Ian Bankier has revealed that the Managerial Review that Celtic announced on December 7 is still ongoing.
In a remarkable snub to supporters there wasn’t a single reference to Neil Lennon as the club chairman repeated most of the excuses trotted out by the manager during a season of failure.
No mention was made of the harm caused by losing to Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round of the Champions League despite being seeded and having home advantage.
A disastrous Europa League campaign that provided four points, three from a dead rubber, while losing 19 goals is overlooked. No mention is made of losing 4-1 home and away to Sparta Prague.
Alongside the excuses there are constant references to the wonderful loyalty of supporters, many of whom committed £600 to buying a Season Ticket with barely a hint of the promised added value.
Coming as close as he could to a Managerial Review, Bankier told the club website:
We are in the period of review we indicated in our announcement of 7th December. I must state clearly that all decisions we take will be taken calmly and rationally. We will not make hasty decisions that we might regret. There is considerable uncertainty as to how and when the game will get back to normal.
Equally, there are opportunities ahead of us, as the structure of European competitions evolves over the next three to five years. Amongst other things, we will be considering how to take full advantage of what comes our way.
Meanwhile, we cannot alter the timeline of the pandemic. Therefore, we face the prospect of further challenges, whilst we play to an empty stadium where our fans belong. The virtual season ticket scheme has not been and cannot be a substitute for the real thing. We do recognise that.
We thank all our season ticket holders for the fantastic loyalty they have shown the Club and, of course, we are working on ways in which we can acknowledge that. Your commitment to a season ticket supports our playing squad and allows us to invest in players, giving Celtic the best chance to deliver the playing success that we all want. The Celtic support at our matches is something we have missed, of that there is simply no question.
The statement references various media channels, if Bankier and his fellow Directors are taking any note they will be well aware of the failings and discontent that many fans have for Lennon and the decision to retain him in his job.
Six home defeats before the end of January, knocked out of three cup competitions before December and four consecutive home defeats for the first time since the fifties would have seen off most managers.
Next month the club are likely to start looking for Season Ticket renewals, today’s message from the board is likely to make that even more difficult. It is unlikely that hasty decisions will be made to renew Season Tickets.
CLICK HERE for the announcement of the Managerial Review.
