‘Delusional’ – Celtic fans rage at club’s latest statement

Celtic fans appear to be extremely angry with Peter Lawwell’s statement after the club have managed just two wins from their last ten games.

When Celtic slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Ross County which saw them crash out of the Scottish League Cup in the second round itself, there was a feeling that it was the end of the road for Neil Lennon. Questions had been raised about the manager already as the Hoops are in the middle of one of their worst runs in recent memory.

Rumours broke out that club was set to take definitive action within 48 hours of the defeat with the most likely conclusion being Lennon’s sacking. But the protests outside of Parkhead after the game seem to have changed those plans.

The club hierarchy seem unwilling to bow down to the demands of the violent protestors. As a result, 48 hours have passed and all we have gotten is a statement from Peter Lawwell on the club’s official website, asking for patience from the fans and declaring how every decision the board takes is with the club’s interests at heart:

"“Like all those with Celtic’s best interests at heart, everyone at the Club is feeling the same hurt, disappointment and frustration following the team’s recent results. We are accustomed to winning and, of course, our objective will always be for that to continue. There is no complacency whatsoever.“Neil, the players and backroom staff, who have already done so much for the Club, share in all of that. They have never been more determined to succeed. Having enjoyed such sustained, unprecedented success, we now need strength in adversity.“We know that many Celtic supporters share very honest and real concerns and they are being heard by the Club. Every decision taken, both on and off the park, is with the Club’s best interests at heart. This is not about any individual, but about Celtic Football Club as a collective.“Together we have faced unique difficulties in the early part of the season. While some of these were beyond our control, of course we recognise we must improve. There is a long way to go and everyone at the Club is ready for the challenge.“Later this month, Celtic will attempt what no other club in the world has achieved – a quadruple treble in domestic competitions. We can best prepare for that and for our other remaining competitions this season by moving forward together, with the sole aim of achieving continued success for the Club.”"

Of course, this has left a lot of fans who were expecting drastic action from the club, very angry:

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It does feel like the protests after the Ross County game helped the board make up their minds to give Lennon another chance to turn things around. Sacking him would have seemed like giving in to the protestors and could have set a dangerous precedent.

But then there is also the argument whether that decision is the best for the club moving forward. By now it is pretty clear that they need a change in management and not sacking Lennon now is only pushing back the inevitable. It is bound to happen sooner or later.

There is no reason to believe that the manager is out of the woods though. In fact, it makes a lot of sense to keep Lennon in charge with the AC Milan game coming up. For the Hoops, it is meaningless since they are already out of the competition. But a defeat could still see the manager sacked. On the other hand, if they manage to somehow pull out a win, it could end up being the turning point for them.