03 May 2021 09:14:03
An interesting and fairly accurate summary of our season by Kris Commons:
"When Lennon left, some people expected an improvement in the attitude and performances of players such as Odsonne Edouard and Kris Ajer. But it’s abundantly clear now that Lennon wasn’t the problem.
The problem lies squarely with these players who have their own agendas and have prioritised them ahead of the club.
The unhealthy obsession with 10 In A Row is at the heart of it. Celtic felt compelled to hold on to a select few players who were already plotting their own exit. They should never have entertained the idea of having to coax these players into giving the club ‘one more year’.
As soon as a player expresses a desire to leave, as Lennon made clear after the Ferencvaros game last August, the club should be phoning them a taxi to the airport.
These players felt like they were doing Celtic a favour by hanging around. They have lost all motivation and it has been the club and the supporters who have suffered for it. "
HH.
03 May 2021 09:38:19
Very good from a man that through Delia under a bus.
{Ed001's Note - voice of experience maybe?}
03 May 2021 09:46:47
Auf, Commons divides opinion and I'm not making any reference to his time at Celtic or the nature of how he behaved when he was with us however in this comment I think he is saying what a lot of fans have been thinking for a while. HH.
03 May 2021 09:50:11
auff besty post is spot on a legend was hounded out the club because of these players they should have been shown the door not lenny look how we played last season when all the players were happy now look this season how they have played wile wanting moves the players are to blame for this season. that's the difference with us and sevco there players wanted to be there ours did not.
03 May 2021 10:00:30
UI
I know the players are to blame but im not going to hyperventilat over a puff piece from Kris Commons. Boy has more faces than big Ben.
03 May 2021 10:08:38
UI, absolutely spot on. I still maintain we have a better squad than the Sevs but that quality only shows itself when there is unity.
Slippy Stevie got his team up for the season quite easily because they were all happy to be at the Dome whereas our own prima donnas thought they deserved to be elsewhere and when one of them (Ntcham) got his move we all saw that Celtic was never his problem to begin with and the truth was closer to his own door.
I said before that Klopp or Guardiola wouldn't have saved our season because of the poor attitude of too many players and with a little bit of hindsight perhaps neither Lennon nor Kennedy should be made the fall guys for this season. Lennon made it clear publicly what he thought about the attitude of some players back in August and when a psychologist was brought in to talk to the players it was already too late. HH.
03 May 2021 10:20:38
There is one man who is not to blame for yesterday and that’s Neil Lennon.
All others from Desmond down including Lawell and Hammond are all culpable and nobody more so than the players. Why Edouard played yesterday is beyond me after the last game he should never have worn the jersey again and he’s not alone. I’d rather have lost more heavily yesterday playing a team of laddies that want to play for Celtic.
Here’s the question though to somebody that knows more than me which wouldn’t be hard. Do we have any good enough currently at Lennoxtown?
Or is our youth development in the same sorry state as management, sports science and recruitment?
It’s time we heard something from the Kremlin even if only an apology from Putin. And that’s not ‘where’s your season ticket money again? ’ as another act of charity when you might not be back in the stadium.
Last word for the players. Ship them out with the exception of Forrest and Turnbull (I’m struggling now) and start again.
03 May 2021 10:22:37
auff just because commons says it doesn't mean it should just be shrugged off as i says a legend was hounded out this club because of them. who will be hurting just now like all us fans will these players be hurting not a chance they can't wait to sign there big contracts in the summer that will make them multi millionaires.
couldn't have put it better myself besty.
03 May 2021 10:23:23
Besty
You said Klopp or Guardiola wouldn't have done a better job than Kennedy after i criticised his time as Temporary manager.
03 May 2021 10:41:48
I don't think we have a better squad not now, our keeper is mince theirs isn't our fbs are not as good as theirs, our cbs are not as good as theirs check the goals against, midfield they have dominated, we have no one like Kent and fatso and roofe have delivered ours haven't, and they bought better than our duds, pity they couldn't raise there game for st Johnstone and St mirren 😀😃.
03 May 2021 10:48:50
@JFP - The fact that Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Man City are coming in and taking some of our youngsters tells me we are doing something right.
I also think we have a decent recruitment setup and expect it to get better with a good DOF. I think the main problem here was Lawwell interfering.
I am also in agreement with you that I would have preferred to see some youngsters who wanted to play for us being given a chance.
03 May 2021 10:56:53
Auf, I said the same thing about Klopp and Guardiola last week too.
I think your dislike for Commons (which you're entitled to feel, I couldn't care less either way) is overriding the content of his comment.
If it had came from someone else who you liked then I suspect you may have given it more credibility.
Are you saying his comment is inaccurate or were you just looking to have a rant because you aren't fussed on Commons? If you feel it's inaccurate then give us your opinion on what you think went wrong this season but if it's just a rant then please spare the rest of us from the negativity because that was never the reason for me posting the comment to begin with. HH.
