Defiant Lennon touched by Celtic fans’ backing (video)
When a young football manager found himself hated and under attack from thugs across the country who couldn’t handle an Irish catholic presenting a challenge to the superiority complex that they clung to against all logic.
In Edinburgh he was attacked on the touchline guiding his team against Hearts, from Ayrshire others sent bombs and ‘viable devices’ through the post as he took Celtic to within a point of the championship on route to lifting the Scottish Cup.
Details emerged of how Neil Lennon and his family had to move house on police advise and had panic alarms fitted to their home.
Celtic Park became a safe house for Lennon but in his first season in the job the Irishman was exposed to the full gauntlet of hatred that success for his club generated.
Fearful that their manager would be forced to quit and sickened by the treatment he suffered from, the Celtic support rallied behind Lennon in the spring of 2011.
At the final home match of the season, at home to Motherwell, the bond between club, support and manager was illustrated when Lennon told the fans after the match that ‘this isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning.’
That statement has been proved correct on two levels. As Celtic cruise to a third consecutive title, remaining unbeaten, Lennon remains a target of hate as the events of Saturday illustrate when a bottle and coins were thrown at him by Aberdeen supporters.
Yesterday as Celtic beat St Mirren 1-0 the events of spring 2011 were revived as the 18th minute of the match arrived.
Starting from the corner of the ground that used to house the Green Brigade the cry of ‘There’s Only One Neil Lennon’ emerged and was quickly picked up by the rest of the stadium.
From the dug-out Lennon appeared, raised his right arm, waved to the crowd with his thumb raised.
“Fantastic, I can’t thank them enough for that,” he said afterwards. “It’s something we don’t hear very often in games where we’re so much in control but I think the supporters felt today it meant a lot to me personally.”
After the match Lennon was quizzed in every media interview about the events of Tynecastle, explaining and reliving what he had gone through.
Hopefully Police Scotland will be forced into looking into the events of Saturday without the need for a complaint from Celtic or Lennon.
Hearing of dawn raids and the arrest of the culprits would send out a signal that abusing and attacking Lennon is no longer acceptable in Scottish football grounds.