Seems Neil Lennon thinks the likely long-term absence of Kelvin Wilson is to be lamented. I beg to differ – it’s his short-term presence I’ve found lamentable. To be perfectly honest, I am baffled as to why Lenny pursued the Notts Forest reject so doggedly in the first place.

So determined was our manager to acquire Wilson, so glowing were his credentials said to be, I thought we were going to get someone in the mould of Paul Elliott or George Connelly – a fast, strong, mobile linchpin; good in the air and comfortable on the ball, around whom the essential launchpad of solid defence could be built.

What we got was a latter-day “Bombscare” … Olivier Tebily, without the occasional flashes of genius! Honestly, my heart has been in my mouth since he came into the team, as if it hadn’t been bad enough up till then with the combined antics of “Desperate Dan” Majstorovic and his namby-pamby partner in the crash-and-burn school of central defending, Glenn Loovens.

He has pace, right enough – but all that does is get your heart pounding even faster.

Okay, if you were in any doubt before, despite previous posts on the subject, I really believe we are in the grip of a central defensive crisis that is potentially season-wrecking if something isn’t done about it pronto. Problem is, what to do this side of the January window?

Well, in my opinion, for what it’s worth,  the two best central defenders currently at Celtic Park are Charlie Mulgrew and Thomas Rogne. Injury and/or suspension situations allowing, they would be my suggestion for stabilising that key area before it’s too late.

The early Rogne had class stamped all over him before injury forced him out of action; but he was back on the bench yesterday and therefore presumably fully ready for action. I know Charlie has blotted his copybook a couple of times in that department; but nobody’s perfect. Overall, he has shown enough to suggest both that centre-half is his own best position and that he may be our best current bet in that key area.

With TFOD standing four points clear at time of writing, it would only take a few more misunderstandings under fire or penalty-box cock-ups to leave them in a situation where even a highly-unlikely HMRC-induced ten-point penalty imposition wouldn’t put an insurmountable dent in their scary four-in-a-row title aspirations – a truly horrendous thought, if ever there was one!

So, come on Lenny – get over yourself and sort this mess out before we find our own title challenge bankrupt. The past three title surrenders have gone from unfortunate to increasingly careless – a fourth on the trot would be a total embarrassment.

C’mon the Hoops!!!

Johnbhoy