Another insipid performance. Another embarrassing defeat. It gives me no pleasure in saying that after watching tonight’s performance against Sparta Prague, Neil Lennon has to go.
I really wanted the team to turn up tonight and stick two fingers up to “that” banner. I genuinely wanted Lennon to turn it around and get some sort of reaction to yesterdays shambles. Tonight there was no reaction. Well strictly speaking that’s not true. For the first fifteen minutes Celtic seemed to have control of the game. Showed some attacking intent and looked fairly comfortable at the back.
When Edouard scored that delightful solo goal after a quick counter attack it looked like the Celtic of old had returned with a bang. Lennon seemed to have rallied the troops and the fightback to all the criticism had begun. It lasted all of eleven minutes when Hancko equalised after a poor defensive display from a corner. Brown was easily nudged off the second header and as the ball was played forward McGregor was too slow to come out of defence, he played three Sparta players onside and they were queuing up to finish it before Hancko latched onto the ball and slotted it home.
The Sparta hattrick hero at Parkhead, Julis, put Sparta ahead on 38 minutes after a low cross from the right evaded Ajer and Julien. Bain was too slow to react and the ball slid along the six yard box for the Sparta striker to nudge it home from close range. Julis made it 3 on 80 minutes and as Celtic pushed to salvage something from the game Plavsic struck on the counter attack to make it 4-1 on the night knocking the Hoops out of Europe.
This team are devoid of ideas, motivation and Lennon can’t seem to get a performance from them. If there was a performance to be had, then tonight would have delivered it. It didn’t. Quite why Lennon persists with playing players that have clearly made it known they would prefer to be elsewhere only undermines the players that want to play.
N’tcham, Christie and Ajer are three players that should be nowhere near the team. It is clear they should have been sold in the summer. As with Edouard. There is no sense in keeping players at a club when they so clearly want away. The ties should have been cut in the summer.
I take no pleasure in saying as I have great respect for Neil Lennon, but now, it is time to go.