Neil Lennon has reiterated his belief that Celtic’s embarrassing season last year was a result of the pandemic limiting social interaction for his players and not playing in front of fans. The Irishman has been working as a pundit for the BBC since leaving the club at the beginning of the year and was asked this morning if the players were playing for Ange after not playing for him but Lennon dismissed this, instead offering the alternative that the pandemic was the catalyst for the poor season.
Ange has won five games in a row and there is a positivity around the club that was missing since last year. Lennon did, however, leave a remark in about some players wanting to leave and that they were not featuring under Ange leaving us to speculate as to who they are.
🗣️’It wasn’t for lack of trying…We were in the midst of a pandemic and I think it affected the players’
Neil Lennon on Celtic player’s rapid improvement compared to last season
Click here to listen live⤵️
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) August 21, 2021
There will be some truth to Lennon’s comments but the real issue is that Lennon’s teams had no real structure to them. Fraser Forster came up trumps for Lennon the season before with wins against Lazio and Rangers in the League Cup sticking out as Celtic’s defence crumbled at times. He will look back in rose-tinted glasses but the reality was that his time was up and the club needed to move on.
Some supporters may still feel a bit aggrieved at Lennon voicing his opinion on his successor given the horrific display last season. With that said, Lennon won ten titles with Celtic, eight Scottish Cups and three league cups in two spells as manager and as a player. He will always be a Celtic legend but it was clear that his time as manager was up. Lennon will be recognised for all that he has done for the club but it may take some time as this season has been incredibly tough for everyone involved.
Legend! Never in a million years! A complete fraud!! We know ours he never one! Never! Mcstay, Aitken Mcgrain guys that were total legends never got the chance to manage our club and carrird themselves with class unlike that chancer! And that got the job twice! Disgraceful!Say it how it is he should never been in charge of our club and cost of countless trophies as Rodgers proved ! So give me peace
Neil made valid points, not excuses. Every man and his dog knows that zero supporters in the stadium was catastrophic for the club; ally that to a number of players being restless due to wanting their exit from the club – yet forced to remain – and we had a very unhappy dressing room. The buck will always stop with the manager and Neil himself will be the first to recognise this, but these skewed articles are merely happy-slapping and bashing one of our own for the sake of it. It is utterly ridiculous, petty, ill-informed and downright unacceptable. Give me ‘One Neil Lennon’ to a thousand bloggers any day.
Celtic Da, out.
Oh, and never again call last season the Covid Cup when it is entirely the blame of Neil Lennon. Ye cannae have it baith weys!
Celtic Da, out.
Spot on,, I have found some of my celtic fans comments embarrassing, uneducated and thought ” is his brain painted on” with a person like hammond finding players and a board tighter than a tight thing.. Lenny had no chance.. But yes he had to go