‘I saw Charlie Nicholas in tears on TV and I had a cry myself,’ Neil Lennon

NEIL LENNON has been speaking to the media at Lennoxtown this afternoon, his first press conference since the news broke early on Tuesday morning that we had lost club icon Billy McNeill the previous evening.

Celtic TV now have the entire conference up on You Tube shortly and it is an emotional listen as everyone with Celtic in their hearts gets ready for an emotional day at Paradise on Saturday when 60,000 of us with gather to pay our respects to Cesar- see below.

Here’s a flavour of what Lenny has been saying…

“We are a club in mourning. First of all, on behalf of the players and staff, our thoughts go out to Liz and the family. Liz was just a rock for Billy over his whole life. The family gave Billy tremendous comfort, love and care through debilitating illness. So first of all our thoughts are with the family,” an emotional Lenny said.

“When I received the news, I got this overwhelming feeling of nostalgia and emotion because Billy McNeill was Celtic. He was an icon, a hero. When I was growing up, you hear stories of Lisbon Lions and they are without a doubt the greatest team in the club’s history.

“When I first got the job he was tremendous support to me. Not only during the good times, but more importantly during tough times. He gave me a lot of advice. I couldn’t thank him enough for that.

“I saw Charlie Nicholas in tears on TV and I had a cry myself. I don’t think Billy realised how much he meant to so many people associated with the club. We have lost him, and it is a huge loss to our club.

“Saturday will be emotional but I think the fans will give Billy a huge tribute and the players need to buy into that, feed off it, enjoy it and celebrate Billy’s life and his career.”

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who 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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