Neil Lennon had to leave Tynecastle today after being spat on and hit by coins at the Aberdeen v St Johnstone League Cup semi-final.
The Celtic boss was seated in the main stand surrounded by Aberdeen fans ahead of next Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie between Celtic and the Dons.
Lennon had to leave 20 minutes from the end with Aberdeen on their way to the final with a convincing 4-0 win.
The match was staged at Tynecastle by the SPFL who have responsibility for safety and security.
Whether Celtic make an official complaint about the incidents remains to be seen with the hoops boss having his own security officer with him at all times when he is on football duty.
So far the SPFL have made no statement on the incident with the gloating attitude of Aberdeen fans all over social networks.
According to Lennon’s agent, Martin Reilly, the Celtic boss had to leave due to verbal abuse, being spat on and being hit by coins while sitting in the stand.
One twitter messaging alongside a picture of the Celtic manager at the match said: “This is just asking for trouble #NeilLennon #Idiot.”
Off the park Lennon’s 13 years in Scotland has regularly been blighted by violence with football fans and members of the public feeling that the Irishman is fair game for their hatred.
In 2011 the Celtic boss was attacked by a Hearts fan at Tynecastle with the football authorities and legal system failing to respond to the incident in any meaningful way.
The League Cup remains without a sponsor with incidents like today highlighting why major companies shy away from being associated with Scottish football.
Sheep shagging bastards!
Scotland: the most bigoted wee country in the world. It truly is shameful the treatment Neil has been subjected to during his time in Scotland. Sickening.
Why were no arrests made in connection with this and why no comments from Celtic FC.
Let’s hope we hammer the sheep shaggers next week and make it as uncomfortable for their fans as possible.
Lets not criticise Celtic FC for this. It appears to me that far too many Celtic fans are anxious to criticise the club and Peter Lawell at every opportunity and generally without foundation. We are a great club with an exceptional CEO . Lets remember that.
Well said Realityman.
Would never have believed it of Aberdeen fans.
Lets hammer them in the cup game. Thats the only thing they understand. 5- 0 would be fine 6 – 0 would be excellent.
Depressing story and behaviour, but there’s nothing really here to suggest racism or bigotry as some of the comments suggest.
Did you listen to their chants and songs ? If that doesn’t constitute bigotry and racism I am glad I don’t live in your world.
Stu,
Does your name stand for stupid ?
What planet do you live on?
Any attack on Neil Francis Lennon emanates from sectarian bigotry !!
God Bless Neil and his family.
Fair comment
Sorry, fair comment Stu
Cant believe u have signed griffith hardly gona be the player that will score championes league goals…penny pinching .making us think u would pay 6mil for a striker .no wonder our crowds are going down . English first div striker god our standerds have droped
Mathew. Think it’s time for some more medication. This thread is about the abuse of Neil Lennon. By cowards.
Griffiths will score many goals including goals in the Champions league for Celtic,hail hail
peter lawell must protest to the sfa police scotland and the scottish goverment instead of blaming everything on the green brigade
Behave. The Green Brigade have consistently let the club down . Your money and mine has been used to pay the fines incurred by them . Neil Lennon has been appalled by their recent behaviour . Is he wrong ?
Bullshit man .compare the GB to that intolerant shower of bigoted shite.
Posting out your arse.
Chanting aside the GB played the ball not the man.
A ridiculous statement to make.
What nonsense. Did you not hear Neil Lennons view on the banner at Barca game ?
Neil Lennon was appalled by the damaged seats at Motherwell. None of the culprits were connected to the GB. You sound like a MSM reporter, bending the facts to suit yourself.
Aye that banner display before the Barca 2-1 game was a total let down
Cannot believe this shit today Aberdeen fans grow up you idiots
Some amount of moronic comments here…so apparently a substantial amount of people in Scotland hate Catholics? Utter cobblers…religion is pretty much dead in the U.K. Please do not confuse the idiotic behaviour of football fans with that of the rest of the country…ridiculous to suggest there is a widespread bigoted agenda throughout the country…too many of you are caught up in that football/bigotry/sectarian bubble…it is all rubbish…mon the Hoops.
Marty,
You are a bit disillusioned.Do you walk about with your eyes shut ?
Anti- Catholic hatred manifests itself in the guise of orange walks.
FACTS.
Neil Lennon has suffered 8 attacks while
being part of the Celtic Family.Which includes 2 bombers.9 people have went to
jail because of their hatred for Neil Francis
Lennon,including death threats.
He was also forced to give up playing for
NI due to loyalists death threats.
Many of these people are active members
living in Scotland.
Why ?
Their hatred for Catholics is uncontrolable.They see Lenny as the focal
point.The MSM here are responsible for
fueling this hatred of Neil.
