Neil Lennon has turned to The Sun to share an emotional farewell to Peter Lawwell.
The outgoing CEO twice hired Lennon as caretaker manager then upgraded him to permanent boss after completing a recruitment process.
Bolton and Hibs, while in the Championship have been the only other clubs to give Lennon a job in management.
As Celtic’s season fell into meltdown Lennon was given the full backing of his boss, a managerial review in December waited until February to announce their backing for Lennon but after his second defeat of the season to Ross County the Irishman decided to walk away
Speaking to The Sun, Lennon said:
Peter’s legacy is a period of incredible success for Celtic. The club was also very strong financially.
Dominic McKay has a very hard act to follow and I wish him well. Peter’s time as chief executive should never be forgotten. I believe history will judge him well.
The job he has done for Celtic is phenomenal. It deeply saddened me the level of criticism Peter suffered last season. He didn’t deserve that. All he’s ever wanted is the best for Celtic.
Peter felt the same sense of acute disappointment as any other supporter over how the season unfolded. It hurt him, believe me. But he should be regarded as a massively influential figure for Celtic in the modern era.
He’ll certainly be remembered as influential, five failures out of seven to reach the group stage of the Champions League from a seeded position left the door open to recreate a Glasgow Derby after a four year absence.
Losing the title by 25 points after nine straight successes is quite a turnaround to hand over to Dom McKay. After winning 36 domestic cup ties Celtic managed to lose two out of three in Lawwell’s final season.
Celtic’s Social Media channels have been quiet over the departure of Lawwell who took home £3.5m of the clubs 2019 turnover of £83m. At the 2019 AGM Lennon was fulsome in his praise for the CEO who twice hired him.