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One of the big worries for Celtic supporters in the wake of Neil Lennon’s appointment is standards at the club slipping from the Brendan Rodgers era.
There’s a consensus that the former Hoops boss brought Celtic to a new level on and off the pitch, making improvements to coaching staff, to the training ground at Lennoxtown and to the club’s overall approach to player development.
It’s a worry that has some merit. Lennon may be a successful Celtic manager, but he’s never taken charge of a team in any of Europe’s elite leagues and so it could be argued he is something of a step back for the club.
Celtic fans shouldn’t been too concerned though because the attitude and mentality of this Hoops squad is beyond what anyone in Scotland has seen in a generation and that should smooth transition into the Lennon era.
Keith from C’mon the Hoops throws back to Celtic’s greatest ever No. 7 and “Lord of the Wing” in the video below…
On the chalkboard
Celtic have a core to their squad that is undoubtedly a bonded unit and one that has overcome every domestic test thrown at them for a number of years now.
It’s also a squad that is about as professional as Celtic ever have been, with Rodgers this weekend paying special mention to two of his former charges – Callum McGregor and James Forrest.
As quoted by The Daily Record, the now Leicester manager said of the duo:
“Both boys are focused and they’re top guys off the pitch as well. Callum and James speak well and don’t involve themselves in silly things.
“They lead their lives professionally. They’re not on social media, their only focus is football. They prepare their lives to be footballers. And they both play and train with smiles on their faces. They were a joy to work with at Celtic and it was so refreshing for me, in my time there, having just come out of the Premier League.
“Callum developed his game and plays with incredible personality. He has a wonderful brain for a footballer. But he was another, like James, who is consistent in training and games.
“He’s always had the capacity to play for a big club and deal with the pressure that comes with it.”
It’s players like this, both of whom are in their peak years as footballers, who will ensure that the transition into next season will likely go off without a hitch.
The Rodgers effect
There’s no doubt that losing Rodgers, almost overnight without warning, was a bitter blow to this Celtic squad.
The concerns of that week were massive for followers of the club everywhere. Where would they possibly go next? Was the success of prior seasons about to evaporate?
The players may have lost Rodgers abruptly but what had been instilled into them before he left hasn’t disappeared. Romping to another treble of trophies made that clear.
That elite attitude the former Celtic boss mentions hasn’t and isn’t going to go off with him to Leicester and it’s these attributes that will again contribute massively to Celtic’s quest for trophies next term.
Lennon deserves massive credit for taking the pressure of winning trophies in trying circumstances on his shoulders and delivering what he was tasked to do. He brought the squad over the line when they needed a personality like him most.
His winning mentality, combined with the professionalism of players such as McGregor and Forrest, is what makes the Hoops red hot favourites to rout Scottish football again next season.
Standards don’t slip that easily.