Neil Lennon has assured Andy Walker that winning this season’s SPL title will be as satisfying as any other championship win.
If Celtic take a point from today’s match against Inverness Caley Thistle it’ll be the eighth time that Lennon has been involved in a title winning side since joining the club from Leicester in 2000.
The liquidation of Rangers has proved to be a difficult concept for many to get their head around, confused further by the shambles of a newco granted associate membership of the SFA and lurching from one crisis to another with little known of the owner or who holds the assets.
Without doubt the unfolding pantomime presided over by Mr Green and Mr Whyte has had an impact on the whole of Scottish football but the net result is that for the first time in a decade there is a level playing field in the SPL with all twelve clubs living within the same financial restrictions of paying tax in the same manner.
Lennon has seen Celtic lose out on last day titles and other off field dramas during his time at the club. If Celtic succeed today the celebrations will be long and loud as the club reassert themselves not only in Scotland but attempt to build on the European progress of the last two seasons.
“Whenever it comes it’s just a memorable occasion and I want the players to take it all in,” the Celtic boss said.
“They might never get the chance to win the championship again. People will say it’s been easier without the competition of Rangers but it’s never easy.
“I saw Andy Walker’s comments. It’s just total nonsense about it being less satisfying. Absolute rubbish.
“When you win the title it’s the best feeling you can have in football because it’s a season’s preparation, work, endeavours all coming to fruition.
“It’s really good for a player to have on his record. When you don’t have it you realise what you’ve lost.
“I lost two titles on the last day of the season, one in our hands and one we couldn’t do much about. The feeling after that was one of total emptiness, despair.
“When you’ve come through that adversity it makes you stronger and hungry for more so I want the players to realise what they’ve done and take a lot of pride from it.”
Lennon added: “Hearing criticism like that from ex-players frustrates me more than hearing it from anyone else. Andy has won a title so he should know how special it is.
“I do get the feeling sometimes ex-players aren’t as complimentary towards our club as other ex-players are towards their own.
“That disappoints me because this club has been nothing but good to them.
You’d need to ask Andy why that is. Ask him why it hasn’t been as satisfying.
“Of course it has, off the back of the European run, off the back of league, off the back of reaching a Cup Final. That’s pretty satisfying to the players I’d think.
“I’d won a promotion at Crewe, a couple of League Cups at Leicester and a promotion at Leicester which was pretty special at Wembley.
“But to win your country’s championship is a fantastic feeling. It really is. You can walk with that tag of being champion for a season or so after it before you either win it again or it’s gone.”
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First up…Andy Walker has long lost his credibility with the Celtic support….so his comments should come as no surprise to us.
Do we care…? Not a jot Andy….Not a jot.
I don’t remember this kind of crap being put forward when a former football club ( no longer in existence) from Govan…cheated their way to many titles with no worthwhile opposition.
Did Andy think their titles were “devalued” because no one could compete with their “illegal” spending…?
No…didn’t think so.
I’m the first to say that it hasn’t been the perfect season for me…I wanted the Treble…I wanted the League wrapped up long before now….but hey…You don’t always get what you want….
If we wrap the Title up today it will be wonderful…a joyous occasion….
As for people like Andy….
Go get a proper job.
Well said Mike there more like Walker feck them all.
GBNL
andy is just a nob
Andy knows more about winning titles than Neil Lennon does. Lennon’s managerial record is appalling, no surprise no one is head hunting him. Even Hibs are aware Lennon couldn’t tie his own shoelaces without the massive budget differences between Celtic and everyone else. Lennon should never have sacked Bobo Balde it just showed his ignorance. It wouldn’t surpise me one bit if Balde cropped up at Rangers as chairman or kitman and made Lennon rue the day.
Lennon didn’t sack balde u muppet that was done before he took over
go see your doctor
All credibility lost by your first comment.
Hail hail
You are a fud !!!
Wot a clown, just concern your simple mind about your own mob, stinkin benefit cheat
have to agree to an extent, obviously winning the league with rangers in it is better, offcourse it is, and to say this league will be rememberd in the same way as others is daft yes its great to win the league and equally good to see them toiling in the lower leagues but walker does have a point, as for walker himself i think he comes across well and is balanced to a degree, folk like charlie nich and davie provan on the other hand are poor. Walker has consistantly said rangers are a new club for example which bucks the trend of most of the clyde team. You should be able to have a pop at lennon without all this lost credibilty nonsense, lennon gets stuff wrong and his team should have done a better job in the league in my opinion.. But i do think he has been excellent in the transfer market.
who gives a shit what walker thinks, the Celtic family will be celebrating another League title, he can go pleasure himself.
WE ARE ALL NEIL LENNON….
Andy Wanker. Another media whore!!
Keep telling it like it is Lenny ,your dead right regarding most ex players but not so sure Walker is as bad as some
We’re going to win a league that for the first time no team has been cheating in. That’s quite satisfying in itself.
I’ve heard some talk from the sevconians about tainted titles. But it’s only the fourth division title that’s tainted- and that’s because they won it.
