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Lennon’s Hampden hoodoo continues

By Andy BurkeBBC Scotland

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments23

Celtic manager Neil Lennon

Neil Lennon has garnered almost universal praise for his work since taking charge at Celtic.

One league championship delivered, with another appearing to be on the way, one Scottish Cup and qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League is an impressive list of achievements.

However, one considerable blemish on Lennon's CV is his side's recent form in cup ties at Hampden.

St Mirren's 3-2 victory in the semi-final of the Scottish Communities League Cup is not the first time Lennon's men have come unstuck at the National Stadium in recent years.

Since the Northern Irishman was given the Celtic reins, initially on an interim basis to replace Tony Mowbray, his side have lost five crucial cup ties at Hampden.

Here we examine Lennon's Hampden defeats as Celtic manager.

Scottish Cup Semi-Final: Celtic 0-2 Ross County, 10 April 2010

Celtic v Ross County

Lennon took over a squad in disarray following the sacking of Tony Mowbray, but Celtic were still hot favourites to take care of the First Division outfit and advance to the Scottish Cup final.

However, Steven Craig and Martin Scott scored to give Derek Adam's men a glorious victory, and inflict one of the worst results in Celtic's history.

The scoreline was expected to end Lennon's candidacy to take the manager's job on a permanent basis, but the Celtic hierarchy decided that, despite this disastrous loss, he was the man to restore Celtic's fortunes.

Scottish League Cup Final: Celtic 1-2 Rangers (AET), 20 March 2011

A meeting of the master and the apprentice as rookie manager Lennon took on wily old fox Walter Smith in the Rangers dugout.

Steven Davis drew first blood for Rangers with an inch-perfect finish from 20 yards, but a towering Joe Ledley header pulled Celtic level.

The sides couldn't be separated after 90 minutes, but Nikica Jelavic struck in extra-time to win the Cup for the Ibrox club.

Scottish League Cup Final: Celtic 0-1 Kilmarnock, 18 March 2012

Kilmarnock had never won the League Cup and that statistic wasn't expected to change in this final.

Celtic saw chances come and go, but couldn't find a way past the Killie defence. They were punished six minutes from time when Dieter van Tornhout rose highest to bury a header past Fraser Forster and create history for the Rugby Park side.

Scottish Cup Semi-Final: Celtic 1-2 Hearts, 15 April 2012

Celtic v Hearts

Lennon's former team-mate Craig Beattie came back to haunt him with a last-gasp winner to set-up an all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final.

Rudi Skacel had given Hearts the lead early in the second-half, but Gary Hooper appeared to have forced extra-time with an equaliser three minutes from time.

However, Joe Ledley was controversially penalised for a handball in the penalty area, and Beattie dispatched the spot-kick at the death to send the Tynecastle side through.

An angry Lennon confronted referee Euan Norris on the pitch at the full-time whistle to offer his view on the penalty.

Scottish League Cup Semi-Final: St Mirren 3-2 Celtic, 27 January 2013

Neil Lennon had warned his side that one false move could see their Treble dreams extinguished.

Clearly the warning wasn't heeded as St Mirren recorded a famous and thoroughly deserved, victory.

St Mirren striker Esmael Goncalves opened the scoring on his debut for the club, but Gary Hooper equalised just before half-time.

Charlie Mulgrew was handed a great chance to put his side ahead when Jim Goodwin was adjudged to have handled in the box, but Craig Samson sprung to his right to palm the spot-kick away.

The Celtic defender's day went from bad to worse when he conceded a penalty at the other end for an even more blatant handball. Former Parkhead midfielder Paul McGowan made no mistake to put the Buddies ahead, and Stephen Thompson volleyed past Celtic keeper Lukasz Zaluska to make it 3-1.

Mulgrew scored with the last kick of the game, but it wasn't enough to save his side as St Mirren advanced to a final against Hearts.

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23 comments

  • Comment posted by CELTCT, at 16:30 28 Jan 2013

    I'm a Celtic fan, but St Mirren deserved to win as they took their chances and we didnt. Possesion stats mean nothing if you dont score. The penalty miss was the turning point though, why didnt Hooper take it?

  • Comment posted by AaronMurphy, at 12:06 30 Jan 2013

    St Mirren fans shouldnt be offended. No one will argue that they were the better team and deserved it. Would've been a different story had Mulgrew scored the pen.

    I feel Lennon is on course to being a Celtic legend. He has been through more than any manager should and stuck with us, beaten Barcelona, taken us to the last 16 and if Wanyama and Hooper leave will make us a very handsome profit.

  • Comment posted by JC, at 19:57 28 Jan 2013

    one minute he's a hero by beating, lets face it, a below par barca side and the next he cant motivate his squad of flops. brilliant how people react and tbh i could see saints winning a mile off because all the manager had to do was pin upnall their negative press on the wall and not say a word.
    great job celts you really are keeping the entertainment factor in scottish football(at your expense)

  • Comment posted by User0417558546, at 13:21 30 Jan 2013

    I cannot understand how Lennon isn't able to convey the message to his players that there are no meaningless games when you play for Celtic, and that a semi-final is a damn important game for the fans. The players are clearly bored and are only intersted in European games right now. Whilst I can understand that to a degree, it's Lennon's job to motivate them and prevent these lifeless performances

  • Comment posted by Paisley_saint_doug, at 11:45 29 Jan 2013

    This is St Mirren's wee moment in the sun, so its no surprise BBC Scotland is covering the Old Firm angle! If there was a way to legally not pay my licence I would do so over how incensed I feel over BBC's 'coverage' of Scottish football: BBC pays more out to Alan Hansen and Gary Linekar in salaries than it pays to all Scottish football clubs for TV and Radio coverage & non-OF coverage is a joke.

