Source: Team_Talk
Lennon still deserves Celtic chance
Celtic hit a new low with defeat to Ross County, but TEAMtalk's Gareth Friel still believes Neil Lennon is the man to take the Bhoys forward.[LNB] You only had to listen to the Celtic fans after the 2-0 defeat to Ross County on Saturday at Hampden to realise just how devastating a blow failing to make the Scottish Cup final was.[LNB]Losing to a lower division side is one thing, but it's the manner of the defeat that will have Celtic fans worrying most.[LNB]Outpassed, outfought and outthought by Derek Adams' heroes, it could be argued that this was the worst result in Celtic's history.[LNB]But suggestions that the shambolic display should end Neil Lennon's hopes of landing the job on a permanent basis are surely wide of the mark.[LNB]In the same way that a home win over Kilmarnock and a solid victory at Hibs does not mean he definitely is the man to take the club forward, defeat to Ross County on its own should not be enough to end his managerial dreams.[LNB]"Disgrace", "embarrassment", "shocking" and "pathetic" are a selection of the words used to describe Celtic on Saturday by the press - and it's hard to disagree with any of them.[LNB]But this is not Lennon's fault.[LNB]He was not the one who replaced solid performers and battlers like Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald with mediocre foreigners and loan players simply not up to the task, Robbie Keane aside.[LNB]The current Celtic squad is far from the required standard, despite the millions Mowbray was allowed to spend in his short time at the club.[LNB]It lacks leaders. The fact that Darren O'Dea was allowed to skipper the side says it all. Scott Brown may be the obvious candidate now, but he is not long-term captain material.[LNB]How can Lennon be expected to turn it all around in just a couple of games?[LNB]Yes, maybe Lennon won't cut it as a boss; maybe he'll fail like Mowbray if given a chance.[LNB]But his post-match quotes tell me that this man knows what is required and has the potential to be successful.[LNB]He blasted his players for lacking "bottle, hunger and desire" and told them after the game that even though he may not be at Parkhead next season, many of them certainly won't be either.[LNB]It's a far cry from Mowbray's after-match ramblings in which he blamed the media, referees and the state of Scottish pitches among other things for poor result after poor result.[LNB]It was refreshing not to see Lennon hide behind excuses. He castigated his side's shortcomings and offered congratulations to the victors.[LNB]There was no attempt to try and convince fans that Celtic were anything other than shambolic - Mowbray's "wrong result for the right reasons" comment following the 4-0 thrashing by St Mirren springs to mind.[LNB]And anyway, who else could Celtic really attract?[LNB]Any new manager, Mark Hughes for example, would take one look at the current squad and demand something like £15million to build almost a whole new one. Do Celtic have that kind of cash to spend on top of the wages a high-profile boss would likely be on?[LNB]Defeat to Ross County may well be the making of Lennon's managerial career. He now knows without any doubt what is required at Parkhead and has already handed the board a list of players he wants rid of in the summer.[LNB]At the very least, Lennon knows what it takes to play for, and be a success, at Celtic.[LNB]If he manages to hold onto second spot and beat Rangers at Parkhead, then he certainly deserves the chance to show what he can do in the long term.
