What happened to, We are Celtic Supporters Faithful Through and Through.
If Neil goes let him go on his own terms, but keep your personal vendetta off the forum ,if you dont like him thats up to you, but your tiresome in your attacks on him.
Starting a thread like this is fuckin childish.
That's the decent way to handle this entire situation, 50.
Not one of us can dispute that Lenny has made some peculiar decisions, but not one of us can dispute that he's likely done his own soul-searching through the previous 8 months. He's a Celtic supporter and I'm confident that any decision he makes, away from the field of play, will be made with the best interests of the club and the fans at heart.
Anyone who takes a managerial post knows that the buck stops with them. Lenny has been around the game long enough to know this simple fact and he also knows that this season is far more significant than any of the previous 9 that have gone before.
As fans, it is our expectations that have been raised to the levels they are currently at in terms of our trophy haul, but we also know that we should be light years ahead of our main title contenders based on our financial power and playing staff. If it all goes horribly wrong this season - then the blame doesn't lie solely at the door of Neil Lennon, but he will likely make a convenient scapegoat for the board, the players and the fans.
I love the lads in our squad. I'm sure there are a few huge egoes in there, but I also believe they are a relatively level-headed bunch who have a genuine affinity with the club which extends beyond their next paypoke. Far too many times this season - they have not turned up for work, or they have done the bare minimum to get the job done. A fair bit of that may well be laid at Lenny's door, but I refuse to fully accept that a well rewarded footballer needs to have his hand held or his ego massaged to turn up and play a game of football. Football is not an exact science and some times there are other factors that can lead to poor form and poor results; however - those factors do not legislate for a lack of effort and there have been recent matches (particularly against them) where the result was awful, but the abject performance and lack of effort was even worse. It is inexcusable and unacceptable - even if there has been a breakdown with the management and coaching staff, that still does not give the players the right to have their arses felt and just accept it with a whimper. Professional pride and a duty of candour to the fans should have outweighed any misgivings or grudges with the management.
And let me not be mistaken here, the entire board have to take a long hard look at themselves as well. There are many well placed arrows directed towards Lawwell and Desmond (and not always without good cause), but there are a whole raft of folk taking a wage out of Celtic who remain anonymous on the outer fringes tut-tutting at the fans who are vocal and sharing aperitifs with other officials and governors who loathe them and what they (appear) to represent.
To be fair to Desmond, I don't think he's ever been confused with a genuine football fan, but he does enjoy the adulation when the plaudits are being handed out.
Peter Lawwell believes he is a football man and a mover and a shaker among the high tables and elite clubs. He is a highly paid steward and employee of the club who has been given too much authority and power beyond his knowledge and means. He has done many good things in a commercial and marketing sense for Celtic, but he has also made several extremely poor decisions from a footballing perspective. He is far too involved at the negotiating table and far too influential in bringing players to the club who are sub-standard but who he thinks he can sell at an exorbitant profit. Celtic have pissed away tens of millions during his tenure on players who wouldn't threaten the first XI at Brechin City, yet he remains bulletproof due to the occasional diamond that does go on to generate huge profits. I have supported Lawwell even though his politics and demeanour are anathema to me. I feel that many of his peers and potential replacements aren't quite in tune with the accountancy skills required in that role, but Ivalso understand that his salary is not being justified by our efforts on the field of play. The trophy haul has been magnificent, but it has also veiled a multitude of other sins.
I've gotten sidetracked again........Lenny may well have made some questionable decisions when he was a young man. Perhaps he pledged allegiance to the wrong cause. Perhaps he made poor decisions which affected his personal relationships, but there is not a man or woman among us who hasn't made mistakes and who thought they knew everything about everything when the reality was that they knew everything about nothing and nothing about everything.
Lenny may well have made questionable decisions as a football manager, but that may be down to his limitations and is certainly not created out of malice or ill-intent. As a consequence, our appraisal of Lenny's performance should be based on his strengths and limitations, not out of malice or ill-intent. That would be fair and just and I'm certain that Lenny will be fair and just with us if that time comes.
Great post, 50. Decency doesn't come with a valuation, but if it did then you'd be worth more money than Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond combined ( if it does have a valuation though, how are you fixed for a sub?)