So can Neil Lennon round off his Celtic career by scoring at the home of the huns?
Though the league’s won I think it’s important to beat these tomorrow to show who’s in charge ahead of next season.
Not sure what team I would pick and it’s impossible to second guess Strachan too.
6/1 is dreadful odds considering he has 3 goals in 5 seasons or something.
Lennon will bow out but the bigots still remain
Graham Spiers
At Ibrox this afternoon, one of the greatest love-hate relationships in the history of Scottish football reaches its conclusion. Neil Lennon, the Celtic captain, will play at the home of Rangers for the last time.
I call it a love-hate occasion because, while Lennon loves playing there, the Rangers fans hate him.
The phenomenon of Lennons experience in Scotland has told us much about Scottish football, and quite a bit about Scottish society, too. It is silly and even dangerous to extract sociological conclusions out of the maw of the football arena but, that caveat duly noted, what has happened to Lennon since he signed for Celtic in November 2000 has been sobering.
You wouldnt have thought it possible in the 21st Century that a footballer could be so abused because he represented Northern Irish Roman Catholicism.
Lennon is no angel. In seven years in Scotland he has been no idle pacifist. On occasions, in particular at Ibrox, his behaviour has been appalling, none more so than on that afternoon in August 2005 when he so lost the plot after being sent off by the referee, Stuart Dougal, that he very nearly slugged the match official as he stomped off the pitch. In that moment of red mist, rarely have Celtic been so humiliated by the antics of a captain.
Lennon is from Lurgan, he is a street-fighter. He grew up in an environment in which he belonged to a persecuted minority, and he learnt how to react to adversity. On the football field this can exhibit itself in some very uncaptain-like antics, such as his frequent middle-fingered gestures to abusing opposition supporters. So if anyone wants to defend Lennons case, they neednt draw comparisons with Mother Theresa, because there arent any. He is no beseecher of peace and tranquillity.
Yet his experience of bigotry in Scotland has been eye-opening. It started first of all when he had to stop playing for Northern Ireland following the abuse he received at Windsor Park after signing for Celtic. That, in itself, was telling: such opprobrium had never been an issue for Lennon while he was a player for Leicester City. But, come his arrival in Glasgow, and his donning of the green-and-white hooped shirt of Celtic, one of sports most visible symbols of the Catholic tradition… now that was different.
The rancour that subsequently forced Lennon to stop playing for Northern Ireland didnt stop with his international retirement. It followed him to Scotland and to his club career at Celtic, and, in particular, into the seething saga of the Old Firm.
I have always maintained that no ones heart need bleed for Lennon. He has loved his football career and enjoyed many remarkable highs, and occasions such as today at Ibrox, where the abuse will rain on him, is something he relishes. To any proud Scot, though, it is embarrassing to witness the bigoted abuse at these games. Notwithstanding the fact that football crowds often indulge in empty, ritual chanting, it is disturbing that Scotland should still house so many serious bigots in the modern day and age.
Actually, that last comment needs qualifying. The bigotry issue in Scotland is greatly improving, and anyone who vehemently denies this must be strangely besotted with the idea of a permanently-benighted nation. But what the Lennon experience has proved is that enough bigots are still around for the Scottish Executive to have been utterly justified in making antisectarianism measures a central plank of its recent policy.
It has been an embarrassment for Rangers, in particular. The abuse of Lennon was a contributory cause of the club eventually being punished for bigotry by Uefa in May 2006, and Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, has unveiled initiative upon initiative to try to arrest the problem among the clubs supporters.
Two days ago, in what is now almost a tedious routine, Uefa fined Rangers for the second time in 12 months for sectarian chanting. No one, let it be said, is more frustrated by the blight than those ordinary, decent Rangers fans whose sole agenda is their love of their team.
The one delicious irony about Lennon as a personality not that you would know it from the pitch is that he is a highly likeable man. It has caused me no end of mirth to point out to Rangers-supporting friends that, while they detest the Celtic captain on the field, they would actually really like him were they ever to unexpectedly share a pint with him.
