CHARLIE NICHOLAS has branded a section of the support as ‘ludicrous’ after some called for Neil Lennon’s head in the aftermath of the derby defeat.
Celtic lost 2-0 with a dismal performance against their rivals, where they didn’t to anything special to put us to the sword.
The toothless performance and the setup on the day has many Celtic fans wondering if this can get better. The game in isolation is just a one-off game but the way we played is indicative of a bigger issue we’ve had this season.
Celtic would only be one point behind their rivals at present if they win their game in hand, so the panic button being pressed would be premature and Nicholas, a week after Neil Lennon told him so zip it, has defended Neil Lennon but insists he picked the wrong team on the day.
“It is ludicrous that some Hoops fans are saying Celtic should get rid of manager Neil Lennon in the wake of their defeat to Rangers.” Nicholas told his Express column as cited by SunSport.
“Lennon, however, has to take his share of the blame because he got his team selection wrong.
“I didn’t think it was the right call to go with Patryk Klimala up front. I don’t care if Leigh Griffiths was only 70 per cent fit – he should have started.
“Yes, they were missing a few players on Saturday. But that can’t be used as an excuse.
“Even before Odsonne Edouard tested positive for Covid-19, I said that it was questionable whether he deserved to start in this game because he had been playing poorly, while Ryan Christie has been average in recent weeks.
“These are key players and their form was one of the reasons why I sensed things weren’t quite right at Parkhead.
“Lennon also can’t blame the 2-0 defeat on the mole who leaked his line-up on the eve of the clash.
“When I was at Celtic the second time around, we had a mole.
“The manager, Billy McNeill, would ask guys like me, Paul McStay and Andy Walker who we had been talking to and how this information was getting out.
“I didn’t find out who the mole was until after I left Celtic. I won’t name him, but it was one of Billy’s coaches.”
Celtic don’t have any real-time to regroup; they have a game against Milan on Thursday night, followed by a trip to Aberdeen on Sunday. The games are coming thick and fast with the Celtic manager looking for a solution as we go.
