Can Neil Lennon be Celtic's David Miliband?

With the appointment of Neil Lennon as Celtic's latest manger today, one begins to see startling similarities between the fortunes of the Glasgow club, and the Labour Party. Although it is purely coincidental Celtic play in the city where Labour are at their strongest (during the electioneering Gordon Brown received hero-like status on a trip to the city) the links between the two institutions are often merged. 

Dr John Reid, former Home Secretary under the last Labour Administration recently became chairman of Celtic. But there is much more to it than that. Firstly, both the party and the football team have similar origins; to help those of poorer backrounds. Celtic were a charity formed by Brother Walfred for Irish economic migrants to the city, and Labour have always been strongest in working-class areas such as Glasgow. The Celtic ethos, that of a united "family" epitomised through the huddle, echoes the definition of socialism, even if it is slightly.

At their peak, in the 1960s, Celtic were one of the best teams in the world. The "Lisbon Lions" who won the European Cup in 1967 and nine league titles under Jock Stein. They were formidable. Post-war society was also blooming, with the strength of the Welfare State in the UK and Socialism proving to be a serious alternative to Capitalism in the Soviet Union under Khrushchev. 

Celtic's worse period in history was the late 80s and early 90s, when not much went right for The Hoops. Rangers domination of the domestic game cultivated in their famous "nine in a row", matching the feat of Jock Stein's team earlier on in the century. Finances were in disarray, teetering on administration with the prospect of renaming the club to Celtic United a possibility, had it not been for Fergus McCann. Celtic Park and the infamous "Jungle" part of the ground was dangerously outdated in the post-Hillsborough climate. It feels more than coincidental that this all happened during Thatcherism, and that Celtic stopped Rangers achieving ten league titles in 1997/98, the year New Labour came into power.

Bar the 1999/2000 season, which involved as many disasters as a dodgy dossier, the past decade had been kind to Celtic. League titles were regular, and when they weren't it was down to the last game of the season. European football was frequent, including an European final. And yet this season was so, so bad. Lowlights such as the 4-0 defeat to St.Mirren has meant a change, a revamp for Celtic. Replace "Celtic" with "Labour" and "4-0 defeat to St.Mirren" with "lost a general election" and the lines between the two begin to blur.

That they have gone for Neil Lennon is interesting; a young man who lacks experience as a leader but knows the institution well and has plenty experience in European competitions. It sounds a bit like David Miliband, doesn't it? Whilst the Conservatives and Rangers sort out their finances, it will be intriguing to see how it all figures out for Celtic and Labour who are both missing the power they once had.