Defiant Lennon Going Nowhere, Lawwell and Bankier? ‘Time, Gentlemen Please’

“I won’t walk away, absolutely. A month ago we won the Treble,” a defiant Neil Lennon stated at the post match media conference last night after Celtic’s 2-2 draw at the Tony Macaroni stadium in Livingston.

There is no game this weekend for Celtic – Livi are playing St Mirren at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final on Sunday and we were scheduled to face the Buddies. So the time off means that the Board can conclude their review which they promised the support at the start of last month that would be delivered in January.

Photo: Andrew Milligan

And no reasonable person with Celtic in their DNA – other than Neil Lennon himself – could come to any other conclusion that his time as Celtic manager is up. It has to end now. This season Celtic sold an incredible 60,000 season tickets despite the support knowing we’d be unlikely to go to games. There is no chance we’ll get into a game this season and with the league flag is heading to Ibrox, The Celtic board will have to ask supporters to renew again – even when they cannot give us any assurances that we’ll get into games.

Some of that hard earned supporters’ money was spent on Dubai on signings like Ajeti Barkas, Duffy and Laxalt and we were told that Neil Lennon had an eye for a player by Peter Lawwell.

This morning Celtic’s league challenge is over as Brendan Rodgers challenges for the English Premier League with even Lee Congerton getting praised for the shrewd signings he’s delivered, including two excellent full-backs that were linked with Celtic when Rodgers was the manager.

How many season tickets are going to be sold in a few months time? The answer is a considerably lower number if Neil Lennon is still the manager. Who could argue that this is not the case? Not that Lennon is thinking this way, he is going to hang on in there until a decision is made and reading between the lines he expects that to happen shortly.

Photo: Andrew Milligan

“If the club need to make a decision, they make a decision. You’re asking the wrong guy and I’m fed up answering it,” he told the media last night, as reported by Scottish Sun.

“Everyone seems interested in my job. I’ll be here until told otherwise. I’m very conscientious about the work. I’m bitterly disappointed we have not won the game. Sometimes the performance does not merit the result.

“It’s as good as we have played here for a long time. Our momentum went a little bit and we couldn’t see the game out. The result isn’t good but the performance isn’t as bad as some people will make it out to be. Scott (Brown) had a moment of madness.

As for the league being gone it was a case of edging closer to a full blown concession – which incidentally just about every fan has already accepted. “You never say never but there have been too many draws. That’s three in a row and the draws this season have killed us.

“There was an expectancy to win ten-in-a-row but there were no guarantees. The club is not in crisis and it’s not a shambles. People need to take a step back and put a bit of perspective on it. It’s not been good enough. I’ve been concerned about my position for a long time – but I’ve won five trophies out of six.

Photo: Andrew Milligan

“Before lockdown we were 13 points clear and absolutely rampant. I don’t know where they have gone and I don’t know if it’s a mental thing.”

Referring back on the game Lennon continued with his regrets, the ifs and maybes of a season that has now run away from him.

“We got ourselves in a good position but it was a poor goal to concede. It was symptomatic of us. Everyone is frustrated. We look to the next game and try to put wins together because the run isn’t good enough.”

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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