CELTIC COLLAPSE: AS CALLS FOR THE SACK ROAR ON, IS NEIL LENNON'S TIME UP?

Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports

This season Celtic seemed set to make it ten in a row; however, things have not gone as planned for the boys in green.

They’ve played 22 games so far and have a point average of 1.82 points per game, sitting second in the Scottish Premiership, behind their biggest rivals Rangers.

Fans are not happy that they’ve only won two of their last 10 games in all competitions.

They’ve crashed out of the Europa League and have been knocked out of the Betfred Cup.

After losing 2-0 against Ross County in the Scottish League Cup, fans even gathered outside Celtic Park.

Before the game, it was believed there was around 50 fans outside, but the number rose to hundreds after the shock defeat. Police and stewards were called in order to keep the crowd under control.

The outrage hasn’t died down in the days after the defeat, with fans calling for the manager to be sacked. A lot of fans are of the opinion Neil Lennon is not the man to lead them to greatness anymore and find his football stale. The environment at the club seems toxic, tackles are half-hearted, the player’s body language is indicative of their attitudes and that has translated into the results.

Lennon looks uninterested, bored. He doesn’t utilise his best players, he doesn’t play to striker Odsonne Edouard’s strengths and then wonders why he isn’t scoring. Scott Brown seems a shadow of his former self and Ryan Christie seems un-droppable, even after a spell of woeful performances that do warrant a break from the squad. Players no longer look like they’re playing for the manager, it seems that the dressing room has been lost.

Not only is the manager on the chopping block, so is the board. For too long, they’ve been allowed to be complacent. In this period of complacency, Rangers have become more threatening, putting Celtic’s prolific period of dominance at risk. While you can argue that they have backed the manager, there are too many key examples of being stingy for a club of their size and stature. They refused to pay Fraser Forster what he wanted, arguably the perfect goalkeeper to give them stability and has plenty of experience. Another example is Ivan Toney, he is now the top scorer in the Championship and the board didn’t want to pay just a little bit more to acquire his services.

Fans are sick of the apologies they receive after every bad performance; words are nothing without action.

Fans are demanding change, starting with a new manager.

Although the board reassured Lennon after they lost to Sparta Prague that his job was saved, no such assurances have been made after losing to Ross County. One name that has been batted around is former Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe.

Howe was renowned for his attractive football while at Bournemouth and has been out of work since July. His style of football would hopefully bring some happiness back to fans faces, after months of watching stoic, unentertaining football.

Although Celtic’s board seem to be backing the manager, that could change, if pressure from the fans continues.