Neil Lennon has revealed that Stephen Robinson phoned him to apologise for the comments made by Maurice Ross about Celtic.
After Saturday’s Derby result the Motherwell coach was invited onto Sportsound to discuss the events of the weekend and seemed to forget protocols and the fact that he is on the payroll of another club.
The current Celtic side are apparently the worst in 20 years, lacking in fitness with personal comments aimed at named players.
That sort of comment might be OK among other coaches or speaking to a fan but it crossed lines of professional respect that are well known throughout the management game.
Lennon told the Daily Record:
I was surprised and very disappointed. Stephen Robinson contacted me to apologise profusely. He was unhappy. Sometimes you are guilty by association and it’s nothing to do with him.
He found it embarrassing. Motherwell, as a club, have really good people there and they found it embarrassing as well. And to be honest with you I found the comments embarrassing for Maurice, rather than for anyone else. It’s on him.
He’s working, he’s an employee of another Premiership team and I don’t think he should be making any comment at all on any other team or any other players. The comments, in particular, on Ajeti, on Griffiths, on the money that Shane Duffy may or may not be on, I think was pretty abysmal.
There is a professional standard, a professional etiquette, a professional respect and I think Maurice was lacking in all three of those.
I don’t think he owes me an apology; he owes my players an apology, he owes my coaching staff an apology and I think he owes my club an apology. He owes his own club, that employ him, an apology.
Ross coached in the Faroe Isles before joining Motherwell in January 2019, as well as his comments about Celtic he claimed that St Mirren should forfeit the points for having their match with Motherwell postponed.