Lennon, Neil – Miscellaneous Articles (manager)

Neil Lennon want to "bring the thunder back" now that he has signed a one-year contract to manage Celtic.

"I want that passion and noise from the crowd and I want my players to go to war every time they go out on the pitch," said the 38-year-old. Lennon, who would not confirm who would join his coaching staff, said he was already searching for new talent. "I need more men in the team," he said. "I'm looking for players with, experience and a better mentality."

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8728818.stm

Published: 2010/06/09 10:34:31 GMT

Lennon in war cry after Bhoys appointment

Graham Spiers The Times

January 11 2011 12:01AM

Bullets in the post are just the latest cause for concern for the Celtic manager as he battles the extremes in the Scottish game

I asked Neil Lennon recently how much, in truth, he had enjoyed his ten years in Glasgow since first signing for Celtic under Martin O’Neill as a player in 2000. “I do enjoy it, very much,” he replied. “But it has reached the stage where I have to be a bit more careful.”

In recent days Lennon has had further cause to be “a bit more careful” in his eventful life embroiled in the Old Firm drama. Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed that they intercepted a package in Belfast containing bullets, which was bound for Lennon and Niall McGinn, Celtic’s Northern Ireland international, in Glasgow.

Lennon, not for a first time, has sought to play down the incident.

No Old Firm figure of recent times has so crystallised the debate about Celtic, Rangers and life in the west of Scotland as Lennon. From the moment the Northern Irish Catholic signed for Celtic, trouble has flared around him, usually with a distinct sectarian whiff about it.

Lennon has suffered death threats, twice been assaulted on a Glasgow street and woke up one morning to find the words “Neil Lennon: RIP” daubed on the road outside his home in the plush west end of Glasgow.

Frankly, the fuss of the death threat that he received in August 2002 in Belfast before a match between Northern Ireland and Cyprus, which ended his international career, has sometimes paled compared to later episodes in his life as a Celtic player.

The very figure of Lennon provokes extreme love and hate on both sides of the sectarian-tainted Old Firm divide. He is adored by the Celtic faithful, in part because, like O’Neill before him, he ticks all the boxes of the traditional (and sometimes mythical) Celtic narrative: he is Irish, Catholic, and a self-confessed socio-political underdog by upbringing. Such traits are enough to reduce some Celtic supporters to tears in their admiration.

But the Glasgow coin has another, darker side. The more extreme elements of the Rangers support detest Lennon and, fuelled by the vitriolic open-season that is the internet, they let him have it from both barrels almost on a daily basis.

On certain Rangers fans’ message boards there is a riot of bile and poison aimed at Lennon that, were it ever to appear in more public prints such as newspapers, would lead to shut-downs and swift defamation actions. What Lennon has done in much of this is to hold up a mirror showing a very ugly image in the face of west of Scotland society. He does not actually lie awake at night worrying about it all. Indeed, in his street-wise, self-assured way, he is not averse to seeing the funny or ludicrous side to some of it.

One of the most amusing stories he told against himself was when he was the victim of assault by two students — one studying law, the other studying medicine — in Glasgow in 2003. Of his two assailants leaping on him, and the punches between the three starting to fly, Lennon recalled: “I remember lying on the ground trying to fight off these guys, with cars and buses happily rolling by — nobody seemed to be batting an eyelid at it.”

Both students were subsequently convicted for assault, though Lennon was keen to write a letter to Glasgow University, which was said to be threatening to discipline the pair, asking for leniency.

In a much more menacing episode in 2009, he was attacked outside a Glasgow pub, and this time Lennon was taken to hospital in quite a bad way. “I don’t mind admitting it — I got quite a doing,” he told me the next day. On that occasion his assailant was sent to prison.

One of the more regrettable lines quite often spouted by those who seek to play down or minimise the sectarian implications of these incidents is that Lennon “asks for it” or is “a cocky sod” or is “a mouthy character who gets what he deserves”. These are strange reactions to produce in the face of such obvious and startling evidence.

A young Graeme Souness, when he was manager of Rangers at a similar age to Lennon now, was swaggering, self-assured and had quite a bit of arrogance and “lip” about him. But Souness was not issued with death threats, or made the subject of such public hatred, or assaulted in the streets in this manner.