Think a few folk need to chill. Andy Walker is very honest & some folks find an ex player criticizing the club they played for hard to swallow. If you think that way then I give you Derek “DJ” Johnstone. Stubbornly refuses to ever say anything bad about Rangers & will tell you all is well at Ibrox. SEE how stupid that now looks & Celtic fans say “DJ” is a clown, disgrace, liar etc etc. Would you rather have a Celtic version of “DJ” embarrassing us with his blinkered views? ALSO can you honestly say you enjoyed winning this title as much as last year or any previous years? Be honest.
If you did not enjoy it that,s up to you! we don,t want to hear ex players creeping or fawning but……Walker gives the fans “nowt”and always agrees with refs no matter what. I too heard him say sevco is a new club but so what he lets the rest of the Pundits shut him down……plus he disagrees with any Celtic fans about all sorts of questions.If you were a player,would you not want it/give it back/refuse bonuses……..I think not.It,s a whole new world not of our making,we all must embrace the future . Hopefully WITHOUT sevco,s bigotry…….the MSM will just have to adapt instead of looking backwards all the time……come with us my friend ….keep up ….mon the hoops
seem to remember andy walker struting around the pitch at full time wearing a suit and sunglasses after his team mates won a trophy waving his arms around like a deck hand on a aircraft carrier.seems attention seeking is the mans true talent.
knew had one.
now bring on another honest title neil.HH.
Is he related to John isthatyermrs Terry?
So being happy & waving your arms while your team wins a trophy is “attention seeking”, God give me strength. It was blistering sunshine that day as I was there so now it’s attention seeking to wear shades when sunny. Give the guy a break man. This is clutching at straws at it’s finest. I’m sure you’d be aggrieved if he kept his head down, glum looking & hands in suit pockets at Hampden. Damned if he does & damned if he don’t. I don’t agree with everything Walker says but for folks to say he’s a sellout & anti-Celtic is a f***ing joke. Seriously. It’s the Govan mob that are the new Paranoid crowd, I thought we moved away from all that guff.
He and McAvennie were in Dubai a few weeks ago, and he made such an arse of himself.
Strutting in like a 2nd Messiah he was mostly blanked not just because he was disrespectfully pissed before the event, Macca spewing in the toilets too might I add, but for the bland anecdotes only he found funny and crass comments about the Manager.
On Lenny he was just as distastetful “no class” was his statement amongst others…whilst he and his wife/bits staggered around the place looking like a burst couch.
Why these types of clowns are invited to supporters events I do not know.
As for the ‘supporters’ agreeing with them? Away and boil yer heids.
THEY cheated.THEY stole. THEY corrupt. So Celtic & Co are to suffer equally for events not of their making??
Brainless.
Andy Walker, Craig Burley, Charlie Nicholas and Davie Provan;
John Hartson, Frank McGarvey, Tosh McKinlay and Bertie Auld;
Both groups served Celtic with distinction but the reason why I would believe every statement from the bottom group is because they speak from the heart and give honest opinions (sometimes not always complimentary) and have the upmost respect for our club.
The top group however make me feel that whenever they comment on Celtic they cannot help themselves from making uncalled for, negative statements. Giving them the benifit that all of us are aware that their paymasters now want them to be controversial the top four overstep the mark with an almost sniggering delight.
I back NL 100% on this. His team I hope today will be crowned champions of Scotland and nothing negative will interfere with our celebrations and the meaning of being
CHAMPIONS.
Hail hail
Just another has-been diddy
It’s like all these know all pundits (hansen, I’m looking at you) with their ‘a defender should never miss a tackle like that’ etc. I wish their pundit mates would put together their screw ups from playing days and ask to explain.
If only we had a Club that could compete by cheating and corrupting the SPL, strengthend by bias referees and with a free pass to avoid abiding by any footballing rule they see fit, then we could have a fantastic ‘competitive’ league where beating said corrupt, financially doped Club would make winning meaningful! Until we have a cheating, racist, bigoted, supremacist criminally run Club to challenge for the Title
If only we had a Club that could compete by cheating and corrupting the SPL, strengthend by bias referees and with a free pass to avoid abiding by any footballing rule they see fit, then we could have a fantastic ‘competitive’ league where beating said corrupt, financially doped Club would make winning meaningful! Until we have a cheating, racist, bigoted, supremacist, criminally run Club to challenge for the Title the SPL is just worthless!
Please can we have a campaign to find a Club ready and able to fill the void in the SPL which desperately needs filled by corruption and collusion! Without a Club cheating its way to ‘success’ it is just utterly meaningless.
Brilliant mate. Couldn’t agree more with your sentiments.
who cares about ex players making statements about us this is the present our name will be there come 100 years when we will be champions of the planets sorry had a wee drink tonight but its in the record books championees
how i loved it when the sun came out to celabrate the CHAMPIONS OF SCOTLAND .negative thinking is a lossers DNA.
Oldco are dead. Sevco may never make it to the top flight.
If Walker finds it all so unsatisfying, why doesn’t he just resign from comentating on it all.
If he doesn’t then he’s an utter hypocrite.
Agree, he’s trying to imply that his title win is of more importance and of a higher quality than the current teams which is absolute rubbish.
Every title is sweet and the most important one is the next.
Hail hail