Neil Lennon has claimed that Celtic fans chased Peter Lawwell out the door.
At the end of January the CEO announced that he would be retiring from his role at the end of this month with Lennon resigning from his job as manager in February.
Lennon is currently relaunching himself with a round of media engagements, this morning he joined his chums Tom English and Kenny MacIntyre on Radio Scotland to reflect on Scotland’s defeat to the Czech Republic and absolve the manager from any blame for Celtic’s disastrous season.
It seems that angry supporters were to blame for the season ending in misery rather than woeful recruitment coupled with horrendous tactics, selections and management of the squad.
After losing a fourth consecutive home match around 200 fans protested outside of Celtic Park following the 2-0 Betfred Cup defeat from Ross County. Three days earlier Celtic had lost 4-1 away to a shadow Sparta Prague side who had won by the same scoreline three weeks earlier in Glasgow.
??’Because the club had been so successful they didn’t know anything else but victory’
Neil Lennon on the reaction of Celtic fans during his final season with the club ?#BBCEurosBreakfast pic.twitter.com/OkeGyuwJpX
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) June 15, 2021
Fans demonstrated after the match, barriers were put up around the main entrance with some fans putting banners up on the barricades.
Later on in the show Lennon admitted that Peter had always planned to step down at the end of this season.
Among the other soundbites picked up by the BBC Scotland website:
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been talking about some of the difficulties last season, including his strained relationship with some fans.
“I think because the club has been so successful over the four or five previous years they didn’t know anything but success,” he says. “But it’s hard to win things, people take it for granted.
“I think the younger generation took it for granted at times. But that was four or five bad months in my association with Celtic. The other 19 years were unbelievable.”
And
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has been speaking about last season and what happened as they finished without a trophy and their quest for 10 in a row was ended.
“When the boys came back from a three-month break a lot had changed in their mindset. Some wanted to move on which I got because they were on the verge of a fourth treble.
“People say 10 might never be done, I don’t think four straight trebles will. Some had reached the top of the mountain and wanted to climb another somewhere else, which was understandable.
“But it creates a bit of disaffection and tension within the group. There was some of that – no question of that.”
Asked if some of those players are still there, he says yes.
??’It just didn’t happen for us this year’
Neil Lennon on his exit from Celtic#BBCEurosBreakfast pic.twitter.com/AARSaHS5Dm
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) June 15, 2021
??’Before the lockdown we were rampant, when the boys came back it had changed their mindset’
Neil Lennon on players wanting out at Celtic ?#BBCEurosBreakfast pic.twitter.com/BOUsHcTGRs
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) June 15, 2021