First the good news – Celtic went fifteen points clear last night and slightly made up for the weekend’s awful result with a 4-1 win over Kilmarnock. Joe Ledley scored a belter, Adam Matthews oddly enough scored twice and Tony Stokes got his first goal since coming back from injury. The win was tempered by injuries to Izaguirre – who should be okay for the weekend – and Samaras – who needs a scan on his hamstring.
Now the bad news – both before and after the game Neil Lennon was in a bad mood with the press, in particular with an article written in the Daily Record by former Celtic midfielder Murdo MacLeod in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat. MacLeod – who I am no great fan of – claimed that the fans who attended Hampden on Sunday – of which I was one – had been short changed and that blowing two trebles in three seasons was ‘criminal’. For what it’s worth, I agree with MacLeod, Sunday was an awful performance. But Lennon was furious about the article, claiming that it had slighted both him and the players, and that MacLeod was trying to drive a ‘wedge between the players and the supporters’. Lennon continued to vent after last night’s game that ‘Celtic wouldn’t get any credit’ for last night’s win.
Now, I can understand Lennon fighting the corner for his team and in some ways I applaud him for that. But there was no need to get so angry about what MacLeod said, he is entitled to his opinion, and as I already said, in my opinion he was right. As far getting credit for last night’s win, what does Neil expect? It was a routine SPL win, and it doesn’t make up for Sunday’s awful performance.
I think it’s time for Neil to delegate press duties to Johan Mjallby for a while, until he has cooled down for a period, he doesn’t want the reputation for being a hot-head to get to him again, as he has shown on occasion to be an articulate individual. Another thing he should do – immediately – is give up twitter. I don’t know any other manager of a major club who spends time on a social media site either tweeting ‘hey’ to people or getting into petty disputes with their own supporters or supporters of other clubs – see Neil’s recent ‘spat’ with Norwich fans. I understand if he wants to communicate with fans but in the long run it will do him more harm than good.
The next month is huge for Celtic, with the Juventus game, a raft of league games and Raith in the cup, and we don’t need headlines generated by Lennon’s rants at all and sundry. He needs to just calm and concentrate on ironing out the problems that have affected our club – such as the inability to win at Hampden for one. Let’s begin to make that right at Raith on Sunday.
I like Murdo, but some of the pish he writes and the paper he writes for is unforgivable, in my opinion he does not seem to mind writing for a paper which is openly anti Celtic
KTF
Agree with every word…
he was an embarrassment last night…no need for it Lenny…
I suppose you think jock stein was an embarrasement when he banned the press from celtic park and openly called one press member “ibrox” Park? or do you just have a soft spot for macleod the tory? i doubt my comment will be posted, but i agree with neil, ex players forget the club that made most of them who they are! And also he writes for a paer that called mr lennon and a few team mates “thugs n thieves” Remember?
Jock Stein’s Celtic were the best team in the world, Neil Lennon’s Celtic aren’t. Therefore people slagging Stein’s Celtic are different to those slagging Lennon’s. Get a grip, No one is defending media over Lennon but he should wind his neck in and enjoy himself
well I think Murdo’s comments were alot of sh!t and perhaps the better team won was would of been suffice. A semi final is a one off match that no one is entitled to win. Celtic played worse against Motherwell, mince infact that day and came away with the cup. 57% possession, hit the wood work twice, missed a pen and had twice the amount of shots on target that St. Mirren. Apparently if u get beat in a cup u’ve “blown the treble” and its “criminal”?? Is it Murdo…actually couldn’t give a toss what Murdo has to say about Celtic or Neil…his comments about the treble are “criminal”. We would of took where we are and probably far less at the start of the season and we have everything to play for still and are playing well actually – probably the best we’ve played all season. I was hurting after the semi but I got over it and thought…what is it wi that sh!t hole Hampden…anyway lets move on. Out the diddy cup and plenty to look forward to…1 NL YNWA HH
We all have opinions and I disagree with you and MacLeod.MacLeod”s comment about the fans and their money in self serving and ridiculous.Celtic fans have been entertained by this team like no other in a long time.Lennon has brought back a style of football that is pure Celtic ..The criminal comment is exactly that criminal and was stated for sensationalism .MacLeod is not a pundit but a “has been” player who writes for a paper, which to say the least not pro Celtic ,only because of his name not his ability to write.
So not winning the treble twice in two years is criminal?
A think murdo needs to remember that only jock stein and Martin o’neill have done it!
Billy McNeill, Davie hay, wim Jansen etc should be ashamed of themselves for not winning the treble then eh?
People need to remember that the next few seasons now, Lennon will have it easier than any other Celtic manager, domestically. ‘Criminal’ may be OTT, but Lennon’s absolute negligence in many games continues and he is given an easy time of it by many fans. Imagine Strachan had a Hampden record like the current managers ?
I concur TOTALLY with your comment. It was the LACK of application,urgency AND motivation which upset me most. I can always accept defeat graciously if I know the team has ‘turned up’ and to that end, McLeod was spot on imho albeit , criminal was a tad ott
I think Neil lennon is entitled to his opinion as well. He’s just doing his job and sticking up for his players. It was a poor game and he rightly slated his players but that’s his job,
Also what gives you the right to say to him get off twitter, because we support Celtic dosnt give us a right to tell Neil lennon what he can r can’t do, I think u need to grow up mate and stop wasting ur time on stupid articles like this.
