Neil Lennon has received some fierce criticism this season for his signing policy. Players like Shane Duffy, Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti were all recruited to help the club secure ten titles in a row. As yet, none of them have impressed since joining and as the league title slowly slips away, this will always be a stick that Lennon will be beaten with as the reason the league was won.
Who should be the next Celtic Manager?
STEVE CLARKE
RAFA BENITEZ
EDDIE HOWE
NEIL LENNON
Lennon was also criticised for letting experienced players like Craig Gordon, Mikel Lustig and Johnny Hayes leave But pundit and ex Celtic defender, Mark Wilson, says Lennon would have received criticism regardless if he had kept the old guard instead of freshening up the team with new blood.
On last nights episode of Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, Wilson remarked, “These things are easy to say in hindsight, because if Neil Lennon and had kept Mikel Lustig and Johnny Hayes, and the rest of the experienced players you talk about and the same thing had happened, and they were 15 points behind, he would be getting slaughtered for not refreshing the team and resting on his laurels.
“Neil probably looked at that and thought we need younger fresher legs on here to carry us over the line, he’s done that in the past is, he has continually changed his squad and upgraded it and got rid of older players. I was one of them because Lustig came in and had eight fantastic years but that is just the way Neil works.”
When a caller suggested that Lennon had taken the team backwards over the last two seasons, Wilson refuted that insinuation and pointed the caller towards the silverware the Celtic manager has won, “The thing about taking them (Celtic) backwards, he’s came in and he’s been successful he’s won leagues, he’s won Scottish Cups so I don’t know if he’s taking them backwards in terms of titles and trophies.”