Lennon Leads Celtic To The Top

October 15th 2011 is a day that will stick in my memory for a number of reasons.  The first, and clearly the most important is that it was the day I got married. But as I stood there in the church with my new wife, we were getting constant goal updates from Rugby Park where Kilmarnock were taking Celtic apart 3-0 at the halftime mark.

It proved to be a pivotal moment in the first half of the season for Celtic.  Whatever Neil Lennon told his men during that 15 minute break, it worked as Celtic clawed back the deficit to draw the game 3-3.

A point well saved, but certainly 2 points dropped and it dropped Celtic down to a 15 point deficit to league leaders and arch rivals Rangers, with Motherwell even taking the second place spot from the Hoops.

How times have changed.  Wednesday's 1-0 win over Rangers at a blustery Celtic Park completed a comeback that now sees Celtic top the table following a 9 win streak which began with a 2-0 win away at the then second placed Motherwell.  The streak sees Celtic taking 27 points from 9 games having only attained 23 points in the previous 12 games.

Joe Ledley scores the only goal against Rangers

So why the change in form, and more importantly the consistency of that form?

There's no doubt that the overall form of the team is down in large part to the form of individual and key players.  A prime example of one of those players is Georgios Samaras.  The love-hate relationship the Celtic fans have with the Greek is well known.  He often looks to be uninterested in games and so doesn'tinvest himselffully to the Celtic cause to the frustration of the fans, his teammates and the managerial staff.  However Lennon looks to have got h best out of Samaras these last few weeks, resulting in Samaras scoring goals including a brace against Kilmarnock on Christmas Eve.  Samaras goals are collectors items, but more often than not they come in important games.  But more than that is his seemingly renewed enthusiasm for playing the game, and in so doing has forged a strong relationship with striking partner Gary Hooper.

Celtic still have their problems.  I have lost count on the number of different back 4 combinations Lennon has been forced to field as a result of multiple injuries and suspensions.  Wednesday's game saw Thomas Rogne comfortably contain Nikica Jelavic despite a lack of game time this season, and Adam Matthews dominated the right flank on his return from injury.  The versatile Victor Wanyama was again outstanding in midfield after performing brilliantly at centre half against Kilmarnock and looks every bit the seasoned veteran at the age of just 21.

The youth of these players mixed with the tenacity and experience of the excellent Beram Kayal, Joe Ledley and Scott Brown is proving to be a balanced and potent mix for Neil Lennon.

Celtic have clawed their way back to the top of the table for the first time since April and without a consistent defensive lineup and key players like Emilio Izaguirre who is close to his comeback in the New Year.  The future looks bright for the Hoops, and much credit has to go to Neil Lennon and his young coaching team.  There were doubts about his lack of experience and his motivational ability outlasting the initial surge following his arrival late in the 2009-10 season. 

However, having narrowly losing the title by a single point, winning the Scottish Cup and now leading his team through this latest turbulent half of the season, Lennon is looking every bit the accomplished manager and indeed the man for the job at Celtic for the coming seasons.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.  There are no prizes for leading the league at New Year and Lennon will be all too aware of the challenge ahead of his team in the first half of 2012.  Let's hope this rich run of form continues to the end of the season.

In the meantime, I'd like to think that my marriage is a good omen for Celtic.