This week saw Neil Lennon join Anne Widdiecome and Katie Waissel as the most hated people in Britain according to the pulp fiction writers. While the other two are crimes against entertainment, Lennon’s crime (sic) was him being sent to the stand for such ‘outrageous‘ and ‘shocking‘ behaviour as arguing with a fourth official.
Lennon’s behaviour was as explosive as a wet banger compared to some. He never fought with an opposing manager on the touchline or after being sent to the stand charge along a row of seats to berate the match supervisor. That behaviour can be laughed off and blamed on being a grumpy old tool.
While I feel Lennon could do with sitting in the stand – he is still to close to being a player and Wednesday night saw rash decisions after the red mist descended- the mark change in his coverage proves that the Honeymoon is definitely over and leads to the sinister edge that followed Lennon as a player.
The press invent a demon so that the public can justify their hatred. ” It just seems my behaviour gets exaggerated, maybe because of who I am and who I manage. I’ve seen other managers [watch from the stands] and that might be something I will do down the line – I might have to.” observed Gingeriola at Friday’s press conference. Telling he added: “I’ve been hearing this for 10 years; tempers, tantrums, the same regurgitated rubbish I got as a player I’m getting as a manager, from the same people”.
We are seeing the pulp fictioners quoting anyone that has an ar$ehole regarding what Lennon should do. As Video Celt states letting guys like Mark Hateley – a walking pair of curtains who I would think twice about warning if he went to switch on a light when there was a gas leak – be ghost written, by a known apologist, blows the game out the water.
As usual the press are just following the leads. It seems that Walter Smith also wants to have a go. Off the record off course.
On Friday Graham Spiers tweeted: ” Meeting Walter Smith with 6/7 other fellow-hacks at midday Fri. Looking forward to hearing the grizzled old fox on #CFC + refs. Will inform…” If you have stopped being sick, I will continue….
A few hours later Brian McNally, Sportswriter with the SundayMirror, tweeted: So Walter, the #RFC manager with no surname, slagged off#CelticFC again with off-the-record comments. The truth from Lennon is biting home” This tweet and a little set off handbags between Spiers and McNally saw a back track from the one who slums it on a down market phone in since his papers paywall means no one reads him. It said: ” Slight botch today. Apols to Walter + #RFC for hinting, not divulging, press info. WS to get succulent lamb on me in Ubi Chip in reparation.”
This wasn’t the case last season when Tony Mowbray told the press something off the record that ended up all over the press.
While Lennon needs to curb his enthusiasm I’m more worried about the potential out-come of the witch-hunt.
LOTW…All this is doing is bringing the collision closer….
There HAS to be a day …soon…when we say enough is enough….and make an official stand.
Don’t ask me what that stand might be (PL gets paid enough ..he can decide)…but surely the Club cannot keep letting this go on…..
There has been a law for ” them ” and a law for the others for too long now.
Please Celtic FC…get some cojones …and DO something.
The people that run or club have no cojones. How I wish Fergus was still around he had the measure.
This bias is nothing new. As Celtic fans we have witnessed it for many years. It isn’t going anywhere. Neil Lennon is now using it as an excuse every week. The truth is, as long as he has his head up his backside blaming everything in the world except the teams frailties, he won’t fix it. Big Stein had the same issues. So did Billy McNeill and Martin O’Neill. Josef Venglos andTommy Burns had it. But they looked beyond it and did what had to be done. Neil Lennon is right. There is and always has been a bias against us but he needs to focus on his job on the park and find ways to make it difficult for the establishment to cheat us. If he can’t do that, he is not the man for the job. Shut your mouth Neil and get results.
Too easy! 🙂
Phew! That was murder!
The decisions made against the Capital Huns told me that the referee’s biased or otherwise are not going to take any prisoners against Celtic. Hooperman a yellow for a dive (sic) highly questionable but excusable………tic. Ledley’s tackle despite winning the ball in the current climate could warrant a red………….tic. Lennon was given verbals and conceivably could be sent to stand, again………..tic. Perhaps it is all just my paranoia *shrugs* but the hatchet huns McCulloch’s tackle in the derby game was simiar, a tackle which even though he got a yellow I thought was ok.
Anyhow expect similar harsh treatment from the authorities designed to sicken.
The meedja are hilarious, their faux outrage and bluster sans substance reminds me very much of the non stop Daily Record attacks on the SNP. Except now it is Celtic who eat weans. Now and then someone from the 4th estate dwells on the pertinant question, which is were Celtic entitled to ask questions. Of course the fact the answer is Aye only lowers the tempo of the bile for a wee while, a distraction if you will from the sport on offer.
Even the so called qualities are loath to submit anything that might back up a ‘celtic view’. Take Ian Bell’s piece today in the Herald, even though he eventually admits that he concurs with the anti-poppy stance. He still has a go at those who dared to protest. All the while failing to mention that poppygate was not initiated by us but by the political act of having a poppy on the hoops. So even when we are right we are wrong………………….go figure!
Great post.
P.A.R.A.N.O.I.D.!!!!
F.U.C.K O.F.F