Sutton Calls Out Peter Lawwell; CEO Posted Missing

We made the point on our social media yesterday after Neil Lennon told the media he had spoken with both Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell at length and how they backed him 100%.

We find it more and more peculiar neither man wants to come out publicly and back the Irishman, happy for the Celtic manager and some of their pals in the media pass on the message.

Chris Sutton has used his Record Sport column to continue where he left off on Thursday night — suggesting his mate is lucky to still be in a job, but over and above that, he questions why Peter Lawwell hasn’t shown his face during any of this.

Does he not want to have the public soundbites backing the manager in case he doesn’t turn things around and our season is left in tatters?

In which case, if he doesn’t have confidence Neil can turn things around then why are we

sitting here with the Irishman still in charge?

Make no mistake about it, if Celtic lose ten in a row this season, Peter Lawwell’s feet will be held to the fire. To go from invincible a four years ago to our current issues, it’s quite galling — and in a season where supporters have failed a full season ticket price for a Tv subscription, it doesn’t bode well for the renewal process next summer.

Speaking about Celtic’s woes, Sutton can’t defend Lennon anymore but he also wants to see leadership from the top, if the manager does have their full support:

Neil Lennon is extremely fortunate to have survived Prague.

It was lamentable and it was embarrassing.

Celtic can’t defend and you can’t defend Neil or the players. It was diabolical. Full stop.

The buck stops with the boss. That never changes in football. The Europa League campaigns are a clear statement that Celtic are regressing and Neil carries that can.

10 In A Row has brought an additional hysteria this season. There is no getting away from that. It’s very important, but it really annoys me when people say Europe doesn’t matter.

It does matter. It matters for the reputation of the club. And that reputation has taken an absolute battering over the past few weeks.

It gives me no pleasure to criticise the workings of a friend and a former team-mate, but you can’t disguise the truth.

Neil is in big trouble. It’s staring everyone in the face. He can’t get things going, he can’t get his team to do basic stuff and he seems lost.

His players are letting him down badly. Some of the individual performances and collective efforts have been appalling.

This is a group of players who were defeating Lazio home and away last year to make the last 32. Eight of the Rome starters started in Prague.

Neil might not be getting things right, but he’s not getting everything wrong, either.

Whatever is happening with those boys, it’s making the manager’s job 100 times harder.

I don’t think it’s over the score to suggest Prague might have been the end of the road.

On a human level, I’m glad it’s not because I don’t like seeing anyone lose a job in any walk of life.

But, at this stage, Peter Lawwell really has to come out and say something because this malaise can’t continue.

Neil spoke yesterday about the hierarchy being supportive, but it would be nice to actually hear it.

Tell everyone categorically and publicly that Neil is Celtic’s man and they are 100 per cent confident and committed to the fact he’s going to turn this around.

It can’t drift. Neil didn’t seem to appreciate being asked again about the board’s backing after the game in Prague, but it was a natural question. They’d been embarrassingly knocked out of Europe, lost 13 goals in four group games to supplement poor patchy form domestically.

And it’ll keep getting asked if things don’t change. It’s why Lawwell should speak out.

Neil shouldn’t have to be dealing with that. He’s got enough on his plate with the team.

Lawwell should be taking the situation by the horns because, as it stands, it will drift one game to the next. Another bad result away from the same old discussions.