NEIL LENNON was never likely to turn the other cheek after West Brom’s Director of Football’s outrageous comments earlier this week regarding the treatment that Oli Burke received at Celtic from Neil Lennon (the bad guy) after he replaced Brendan Rodgers (the good guy) at the end of February.
Luke Dowling’s mad rant earlier in the week has just added to what has been a fairly bizarre summer as far as Celtic stories are concerned. West Brom paid £15million to RB Leipzig for Burke but gave him less game-time that he got at Celtic, where he was able to play a reasonable amount of football under both Irish managers and that even won him a place back in the Scotland side under new manager Steve Clarke.
Burke grabbed the dramatic late winner against Cyprus that keeps Scotland’s slim chances of emerging from the group in the Euros alive.
Dowling branded the treatment that Burke received from Lennon as a disgrace and said he’d not be going back to Celtic as long as he was the manager. Burke is a West Brom player so Dowling should be more concerned about developing the player that they paid big bucks for rather than moaning about Celtic.
We reckon incidentally he’s referring to the exchange of views that happened after the defeat at Ibrox in May – a match in which Burke started and hardly covered himself in glory. One thing he did not look like that day was a £15million player!
Celtic issued a statement about Dowling’s comments on the day they were reported and now Neil Lennon has had his say in an interview on Sky Sports yesterday, when asked if the 22 year old had spoken to him about any grievances he’d had during his time at Celtic.
“Not that I was aware of. We treated him very well,” Lenny said.
“He played a lot of games. Maybe in hindsight I was too good in treating him too well at times, compared to the rest of the group.
“I have no idea where this sort of tirade has come from. This could have been dealt with privately and professionally.
“As a club we have to defend ourselves robustly because it is totally unacceptable.”
Lennon admitted that he doesn’t know who Dowling is and isn’t sure what he’s on about.
“Without any communication beforehand the person has come out and publicly condemned the club and myself. I think it is unprofessional and totally unjustified as well.
“I don’t know where the justification for those comments came from. Obviously we were very robust in our response.
“I don’t know who the individual was who was criticising either my style of management or the club in the treatment of Oli Burke. But there is just no foundation or evidence for that whatsoever.”
The Celtic statement from earlier in the week – “Following comments by West Bromwich Albion regarding Oliver Burke’s loan spell with Celtic in the second half of last season, the club has issued a statement.
“These comments, which question the professionalism of both Neil and Celtic Football Club, are ridiculous and completely inaccurate. West Brom have made no contact whatsoever with either Neil or the club in relation to Oliver.
“As with every player who comes to Celtic, Oliver received the very best of treatment and every support and opportunity. We wish Oliver the very best for the future.”
Meanwhile on Celtic Noise, Burke’s performances in the Hoops were described a little more colourfully – Oli Burke at Celtic? – ‘Like watching a giraffe on crystal meth trying to control a balloon’- see HERE.