It is true that Lennon is no angel — he grew up in Lurgan and has always had to know how to look after himself. But the fact is that Lennon embodies the very thing that some residual bigots in Scottish society and Scottish football cannot stand: a visible, vocal and successful Irish Catholic who doesn’t shirk from anything. This is too much for some to bear.

At an increasingly dark Shielfield Park on Sunday night, where Lennon and Celtic survived a potential Scottish Cup banana skin by beating Berwick Rangers 2-0, John Reid, the Celtic chairman and former British home secretary, was waiting to put an arm around his club manager, given the news that had just filtered through about the package of bullets in the post.

Reid adores Lennon, and both men stand in the Celtic tradition, but Reid also knows what the Celtic manager sometimes has to put up with.

For good measure, as the Celtic bus pulled out of Shielfield to head home to Glasgow, a bottle was thrown that smashed against its front windscreen.

Neil Lennon: The Bhoy who played with fire

Published Date: 16 January 2011

There was a certain amount of psychological profiling going on at Parkhead in the Celtic manager's absence on Friday. Maybe it wasn't the reason why Neil Lennon withdrew from his usual gig with the press – depending on what you believe about this fascinating character, he was either away helping old ladies across the road or biting the heads off small children – but he is engrossed in a book at the moment, the second part of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire. Substitute girl for Bhoy and the title is apt, as Mjallby knows better than most.

Yes, said the Swede of his old mate, Lennon could certainly do with chilling out a bit for his own good. No, no, no, he insisted, chilling out is the last thing Lennon is contemplating right now. This is Lenny we're talking about. Lenny!

"He is a bit like a boxer, he is never going to give up," said Mjallby. "But if he is going to stay in this game as a manager, as I hope he will for a long time, he will definitely mellow a wee bit. There are so many emotions and thoughts going through your head for 24 hours a day but you probably need to save your best bits for the dressing-room and the touchline. He's shrewd enough to know that he can't use this negative energy all the time."

It's been a turbulent season and the new year is barely a fortnight old and already we have bullets and bricks and a ban and maybe other bans to come if his boxer analogy is correct, which we suspect it is. "In the past, when I was a player," says Mjallby, "Neil was in the limelight and there was someone who supported another team who would shout a few unprintable words. You get used to it. Even I had a few words against me now and again but you just laugh about it. There's nothing to get upset about. Some things are worse, especially when it comes to death threats and bullets and all those annoying things that are so hard to stop in today's business. It's just a shame we have to speak about that."

Mjallby was still hurting after the dropped points from New Douglas Park, but there wasn't a whole lot of moping about a dodgy Accies goal or a penalty not given or a debatable red card for James Forrest. There was annoyance at the performance and acceptance that Celtic should have had enough to deal with whatever injustices came their way.

A mature reaction, you might say.

It's strange, but in the early months of the Lennon regime that is precisely how he came across. The dog days of Tony Mowbray's time were pock-marked by griping about referees. We are approaching the first anniversary of Mowbray's euphemistic description of the decisions against Celtic being "political", but Lennon, in the beginning, never had any truck with that. He seemed to acknowledge that some of Mowbray's players looked like they were using contentious decisions against them as a reason to lower their heads and throw up their hands. It was an attitude that clearly appalled Lennon. The irony, of course, is that Lennon has gone way further in his criticism of officials than Mowbray ever did. In fairness, his team has fight, but a persecution complex is a dangerous beast. It can work for you and it can work against you. It's unpredictable. Mjallby, it would appear, doesn't want anything to do with it. "We're not going to use that (poor refereeing] as an excuse. We're not even going to use the goal that went against us on Wednesday as an excuse. We should have had enough firepower to win the game. It would be too easy for the players to use that as an excuse. That wasn't really why we didn't get the three points. We should have done better in the final third." How true.

This Celtic war with officialdom is a curious thing. They look for consistency in the decision-making of Scotland's referees and yet there is ambiguity within Celtic itself about the relative crimes that have been perpetrated against them by these supposedly biased whistlers. Lennon, Reid and that rabbit in the headlights, Gary Hooper, are of the mind that there is a plot afoot emanating from Hampden. Paddy McCourt doesn't believe this.

