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.
Photo imago/Miguelez Sports Foto Celtic Glasgow v. Porto Bobo Balde, Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson, Chris Sutton, Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjällby, Didier Agathe, Stilian Petrov, Henrik Larsson, Robert Douglas
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.
Photo: Andrew Milligan
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…
