Neil Lennon: Not enough done to address 'Scotland's shame'

[ian1964 10,761]

FORMER Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes that there was not enough done to address the issues brought to the fore off the pitch during his time as Hoops boss and player.

 

The Northern Irishman was attacked during a game at Tynecastle when a fan attempted to ambush him as he stood as the side of the dug-out, a game that was watched by a live television audience.

 

His assailant was subsequently convicted only of a breach of the peace offence, and it was only one incident in a catalogue of hostility directed towards Lennon.

 

As Celtic manager and player he was subject to death threats, received letter bombs and bullets in the post.

 

At one stage in his Celtic managerial career Lennon required a 24-hour security guard.

 

Now manager of Bolton, life does not carry the same threat as it did when he was at Celtic, but Lennon still reflects that there was not enough done in the wake of the incidents against him.

 

“From what I was told the prosecution [in the Tynecastle case] made a boo-boo – they charged him with assault and charged him with a sectarian attack aggravated by racial and religious prejudice and the evidence was that there was no evidence of a sectarian attack,” explained Lennon.

 

“Then they said he had done his time by being in custody so there was no more time to do. Basically the four months he was inside – they felt that was enough.

 

“But the whole world saw what happened. It wasn’t the first time. I remember looking at the death threat story [before a Northern Ireland match against Cyprus] and on the ten o’clock news and thinking they are actually talking about me.

 

“It’s a bit surreal so after the attack at Tynecastle I thought: 'there’s got to be an outcry, there’s got to be something done now.' Was there enough done? No, I don’t think there was.

 

“Did I feel let down? Yes as a player and manager I felt let down by certain quarters of the media and I know Martin [O’Neill] did. Could they have done more about it? It seemed to get to the point where the attitude was: 'it’s Neil Lennon, he brings it on himself,' all that kind of rubbish.

 

“It was imbalanced and secular to the environment we found ourselves in. For example, when I was sent the bullets in the post, you had this 'he brings it on himself' attitude in the press and that I was an aggressive type. But Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn got bullets in the post too.

 

“So what was the real reason behind it? We know what the real reason was, we were Irish Catholics working for Celtic and playing for Northern Ireland. Everyone refers to Scotland’s shame but not a lot of people did a lot about it.”

 

Lennon laid bare his feelings over the most tempestuous days of his Celtic reign in an updated version of a book called Celtic: Keeping the Faith.

 

He left Celtic 18 months ago after four years of managing the club, but it was what was played out on the pitch that encouraged him to seek pastures new.

 

“I was ready for the change, four years as manager of Celtic was a great experience but the time had come for a new challenge,” he said. “We won the league by 30 points in our last season – what were we going to do next year – win it by 40? I had four years at Celtic and it was a good return.”

 

Lennon oversaw three league wins and two Scottish Cups secured, although arguably it is the marker he sustained in the Uefa Champions League that was his most satisfying success.

 

Lennon took Celtic into the last 16 of Europe’s most elite competition and also conjured up one of the most memorable results of Celtic’s recent history when he led the club to a 2-1 win over Barcelona just a day after the club had celebrated its 125th anniversary.

 

As he said he would, Lennon brought back the thunder to Celtic Park, but what he gleaned the most satisfaction from has been the manner in which a clutch of the players he identified as young and raw have gone on to make their mark in the Premiership.

 

Those deals have been a double-edged sword for Celtic. They have brought in a substantial sum of money in recent summers, but they have also made it difficult to sustain that European progress since a rebuilding job in key areas has been required every summer.

 

“When you look at it – Victor Wanyama, Joe Ledley, Fraser Forster, Ki Sung-Yeung – they are all thriving in the environment of the Premier League,” said Lennon. “That gives us a huge amount of pride because we were the ones that developed them into the players they have become. Kelvin Wilson was another one, he was a player who came in on a free transfer and we sold him for £2.5m.

 

“You could tell straightaway once Victor adapted to the pace of the game in Scotland that he would be an absolute superstar. He looked very comfortable in the environment of the Champions League and particularly the performance at Celtic Park against Barcelona on the night he scored, his all-round game was phenomenal against the best players in the world. We could see the power that he had, the natural physique. For a big guy, his technique was fantastic.”

 

The challenge for Celtic is to keep unearthing similar gems.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14042057.Ex_Celtic_boss_Neil_Lennon__Not_enough_done_to_address__Scotland_s_shame_/

[Frankie 8,652]

Christ, when will this chancer leave us all alone with his hypocritical complaints.

 

Bore off Neil.

[ian1964 10,761]

Ask Novo about the bullets in the post!,Gazza!, no mention of him spitting on a Rangers scarf and shouting at the Rangers bench ''dirty orange bastards'', another one trying to give out moral lessens!

[onevision 1,589]

Ask Novo about the bullets in the post!,Gazza!, no mention of him spitting on a Rangers scarf and shouting at the Rangers bench ''dirty orange bastards'', another one trying to give out moral lessens!

 

Most bigots try this tactic....

[ian1964 10,761]

[Gazza_8 233]

He loved the attention, no doubt about it. The day he celebrated with MON in front of the Broomy confirmed it for me.

[barca72 440]

“So what was the real reason behind it? We know what the real reason was, we were Irish Catholics working for Celtic and playing for Northern Ireland. Everyone refers to Scotland’s shame but not a lot of people did a lot about it.”

 

 

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.

~Winston Churchill

[ranger_syntax 4,422]

I wonder what sort of further action he has in mind.

[boabie 230]

Lennon was a cancer on Scottish football. A tip for you scumbag ........... you're away from here. Shut your mouth so we can forget your whining snarling complaining face.

[Bearman 9]

He should concentrate on getting poor old Bolton off the bottom of the Championship.