Neither, we believe, does Thomas Rogne who woke on Friday to find that, according to some tabloids, he had, in the company of a Norwegian journalist, branded Willie Collum a cheat after Wednesday's debacle at Hamilton. Lost in translation, it seems. Fair enough.

Mjallby doesn't buy the conspiracy line either, which surely makes for some interesting conversations with his pal Lenny. There are poor referees, but not dishonest ones, he says. That's a sizeable difference to what some around him at Parkhead are thinking. Then again, Mjallby never needed anybody's help to form an opinion of his own. When he sits down, still as large as a house in his chair, and says, 'Right, what do you need?' there is no mistaking his presence. Lennon has his fury, but there are different ways to illustrate how uncompromising you are. Mjallby doesn't need to shout and bawl. He wears his intensity lightly, but you'd want to be blind not to see it all the same.

"You need to be unbelievably strong mentally to deal with all the things Neil has to deal with," he says, putting Lennon on the couch once more. "That's why I think he has every chance in the world to become a very good manager.

It's quite stressful, this job, and you need to be mentally strong. Getting your first job here is a bit tougher than starting in the Championship. The pressure is quite severe up here. You need to win every game or you are going to get crucified.

"He's used to that from his days as a player. But this will stand him in good stead the longer he stays in the game. It's as tough as it gets, especially when you talk about the pressure. Maybe if you are manager for one of the top teams in the Premiership, but it's definitely much harder working up here than working for one of the teams down south which is maybe only expected to get a mid-table finish. We know all about that and we enjoy the pressure. I would rather work for a club that is expected to win games and titles than work for a team that is only expected to win every third game or collect four points every four games."

For Mjallby and Lennon, the show goes on. What tremors lie ahead, God only knows. He doesn't even know if there's a new contract in the pipeline for the pair of them but he doesn't seem all that perturbed about it. "We know we only have this season anyway. It's going to be the club's prerogative to decide what they want to do. We can only work as hard as we can. It's not really difficult because we have these players and we know we want to improve the team. The only thing that is hard is when it comes to thinking of a long-term view but you get used to that."

He has his focus and it's on the title. For him, it seems, all other issues are in the background.

• Last Updated: 15 January 2011 9:20 PM
• Source: Scotland On Sunday
• Location: Scotland

The bullets in the post in January that were followed by a fake nail bomb this month have taken the death threats and intimidation against Lennon to unprecedented levels for any public figure in this country.

Safe-houses and 24-hour surveillance have become necessities for the security of the Celtic manager, his partner and their five-year-old son. But such grotesque developments are in keeping with the disfiguring of ordinary life Lennon has had to contend with during his 11 years in Scotland. It has escalated now because his position has been elevated. It has always been there, though, and manifested itself in street assaults that have brought convictions for the culprits, sectarian slogans being daubed on roads, his retirement from playing for Northern Ireland after a paramilitary death threat received by the BBC and constant vile, viral hate crimes.

The internet, indeed, as pinpointed by both his lawyer Paul McBride and First Minister Alex Salmond this week, is now recognised as the cesspit in which too much verbal savagery has been allowed to stew for too long. Yet, what truly disturbs is not the evidence of Facebook groups such as Hunt Down Neil Lennon And Shoot Him, Let's Hang Neil Lennon but what masquerades as acceptable comment on the 39-year-old in various forums.

An "ah, but" element creeps in to justify the treatment of Lennon: "Ah, but, even though no-one should have to deal with death threats, he brings it on himself". Expanded, the haters would venture that it is his snarling, his loss of control on the touchline and, having been reared in Lurgan, his embrace of what Celtic stands for and rejection of all things Rangers that make him an accomplice in any wrong-doing perpetrated against him or his family.

This is baloney that deliberately fuses and confuses two separate issues. Anyone is entitled to have no time whatsoever for Lennon. This, though, offers no legitimacy to those who believe that it extends to creating a climate wherein, it is believed, some serious criminals in Northern Ireland have felt sufficiently emboldened by a public mood in Scotland to embark on a campaign of horrific harassment.

A campaign in which Lennon has been sent bullets and suspect packages, had distress caused to his parents in his homeland and been forced to have a panic button installed in his family home – a home which he and his partner and child have had to be moved from three times in the past month as a result of police receiving what they deemed "credible" threats.

