CELTIC are not the type of club to sack managers on a whim and rightly so.
But after the Bhoys’ Europa League nightmare in Norway, I believe the time is right for the board to be bold.
Ronny Deila should go and he should go now.
And who should replace him?
For me, there’s no doubt it should be Neil Lennon.
Things haven’t gone well for Lenny at Bolton. There’s no getting away from that.
But the problems at the Macron Stadium run deeper than the first-team squad and Neil has suffered as a result.
He may be toiling at the foot of the English Championship right now, but he’s still the man who led Celtic to the Champions League knock-out stages.
And when you look at Ronny Deila’s European record, there’s no comparison to be made.
Deila has failed where Lenny succeeded. It’s as simple as that.
That dismal defeat in Molde is just the latest continental cock-up to befall the Hoops since Ronny took over.
The confrontation with Kris Commons when he was subbed was an unwanted sideshow.
The truth is that a result like that an EMBARRASSMENT like that has been coming and it’s nowhere near good enough.
I can go back to the club’s halcyon days with the Lisbon Lions and was on the Hampden terracing the night they beat Don Revie’s Leeds United in a titanic European Cup semi-final in 1970.
These days, I don’t expect Celtic to be winning European trophies. I really mean that.
But they should never be getting gubbed by a Norwegian side.
I don’t know Ronny Deila, but I know John Collins and I really like him.
But the Celtic board cannot be content with how things are shaping up just because everything looks fine domestically.
Yes, Celtic will win the Premiership again, of course they will. And they’ll probably win a cup too. But that’s not enough for the fans.
Ronny Deila should be judged on how he does in Europe and, so far, he has failed at that level.
Do you agree with Alan? Yes – I want Lennon to return to the club No – I think Deila should stay No – I think Deila should go but I don’t think Lennon should returnReaching the knock-out stages of last year’s Europa League is fine but it remains a consolation prize of a competition.
Celtic want to be in the Champions League, but in just two years, Deila has failed to get them there three times.
Licked by Legia Warsaw last season, the Hoops were handed a lifeline then lost to Maribor. MARIBOR!
This time around, they got past Stjarnan and Qarabag, only to chuck it away against Malmo after being 3-1 up!
It’s impossible to dress it up. The Bhoys have been, to use a Glasgow expression, bogging.
That’s why it’s time for a change and it’s why Neil Lennon is the right man for the job.
Whatever Celtic’s failings under Lenny, one thing they never were was weak. He simply wouldn’t have stood for it.
And with Rangers on the brink of a return to the Premiership, the Bhoys must start preparing now.
If Ronny Deila can’t lead Celtic to the Champions League with the domestic scene as it is, will he be able to do so with a strong Rangers snapping at his heels?
I don’t think he will.
But Lenny has done it before and, given the chance to put his struggles at Bolton behind him, I believe he could do it again.Gordon Smith: Kris Commons’ bust-up reminds me of my fall-out with Billy McNeill – click here to read more
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe