Down But Still United

Having heard rumours of Neil Lennon losing the backing of the Celtic dressing room, it would appear strange (to me anyway), that the players in that squad have been so vocal in their support of him.

I have taken note of a few of these (all from the past couple of weeks, with the exception of Common’s quote taken from Twitter towards the end of September after he was dropped for the Rangers game) and charted them below.

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Fraser Forster
“The manager has been absolutely fantastic with me ever since I walked through the door. I can’t thank him enough”



Mark Wilson
“We're firmly behind the manager and we love working under him and the coaching staff. It's up to us to repay his faith in us. We've not done it this season”



Charlie Mulgrew
“The manager has shown faith in a lot of boys here and everybody wants to win the title for him. We are all right behind him and working to repay his faith.
We feel we owe him so everybody is concentrating on doing the club and the manager a turn”



Daniel Majstorovic
“It is important for all players that the coach believes in you. I am always motivated. I don’t think about anything else. I feel really good here. I really like the club and I just need to be focused and deliver on the pitch.”



Thomas Rogne
“We have let the manager down too many times now and haven't done him justice. We are desperate to turn it around for him, for the fans, for the club — everyone.

I can stand here, though, and talk to you about every player wanting to turn it around but we have to show it on the pitch. But we have to step our game up and be united as a group as we have been and believe in ourselves.”



Adam Matthews
“Every single player in that dressing room plays for the manager and respects the manager. There is no doubt that every player is playing for him. All the boys are really close and they are close to the management staff as well.”



Victor Wanyama
“The manager spoke but the players were involved in it as well. We all agreed with what was being said so it was positive.

The Celtic squad's like a family. The players help one another and that's helped me. As players we want to help one another. The manager is part of that — we all are."



Ki Sung Yueng
“I'm young and I'm very happy with these players and the manager. I'm very pleased with this club. I just want to help the team win the league.”



Beram Kayal
“I will do everything for the club and the manager to achieve success. It was the manager who wanted me here and I want to achieve things for him, the club and all our supporters.

The gaffer gives everything for the players and every one of us wants to give everything back to the gaffer. For me, he's not just the manager. He gave me everything, he always believed in me. When he speaks to me, he gives me energy. It is especially good that he played in my position, because always he gives me tips during the games. Every time he tells me to do something in a game, if I do it, I have success.

I left my family to come here and I feel that all the club, not just the gaffer but the coaches and players are my family now. The gaffer has a bond not just with me. He has a bond with all the players.

We just want to win games for him."



Joe Ledley
"We want him to stay, he's a great manager and we all want to try to win things for him and ourselves. We just have to keep working hard and try to get back on track. He is one of the greatest managers I have worked with and we want to keep him here.
We want to keep him here because he is a great manager and everyone believes in him."



James Forrest
"It's just nonsense to suggest the manager has lost the dressing room. The players are right behind him.

I've known the gaffer since he was in charge of the reserve side and he was the one who gave me my chance in the first team. If you ask the players they'll tell you he's good to work under but we are the ones who have to show him what we can do.”



Kris Commons
“Celtic is the best club I've ever played for and Lenny is no doubt the best manager I've worked under.”


Anthony Stokes
“We are all right behind the gaffer. It is up to us as players to show that we are good enough here. We are desperate to bring success to the club, and the manager is the man to do that.”




Johan Mjallby
“If I was a player I would be happy to have Neil Lennon as a manager and I would be fighting for him”



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Obviously backed into a corner under questioning, an employee is hardly going to get stuck into their current boss; however the majority of the quotes from the players have come in post match interviews, or questions about the clubs form, rather than directly about Lennon’s ability, future, or indeed popularity.

Given the players could have avoided the subject on almost all of the above, I think it shows that whatever is causing Celtic’s poor form, a lack of support for Neil Lennon amongst his players, is not the reason.

Managing a Crisis?

We must keep Lennon – I am in no way saying I am not worried by his apparent lack of ‘learning from his mistakes’, but think the way for us to build a successful squad is to keep a bit of consistency, as since O’Neill left in 2006, our turnover of manager has severely affected the massive number of signings, which I think is a big part of our current problem.