Ultimately, the targeting of Lennon doesn't come down to his personality. His bolshiness and bad-mouthing in the heat of battle are, away from games, underpinned – and so undercut – by an impressive intelligence and articulacy. It is a consequence, pure and simple, of his being an unapologetic, successful Northern Irish Catholic in a country where there is a virulent anti-Catholic strain among a section of the Rangers support.

The apparent unwillingness to confront this issue head-on is one of the reasons the pressures on Lennon have continued to grow, and proved a primary motivation in McBride and Lennon's agent Martin Reilly putting firmly into the public domain the intolerable nature of what he is living under in a supposedly-civilised society.

The same week Lennon received bullets, so to did fellow Northern Irish Catholics Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt. Two more unassuming and affable blokes you could not meet. All three were then fresh from Celtic's first league success in a derby in two years. The hatred of Lennon has been hiked up in the ten weeks since, as Celtic have attained a hitherto long-surrendered supremacy in encounters with their bitterest rivals.

Just as fans of the Ibrox club, for the first season in many years – appearing to take their lead from the Papal visit – have started giving lusty renditions of their No Pope of Rome ditty. It has barely been the subject of media comment, far less opprobrium, even if it patently comes under the charge of "incitement to religious hatred". There is hardly another football club in the world that could find themselves in the dock over that but still people are unable or unwilling to join the dots between the acceptance of such illegality and hate crimes directed at Lennon online, which must now be tackled as would internet fraud, terrorist threats and paedophilia.

Lennon's ability, and willingness, to stay in his post, may come down to the seriousness with which attempts are made to take the heat out of a situation that is impacting on both his personal and professional life. He has not appeared before the media since the fake nail bomb addressed to him was intercepted in Saltcoats ten days ago. Assistant Johan Mjallby performed such duties ahead of Celtic's trip to Inverness today for their sixth-round Scottish Cup tie, which the host club have had to make special security arrangements for in order to accommodate the banned Lennon in the stand of the Caledonian Stadium.

"He's been in the limelight for reasons that are not to do with football and that's why he has decided to sit this one out," the Swede said at Lennoxtown on Friday. "At the end of the day it's about Celtic Football Club and the players. That's what we want to discuss."

Mjallby, who last weekend rejected the suggestion floated by first-team coach Alan Thompson that Lennon could step away in the summer, insisted the Celtic manager's demeanour had not been affected by the invidious circumstances forced on him. "He's going great," he said. "He's a strong character. You've even more admiration for the way the guy works so well with the team, supports the players and thinks about tactics (in the face of what's happening off-field]."

Those in Lennon's circle and who have encountered him professionally have rejected the notion that he will quit, East Fife manager John Robertson describing him eloquently as "a warrior who would not walk". Yet despite offering similar sentiments, his agent also conceded that Glasgow was closing in on his client. "If we go out on a Saturday night then we go to places where people won't give him any hassle – but we're running out of places," Reilly said. "It seems to be wherever we go there's always problems for him."

For a man who, it must be remembered, has been open about his battles with depression, it has to be questioned how sustainable it is to live in a city where, in recent months, walking down the street with partner and child has at times become a trial and a gauntlet for the three; quite apart from all the other desperate difficulties he has been forced to endure. Yet Lennon is doing a job he covets – perhaps feels as if he was born for – and, as the most decorated Celtic player to belong entirely to the post-Jock Stein era, has a keen sense of the club's history and his potential place within it.

There is only so much it is worth going through to make a managerial mark anywhere, however beloved. That has long been passed with Lennon. Now he needs the will of government and football authorities to reset the boundaries of acceptable public behaviour. He deserves that; we must demand it.

• Last Updated: 12 March 2011 9:55 PM
• Source: Scotland On Sunday
• Location: Scotland

Parcel bomb sent to Celtic manager

(UKPA) – 20 Apr 2011

Parcel bombs have been sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon, a lawyer and a politician, it was revealed on Tuesday.Strathclyde Police have launched an investigation after the parcels "designed to cause harm" were sent to Lennon, Paul McBride QC and Labour politician Trish Godman, sources said. They were initially thought to be hoax packages but analysis has revealed that they could have worked.

