The timing may have been strange, but that did not take anything away from the inevitability of Neil Lennon’s departure from Celtic.
Lennon resigned on Wednesday with the Hoops 18 points behind Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and in the midst of a season which instead of signalling a 10th successive title, has been marred by chaos and a lack of leadership.
A 1-0 defeat to Ross County on 21 February proved to be Lennon’s last.
The man tasked with re-energising a side who looked to have all but given up on this campaign by November could well be Eddie Howe, who left Bournemouth in August by mutual consent.
Howe might find himself sympathetic to a group of players who ostensibly lack energy for the cause. The 43-year-old himself needed re-energising, having lost some of the dynamism which defined Bournemouth’s early seasons in the Premier League.
As his side plummeted back down to the second tier, one of Britain’s most promising young coaches could not stop them leaking goals. Even with Nathan Aké at the heart of the back four, only Norwich and Aston Villa conceded more in the 2019-20 campaign. The season before that, Bournemouth let in 70 goals, a record only worsened by demoted Huddersfield and Fulham.
Celtic aren’t that bad. An off-field circus surrounding their controversial trip to Dubai, and Lennon’s frequent snipes at the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, have not provided much focus.
Indeed, Lennon might make a strong case for his demise being caused away from the football pitch, rather than on it. Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo’s breach of Covid-19 protocols, and the subsequent postponement of matches, meant Celtic have always seemed a step behind Rangers, and not only because of the impressive project Gerrard has overseen.
Recruitment has been poor, too. Signings like Shane Duffy have made little impact and there has been a confused strategy surrounding the arrival of a new goalkeeper.
So while the two defeats to Rangers have made the most headlines, epitomising an apparent changing of the guard in Glasgow, so many of Celtic’s problems this season have been outside of Lennon’s control.
The Northern Irishman criticised his players “attitude” and “culture” in their poor Europa League campaign, but Greg Taylor did not seem to have learned from the onslaught against Mohamed Elyounoussi for being caught on his phone in the stands. Taylor was guilty of the same breach of commitment against Ross County.
This is what Howe will potentially be working with. The board will not necessarily be looking for a notorious authoritarian – just as well, really – but at least a coach who is able to stamp out the ill-discipline that seems to have crept in.
Bournemouth’s ascendancy through the divisions under his leadership was remarkable, though facilitated partly by Maxim Denim’s takeover in 2011. It wasn’t one long fairytale, and neither was Howe’s other stint in management with Burnley between 2011-2012.
It has always been debated, though, how he would fare at a Tottenham or an Everton. Even the England job hasn’t seemed out of his reach.
North of the border, Howe may finally be given the chance to prove himself, well aware that his stock has fallen considerably over the past 18 months.
There are no shortage of challenges as he looks to capture the imagination of a dressing room which Lennon seemed to have lost.
Aside from the question of whether he was ever really the right man for the job second time around, Celtic can’t afford to get it wrong this time.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2P9mrWT
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