McGarvey blames board, not manager, for worrying malaise

FORMER Celtic striker Frank McGarvey believes the Parkhead board and not manager Neil Lennon should be blamed for the club’s loss of form, which has seen them fall ten points behind leaders Rangers in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Celtic’s 2-0 defeat against Hearts on Sunday was their third this season in the SPL and it has shuffled Lennon’s side down to third in the league, with Motherwell in second, and champions Rangers already holding a commanding advantage – although they have played one game more – as they chase a fourth successive championship. However, former Scotland international McGarvey, who played for the Parkhead between 1980 and 1985, believes Lennon is carrying the can for a lack of investment in the playing squad by the Celtic board this summer, blaming chief executive Peter Lawwell for not ensuring his manager had more funds to add quality to his team.

“I think Neil Lennon has done well, but I think he’s been undermined over the summer by Lawwell,” said McGarvey. “He wanted to get a few players in, but Celtic wouldn’t push the boat out. So I think he’s been undermined.”

Celtic’s previous defeats came at home to St Johnstone and in an Old Firm match at Ibrox in which they had led at half-time, but McGarvey saw enough in the loss at Tynecastle to seriously worry him about Lennon’s job for the remainder of the season.

“I have to say that Sunday was the first sign I’ve seen of Neil Lennon ageing,” said 55-year-old McGarvey. “He looked very stressed, and that’s a worry.

“There were a lot of injury problems on Sunday – the whole midfield was out with Brown, Kayal, Ledley, Wilson and Izaguirre missing – so he has been hit by injuries, but he has quite a good squad. They’ve lost three games already and it’s only October, yet, last season, they only lost four games the whole season, so something not right. Celtic had chances to win that game on Sunday and they didn’t take them.”

McGarvey also thinks Celtic are part of a broader malaise in Scottish football.

“You’ve got to look at the standard of Scottish football now,” he said. “Even last week, the Celtic Udinese game, the stands looked a third full for a big European game, I’ve never seen that. Things are not good in Scottish football.”