A police source said: "They were viable devices designed to cause harm. We are treating the matter very seriously."A package addressed to Lennon was intercepted at the Royal Mail sorting office in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, on March 26. On March 28 a parcel for Trish Godman was intercepted at her constituency office and on April 15 a package was intercepted en route to Paul McBride, who has represented Lennon at Hampden during his dispute with the SFA.Mr McBride said he did not want to comment. Ms Godman, who is stepping down as West Renfrewshire MSP, did not want to comment either as police have advised her not to. Police have offered safety advice to the intended recipients of the packages as well as to Royal Mail staff and workers in the mail room at Celtic.

It is the latest in a series of incidents targeting people linked with the football club. Earlier this year packages containing bullets were sent to Lennon and to Celtic players Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn, all three of whom are from Northern Ireland. Scottish politicians have expressed their shock at the developments.

SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Let us be quite clear – there is a major police investigation under way to ensure that the individual or individuals concerned are identified and apprehended, and then brought to book with the full force of the law."We will not tolerate this sort of criminality in Scotland, and as an indication of the seriousness with which we view these developments the Cabinet sub-committee met last Saturday to ensure that the police investigation has every possible support to come to a successful conclusion. We are confident that this will be the case.

"These disgraceful events should remind all of us who love the game of football of what unites us as a community. It is time to remember what we value in society, and unite to condemn those who use football as a pretext for their pathetic and dangerous prejudices.
"Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: "I am shocked and appalled at this sinister development. It is vital, though, that people keep calm and do not let the situation spiral out of control as that would be playing into the hands of the extremists behind this vile act.

Copyright © 2011 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Glasgow & West Scotland

Neil Lennon has hit back at Walter Smith after the departing Rangers manager claimed Celtic's criticism of referees "set the tone" for an ugly Scottish season.

Smith pointed the finger directly at Rangers' city rivals this week but Lennon, the Celtic manager, firmly disputed those comments on the eve of his team's Scottish Cup final against Motherwell.

"I was disappointed by it," said Lennon. "He could have spoken to me about it first. He had plenty of opportunities to do that. I didn't think there was any real need for it either. I think he's wrong, he's totally wrong."

Lennon made direct reference to Celtic's infamous visit to Dundee United in October. On that occasion the referee, Dougie McDonald, lied to the Celtic manager over the circumstances surrounding the reversal of a penalty award.

"Listen, I went into a referee's room and the guy didn't tell me the truth," Lennon said. "Then his assistant came out two days later and blew the whistle on him. I didn't, our club didn't. They did.

"Then there were cover-ups and non-truths. It led me to think: 'Well, I'm not the first Celtic manager not to be told the truth.'

"Our club were just looking for transparency. I don't think that's a lot to ask for. I mean, you are being lied to. It's not even a major lie but it just grew and grew and grew into something they created themselves."

On another matter of officialdom Lennon said: "I went to a disciplinary hearing for the first time and got a six-game ban. The president [of the Scottish FA] was there and was in and out of the meeting. Is that right or wrong? Should he be there?

"He's got a right to be there but was he at other disciplinary meetings this year? So then we had to bring in legal advice to say it was fundamentally wrong, what they did in the disciplinary meeting."

Lennon would be forgiven a sigh of relief when the final whistle blows on the Scottish season at Hampden Park on Saturday. The Northern Irishman knows victory over Motherwell would hand Celtic their first trophy since 2009; football issues have been firmly overshadowed in recent months, though, by security threats towards Lennon.

Nonetheless, in the latest display of his character, Lennon said the close season does not sit well with him. He even saw fit to joke about his personal circumstances on Friday.

"It was funny yesterday, I played golf and it was a shotgun start," Lennon said with a laugh. "I effing shampoo myself. Four heavies came out of the trees and jumped on me.

"I don't want this season to end. I've loved it and I've more or less enjoyed every minute of it, in the football sense."

Lennon reiterated that he had not considered leaving Celtic as security issues surrounding him become more intense. "I owe it to the players I brought to the club to try to establish both me and them at the club," he added.

"To then have walked away and left them, when they had contributed so much to the club this season, would have been remiss of me.

