Commentator hits out at John Hartson after Neil Lennon stance

DAVIE PROVAN has hit out at John Hartson for his stance over Neil Lennon. The Sky Sports commentator and Sun Sport columnist suggested that Hartson would have behaved very differently had the man in the firing line not been this pal Lennon.

Hartson said that the players were pulling for Lennon but results and the amount of goals that have been shipped have been astounding. The Scottish Champions have been floundering and supporters were expecting that the news that Lennon would be let go; although, after a Zoom call with Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell he retains the support, albeit the duo are worried about the two wins in nine.

“John Hartson couldn’t bring himself to spit it out after Celtic’s latest Euro embarrassment. Asked what the defeat in Prague meant for Neil Lennon, he refused to point the finger at his old team-mate.

“I get that but, had it been anyone else but Lennon, Hartson would have taken the manager’s head off. Big John reckons the players are still pulling for Neil. They could have fooled me.

“You can’t watch Sparta Prague taking eight off Celtic over two games without questioning the manager’s position. This wasn’t a one-off fluke result. Celts have been losing cheap goals all season. The resilience that was the signature of this team has evaporated.”

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Provan, an ex-Celt player himself but in no way a cheerleader for the club, has said that the club have regressed in recent years since Brendan Rodgers’ vision wasn’t matched by the board.

“Bottom line is the club has been backsliding for years thanks to a self-satisfied board of directors. Boardroom suits managed to get away with it because punters have been seduced by The Ten.

“When Dermot Desmond did pay top dollar for a proper coach, he lost Brendan Rodgers when the board couldn’t match his vision for the club. Would Celts be leaking goals and points at this rate if Rodgers was still at the club? No chance.”

Lennon did incredibly well coming in when Rodgers left for Leicester City. He steadied the ship and secured 8IAR as well as the Treble Treble. Whilst he was not the favourite for the job, the board offered him the job in the shower after this final and he went on to win 9IAR as well as the League Cup with Coronavirus robbing him of a chance to win the Scottish Cup in May.

With that said and the praise rightfully given, he should therefore warrant the complaints by the supporters after what has been an incredibly poor season so far. Ferencvaros, Killie, Rangers, Hibs, Aberdeen, Prague (x2) have highlighted the defensive frailties that Celtic have and the ineptitude of game management at the club.

Of course there are mitigating factors but there can be no defending of the position that Celtic find themselves in during what should be an historic and record breaking season. Rangers are 11 points clear, talking about Invincibility, and could potentially extend that to 17 points with a win the next time the sides face each other on January 2.

About Author

Born just as Celtic were stopping the Ten, Lubo98 follows Celtic home and away and helps run his local Celtic Supporters Club. He goes to all the games and is a Law Graduate. Has a particular fondness for Tom Rogic among the current Celts and both Lubo and Henrik form his earliest Celtic memories.

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