Neil Lennon unhappy with Stokes and Hooper but plays down Leicester link

AFTER a goalless draw at home to Hibs that further dented his side’s title hopes, Neil Lennon last night accused some of his Celtic players of hiding and conceded that the 12-point advantage which Rangers now hold over them represents an enormous mountain to climb.

The Celtic manager has launched many verbal grenades at his players in his time and yesterday’s soulless draw brought another volley, delivered with a jaded exasperation that was impossible to miss.

It was riveting stuff from Lennon, whose raw anger was kept under wraps, but only just. “Our play in the final third was really flat, no real quality apart from James Forrest again, who’s the only one really trying to lift the team. There was no real urgency to go and win the game. I’m very, very angry. Really diasppointed in the players. They just let the game drift away from them. And that’s not acceptable. There are some players in there who have given everything and who have carried the torch for the team but there are others who are happy to go along riding on their backs and not making the contribution I want from them.”

Lennon seemed to be referring to his front two, Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper, who were sleep-walking against Hibs yesterday. “We missed good chances in the first half and I was annoyed about that but I just asked the players to increase the tempo and get a little more snap to their play. There was none of that. We made three changes to re-energise the team but it had relatively little impact.

“I’ll have to speak to the players and out them, basically. I’m not happy with some of them, I don’t think they’re giving enough in terms of the quality of their play or their effort. I’ll speak to them individually and tell them what I think. I’m looking for a response from them. But, you know, you ask them questions at times, and you don’t get the answers.”

On the lead Rangers now hold over them, he had this to say: “It’s huge. We need to win the game in hand and find a consistency.”

Might the title be gone by the time they find the consistency he’s looking for? “It’s a concern, there’s no doubt about that. Twelve points is a huge total at this stage of the season. We have to dig in and try to claw it back, but not on performances like that. I thought the two of them [Stokes and Hooper] were poor. I need more consistency from them. If they’re not scoring goals, they need to bring something else to the team and I thought they were both very flat. There are a few who have been consistent, like Ki and Joe Ledley who have played very well through a difficult period, but there are other players who have to come with them. Stop leaving it to these guys to carry the team.”

Lennon was linked with the vacant Leicester City job yesterday, a position he doesn’t appear interested in even if the stories turn out to be true. “The only way I’d leave the job this season is if I decide I’m not taking the club forward or getting the performances the fans merit,” he said. “Leicester is a great club and they’ve spent a lot of money but I love what I do here. I have a huge challenge on my hands and I’m enjoying it. There are times when you don’t enjoy it, when you get flat performances like that, but it’s up to me to get the best out of these players.

“I have my own pride in what I do, so I’m determined to see it through. Celtic’s a bigger challenge than most other clubs in the world in terms of the pressure and the goldfish bowl you live in. But I’ve been used to it. I don’t like the position we’re in in the league, I’m not enjoying that, but there’s a long way to go. I can’t keep saying that, though. I either need to change my personnel, which we can’t do at the minute, or I need to change something. I don’t want to, but I have to. This can’t go on.”

Celtic are a club in despair right now.