Neil Lennon clearly soured his reputation with many Celtic supporters during his ill-fated final season as manager of the football club.
Despite helping the club clinch the Treble Treble and then help seal a historic Quadruple Treble the fiery Irishman blotted his copy book by leading us through a dismal campaign in 20/21.
It was a horrible season with no supporters present due to the Covid pandemic and after terrible run of form and one mishap after another the club finished the season empty handed as we put up a pathetic, weak fight in our quest for ten titles in a row.
And Neil Lennon saw his popularity shrink due to his refusal to admit the inevitable and quit when it was quite clear he had lost the dressing room, but does that deserve to undo all the good work he had done as a player and manager before that dreadful season?
Some folk conveniently forget that Neil Lennon won 21 honours as a player and manager. He is also the only man in the club’s illustrious history to have won a treble as a player and manager. A high accolade indeed.
During his time at the club he had to endure an ongoing campaign of hatred – because of his religion and where he was born – and he was also assaulted on the street and on the touchline at Tynecastle. He received death threats, bullets in the post and sectarian abuse at most grounds in Scotland especially on the Southside of Glasgow, but still he remained at the club giving a total of 15 years service in three different spells as a player, coach and manager.
All these facts should be enough to solidify him as a Celtic legend. It might be controversial for some, but his achievements speak for itself. He has done more than enough to be remembered as a great in the history of Celtic football club.
He certainly shares some of the responsibility for the well documented events of the Covid season but so too do others from the CEO, to the players especially the ones who wanted away or helped derailed the season due to their off the field decisions – which were hardly the fault of Neil Lennon.
Celtic have won 11 from 12 Scottish Premiership titles and Neil Lennon has made a significant contribution to that unparalleled success for the club in terms of being Champions of Scotland.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Meanwhile, check out Matt Corr speaking to the one and only Martin O’Neill on The Celtic Star Podcast…
So are you looking for a forgive and forget policy to be applied to lenny now?
Maybe it would be far easier to apply if he learnt to shut his trap about the goings on within the club since his overdue exit.
Weather he remains as worthy of still having club legend status remains debatable at present, due to the way he conducted himself during the 10iar season and hardly helped himself since his exit either.
Would be better off remembering that the club made him instead of making himself relevant on the back of the club with his ongoing nonsense
To Stephen mostly. Do you not recognize what Lennon did as a player ? He won 5 league titles and was a massive part of the Seville team who finally brought some respectability to the club after years of going out early mostly to smaller clubs than our own and his display at anfield when he helped nullify a very strong liverpool midfield. Its not just being a successful manager that makes you a Celtic legend
The only thing Lennon will be remembered for will and always will be is (the man who blew the 10).
Absolute disgrace he didn’t put the club first ahead of himself. He should have resigned 2 months into that season when he knew the job was not going to plan for him but to hang on in there until it was far to late to retrieve is criminal and totally unforgivable. Never a legend in my eyes and also the majority of friends that I speak to about that disaster.
He’s a legend in my eyes and always will be. His time as a player should be enough to guarantee him that status alone for those not old enough to remember the years before Martin O’Neil came were awful and we were put to the sword so many times by oldco but when during Lenny’s time we won so many times with him being dominant in the middle of the park again against very strong oldco midfield.
Guys like Johhno and Stephen who wtite above clearly show a major mind block and complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the game and what it takes to succeed at a club like Celtic, or any big club for that matter.
When people spout nonsense like they have, it becomes very clear that they lack an ability to think for themselves.
As pointed out in this column, Neil Lennon is a true legend at the club and frankly, as the ONLY man thus far who can claim to have won a treble as a player AND a manager, is more qualified than most to speak of what it takes from both ends, on, and off the park!
Having endured the blatant lack of backing while facing daily death threats to himself AND his family, personal physical attacks actually blatantly caught on live television yet still left unpunished as “unproven”, bullets in the mail, having to quit representing his national team because he signed for Celtic, targetted by the Scottish referees, fans at every ground, had “special” rules “created” just for him so the SFA/SPFL could suspend him and have him not be in the dugout for a game against the old rangers, (which backfired by the way), turned around blame in an argument with McCoist clearly started by the ex- old rangers manager, yet only Lennon was punished, should I go on?
How about when Rodgers walked out in 2019, Lennon was the man who came in and steadied the potentially rocky ship and completed a treble?
So Johnno and Stephen, until you know what you are talking about, I suggest you stop making fools of yourselves and say nothing!
Neil Lennon was, is and always will be a Celtic legend.
Brilliant Joe HH
That’s your opinion Chanty Poe but ours is different so you go all out on the cheeky offencsive when anyone has an opinion that you don’t agree with.
He’s never a legend in my eyes and time will prove that to be the case with the Celtic fans in the years to come.
Rodgers is being welcomed back because he is an excellent manager which is what we definitely needed at this moment after losing such a good manager in Ange.
When Lennon was appointed full time manager in the Hampden showers everyone I spoke to groaned with dread and those fears were to become reality.
Take your Green tints off sunshine because it’s people like you who are happy with mediocrity at our club ( a kind of Lawwell puppet if you will ) that holds the club back.
Celtic fans demand quite rightly so the best people employed by the club for example Rodgers. Lawwell and Lennon are just not welcome!