  • Comment posted by Paisley_saint_doug, at 12:07 29 Jan 2013

    Result of the semi finals: Hearts and St Mirren qualify for the final. BBC Scotland blog about the semi finals: Celtic don't qualify. If BBC Scotland can't make Hearts and St Mirren's qualification the subject of your semi final results blog when can you highlight their achievements? BBC would rather cover Old Firm mediocrity and non-stories than give non-OF clubs the coverage they deserve.

  • Comment posted by Soctty, at 17:47 28 Jan 2013

    @AsteroidMonkey Someone's bitter. ;)

    Your best bet is to count the number of goals scored. You get one goal, for every goal.

    As opposed to no goals, for every time you hit the woodwork. You also get no goals for missing penalties. This is pretty standard stuff - I thought you'd have gathered all of this.

    :D

  • Comment posted by Col, at 23:49 30 Jan 2013

    I could win the league as Celtic manager. Coco the clown could. Lennon may win the league 5 years in a row but it means absolutely nothing. Why do the BBC persist in reporting SPL results? I can't imagine anyone is actually interested.

  • Comment posted by User0559474943, at 15:29 30 Jan 2013

    Another way of looking at this; Niel Lennon has made it to the last four of every domestic cup competition since he took over
    And two defeats are finals which means we won the semis, so three wins five defeats, only one of them by more than a single goal.

    i don't know about anybody else, but I think that's better than being knocked out in the first round or by a lower division side...

  • Comment posted by User0546341018, at 17:32 28 Jan 2013

    Nothing to do with a hoodoo, more to with poor performances by players who are better than this, on each occasion.
    -----------
    Sums it up perfectly.

    The hoodoo is just a misplaced term to mask poor performance: players who think they can just turn up and win games without putting in the effort.

    The only 'hoodoo' is why Celtic players cannot be bothered in these games.

  • Comment posted by User0646720262, at 19:34 30 Jan 2013

    Flash in the pan .... St Mirren beating Celtic ... Celtic will win the Scottish Pub League easily

    Celtic beating Barca ... flash in the pan....Celtic will be oooout next round mcbhooooys

  • Comment posted by User0559474943, at 16:21 30 Jan 2013

    @19. I disagree.Last 16 of the Champions league is far more attractive than the SPL even against Rangers. If Rangers were in the SPL and Celtic were out of the CL Hooper would be gone by now. Celtic can and will attract and retain players without Rangers. When Rangers get back to the SPL they'll have a strong Celtic to thank for raising the co-efficient and earning a second place in the CL.

  • Comment posted by User0731390805, at 17:43 28 Jan 2013

    Mulgrew can score from 25 yards yet misses a penalty. That was the turning point in the game they then get 1 for a similar offence but the difference being they scored. Hardly a big deal at the end of the day last 16 top of the league and in with a chance of the other cup YNWA !!!

  • Comment posted by Football_understand, at 15:04 30 Jan 2013

    @18 its not rocket science, without rangers to challenge them and vice versa, its hard for the players to motivate themselves, im a rangers fan btw, celtic are going to suffer more than the rest of the SPL, as without rangers they wont be able to hold onto/attract better players to the club, when rangers finally get back into the top division it will be interesting to see how weak celtic went

  • Comment posted by User0035773213, at 00:03 29 Jan 2013

    Would it be fair to say that in the absence of Celtic's old rivals,they are no longer being kept on their toes?
    Have to say it,its definitely the most exciting/interesting football season in the Scottish leagues i've seen for many a moon.

  • Comment posted by morbhoy, at 16:12 28 Jan 2013

    Now that the failure to win/score away from home in European matches has been overcome it's time to invent a Hampden Hoodoo !!

    Nothing to do with a hoodoo, more to with poor performances by players who are better than this, on each occasion.

  • Comment posted by Euan S, at 22:34 29 Jan 2013

    I like how the BBC feel the need to note that it was a controversial decision to award the Beattie penalty by Euan Norris but fail to mention that the Gary Hooper equaliser was clearly off-side and should of been picked up on. I wonder if it was the same linesman accompanying Mr Norris this past weekend as in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final last year...

  • Comment posted by Gav, at 17:30 28 Jan 2013

    @1 its in the same way that celtic beating barca was deserved, mon the buddies

  • Comment posted by Football_understand, at 11:20 30 Jan 2013

    @15 absolutely spot on

  • Comment posted by hagleybuddies, at 22:07 29 Jan 2013

    AsteroidMonkey, do you no mean hemmaroid monkey?

    The best team won,it usually does and it certainly does when it scores more goals.

    Unless you want to rewrite the rules some more. Maybe Saint Mirren should be banished to Division 3, just for beating you?

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