As the pressure around Neil Lennon continues to grow, the BBC’s veteran journalist Tom English has suggested that the manager’s time might be running out.
In an article on this weekend’s games, English has called his segment on the champions ‘Even a cat only has nine lives’, pointing out that Lennon is pretty much hanging on by his fingertips.
English has quoted some of the awful stats which Lennon is floundering under the weight of, including those regarding the club’s inability to keep clean sheets. “They’ve shipped 27 goals in 11 games,” English reminds readers, as if the Celtic fans aren’t aware of it.
Lennon’s team surely cannot keep conceding like this without the costs being high – and Hoops fans are only too aware of the severity of their defensive lapses, as can be seen below:
There can't be many better metaphors for our season than seeing a well organised young team making a mockery of a Celtic defence. pic.twitter.com/egMU3TqEyL
— Gordon Bell (@GordonWBell) December 4, 2020
See this “Celtic Family “is there not a father,uncle ,son, nephew among us who can play in defence ??
— buzzbomb 56 (@Buzzbomb56) December 4, 2020
Wouldn’t want Conor Hazard in goals at this moment in time could ruining the bhoys confidence our defence is abysmal he’d get blamed but Bain & Barkas lost for words
— Patrick Killoran 4??????? (@daddykplay4) December 4, 2020
Keeper always the fall guy Patrick..The defence is woeful.A brick wall would not save Celtic from leaking goals…
— Sean Mc Laughlin (@thebattler2000) December 4, 2020
This Celtic defence makes the fabled Sieve of the 1990's look solid. If we don't sort this nonsense out we're done for this season. Absolutely dead in the water.
— TheCelticBlog (@CelticBlog2018) December 5, 2020
How much due diligence does Lawwell do on signings, particularly defenders?
Celtic spent circa £14m on Barkas, Elhamed, Frimpong, Duffy, Taylor & Bolingoli with little joy in improving our porous defence.
Only £7m Jullien & loanees Forster & Laxalt looked the part in defence.— Brian McNally (@McNallyMirror) December 3, 2020
Aside from their dreadful form in Europe, they shipped three goals at Aberdeen, two at Hibs and another two in the League Cup against Ross County last weekend. Celtic’s clean sheet record was outstanding last season; in this campaign, they are all over the place.
The fans generally agree with English that if this kind of form continues into tomorrow’s game, and Celtic drop anything at all, the heat under Lennon will be turned up to the max.
It could certainly be argued that Lennon needs a win, it’s as simple as that. Ferencvaros, Rangers, the two disasters against Sparta Prague, twice failing to secure wins after having two-goal leads in Europe (against Lille and Milan), the poor league results at Hibs and Aberdeen and the League Cup exit represent nine set-backs which, combined, seem to have put him on the brink.
One more and he could well be gone.