ESPN Pundit Describes Celtic’s Current Situation

FORMER Scottish international Steve Nicol has told an ESPN AUDIENCE he believes the club were very lucky in the timing of Brendan Rodgers departure with Neil Lennon being able to come in straight away and steady the ship.

Nicol also believes Celtic have shown incredible professionalism in the past two and a half years to achieve everything they have. The former Liverpool defender mentions it could be so easy for a team winning everything to become complacent and lose their way, especially in cup competitions but that’s not been the case.

Speaking about Rodgers departure, the pundit does believe the Irishman made the right choice and that Celtic were lucky Neil Lennon was waiting in the wings after his Hibs departure not a month earlier.

“For Celtic fans, it wasn’t a good decision but it was the best decision for Brendan Rodgers [that he left].” Nicol told ESPN.

“On the other hand, you’ve got to say the fact that Neil Lennon was sitting in his house watching the telly, unemployed, was the luckiest thing that could have happened after having lost Brendan.”

On the matter of a treble treble, Nicol believes Celtic will find this one the most satisfying if they manage to pull it off. The first treble Celtic demolished their opponents and were invincible, the second season it was tough but this season has been a whole new level. The opposition have got better but we have shot ourselves in the foot so many times. Our best striker Dembele leaving, in-fighting with Boyata and Brendan Rodgers leaving have all been reasons why this triumph could be all the more astonishing.

Nicol has praised the player’s mentality:

“I think this one this year would be the most satisfying for them.

“The first two, the competition, Celtic were so far ahead of everybody else that we expected it and the standards probably didn’t have to be as high as they normally would.

“This year however, the Scottish Premiership’s changed a little and got a little tighter. You’ve got Rangers with Steven Gerrard, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock.

“Every game now seems to be, not a battle but a lot tougher than in the previous two years.

“The fact they’re within 90 minutes of doing another treble in a year which physically and mentally will have been a lot harder than the two previous years, it’s a testament to the standards of the players and their professionalism, ability and mental strength.”