Neil Lennon has hit out at former team-mates who criticised him in the media last season.
Chris Sutton and John Hartson reluctantly came to the conclusion that a change in management was needed- months after some Celtic fans had been calling for Lennon’s sacking.
Losing at home to Ferencvaros in a Champions League qualifier was bad enough but after the match the manager claimed that there were players at the club who wanted away.
Without naming names a number of players came under suspicion, a few days later Lennon tried to reign in his comments but the damage was done.
By the autumn a disastrous run of four home defeats on the bounce confirmed those fears as the season turned into a complete nightmare.
With paid for media positions Sutton and Hartson could hardly tell fans that all was well although the club tried that through a managerial review that decided Lennon was the best man for the job.
Listening in to Lennon’s appearance on PLZ Soccer, The Sun reports:
On if his relationship with Desmond and Lawwell had changed, he added: “Not at all. It has with some other people, ex-team-mates… But certainly not with those two. I was very close to them and I still am.
“Yes [they were team-mates critical of me]. I’m far from happy. They were basically stabbing me not in the back, but in the front.”
Again Lennon has failed to name names or argue against the opinions that he was at the centre of a completely disastrous campaign.
In March, after a year out of management, Lennon took charge of Omonio Nicosia who have won one of their last four matches, yesterday they drew 0-0 away to Ethnikos Achna.
Neil Lennon is 100% spot on.
Too many blinkered and ridiculously gullible so called fans were sucked in to believing he was the problem last season!
Step back and look at how many players Lennon referred to who are no longer at the club, or are not in the plans!
He was absolutely right! Ajer, Eddy, Frimpong, ElHamid, Boli (still on books but as good as gone), Barkas (same as Boli), Soro (same), Ajeti (same), Griffiths, Duffy (loan player), Jonjo Kenny (loan player), Laxalt, Christie, Elyounoussi, Oko-Flex!
Oh yeah, Lennon was off the mark eh?
Smarten up! Neil Lennon was, is and will always be a Celtic legend!
Editor: Lennon agreed with every signing and hangs onto Lawwell and Desmond like a lost child, possibly because they are responsible for the only decent managerial job he has ever had. He is toxic in UK, turns on players rapidly and won’t take any responsibility.
There are certainly gullible Celtic fans out there, many of them utterly blinded.
Yip still a legend but he went along with all the signings.
He was badly let down by some players who had already left in their minds but he continued to play them and his tactics were non-existent. He has to shoulder a lot of the blame, to claim otherwise is ridiculous.
If he would give up a mea culpa and then shut up about it then maybe we could all move on. But he won’t and his constant moaning is utterly pathetic by this point.
His name should never be mention along with Celtic again. He is basically saying they were more concerned about Celtic and not him. One of the worst players to don a “Hoops” jersey. Cost 7 million from Leicester? Something funny there.
a bit o.t.t. “one of the worst players….” Don’t think so. I wont start listing them, because the candidate list is extensive. Maybe you haven’t watched Celtic long enough yet ! Certainly not much of a manager as far as I am concerned but ” one of the worst players…..” ????
Long enough to have watched the Lisbon Lions at their peak. Lennon could break up more Celtic attacks with his sideways/ backwards passing than the opposition.
Joe Fillippi, Frank Munroe, Wayne Biggins, Gary Holt, Justin Whittle Both from the Brit army ….do I need to keep going ? Lennon, much and all as I agree with you in that I wasn’t a fan of his style of play, was far from ” One of the worst players to don a “Hoops” jersey. ” he also broke up many an opposition attack.
Guy was and is a complete fraud and he no right ever and I mean ever to be manage our Great club Rodgers showed what a real manager can do he turned us into serial winner never lennon how presided over embarrassed after embarrassed! Lost 6 semi finals at hampden as well as few finals! He is a rank amatuer! He also presided over our only 2 seasons since 2000 where we failed to reach 80points only two in 20 odd years and the fraud wast in charge. He was never a Celtic man either not that you have to be but he portrayed it like he was as in the calibre of a Mcstay, Burns,Mcgtain,Aitken never in a million years he was and is a self entitled whining fraud
Fuck off, Lenny, I loved you as a player and a very brave person, but FFS, let it go. You were a major part in missing out on the dream of 10 in a row.