Lennon confronts his haters

On the eve of a Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen Neil Lennon has turned his attention to those that hate him.

Last Saturday the Celtic boss had to leave early from the Aberdeen v St Johnstone League Cup semi-final at Tynecastle after being targeted by a coin and bottle from Aberdeen fans.

The mindset of those involved is unknown but only the incredibly naive would deny that Lennon’s DNA and public perception didn’t play a part in the latest shameful incident to blight the Irishman’s time in Scotland.

Confrontational and aggressive are the terms most often used to describe Lennon with the hard of thinking happy to take that lead from the images and words used to portray the Celtic manager.

The catalogue of attacks on Lennon are lengthy ranging from road rage to bullets and bombs in the post with the perpetrators a cross section of Scottish society ranging from students from Aberdeen to middle-aged men in Ayrshire.

While some will admit to their hatred of Lennon the majority shy away from the obvious, they use other terms and reasons deflecting from the fact that their hate figure is a high profile and highly successful Irish catholic and ginger as well.

The liquidation of Rangers was always going to be painful for some, seeing the golden boy that is Ally McCoist sink due to the disaster created by Davie Murray would have been unthinkable for those who revelled in the nineties as their superiority complex was underlined.

Now confronted on a daily basis by the success of Celtic, fronted by Lennon, the cold reality is hard to live with.

Looking emotional yesterday the Celtic boss tackled the issue straight on, while some will revel in this as a sign of weakness the broader perception of the best wee country in the world takes a serious hit as a light is shone into Scotland 2014.

“I don’t want it and I don’t need it,” Lennon said on the perception that encourages events like Tynecastle. “I’m not happy with some of the stuff that has come out regarding myself in terms of journalists saying, ‘He attracts it, it’s his controversial, confrontational nature’.

“For me, that’s very irresponsible. I am no more confrontational than any other manager in the SPFL. However, when it’s an issue regarding me, it seems to be imbalanced.

“I’m not putting up with people, commentators on the radio, saying ‘he can stand up for himself’. I certainly can. Can they?

“They are not walking in my shoes. They are portraying me to be something that I’m not. This street fighter … Yes, I can handle myself, but I’m not a street fighter. It’s hard to undo that. I’ve tried. For over a year I’ve been staying away from flash-points and controversy.

“I don’t think the condemnation is enough. Sometimes I get the feeling that, ‘It’s Lenny, he can take it, he’s a stand-up guy, he’s a street-fighting man’. All that crap. I’m fed up with it.

“I don’t go street-fighting. I look after myself and my friends and family. I live my life as quietly as I can away from football but I’m in the public eye.

“But a lot of the stuff has been almost life-threatening and the condemnation has been nowhere enough.”

Lennon’s comments have already excited the no-mark chattering classes feeling that their campaigning has got through to the Irishman.

Since the latest Tynecastle incident they have spent their time asking various people the golden question while feigning their disapproval: “Do you think that this will force Lennon to leave Celtic.”

One day they may play a part in Lennon’s departure but Celtic’s success is virtually assured as yesterday’s six month financials underlined.

Only a series of moonbeams can derail Celtic from their current position, and while the public face of the club may change, as it did from Martin O’Neill to Gordon Strachan and onto Lennon, the underlying strength remains in the infrastructure of the club.

“In the past there is no question there were sectarian elements to what happened to me,” Lennon added. “People want to bury their head about that. I don’t, I want it said and I want something done about it. Last week there was no evidence of a sectarian element, but certainly a hooligan element.”