One of footballs endless intrigues is the way in which a player on the field and the same man in his civvies can seem like two different people, and Lennon is one such case. He is one of the most affable blokes you could meet.
I hope they give him a fond send-off at Ibrox today. Lennon will certainly be hoping that they do.
This will do for me today:
Another excellent article by Spiers.
Lennon is 2/1 to get booked today. Might double that up with something else.
Abysmal first half from Celtic, even apart from the goal. We had maybe two or three spells where we strung passes together but other than that we’re just putting it aimlessly up the wings. Caldwell can’t overlap properly on the right (not his fault) all he can do there is just play it on because he doesn’t have pace to keep going. The trio in the middle haven’t got on the ball at all. At least Lennon and Gravesen have made some challenges, Hartley has done zero. Aiden and Naka aren’t getting a kick.
For the goal Pressley was awful. What’s he doing playing offside when they’ve only one striker up there - just go mark him. Caldwell might have covered better as well but really it was Pressley’s man.
Disgraceful first half from Celtic.
Team is:
Boruc;
Caldwell; Pressley; McManus; Naylor;
Nakamura; Gravesen; Lennon; Hartley; McGeady;
Vennegoor of Hesselink;
Gravesen and Hartley may as well be in the stand. I can’t believe how poor both of them have been since they came to Celtic. Jan is completely isolated and Lennon is trying to win a midfield battle on his own against Ferguson, Hemdani and Thomson. Pressley was simply awful for the goal. He’s marking Boyd with Novo in possession about 40 yards out on the right. Instead of just staying with him he decides to run out and play a suicidal offside. He gets it wrong and Boyd is totally free about 12 yards out and scores with a controlled volley that Boruc could have done better with.
There has been no passing whatsoever from Celtic. McGeady and Naka are on the fringes of the game as we’re getting completely dominated inside them in the centre. We could do with bringing on Jarosik and Riordan for Gravesen and Hartley at half time. This has been pretty pathetic.
Another thing. Why are we playing so ridiculously deep? How can Jan link up with anyone if our whole midfield is back on the edge of our box? We’re not being forced back, we’re just sitting in back there. We should be defending 20 yards further up the park instead of letting them pass it around deep in our half.
The worst performance I can remember from Celtic in a long, long time.
Toothless, lazy, purposeless, careless, clueless. I’d give pass marks to Naylor and possibly McManus and Lennon - nobody else.
Caldwell is not a right full back. He should never be asked to play there again.
Boyd destroyed Pressley. Then he came off and Sebo destroyed Pressley. Appalling for the goal, pathetic with the ball at his feet, and they ran rings around him all day.
Lennon did ok but was hampered by having nobody to pass it to. He was more creative than Hartley though.
Naka did nothing, got little ball and looked lost in our formations. Same applied to Aiden. I couldn’t fault either of them for giving the ball away though because they’d nothing else they could do with it.
Hartley is an imposter. No resemblance to a professional footballer at all. He was standing near the back 4 all game and just passing it from one centre half to the other - that’s if he was getting on the ball. Most of the time he was just standing there. Worst player on the park.
Jan hadn’t a prayer up there - did well to create the chance for Naka.
For all Miller’s weaknesses he put a shift in and created a couple of things.
All in all massively disappointing.
i agree with the earlier comments. A really poor performance today. Not good enough to argue as Billy Dodds did on Setanta that you can’t blame Celtic for thinking they are on holidays. Of course you can. This was a Celtic Rangers match and the last such match for one of the best Celtic players over the last fifteen years. I’d add Lennon and Jvoh to therock’s list of players who earned pass marks. What disappointed me most was the attitude of some of the players and in particular Paul Hartley. He shirked responsibility today as he has done for nearly all his time with the club. He went missing all too often and concentrated more on preserving his ego rather than contributing anything to Celtic’s cause. There was one particular moment in the second half which irked me. He received the ball on the half way line with lots of space to run into and plenty of midfielders to pass to. Hartley instead choose a pass over the top of Rangers defenders to Kenny Miller that Zidane or Moravcik would never have pulled off. Hartley seems to have an arrogant attitude that he somehow considers himself to be the creative force in the midfield. He must learn that this is a right to be earned and the way to do this is not through cowardly passes like the one I mentioned.
