The first Mainstream suggestions that Neil Lennon will leave Celtic emerged tonight on the back of the 1-1 home draw with St Johnstone.
Alison McConnell, who broke the news in February 2019 that Brendan Rodgers was leaving with Neil Lennon coming in as his replacement has a strong track record of being on the same wavelength as the Celtic hierarchy.
On the back of Celtic drawing 2-2 away to Hibs last month she interviewed Martin O’Neill giving a strong defence of Lennon but tonight she retweeted a story outlining the case for Lennon being removed as Celtic manager.
The Scotsman reports:
Moreover, while it might have been the lunatic fringe of the Celtic support that have gone to town on him for months, and were behind last week’s unedifying protests and recent banner call-outs, the entire rank and file of the club’s 50,000 season ticket base would make no case for Lennon remaining in charge.
A truly sad state of affairs for a man who has given so much to Celtic across 20 years, the fact is – as he also seemed to recognise in his sobering post-match – he is deriving so little from a squad of players that does, on paper, still look the best in the country. Lennon lamented the lack of urgency, fluency, confidence, verve, penetration, imagination, pizazz that once again afflicted Celtic. He could have gone on and on, and on and on, because the Parkhead side are devoid of every ingredient required from a successful team.
Tomorrow’s @heraldscotland Sport front page #scotpapers pic.twitter.com/WvfvuywM5x
— Herald and Times Sport (@HandTsport) November 24, 2020
Celtic set to stand by Neil Lennon. https://t.co/8LSXehOE22
— Alison McConnell (@alibali76) November 24, 2020
Five days after Peter Lawwell’s call for unity it seems that the Celtic CEO will be forced into admitting that he made the wrong call with that decision with the case again Lennon overwhelming.
Two wins in 12 matches, an 8-2 aggregate against Sparta Prague and a run of four defeats in a draw from five matches would have been curtains for most previous Celtic bosses.
Lawwell has aligned himself very closely with the Irishman, if he has to get rid of Lennon he’ll need to come up with an exceptional replacement if he is to avoid the same scrutiny that his manager has taken over the last few months.
