The media obsession with Lennon Miller continues to dominate the headlines. This story simply refuses to go away, and let’s be honest—it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
It’s one of those sagas destined to run right through to the January transfer window, fuelled by relentless speculation and recycled narratives. The desperation to see this young talent end up at Ibrox is palpable, almost indecent. If he doesn’t move there, the fallback demand is for him to head south to England.
The latest person to wade into the debate is none other than former Celtic player Pat Bonner. Speaking on BBC Sport, Bonner made the case that Lennon Miller shouldn’t come to Celtic, arguing he wouldn’t get enough game time. In making his point, Bonner also highlighted Luke McCowan, claiming the young Celtic player is similarly being overlooked.
When we signed McCowan, I speculated that the move might derail any chance of Lennon Miller joining us. After all, our midfield is stacked with talent, creating fierce competition for places. On one hand, this is fantastic for the club, a necessity for challenging on multiple fronts. On the other, it’s undeniably a tough environment for young players trying to break through.
But that’s the price of success, isn’t it? Managers and top clubs want exactly this sort of “problem.” At Celtic, we handle it well, maintaining squad harmony by creating genuine competition and using smart squad rotation. Everyone knows their role and feels valued.
The way the media is handling this situation, however, is utterly transparent and disgraceful. As I wrote recently, they’re piling undue pressure on this lad while actively encouraging him not to sign for Celtic. Their campaign to steer him towards Ibrox—or anywhere else—is relentless.
Their motives aren’t hard to discern: they don’t care about what’s best for the player; they just want to see him snub us. And the argument that he should stay in Scotland is nothing more than a smokescreen. If Celtic comes calling, their message is clear—turn it down.
The contradictions in their logic are laughable.
One minute, they argue he won’t get into the Celtic team because of competition for places. The next, they suggest he’d fare better at a Premier League club in England. Do they seriously believe breaking into a top-flight English team is easier than competing at Celtic? The reality is that they don’t care where he ends up, as long as it’s not at Celtic Park.
The only sensible commentary in this entire saga has come from Aiden McGeady. Speaking from experience as someone who rose through the Celtic ranks, McGeady made it clear that if a player has the talent, they’ll get their chance at Celtic.
There’s no mystery or excuse about it. If Lennon Miller has the ability, he’ll find his way into the first team. That’s how it’s always been here.
This makes the rhetoric from Bonner and others all the more baffling. Their suggestion isn’t just that Celtic isn’t the right place for Miller; the subtext is far more damning. What they’re really saying is that Miller isn’t good enough for Celtic. And that’s the crux of it. They’re not questioning the club—they’re questioning the player’s potential.
If Lennon Miller truly believes in himself, he’ll block out all this noise.
He’ll sit down with the Celtic manager, have an honest conversation, and make his decision based on what’s best for his future … and that will be decided by how much he believes in himself. Signing for Celtic would be a massive statement of intent. It would show he believes he’s capable of stepping into one of the most competitive midfields in Scottish football and staking his claim.
Of course, he could take the easier route, opting for guaranteed game time at a smaller club. But that would be a step down in ambition, and, frankly, beneath a player of his potential. I believe Miller is good enough for Celtic. The question is, does he believe it?
Should Celtic make a move for him—and at this stage, it’s still speculation—it would reveal a lot about Miller’s mindset if he accepts. The road to the first team wouldn’t be easy. There’d be questions, doubts, and fierce competition every step of the way. But if he backs himself, there’s no reason he couldn’t become a key player in short order. That’s the kind of self-belief Celtic demands, and the kind of belief that builds great careers.
What’s shocking, though, is the pressure being heaped on this young player to sway him away from Celtic Park, and thus from staying in Scotland at all. It’s one thing for the media to engage in its usual games, but for a Celtic legend like Bonner to parrot this nonsense is galling. His comments don’t just undermine the club; they undermine the player himself.
At the end of the day, this decision is Miller’s to make.
If he trusts his talent and ambition, Celtic is the obvious choice. But he’ll need to shut out the relentless noise from those with their own agendas and focus on what’s best for him. I believe he has what it takes to thrive here, and I hope he sees that for himself.
Bonnar has made a career on BBC as an Uncle Tom and is not going to rock the boat by disagreeing with his masters over what is really a small story. All the ex Celtic players that get a job in the media are the same, they go along with the party line to keep their job. Chris Sutton when co-commentating stays quiet when The Rangers are referred to a part of the Old Firm and their World record trophy haul gets a mention.
To be fair they are in a difficult position when you remember what happened to Jim Spence, Angela Haggerty and Graham Spiers for daring to speak out.
Any ex Celtic player that joins The Scummy’s shouldn’t be a Scummy but it doesn’t take them very long to become a Scummy one…
The ex Sevco players would utterly SHAME our lot in this division from what I read on here and other Celtic forums…
Ideally both sets would be professional and impartial –
But hey – This is North Ko Scotland Rea !
Most players comin intae a new club won’t hit the ground runnin, they have tae earn their place, although ah think he’ll know that. Thing is, if he did come tae Celtic, he has one of the best coaches in BR for bringin out the ability in players and that’s a huge benefit imo.
Morning James, watched him v RC at the weekend. Could not see anything which impressed.
The papers will probably do the rounds of ex celts and publish who they think serves their agenda.
I’m going to ask again: Can anyone tell us what Lennon Miller’s attributes are? I find it quite mystifying, perhaps even unique in this case, that none of the ex-players or managers who praise him, have never managed to say what his talents are. They say things like: He’s Motherwell’s captain at 18, he’s played 50+ games for Motherwell, he’s a great lad, he’s a humble boy, he’s got a fantastic future ahead of him etc. but never a word about what he can do with a football, what attributes he would bring to Celtic or whatever club he chooses to further his career,
I genuinely want the boy to have a great career, but I’m thinking if I don’t hear what his footballing qualities are soon, I’ll need to go to Fir Park and see for myself.
Motherwell FC and fannies like Tam Cowan think he’s the next coming, but I’m not so sure this isn’t just pishful thinking and trying to bump up any future transfer fee.
Brendan will know what he’s worth and will hopefully act accordingly.
It’s an impossible situation for a young player to turn down a big club because their self confidence is so high, we’ve lost youth players to Bayern, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd. If you’re a good young player and a big club comes in you back yourself. He looks good at such a young age and he’ll have options, I expect he’ll go to the biggest club that want him.