03 May 2021 10:57:40
auf. what besty is getting at the players have downed tools its there fault not Kennedys how can he get a team playing that has half the squad wanting a move and doesn't want to be there and does not care about results. its clear to see the players are to blame and don't want to be there probably one of the reasons why new manager is not in yet why bring him into a toxic environment when can just wait to summer when the bad influence is away and new manager starts a fresh with the players who wants to be there. people still blaming Kennedy and lenny need to wake up.
03 May 2021 11:24:19
@UI - It is the player's fault for downing tools and not giving everything they have for the club and the fans.
However, it is the manager's fault if he keeps playing them and it is the board's fault if they keep letting the manager play under performing players.
At the end of the day everyone is to blame for this season but the buck stops with the board.
One of the jobs of the board is to make sure they have a succession plan for a manager as they could leave or be sacked at any time. They should know the MO of a Celtic manager and should have a shortlist of people who fit that MO.
Therefore, whenever a manager leaves or gets sacked, the board should be approaching the people on the list and sounding them out for the job. As soon as they have someone ready to take over, that is when the manager gets sacked and the new guy comes in at his back.
Doing this ensures a smooth transition. So we have to ask the question, why has none of that happened? Why are we still managerless 10 weeks after the manager got sacked? Did the board think the same as when Lennon took over as caretaker, see how Kennedy gets on and if they do OK we give them the job? What was their contingency plan?
03 May 2021 11:46:39
NAW, that's pretty much the truth.
I remember a comment a while ago (may have been from Lawwell, I can't remember, but it was from someone at the club) when it was quoted that if the Board had sold the wantaways then there would have been an outcry from the fans for selling our best players during a very important season.
It was always going to be a difficult call for all involved and it was only ever likely to be 50/ 50 at best how it would turn out. Unfortunately for us it turned out badly and ultimately the Board are indeed responsible for not taking action when some players showed signs of not giving everything. They are responsible for what happens on the pitch for 90 mins but the Board should have shipped them out and found replacements who would have given everything.
Lennon didn't make the decisions and his outburst after the Ferencvaros game gave some insight into his frustration about the predicament. No doubt he and JK will be feeling as let down as the fans do and in my opinion Commons' statement is bang on the money. HH.
03 May 2021 11:50:23
100% agree mate. The players are absolutely to blame but for folk to dismiss lennon and Kennedy of any blame is a joke. They continued to play players they know have downed tools, for instance I’m a massive fan of browns, guys a club legend for me, but he’s finished at the level Celtic require, especially to play week in week out, he then agrees to go to Aberdeen which is well within his rights to do so, what do we do? We continue to play him . why not play soro, a boy who will be around next season. There’s a choice there straight away for Kennedy were he could’ve made change. Edouard? He chucked it long ago, we’ve paid £5 million for ajeti, Kennedy could’ve played him in the remaining games fae he took over and what does he do? Sticks with an underperforming edouard. Bain? No one is going to convince me he’s any better than barkas. Someone inside Celtic park thought £5 million on this guy was money well spent, yes he’s no been great, but from Kennedy taking over, why not play him in all the remaining games, give him a run and see IF he can change opinion on him. wee dembele. Yer no telling me there wasn’t scope to give this boy a wee run? these are changes Kennedy could’ve made, and had they not worked I for one wouldn’t have criticised him for it as changes needed made to see if anything could change, I mean it’s not as if brown, edouard, Bain etc were all playing out their skins and un droppable.
03 May 2021 11:57:32
Fair comment Garryc1977. HH.
03 May 2021 13:08:36
UI
I know what besty is saying i agree players have let us down. They let us down long before Kris Commons said it surely no one came to that conclusion on the back of his article. Not throwing a hissy fit over his comments. He let us down, he put himself before the good of the club.
As someone posted above there a lot of people to blame for this colossal feck up.
03 May 2021 13:49:58
in terms of the new manager mate i think he has been picked and working behind the scenes and the board are keeping him away from it all and letting him sort things behind the scenes as bringing him in just now would not be a good move as the players have downed tools and the new manager coming in just now to suffer those defeats would just put unneeded pressure on him and have the fans questioning him already. so they are just letting Kennedy see it out with all the preparations going on behind the scene and new manager already knowing what players will be leaving and needing replaced. just the same as those want away players know were they will be going next season and the big bucks contract the will be signing. come summer time everything is in place and all the ground work has been done these last few months. just because there has been no announcements yet does not mean work is not being carried out just now.
im calm about it all as this is my thinking of it. going on line everyday having a melt down demanding a new manager be announced is just giving a certain fans base across the city laughs at your melt down as i say im calm as i know come summer a new manager will be in place with the players who downed tools away and i think the new manager will be well backed
in terms of lenny being appointed he seen out the season delivered the treble then following season he delivers another treble then this season players want to leave and he is left with half a squad downing tools so i think its harsh to blame him the players should have been sold but then again if they were the fans would have been outraged at the board accusing them of just wanting to line there pockets. soon as those players were refused a move lenny and this season was a doomed one all behind the scenes stuff we did not know about just like the stuff that will be going on just now for the summer. the players lost us the 10 the players lost a legend his job the players will mnove on and become multi millionaires with not a care in the world about this club and what was lost wile us fans and lenny will be hurting.