PLAYERS GOT EAR-BASHING

The Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has revealed that the players received a rollicking from the manager during the halftime of the Brentford match. Chelsea could only manage a 2-2 draw with the lower league opposition Brentford in the fourth round of the FA Cup. However, things could have easily gone wrong for the manager Benitez, who has come under criticism from the fans, given that Chelsea were losing at half-time. Benitez made the substitution during the half-time break by bringing on Juan Mata in place of the German Marko Marin. The team then managed to equalise the match 2-2 and take the game into a replay that will take place at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea began the season with the opportunity to win seven different trophies, but they have been knocked out in five competitions already. Only the FA Cup and the Europa league remain the possibilities for winning the title season. Hence, Chelsea are taking the FA Cup extremely seriously, but they were put under a lot of pressure by the lower league opposition who were able to take advantage of the home support. The defender Cahill acknowledged that the players did not perform up to their standards in the first half, but a rollicking from the manager during halftime helped them improve in the second half.

“There is a lot of pressure from the fans but we needed to just try to do the job. In the end, we grafted it out on a horrible day and we now need to show our quality at home. It was the character we needed to dig in and just get the result we needed. Obviously, we wanted the win but at least we have taken it back to the Bridge and hopefully we can finish the job there,” said Gary Cahill.

LENNON HAPPY WITH YEAR

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has said that he is extremely happy with the year that is about to finish. The 2012 year will certainly be special for Celtic due to a number of reasons. Not only have they managed to win the league title ahead of their arch rivals Rangers – who have since been relegated to the potency of Scottish football – but they have also have had famous victories against the likes of Barcelona. Celtic have also managed to make it into the last 16 stage of the Champions League at a time when they were not given a chance by many.

For the manager Neil Lennon, the year 2012 will also be extremely special because he managed to win his 100th game as a manager in recent victory over Hearts. Celtic will be playing against Hibernian in the final game of 2012. The Celtic manager has also said that he will be looking to give his team in double figures advantage in the title race if the results go their way in the final matches of the next week. After the match against Motherwell, the club will be having a slight break in the fixture schedule, but Lennon revealed that he will be utilising it to watch other players.

“No. January’s coming and I’ll be away watching players. I’m hoping to get a week away with the family but even then I might have to go and watch games while I’m away. Even when you’re on holiday, the chief executive rings every day – ‘What about this player? What about that player? Can we get this contract signed?’ Maybe what I’ve got to learn is how to deconstruct the week a little bit better,” said the Celtic manager, whose team have 43 points from the 21 matches played so far.

LENNON HAS NO WORRIES

The Celtic manager Neil Lennon has said that he will have no worries about stepping down from his post if the fans demand him to do so. The criticism of the Celtic manager has grown in recent weeks after the poor run of form, which has seen them take just one point from the last three home matches. They were surprisingly beaten by Inverness 1-0 during the weekend. Neil Lennon received a barrage of criticism from the Celtic fans near the touchline. After the match, he has said that he would be willing to leave the club the moment fans want him to do so.

He has also called the criticism levelled at him as an acceptable. He has said that fans should not be extremely fickle and should have some patience when it comes to the manager. It was not long ago that Neil Lennon was praised in various quarters for the spectacular away win over Spartak Moscow, while the crowning jewel came in the form of win over Barcelona – widely regarded as the best team in the world – at Celtic Park. However, their league form has suffered in recent weeks. Despite this, they stay top of the table having played one game less than Aberdeen.

“I understand supporters’ frustrations. If they’re not happy with me and want me to go, I’ll go, simple as that. These players are giving everything for the club. They don’t always get it right. I know there’s a lack of consistency in the league. I’ve just had it out with the players. Our play in the final third was poor. The lack of patience shown by some people baffles me at times,” said Neil Lennon after the Inverness defeat. Celtic will be having a game against heart of Midlothian away from home in the next match.

LENNON HAPPY WITH TEAM

The Celtic manager Neil Lennon has said that he is extremely happy with the performance of his team during the last two matches, which has seen them not only go top of the table following their 1-0 win over Hearts during the weekend, but also get the first away victory in the Champions league after a long time. Celtic managed to get a 3-2 win over Spartak Moscow against all the odds in the midweek action. Due to the tough trip, they were expected to struggle in the match against Hearts during the weekend. However, Neil Lennon’s men battled to a 1-0 win over the championship contenders.

Speaking after the match, the Celtic manager was visibly delighted with the performance of his players in the last two matches. Neil Lennon immediately said after the Spartak Moscow win that he was one of the proudest men in all of Europe. His happiness has been increased even more following this victory. As a result of this victory, Celtic now have a two-point advantage over given him into second place. Even more impressive is the fact that Celtic have this advantage after having played a game less than their title contender.

“I’m delighted. It’s a magnificent win and tops off a fantastic week for us all. The players have been tremendous. You could see there was a bit of fatigue kicking in second half and I totally understand that. We are delighted with the win and the clean sheet. We had chances to put the game away and at 1-0 you are always a bit concerned, but Georgios is a big player for us. Gary (Hooper) looked a little bit tired but the strength of the squad is good,” said the Celtic manager after the win over Hearts. Celtic have played only eight league matches this campaign.