Only a select few people can truly appreciate the scale of Neil Lennon’s title success.
Immediately after clinching the title at Kilmarnock on Saturday Lennon reeled off the previous managers that have won the championship for Celtic.
John Robertson sat side-by-side with Martin O’Neill through five action packed seasons at Celtic and went through the same emotions as Lennon experienced.
O’Neill’s trusted assistant was on the phone to Lennon on Saturday night and was delighted to see the relief that clinching the title brought.
“People just don’t appreciate how intense it is when you are manager of Celtic,” Robertson told The Sun. “ When the first goal went in on Saturday he looked to the sky, you could see it was a release for him.
“He was the same when the second and third went in. I know the feeling because you always want another goal.
“Even 4-0 up at the break, he’d be stressing to keep standards high. You can relax when you’re 4-0 up with a minute to go, not before that!
“I heard Thommo on TV saying it was a more satisfying feeling than winning the title as a player.
“That’s because you feel a sense of pride because the team you’ve brought together has been a success.
Robertson added: “The turnaround since that game at Kilmarnock in October has been spectacular. Whatever he said at half-time that day worked.
“Whether he was critical or whether got them believing or whether it involved getting a siege mentality, it succeeded. There are people who don’t like him but he wears his heart on his sleeve.
“Go back to the defeat by Ross County in the Scottish Cup semi-final to see that.
“He was only a fledgling manager and he felt let down that day. He knew he was responsible for the club but he had the intelligence to make the right strides forward.
“Even last season he took the title race to the final day of the season and to have won it this season before the split is a real achievement.”
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