All in all a really disappointing performance today. Strachan’s comments about pride at the end of the match was absolutely correct and some of the players should accept responsibilty for a really shocking performance.
Really shocking. Played well for 5 or 10 minutes after half time and then didn’t want to know after they got their 2nd.Though we cantered to the league the huns have shown they’ll be far stronger next season (though they’re still flirting between average and rubbish - it was just that Celtic were worse than rubbish today). We actually need a squad clear out and I’d happily sell on any 4 or 5 of Caldwell, Pressley, Hartley, Gravesen, Jarosik, Beattie or Miller providing we have decent replacements lined up.
Strachan has shown with Gravesen that if he signs a dud player then he won’t keep playing him just to save his own face. But I worry that he doesn’t have the balls to do it with the Scottish players like Hartley and Pressley. We have O’Dea there who was superb in two games against Milan and Kennedy coming back too. Anybody would be better than Hartley and how he remained on for the 90 minutes actually amazes me.
By all accounts its seems to have been a dreadful performance. Already being champions is no excuse at all. Going with one up front is such a negative ploy. Why isn’t Riordan being given the chance up front? He scored a rake load of goals for Hibs. I thought that was the reason we bought him for? Is Strachan going to do the same with Mcdonald when he comes. Give these bhoys a chance and if they don’t make it fair enough, get rid of them.
Also I see JFK has been back in the first team. How did he play? Have we got a club to take him for the summer? It would be great if we could get him fully match fit for the start of next season.
Need a major clear out over the summer. The main place where I see the problem is up front. We relied too much on Naka to get us out of jams this season. Beattie, Majic and Miller have to be turfed out this summer. Bring in another high profile striker and hopefully McDonald will be able to step up to player at a Celtic level.
Jarosik and Graveson haven’t added much to the Celtic cause this season. THey have on ocassions done very well but not the consistency one would expect from such high profile players.
What was the performance against Hearts like?
JFK was very good in his only game back against Killie and exceptional given it was his first game in 3 years. McManus was suspended that day and O’Dea had to cover for the injured Naylor at left back so that’s why JFK was brought in. It was surprising for me that he hasn’t been in the 18 against either Hearts or the Huns after that quality comeback. I think Strachan feels it would be unfair if he jumped the queue ahead of the bhoys who’ve been playing all year but he should pick on form and ability rather than misguided loyalty to rubbish players like Pressley. Strachan did say that JFK is back knocking around the 1st team for good now and because he was so sharp in his return the idea of sending him off on loan to play in a summer league lin Sweden, Denmark or the USA has been abandoned. I think he’ll play the last 2 league games and by rights it should be O’Dea and JFK fighting it out to partner McManus for the cup final.
The performance in the Hearts game was okay. Celtic created a load of chances but didn’t take them. They scored on the break from a Pressley fook up, then a free kick where Artur was motionless and then Pressley gave a way a dubious penalty. They made fook all and it was literally smash and grab.
Agreed on the players you mention. I wouild happily allow those strikers along with Pressley, Hartley and Gravesen leave. Gravesen has really pi$$ed me off against Killie and the Huns. I’d take or leave Jarosik. A lot of work to be done over the summer.
Yeah that’s a fair summary of the state of things from Pagey and Bandage.
The only thing I’d add to the observations is that I don’t think Riordan has it to make it as a striker. He doesn’t seem composed enough on the ball for me and he disappears out of games. Miller actually had a decent half against the huns - not spectacular but brought some shape to proceedings.
I think McDonald will be a big success.