THE LENNON FACTOR

The announcement of Neil Lennon as Celtic manager after a short role as caretaker, came as no major surprise to many in the football world.

Tony Mowbray’s brave, but ultimately unsuccessful tenure came to an abrupt halt after a dreadful capitulation at New St Mirren Park and a 0-4 reverse sounded alarm bells not heard at Celtic since the dark days of John Barnes. Rangers were romping to the title and things were bleak.

Lennon was given ultimate control over a freefalling Celtic side in March of 2010 and the new incumbent not only arrested the slide, but took us on a rollercoaster ride which reduced not only the points deficit over our fiercest rivals, but regained much need pride to our fans.

He finished the season unbeaten and unbowed-taking Rangers’ scalp in the process in a stirring finish at Parkhead. The championship was gone but the fight was back and there was a belief that things had turned around big style.

That feeling was only proving to be true in the Celtic camp. Elsewhere, the winds of change were not blowing so freely-especially in the media circles where vultures were circling with their vitriol and slanderous commentaries.

Lennon was not popular and they let him know it in no uncertain terms. Hated by the press, hated by Scottish football fans and hated by the the authoritarian figures governing the game up north. Nowhere to go-but up.

Up he has gone. Only two league defeats since taking over permanently and despite the downer of defeats at the hands of the Govan and Gorgie twins, Celtic are surefooted and generally confident of victory most weeks .

An astonishing 9-0 hammering of Aberdeen last week showed that confidence is on the rise at Planet Celtic. The boss has selected wisely in the transfer market, he is currently maturing and blooding youth to ally with his seasoned pro’s in an attempt to emulate the greats in the managerial world. This takes time.

Lennon got it wrong against Rangers and Hearts with his tactics and substitutions recently but let’s be frank-he is an inexperienced gaffer guiding one of the world’s leading clubs in his first attempt at a title. He is entitled to the same mistakes enjoyed by Smith of Rangers and Ferguson of Man Utd, legends who command a wealth of experience between them.

Look at their seasons so far-hardly brimming with perfection but not quite subject to the rigorous scrutiny the Lurgan Bhoy currently bows to.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Click here for Page 2

Gary Hooper’s last ditch winner in Paisley sums up the Lennon effect on this particular side for me. Never say die. Fight to the whistle and be confident that goals will come if you play with passion and drive. It has happened a few times this term and I like he fact that Lenny’s half time comment, “I don’t care if it takes you till the 93rd minute to score!” came to roost. His ideas and confident meanderings are getting through to his players an I’m sure they love him for it. Lennon wears his heart on his sleeve and revels in the fact he is so tightly wound around the whole fabric of Celtic Football Club- similar to Tommy Burns but with a different, less silky vibe. He rants and raves about decisions which go against us week after week. I like this. It means he refuses to be cowed and bullied by lesser mortals in this brutally anti-Celtic league structure. His aura and forthrightness has led to a breakdown in communications and trust between referees and their assistants. One walked away after being told to lie to Celtic about a potentially damaging decision at Tannadice. The assistant ref admitted he “didn’t know where his head was at” during the penalty confrontation. He resigned and totally undermined the whole refereeing structure when he told of being bullied an harrassed by serial con-man, bigot (see pope email) and “supervisor” Hugh Dallas. Dallas allegedly told him to lie about the non-penalty -twice- and his man called his bluff. Subsequently, Celtic are still awaiting an apology-it will not come. Not in Scotland. But the truth is out there-The Lennon Factor. I have sought this type of response from a Celtic boss for many years after decades of frustration and gnashing of teeth. Finally, we have someone who won’t be told to “Sit down or be slapped down” by parasitical fat cats, seeking an easy title for their team and only too willing to accept the mediocrity of domestic success regardless of merit, credibility or truth. Lennon won’t give them that pleasure. He will stand up for his beliefs and his beloved club-even when he is wrong! Others (like the afforementioned Ferguson) have been doing it for years. If the Irishman is given the same creedence and timescale of Sir Alex, than Celtic will know they have a rock on which their enemies will surely flounder. For a fair and balanced account, I asked Clarkston stalwart Michael Welsh his views and not surprisingly he ventured “I would say he needs to control his temper in the heat of the moment in order to project influence and calm to the team, but it’s high time we had someone stand up to the bully-boys of the SFA in the way Fergus did in the Cadete/Farry disgrace.” This viewpoint has been widely shared among all the fans I have spoken to about this. Celtic fans are sick to the back teeth of having had to suffer in silence whilst their heroes are trodden underfoot by high office officials and their hack lackies, as they attempt to accelerate the tidalwave of our conformity to half-truths and dammned lies-something which we have endured since the club’s inception in 1888. Lennon’s nationality and religious beliefs are without question the main reason he has been branded by the press corps as the Pariah of Scottish Football (as was O’Neill) but this will only serve to galvanise the mood and attitude of someone who has seen it all before. He was, we remember, one of the most contentious of all our favourite Celtic captains in the last 122 years. Dogged and moody, a no prisoners type of player who would turn on a team mate if he saw a weakness go unaddressed for the cause. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Click for Page 3>>>>>>

Just the thing to stir up memorable victories and bring championships and glory to Celtic. And how he succeeded there!

That’s why he’s reviled by non-Celts in Scotland. They’re afraid of his natural aggression and determination to put this great club right back where they belong-at the top of the league on a regular basis and a regular contender for European success.

The latter may be a little further away due to global finance and lack of EPL coverage but if his success breeds success attitude filters throughout the club, we may well be looking at the possibility of another Martin O’Neill era.

Joe Kennedy of Brisbane tells me ” Like yourself Eddie, I hate when people relate football to religion, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the wee man has been targetted for years because of where he is from.

We all know his passion for the Celts and he has sometimes called it wrong but overall, he is human and letting your desire to succeed in an environent where you are accepted and made welcome is no sin.

Others have one so more vocally an physically elsewhere and they are lauded as “characters”. This is nothing new and we expect it. We should look seriously at his goals and aims and remember whom he served under as Captain of the Hoops-who’s to say he can’t follow Martin’s lead and take us to another level?”

I have faith in the man and I believe he is capable and willing to take Celtic to heights we can only dream of right now.

We must back him to the hilt in every situation an allow him the to stand tall in the face of all who will seek to undermine his efforts to do what he does best-get under the skin of our detractors and achieve fair and balanced results-something which we have not had the luxury of in my living memory.

Hail, Hail, Neil Lennon-Celtic Mhan.

Willie McStay appointed Ross County manager.

Follow Video Celts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube