Lennon: Loving something too much!

Neil’s decision to leave Celtic is probably the most definitive decision he has ever made in his life. Tough as they come with much soul searching, but in the end the only decision because what he has been involved over the last four years has given him optimum joy with the best highs football could offer, but the job also left him with scar tissue that only his mind could sort out. Ultimately his head made his mind up.

Something that has hardly been mentioned over the last 3 days is Neil self admittance of depression he suffers from. Carrying the huge burden of always having to produce the expectations of what Celtic should be achieving long-term produces enormous pressure with this illness. I know well about this subject because it’s an illness that has been a bane of my life for the last 11 years when a personal happening laid me flat out, completely low, unable to operate at all in any sphere in my life. I’m sure the majority of us discover when in that hole - an inner strength appears just to get back to base-camp. If you are there just now then you can get out of it. Yes you can do it!

Unlike the vast majority of managers Neil in his emotional love of Celtic got involved in umpteen matters that other managers wouldn’t be interested in. From the Green Brigade issue, to interference in his work from those in Scottish politics (summits & new football legislation etc), to dealing with the latest off-the-park stuff involving Leigh Griffiths. Other managers can’t be bothered with all that-they just want to coach the team. To give an example, I don’t expect Henrik to be our next manager, but if he was he wouldn’t be interested in any of the above off-the-park stuff Neil got involved in. He’d body swerve it big time and answer, and answer only once, at any given press-conference “this has nothing to do with me, I manage the players, next question please”

Neil grew up with that ingredient we all have in our Celtic bloodline, the need and desire to defend everything that attacks Celtic or its attached best interests. That in my opinion wore Neil down. He couldn’t help himself because this Celtic thing that motivates all of us drove him on. In the end under this sustained involvement, as well as having to produce on the park under the PLC’s directive to qualify for the Champions League with 3 challenging ties very early on, informing him at the same time that every single player on his staff is for sale at the right price. That is also wearing and there is no doubt a feeling of being unappreciated in having to operate in the humdrum of this manner and constantly punching above his weight in Europe also took its toll.

The buying of players operated via the route of Neil identifying a list of player positions required. That list went to the football development manager and chief scout John Park (who until a new manager is appointed is currently in charge of the football department). John Park would scour the world looking mostly for good bargains, and why not. He would find out the length of the players contract, his assumed wage if he was to move to Celtic and then report back to Peter Lawwell with videos of the player etc. Neil would at this stage be introduced to the procedure and this is where it got complicated. Who had the final say? Neil was at times over-ruled and at other times not.

The problem you then have is, if players like Bangura or Balde for example are forced on you then you’re under pressure for them to produce in a system that Neil may not think they are good enough for. That being the case Neil simply used his managerial card and refused to play, not only the above two, but various others also during his time. Of course the upside to signing players the manager was advised on, but whom he had never seen in live action, is finding gems like Victor, Virgil, Emilio, Hooper and others to a slightly lesser extent.

The assaults, the bombs, the bullets, the attack on the pitch at Tynecastle, the taking of his child to primary school at the height of these horrible actions with a Celtic bodyguard, to the death threats sprayed on the street outside his home, to a largely unsympathetic Scottish media, all had an effect. At times immediate, but eventually wearing long-term all the same. Neil like any other human being has to wonder if this repetitive life of constant expectation of producing a Celtic side for European football under the ‘all players for sale system’ as well as the ‘off the park stuff’ was worthwhile for longer than 4 years. This has been in his mind for just under 2 years when his frustration was immense when he asked for £500,000 to buy a central defender to initially get past HJK Helsinki then Helsingborgs  in qualifying for CL group stages, only to be told, qualify first then we’ll see.

Discussions at the early part of the week just gone weren’t encouraging and serious soul searching kicked in. On Wednesday jostling over what was happening with Neil’s Celtic future made both his and the clubs position nerve jangling, as the club eventually realised managerial upheaval was about to happen. Confirmation of Neil’s decision to go was leaked (Keith Jackson in the Daily Record being the recipient of such knowledge) with Martin Reilly (Neil’s agent) shortly afterwards confirming this. In the next 5 hours Celtic and Reilly negotiated a financial deal with silence clauses inserted, with Reilly having a say in what Celtic’s official club statement would eventually read.

Neil operated on a one year rolling contract, which in general terms means that if another club had come in for Neil then they’d have to pay his wage of one year to Celtic as way of compensation. If Celtic were to sack him then the club would have to pay Neil a year’s wages. And if Neil was to walk out then the club would owe him nothing. And depending on the fine detail of his contract, there could have been a possibility that if Neil broke the above agreement unannounced then he could have breached his arrangement. That seems very unlikely in this case. The fact that during those 5 hours on Thursday Celtic negotiated a pay-off for Neil in effect means his parting was by ‘mutual consent’. Thursday moved faster than Celtic expected and Neil finally shook off that verbal line to his confidants over the last 2 years that “Celtic is a big club to leave”.

Indeed they are, and it goes to show loving something too much can actually drive you away from it. That in many ways is a sad reality.

Neil Lennon has done his managerial shift at Celtic and he was compromised a great deal over his four years. One main reason being, Celtic took the chance on the rookie Lennon and he was constantly reminded of that, with powers a non-rookie manger wouldn’t accept being dissolved. With all that said he couldn’t knock back the call. Who could?

The difficulty for Neil though was that the 'dissolved powers' he accepted when he took the position as 'rookie manager' was that the club never grew with him in terms of allowing him more leeway over his 4 years as he grew in stature as he gained more experience as manager. Conditions he accepted 4 years ago and not changing as time went on could only lead to a general demoralising mind-set. Cast your mind back to his 'Thunder' speech on the turf a few years back, full of vigour, emotion and desire, to his very quick and flat speech on the pitch on the last day this season. His body language apart from his lack of encouraging words said it all. 

The number two and now the number one at Celtic have left citing the same thing. "Time to move on and search for new challenges". Replaying that again, we have two people walking out of a club like Celtic with no other job to go to, who have constantly said how wonderful it is to be working at Celtic FC. These were two positions of power! Sorry, but all the sugar coated official statements and carefully set-up choreographed interviews with two Scottish tabloids the Celtic fans cant stand do not portray the true picture. 

Therefore, looking towards our next manager, I pose this straightforward question. Will anyone with great experience (non rookie) accept the buying and selling conditions that never changed for Neil over his four years? Would the likes of Moyes or Mackay accept that? I'd doubt it.
   
Neil supported the club, he wore the jersey. He captained the team and managed the club. What a legacy. What a man, and easily a club Legend. Pastures new and good luck to wherever Neil decides to leave his hat. His heart though remains with Celtic!