The Celtic new year review. Something the board seems absolutely determined to try and forget about.
Remember the promise? Back when Neil Lennon was stumbling from one disaster to another as the end of 2020 drew nearer. Embarrassed in Europe, bundled out the League Cup by Ross County, and flailing well behind Rangers in the title race.
We all wanted change around or even before that period. A move that would symbol our intention to save the season. Instead, the Celtic board came out and backed Lennon before promising supporters a review in the new year. The exact words were as following:
“The Board continues to work closely with Neil and his team to support them as they seek to do so and progress will be reviewed in the new year.”
In the last couple of days, fans have looked for an update from the Celtic Supporter Liason Officer. The one club employee who’s actually doing his best to stand up for the fans. The one club employee who’s looked after our interests and stated his belief that the board must carry out their promise to supporters.
But Celtic fans continue to be left in the dark on multiple fronts. Not only have the latest requests to the SLO about a timetable for the review been met with no real updates, we haven’t heard from anyone inside the club.
Thew new year review – a total myth
The club hasn’t produced a statement on when the review will be. Even if they came out and promised supporters a date to look out for regarding their “findings” – that would be a start.
We also haven’t heard from Peter Lawwell since he tried to apologise for Dubai. In that interview, done via Celtic’s in-house media team, there were no questions on the manager. No questions on when the review would be for supporters. It was as if it didn’t actually exist.
You then have the manager himself coming out before every match and speaking to the press. Acting as if everything is rosy in the garden and that there isn’t a big review hanging over his head. Neil’s doing all he can to avoid the subject. Whenever he’s even asked about his future, it’s met with prickly responses [BBC].
There’s a refusal from senior members of this football club to acknowledge their promise. A hope that a few wins will help sweep supporters’ concerns away. A sheer desperation that we’ll eat into Rangers’ lead and all will be forgotten about.
This new year review has now become a total joke. A farce would perhaps be more fitting. Many of us Celtic supporters now know it isn’t coming – we’ve come to accept it was total smoke and mirrors stuff. A promise made in the hope Lennon would find some form and we would all forget about it.
And as the board, the chief executive, and the manager continues to shun communication with fans on this key issue, it simply sums up the disdain they’ve had for us this year.
In other news, a Tuesday transfer report has certainly got Celtic fans talking.
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