History On Lennon’s Side

We are in the Second Golden Era of Celtic European history. The late 1970’s, 1980’and 1990’s were, for the most part, desperate for the Hoops. But Group Stage football has become the norm.

The 2019/20 European adventure starts tonight for Celtic. And in Lennon, they have a manager with a history of Champions League Qualification.

The route to the Group Stages of the Champions League has taken many format changes over the years. Also, Scotland used to have two spots in the competition meaning one side had to take a very arduous qualification route, whilst one team got straight into the Group Stages. The number of qualification rounds is ever increasing. Now four rounds need to be navigated. And the start gets earlier and earlier.

Didn’t there used to be sports like golf, tennis and cricket?

History

My Celtic following career started post Stein, the European dark years. Between 1975-76 and 2000-01, Celtic never played more than six ties total. There were two Quarter Finals in those seasons (1975-75 Cup-Winners Cup and 1979-80 European Cup), but otherwise it was always exit before Christmas, and usually after one or two ties.

If we take the turn of the century, and the appointment of O’Neill as the start of the Modern Era, then Celtic have seen Group Stage football or late stage runs in 16 of the last 19 seasons.

This is the second Golden Age of Celtic in Europe.

Champions League Qualification

The riches and exposure for club and players is vastly superior by qualifying for the Champions League Group Stages.

Each of the six Celtic managers of the Modern Era have had a crack at this target.

Here is the hit rate.

O’Neill, Lennon and Rodgers all got Celtic into the Champions League Group Stages on two out of three attempts.

O’Neill’s one failure (against FC Basel) was tempered by the run to the 2002-03 UEFA Cup Final.

In his successful years he navigated past Ajax Amsterdam (one qualifier only!) in 2001-02. In 2003-04 two rounds were required to see off Kaunas and MTK Hungaria.

Lennon’s one fail was in his first full season. Eleven first team squad players left the club post Mowbray that summer. The side that was dismantled 3-0 in Braga included debuts for Du-Ri, Mulgrew, Juarez, Ledley and Murphy. Who remembers the centre back pairing (a theme of Celtic early season travails)? No?

Loovens and Hooiveld.

In his successful seasons, Lennon saw off HJK Helsinki and Helsingborg IF in 2012-13. The 2013-14 campaign was by now extended to three rounds and Cliftonville, IF Elfsborg and (memorably) Shakhter Karagandy were defeated.

Rodgers famously opened to defeat in Gibraltar but got through Lincoln Red Imps, Astana and Hapoel Be’er Sheva (just). He followed up with another three-round success against Linfield, Rosenborg and Astana.

Rodgers failed in his last season, the recruitment and personnel disasters coming home to roost in Athens in the now extended fourth qualifier. There was, however, a consolation of Last 32 Europa League football.

Overall Match Record

As mentioned, different formats and different standards of opposition (Mowbray had to play Arsenal). But the overall match record per manager for Champions League Qualification is as follows:

Lennon’s two defeats saw only one being material – the initial loss in Braga. Overall, he has the best record of all modern Celtic managers with a 78% Points% rate.

O’Neill comes next on 75% then Rodgers a distant third on 63%.

Summary

Celtic have their most successful modern-day manager in charge for Champions League Qualification in terms of match results. He matches O’Neill and Rodgers in converting two out of three campaigns into Group Stage football.

Rodgers remains the only manager this century to take Celtic into the Group Stages of the Champions League in bis first season in charge. He benefitted from minimal squad upheaval post Deila.

Lennon has lost a lot of players and has some new ones to come in. The combination of squad disruption and new manager is usually a predictor of failure. But Lennon has been over this course, and so have most of the players.

Reasons to be cheerful!