A new favourite has been installed to become the new Celtic manager as pressure increases on current boss Neil Lennon following shocking form.
They have won only two of last 10 matches; lost four home games in a row – something not done since 1958; and now many fans want Lennon sacked.
According to reports, he still has the backing of the Celtic hierarchy and will continue as manager, after a series of “positive” Zoom calls on Monday.
Yet if the bad results keep coming in and Rangers continue to run away with the league and look increasingly likely to get the title, his job will surely be at risk, especially with early cup exits in mind.
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Police officers were left hurt and one particular cameraman was told he’d ‘get slashed’ at an illegal Celtic fan protest on Sunday.
Hoops fans gathered in their thousands outside the Celtic Park stadium to call for their manager to be sacked having just been knocked out of the Betfred Cup, a trophy they have won each of the last four years.
They were on the end of a 2-0 defeat against Ross County, with many calling it the final straw, even more so as in the league Celtic remain 11 points behind bitter rivals Rangers and although they have two games in hand, the tension to achieve Ten In A Row means there is little margin for error.
Two officers were hurt in the ugly scenes outside Celtic Park, which resulted in the Police Scotland helicopter being called out.
A member of the Celtic party described the events as “scary and horrifying”. A Celtic statement condemning the violence said some players were left “shaken”.
Following the defeat to Ross County, Lennon insisted it was “too soon” for him to be sacked by Celtic.
When asked if he would understand if the Celtic board took the decision to remove him on Sunday evening, Lennon responded: “No, I think it’s too soon for that. We have lost one trophy, that’s gone. Our priority is the league, it always is, every time we come into a season.
“We are out of Europe, so it’s not been great, but there’s plenty of time to turn it around. But it’s alright me saying that, we have to show it with action now. I think I should get more time at it but if not, then so be it.”
Right, time to look at the current odds, see who is a contender for when Neil Lennon gets sacked below…
Martin O’Neill – 11/10 (new favourite)
Martin O’Neill was last in charge of Nottingham Forest, getting the job on the 15th of January 2019, then guided the club to a ninth-place finish in the Championship. However, he was sacked as manager on the 28th of June 2019, just under a week after assistant manager Roy Keane departed the club.
O’Neill took charge when Forest were four points behind 6th, however come the end of the 2018/19 Championship season, he was unable to guide them to a playoff spot, falling eight points short.
- Wycombe – 7 February 1990 until 13 June 1995 – 262 games, 140 wins, 63 draws, 59 defeats, 53.4 win %
- Norwich – 13 June 1995 until 17 December 1995 – 20 games, 9 wins, 7 draws, 4 defeats, 45.0 win %
- Leicester – 21 December 1995 until 1 June 2000 – 223 games, 85 wins, 68 draws, 70 defeats, 38.1 win %
- Celtic – 1 June 2000 until 31 May 2005 – 282 games, 213 wins, 29 draws, 40 defeats, 75.5 win %
- Aston Villa – 5 August 2006 until 9 August 2010 – 190 games, 80 wins, 60 draws, 50 defeats, 42.11 win %
- Sunderland – 3 December 2011 until 30 March 2013 – 66 games, 21 wins, 20 draws, 25 defeats, 31.8 win %
- Republic of Ireland – 5 November 2013 until 21 November 2018 – 55 games, 19 wins, 20 draws, 16 defeats, 34.5 win %
- Nottingham Forest – 15 January 2019 until 28 June 2019 – 19 games, 8 wins, 3 draws, 8 defeats, 42.1 win %
- Total – 967 games, 487 wins, 239 draws, 241 defeats, 50.4 win %
Jack Ross – 2/1
The current Hibernian manager was 14/1 at the end of last week, and now he’s second favourite for the Celtic job.
He has been Hibs’ head coach since the 15th of November 2019 following a spell as manager of Sunderland.
Ross was appointed manager of the Black Cats on the 25th of May 2018, on a two-year deal. The club had suffered a second consecutive relegation to EFL League One, and he was the first arrival under new owner Stewart Donald.
In his first season in charge, Ross led the club to the final of the League One playoffs following a 1–0 aggregate win over Portsmouth in the semi-finals. However, they went on to lose in the final to Charlton Athletic. On the 8th of October 2019, his managerial contract was terminated by the club as they sat sixth in the League One table.
MANAGERIAL STATS:
Alloa Athletic – 15 December 2015 until 8 October 2016 – 34 games, 13 wins, 8 draws, 13 defeats, 38.24 win %
St Mirren – 8 October 2016 until 25 May 2018 – 80 games, 42 wins, 13 draws, 25 defeats, 52.50 win %
Sunderland – 25 May 2018 until 8 October 2019 – 75 games, 38 wins, 27 draws, 10 defeats, 50.67 win %
Hibernian – 15 November 2019 until Present – 43 games, 22 wins, 10 draws, 11 defeats, 51.16 win %
Total – 232 games, 115 wins, 58 draws, 59 defeats, 49.57 win %
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Eddie Howe – 3/1
Eddie Howe has been linked with many clubs for the manager’s position for however long he stays unemployed.
The 42-year-old guided the Cherries to more than 450 games across two spells spanning more than a decade but stepped down this summer following the club’s relegation to the Championship.
Their five-year stay in the top flight ended despite a 3-1 win at Everton on the final day of the season.
Howe also made more than 300 appearances as a player in the famous red and black stripes.
Howe was initially appointed AFC Bournemouth caretaker manager in December 2008, with the club sitting on -17 points at the bottom of the Football League.
Against all the odds he secured their safety and followed it with promotion from League Two the following season.
After a brief spell in charge of Burnley, a masterstroke from owner Maxim Demin bought Howe back to Dorset, and he then proceeded to achieve two further promotions in three seasons, leading the Cherries to the Premier League, where they remained for five years.
THE OTHER NAMES:
Gordon Strachan – 8/1
John Kennedy – 14/1
Dan Petrescu – 16/1
Henrik Larsson – 20/1
Paolo Di Canio – 20/1
Serhiy Rebrov – 20/1
Alex Neil – 22/1

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