So,who’s the moron.You are sir.You are the one who is talking rubbish.
So go and educate yourself,and maybe you won’t be so ignorant.
I commented in their disgraceful behaviour on their last visit to CP, which included throwing coins into the family section.
Some posted on here as if they were our pals because they hate the dead club too.
Theyre scummy hun like and show that at every turn. Hope we do them by a barrel load next week.
Mickelmac,
Well said.
I remember your excellent post.
And I endorse your views above.
Buy a ticket for next weekend. Support NFL. Support Celtic.
HH.
Really sad news this.
MSM in Scotland have got a lot to answer for, they never miss an opportunity cast Lennon as the villain at every turn. Always portrayed as ‘ snarling ‘ or ‘aggressive ‘ their intentions are pretty transparent. How painful it must be to live with so much hate inside you.
Incidents like these are symptomatic of their actions and should weigh heavy on their conscience.
The haters will always hate and how sad that existence must be for them.
Keep on keeping on Neil your the bravest celt we’ve ever seen.
Well said Dave Bhoy, he could maybe have asked to be located somewhere else in the Stand, but if he’d seen enough and, came to the conclusion that this game is Sh1te, well who could blame him for leaving early,?? but, it was always in his best interest to leave early as he seems to be a Target for a lot of the opposition Fans,…ah well,!!…if that’s the price of success that has to be paid, if that’s the price to pay for running the BEST TEAM IN THE LAND then i’m sure Neil will GLADLY pay it. Hail-Hail.
‘ GLADLY pay it ‘ I’m sorry cc but I couldn’t disagree more.
Another example of Scotland’s bigoted disgrace. It’s not all Aberdeen fans but we should hope this is reported officially and try to find these scumbags. Children were in this area so I hope those responsible are read the responses by decent fans as they have to be illiterate, dumb and not worthy of being called football fans. Hang your heads in shame
I have had an idea,albeit a belated one, NL should submit the jacket he was wearing for forensic DNA examination,even at this stage some dna in the spittle will still be harvestable, I’m pretty sure at least some of the culprits will have a record. bang to rights i reckon.
Neil was sitting right Infront of us and I know nothing was thrown at him nor was he spat at. Yeah he got some abuse, but nothing like what he would get when standing in dugout. And he also left at half time, but whilst he was in main stand think it was block q in row f nothing got thrown at him nor was he spat on
Where has this all came from then Emma,?? jist the Media trying to create another sensational “First”,??? maybe it was a Sh1te game and they needed a story for the day. Hail-Hail.
Well made up ‘Emma’, yes we can ALL see he was sitting in row F, its right there in the photo. So where has this mysterious claim come from then ‘Emma’? Is that you and your invisible friends sat ‘right behind’ him in Row G?
I know I’m either preaching to the converted, or typing “white noise” (probably induced by my “hard done to complex”), but seriously, what has that man ever done for people, en masse, to justify his continued verbal & physical abuse?
The police & legal systems have demonstrated, what would ordinarly be considered, a lacklustre, ineffective & negligent approach to his & his family’s wellbeing. This seems to give credence to the bizarre belief he’s fair game!!
Seriously if, & I know this is an all too common proposition, if he had said one word back to the “fans”, or retaliated, every paper & radio programme would be demanding his resignation & that criminal charges be brought.
How many of the anonymous “safety in numbers bigots” will have to stand before a court & justify their behaviour?
It was played out in front of multi media conduits & witnesses……
Sadly it’s not just the Dons fans that show this sort of behaviour, it is the same throughout British football. No one club has the monopoly on crap behaviour. All this needs to be stamped out.. Every time a clubs fans act in this sort if way the club gets fined…then the next time the next club gets fined double, until the clubs cannot pay the fins and go under… Then all will be sorted.
Holby,
Nice try,at trying to deflect the issue,away
from the hatred of Neil Francis Lennon.
Many managers go on spying missions,
and are not troubled.
So, you are talking crap.
This is fuelled by MSM portrayal of Neil,
and his proud background,plays a significant part for the anti- Lenny brigade.
God Bless Neil Lennon,and his family.
We are ALL Neil Lennons.
HAIL HAIL
Aye,
‘the best wee country’ in the world is it?
Not from what I’ve seen and experienced growing up here. Bigotry, racism, and hatred from Govan to Aberdeen via Edinburgh.
And we’re gonna get a chance to go independent?
Tough f@ckin choice choosing between the union and all it stands for or ending up living in a country that turns a blind eye to hatred.
GBNL.
It do’nt surprise me that this has happened. I was in the main stand at Firhill this season and the abuse NL took that day was vile. Really is a hated man wherever we go. Dont know how he keeps going. Dont think i could