success. Remember this, when he left, Celtic got £9m in compensation. In effect, the success he brought over three seasons cost nothing.

Players have had a platform at Celtic recently to play well, be successful in front of an adoring crowd and eventually move to a bigger and richer league.

Celtic should sell the managers’ job in the same way. Come to a competitive league in Glasgow, qualify for the Champions League and bring success and you too can move to a bigger, stronger and more competitive league. Sadly, I doubt any of those questions have crossed their minds.

Lennon was given the manager’s job on a permanent basis in May 2019, awarded a 12-month rolling contract after the Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts.

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