We know lennon is a fiery character, he always has and I hope he always will be, that’s him, and I hope he dosnt change, he’s just human like u and me.
HailHail
I think. Neils main bone of contention is with Kenny Shiels. I think both he and the Celtic support are more than used to the the inane haverings from uncle toms in the laughtop loyalists like murdo, walker, burley and keevins, and relly expect no less from them as they earn their daily pieces of silver, but Shiels is an SPL manager and should not be commenting on Celtic in the way he did, but concentrating on the obvious shortcomings of his own side.
Shiels not only decided to have a pop at Celtic, our players, our manager, our coaching staff and our support, but decided to declare to the world that he and Neil were not friends, moved in ‘different circles’ but that it e’was not personal’. So. exactly what is it? Why is on Northern Irishman allowed to shout the odds in the scottish media about someone elses team and it’s perfectly acceptable, but another. Northern irishman demonised for defending his own? Why is that?
Looks like this website has been hacked by some no-mark. You agree with McLeods right to say what he like but when it comes to Lennon speaking his mind, you take umbrage? Goebbles would be proud of you, are you related?
No one is saying that ffs, read the artice again. So no-mark? All he’s saying is Lennon should think before he goes all bitter and uppity to the media
Remember its a journalist that writes that column and murdo mcleod allows his name to be used for cash
I have to stand beside lennon on this one! Murdo is a number of former Celtic players who take every opportunity to slight the club! I for one do not let ppl like him speak for me!! The team didn’t play well st stmirren played as well as they have in years we hit the upright a couple of times! So lets stop giving these guys a platform but get behind the team hail hail
anotherex celt writing piss .. to keep a job just like walker nicholas burley. toss bags
yet again Lennon lets himself down by ranting in the media,i fully understatnd his anger but he needs to remember the media only want to stir it up.
as for mcleod a has been who seems to have lost his memory,he’s obviously forgot the titles celtic blew between 1980 and 1989,substantial 10 pt leads etc at xmas,he played in almost all of those seasons,not forgetting the many cups lost when we should have won,the mans a clown.
Sometimes Lenny can’t win.
McLeod is bitter towards to Celtic and Lenny knows it. For some Lenny is always wrong
Why shouldn’t Neil Lennon defend his team or have an opinion? You seem to allow Murdo MacLeod his or even Norwich fans theirs. Honestly, I’m a touch suspicious that your not the head of media on Edmiston Drive. Can’t work out if you’re a comic snob or a comics nob… 😉
So, are we all to ignore Sheils attack on our club? Does no one think Neil might have been making reference to him more than McLeod? I think, deliberately or not, the writer of this piece is helping to set Neil up, yet again, by transfering the target of Neils resentment from the real target, an SPL manager who has made his dislike of Neil Lennon patently obvious to anyone with half an eye, onto an uncle tom who is paid handsomely to stir it up.
I’ll
………….say it again, why is it acceptable for Kilmarnocks manager to slate Celtic as club, our manager, our coaching staff, our players and our support, yet Celtics manager is demonised and riddiculed, even by our own support seemingly, for defending his team who are currently 15pts clear in the SPL, in the Scottish cup and looking forward to continuing suvccess on the greatest stage in world football against a meally mouthed no mark who is more than willing to set himself apart from his fellow countryman for what I can only see as obvious reasons!
Hey comicsnob. Im not shooting the messenger with this reply as your article is partly right. I dont fully agree with your “grow up gaffer” slant. For as long as I can remember our MSM and our former players have sniped at us. We seem to accept it. None of that happens to the huns i am afraid. Neil Lennon, in a similar but different way to MON, Is standing up for our/his club when he feels that we are being berated at times and not praised at other times. His behaviour after the SC semi final last season was a joke but I feel that he has matured greatly and he is saying it how he (and a lot of others including myself) sees it.
Personally, I’m quite happy to see Neil Lennon standing up for himself and the club.
Nothing he said was out of order or unwarranted.
Celtic lose a game and the media go to town, paying rent-a-quote muppets like McLeod to look for divisions in the support to exploit. Opposition managers are also given a platform and encouraged to stick their noses in where they don’t belong.
Lennon knows as well as anyone that the media in Scotland apply different criteria to Celtic stories so there’s no point comparing his handling of them with any other case.
Shiels tried a few mind games in advance of playing Celtic, hoping he might gain some advantage from it. Lennon simply turned the tables on him with a sound thrashing of Kilmarnock and some robust commetns, both of which should discourage a repeat of the same approach in the future.
There’s no excuse for McLeod though. The issue is not whether or not Celtic played badly at Hampden. They did, we know that. The point is that McLeod is comfortable to go along with the media agenda to exaggerate every negative aspect of a Celtic stumble.
This is borne out by the fact that I have seen no comparable media response to the humiliating failings of McCoist’s diddies.