India-based Owen Coyle has claimed that Neil Lennon tried to bring in his own staff at Celtic, but was pushed back.
Lennon left the club last month after a wretched season in charge of the Hoops. He left with 10-in-a-row shattered and our season drained of anything substantial to play for.
In the past, however, question marks have been raised about what influence Lennon actually had on choosing those he worked with. Former Celt Tommy Johnson said on the Celtic Huddle Podcast last month that Lennon wanted him in only to be knocked back.
And Coyle, who manages Jamshedpur FC, has made a similar claim as he stated that he knows for a fact the Celtic board didn’t let Lennon bring in certain individuals.
Speaking on this week’s Celtic Huddle Podcast, Coyle said: “It’s such a big thing. There are good people at the club – good staff. But they were not Neil’s staff. I know for a fact that Neil had asked for different people to come in and help him. That never transpired. I think he needed that, if I’m being honest.
“That’s nothing against the boys who are there as they are good people and good at what they do in their own right. But when you work with someone, as I’ve done with Sandy Stewart, you don’t need to ask things as you know what each other’s thoughts are. But also, you know that people have their own minds and will say when they aren’t sure about something.
“You know they are strong people and aren’t just there to agree with you. If they see something they’ll tell you. That’s why you want them – and I’m not sure Neil had that.”
Owen Coyle claims frustrating; Celtic should’ve made route to 10IAR as smooth as possible
It’s difficult to argue against this theory now. With both Johnson and Coyle admitting Lennon didn’t get his own way, that’s worrying.
Who in their right mind is telling the football manager who his backroom team will be. And why is that the case? Why is Lennon being told potentially who his assistant will be? Or who his first-team coaches will be?
Better yet, was there anyone in Lennon’s backroom team that he had the luxury of bringing in? It’s no wonder the manager looked so isolated at times without his own staff. Like Coyle says, you have to have total faith in the group you’re working with.
It’s not as if Celtic couldn’t afford to wipe the slate clean in the summer of 2019 after eight-in-a-row was secured. The money will have been there to invest in the manager and who he wanted alongside him.
There are only two people at Celtic who would have the power to tell Lennon who he’s working with. One of them is never around. We know the likely perpetrator here. And it should be revealed to supporters exactly why the manager didn’t get to make his own decisions about who he worked alongside, just as Ronny Deila clearly didn’t either.
Celtic should’ve made the road to the 10 as smooth as possible after Rodgers’ departure. The decisions they made from that day forward have been absolutely disastrous.
In other news, Nicola Sturgeon has opened up on the dates she would “really love” to see fans back for.
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