Neil Lennon’s remarkable turnaround of Celtic was sealed this afternoon when the hoops beat Kilmarnock 6-0 to clinch the SPL title.
Two years after the humiliation of losing a Scottish Cup semi-final to Ross County the Irishman has overcome incredible odds to return Celtic to the top of Scottish football.
No words will ever do justice to the odds that Celtic and Lennon have overturned to clinch a remarkable championship triumph with five games left to play.
On the park Lennon has had to build a title winning side on the proceeds of the sale of Aiden McGeady. The jokes about webuyanyplayer.com have died away as Lennon and the Celtic scouting team have uncovered emerging young talent far away from the eyes, budgets and wallets of the English Premiership.
While Lennon stuck to budgets and kept on the right side of HMRC Rangers went for broke on the never ever allowing Ally McCoist to spend big with no intention of paying transfer fees.
The full extent of Rangers debt was laid bare in midweek but behind the figures it confirmed that St Etienne, Palermo, Hearts, Arsenal and Rapid Vienna are owed money for players who have contributed to Rangers this season.
With new contracts handed to Allan McGregor, Steve Davis and Steven Whittaker McCoist was given a huge advantage in the chase for the title while Lennon’s budget only stretched towards free transfers in Kelvin Wilson and Adam Matthews alongside the £3m that it took to pay transfer fees for Victor Wanyama and Mo Bangura.
Despite those overwhelming odds Celtic dug in as Rangers wilted under the pressure with a 15 point deficit turned around into a one point lead thanks to Joe Ledley’s derby day winner at the end of January.
There have been many turning points in the course of the season with the title success built around a 20 match winning run starting with after a desperate 0-0 home draw with Hibs in October and ending with a 1-1 draw away to Aberdeen.
Speaking ahead of today’s match first team coach Alan Thompson said:
“Everyone, the players, the staff are so pleased for Neil.
“If it happens on Saturday we’ll all celebrate with him because he deserves it. He has been through a lot in the last year.
“Neil puts in an awful lot of hard work that people don’t see. Whether it’s going to games, watching players or going to see kids coming through the youth system at Celtic.
“He puts in a lot so he’ll deserve the success he gets this season.
“We see the real Neil every day at work. He is very good at his job regardless of what people might think about him.
“I think winning the title will mean more to him as a manager than it did as a player because of all the work he has put in.
“He’ll enjoy it more than any he won as a player. We’re in such a good position.
“It would be fantastic to get the title tied up at Kilmarnock because it could have happened last week and the week before but it didn’t.
“It’s in our hands on Saturday and hopefully we’ll get three points. If we get the result we need we can celebrate after.”
Celtic’s devastating first half performance blew Kilmarnock away to provide a fitting finale to Lennon’s amazing turnaround of the club.
Joe Ledley and Gary Hooper’s late goals providing the icing on the cake on an incredible campaign.
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WHHHOOOOO HHOOOOO ! CHAMPIONS !