You cant tell from one game to the next who will be played, I can understand Lennon’s reluctance to pick players who he doesn’t think are firing on all cylinders, but when his replacements form is too in doubt – surely from now on you stick by a pretty much pre decided unit. That’s how good teams get to be good. By no means just through having good players, often teams backed into a corner through lack of finance to have other options (see Walter Smith’s Rangers), can become a successful unit. We have too many options. Too many players who ‘could’ do a job. But frankly, too many of them, just aren’t.

It doesn’t seem how much we spend, or how many we bring in, our centre halves are unable to attack the ball with the level of aggression and certainty that other teams even in lower leagues have no problem doing. Majstorovic gets more than his fair share of criticism in my view, as he can at least attack the ball. At times, his mobility and decision making leaves him unable to do little else. However, loads of other teams have centre halves who are just in their for their steel, aggression, and presence, and the balance of their backline is such that the other players do their bit and cover in behind when needed.

Loovens, Hooiveld, Rogne, Wilson, all brought in and showed even glimpses of promise, but are unable to sustain any kind of meaningful partnership. And in all honesty, Mulgrew has done well individually at times, his desire and qualities cant be questioned in the most part, but even he has struggled to secure a consistent back line for us.

It’s not only defence where the balance is wrong. The formation worked last season, we were taking our width from our full backs, the midfield drifting inside to get on the ball seemed fluent, going were need be, fighting for each ball. Without Izzaguire, Wilson (or the other right backs) have tended to sit deeper to protect their defence, and neither side has overlapped, leaving Commons looking a very average player – not given the tools to go and win the match. This season only Ki has kept a good standard (though only shows what he really can do, when the tempo is upped, while seeming unable to dictate the tempo being upped), but all other midfielders have fallen by the wayside. Fitness, suspension, or just plain form – we have been disjointed and out of confidence. I think Wanyama should be used to help us build balance and confidence again. Works hard off the ball, and keeps it simple on it – need to find the other players to use effectively with them. I know Forrest has ability, but changing strike partnerships, and underperforming midfield hasn’t helped him use his skills in the right area, and often finds most joy dribbling across the pitch, and unable to create the goalscoring opportunity for either himself or others that his work should be deserving. A more experience player would have been best served given what’s been around him, keeping wide, and allowing us to open the game up, rather than to narrow the space by running towards players (when no one else is helping to take them away). Our lack of use of McCourt has been again, truly baffling.

Kayal’s attitude on the park has been poor. Last season he was excellent. The type of player I thought we wouldn’t see for Celtic again. Could do it all. Brilliant off the ball, intelligent, composed, and able on it. He looked so gifted, yet still hungry. The perfect personification of what it looked like Lennon was building. But this season, be it contract dispute or lack of form, his intelligence has turned to frustration, composure turned to laziness, and his ability has turned to arrogance.

I don’t agree with how he has been offered contract, for me I would have liked to have seen Celtic say – it’s not the time for contracts at this point for either party, lets concentrate on form and we can sort that out at Christmas. Looks like he has got what he wanted because we weren’t sure how best to deal with it. Giving him all the cards, then going all in. Lets hope he throws a few aces our way for the rest of the season, and maybe it’ll work out for the best. We’ll see.

The players just aren’t helping themselves or the manager. And yes I want more from Lennon, I want to see him put out a more settled, secure, and balanced team, but the manager essentially is looking for our big players to stand up and be counted. But who exactly are these big players?

We need the players to fight out of this current slump.

They need to take responsibility for their part in the poor form; they need to right their own wrongs for us to make progress.

And even if fans do want the axe to fall on Lennon's Celtic career, are there realistically better options available?

I am not aware of many managers who would be interested in coming to Celtic that I would be happier came in and improved things without setting us back again. As if there were, I have little doubt they would have gotten the job ahead of Lennon (and even Mowbray), as it was touted to all and sundry to see what interest we got back. The fact the Mark McGhee didn’t want it - still deeply troubles me. I just don't think a new man coming in and starting again would be the solution.

One minute we are all Neil Lennon – the next minute we don’t want to know. Not good enough from the Celtic support for me. If by summer we still have the same concerns and progress isn’t deemed ‘enough’, by all means re-evaluate then.

But not now.

We’ve got ‘our’ man, let’s stick by him...