For the best part of a decade they were the best of pals, team-mates from Nottingham Forest that were reunited at Celtic and Hibs.
Midway through his first season in charge of Celtic Neil Lennon signed Kris Commons, on his debut at Hampden he floated in a brilliant goal after less than five minutes.
The goalscoring wide midfielder was to play a pivotal role in Celtic’s success under Lennon, in the 2013/14 season Commons chipped in with an incredible 27 SPL goals from 32 appearances.
When Lennon needed help at Hibs Commons arrived on an emergency loan, the last matches that he played before a back injury forced him into retirement.
Commons was never short of a comment or two while he was playing, since retiring an almost constantly negative narrative about Celtic has tarnished his reputation among supporters.
Laying into bomb-scare and rank rotten Shane Duffy was a step too far with a firm line crossed as Lennon told the Daily Record:
Players getting singled out and abused, it is absolutely shocking. If that’s the way of the modern world. I am glad I am not a player any more.
I am not happy with the treatment he is getting from certain quarters. I think it is hysterical. Comments that he is rank rotten and he is a bombscare. I find that ridiculous.
I looked at that, in particular, because of what I saw from Kris Commons. I remember in Kris’s second season; he had hardly kicked a ball for Celtic that year. Now he’s digging out players and personally calling them out, which I think is wrong.
Commons had hopes of moving into coaching after retiring but appears now to be focussing on his media career.
