Celtic Diary Friday May 23: Why Lennon left.

Sorry I’m late this morning. I’ve had this guy on the phone and he wouldn’t go until I promised to at least think about what he was telling me. It took a little longer because he was slurring and a policeman kept telling him to get dressed and get off the road.

Seems like no-one expected Lennon to go. It was a bit of a shock to everyone.

He’d already gone along with the board selling big vic, the Kenyan fenian.

He’d already agreed that Gary Hooper wasn’t worth an extra few bob a week.

Then he nodded when the plc decided not to risk losing money on Joe Ledley when his contract finished.

That tore the heart out of him, but he acknowledged the harsh financial climate he dealt in.

Then, he sort of agreed with the board that Samaras wasn’t worth a new deal, but blamed them in a round about way.

He was even prepared to forego what should have been a stick on signing in Robert Snodgrass.

But when the club told him to “use what resources he already had ” when it came to providing cover for Danny McGrain, instead of hiring a short term replacement, that , as they say, was the straw that broke the camels back.

Lennon brought the curtain down on his Celtic career, instead of bringing a chair down on Lawwells head. It seemed the dignified thing to do, and lets be honest, he’s abetter man than me.

Lennon had endured all sorts of off the field harassment, all kinds of interruptions to his personal life, and yet he stayed.

Then one day it all got too much. That day came this week.

Wherever he goes, and its plainly obvious he has nothing lined up, as he didn’t expect to be out of work, we wish him well.

And thanks for everything.

Theres a huge delivery of toilet tissue to cope with demand at Celtic Park just now.

Season books are not selling as well as hoped, nearer thirty thousand than forty, and the custodians are worried.

So much so that Owen Coyle can forget about taking over, which is a relief. Davie Moyes isn’t likely either, which is a bigger relief, and despite what else you hear, the board are only interested in one man at this stage.

Henrik Larsson.

Now, if you are thinking to yourself that you don’t want him here because you are afraid he might fail, then don’t vote yes in the upcoming independence elctions. Thats the better together mentality, and it won’t work for them, and its not the way forward for Celtic either.

Larsson has a little managerial experience, and its in Swedens lower leagues, where he will have already learned, probably with the force of a bat to the head, that other players are not capable of doing what he could.

Thats the single most important lesson a new manager can learn. What he will have adapted to, and recent results suggest this, is the need to get the most out of, and improve, the abilities his players have.

Which is what we need at Celtic.

What we also need is a name that invokes immediate respect from any player who might be considering following Lennon out the door.

What we need as well is a name, which when spoken to a potential signing, won’t have the target rushing to google to find out who he’s talking to. If you are a striker, and Henrik Larsson tells you he thinks you can do a job for him, you won’t need to jump too high to head a ball, because you will already be taller than everyone else on the field.

Thats why I think he should be installed as manager number eighteen.

Secondly, theres a panic at Celtic, with so few season books being shifted, and a popular choice -a cheap popular choice is what the board need to revive interest.

The conservative outlook of the board, with the flat refusal to build from a strong position is nothing new. and it won’t change anytime soon. Theres talk of a £5m shortfall in the funds somewhere, and Dermot Desmond may dip into the back of his sofa with a short term low interest bail out. ( Loan companies are reluctant to deal with Glasgow based football clubs for some reason )

The money would be paid back out of UCL funds, should we qualify….

All stuff and nonsense ? Er, no. Theres something going wrong, and Lennon leaving is just the tip of the iceberg.

Celtic need to maybe re-assess their priorities, and start thinking about what needs to be done on the pitch, and not just concern themselves with shareholder dividends, and remember that if we are successful on the park, the money follows as a matter of course.

Lennon without doubt had his faults, but we are going to miss him, and we are going to miss his passion. Coyle won’t have that. Moyes makes Mowbray look animated, and i’m not even going to mention Roy Keane in case Dermot Desmond pauses, twiddles with the tache and reaches for the phone…..

When Neil Lennon got the job it felt right. Henrik Larsson, and I’ll put the tin hat on now, is not only the right choice, he’s the only choice.

Incoming !!!!!