"People wouldn't have said, 'That was a selfish thing to do', and it had crossed my mind once or twice. But in the wider scheme of things, I love this job. When you love football as much as we do, then to be a manager is a privilege. So you shouldn't have to give up your job for non-footballing reasons."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/20/celtic-neil-lennon-walter-smith?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Some sense:

http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/7254/38/

15 May ~
For the second time in a month, Scottish football is making headlines around the world. Unfortunately, the first time was because “viable” explosive devices were posted to Celtic manager Neil Lennon and high-profile Celtic fans. The second occurred when Lennon was assaulted by a Hearts fan on the Tynecastle pitch on Wednesday night, as if in a deliberate attempt to prove that this level of football hatred is not unique to the west coast, and that, in terms of football, Scotland is not a civilised country.

In WSC 291 I documented the abuse Lennon has endured so far in Scotland (assaults, death threats, bullets in the post, hoax bombs). With the benefit of hindsight, maybe I should have waited a month. Also this week, Lennon has received another bullet in the post and seven people have been arrested on firearms offences outside Celtic’s training ground.

Has any other football figure in the world ever had to put up with such a sustained, serious and dangerous level of threats? From London to San Jose, the press are unanimous in what they see as unacceptable abuse of a football manager trying to do his job. Meanwhile, in the Scottish media, far too many articles on the threats to Lennon this season have featured attacks on Lennon’s behavior and insinuations that he’s bringing it on himself.

It’s true that Martin O’Neill – also an Irish Catholic – never received similar abuse while managing Celtic. But of what exactly does Lennon stand accused? He argued and swore at the officials at Tynecastle earlier this season. He’s complained about specific refereeing decisions that have gone against Celtic. He argued back to Ally McCoist when McCoist whispered something in his ear. He’s kicked some water bottles. And he cupped his ears at Rangers fans who were chanting “What’s it like to live in fear?” at him.

In short, he’s acted like many other football managers. And every one of these events has been blown up in the Scottish press, with the juiciest images and the most extensive possible coverage. A picture of him arguing with McCoist was by far the most common one used to illustrate a game in which three Rangers players were sent off – defender Madjid Bougherra grappled with the referee, striker El Hadji Diouf barged into the Celtic physio and McCoist had to be prevented from invading the Celtic dugout. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that large sections of the Scottish press have an agenda against Lennon. And harder still to escape the conclusion that too many idiots see this as legitimisation of their own hatred.

There are plenty of high-profile managers outside Scotland who are more controversial than the Celtic boss. Would Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho receive the same abuse in Scotland? I suspect not. What if they were Irish and Catholic, and managed Celtic? I don’t know. The only people who do know are those responsible for the death threats, assaults, bullets and bombs.

Mark Poole

By Rossi of the KDS forum
see link: http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/single/?p=10418147&t=8499779

I'm sick of this "brings it on himself" nonsense. I really do find it quite upsetting and almost disturbing that throughout everything this same excuse has been used over and over. It seems to have spread throughout the media all over Britain to the point that Eamon Holmes made a reference to it on Sunrise this morning.

What actions constitute for reactions involving bombs, bullets and attacks? I can't quite understand why this is deemed an acceptable excuse for what has occurred over the last few months. I want to know what it is that Neil Lennon has done that has meant he deserves and is at fault for this. I have been provided with a list of incidences and reasons that are supposed to prove that Lennon is to blame for what he has gone through this season.

I think we all know that no matter what these reasons are they do not legislate for what our manager has gone through over the last twelve months. However, many areas of Scotland and many media outlets seem to believe they do so I am now going to go through them all for the pleasure of your reading and to finally put to bed this ridiculous notion that Lennon is at fault for what has happened. I know some of you may question why I would waste my time doing this but I feel really strongly about the lunacy behind this excuse and the way it has become the gospel truth when commentating and writing about has happened.

1.)A referee changes his mind on a decision. Neil Lennon demands clarification after the game on this event, setting into motion a series of events that ends with the linesman resigning, the referee resigning and the sacking of the referees chief.

– Neil Lennon did not demand clarity in any way, shape or form. His post-match comments were as follows:

"He's given the penalty and for me he can't change his mind. I didn't get an explanation until the referee came over and spoke to me; his explanation was that his linesman had a better view of it and the keeper had played the ball. He looked adamant to me when he gave the penalty. He got a good look at it. There was a long, long delay between him awarding the penalty and him allowing the bounce ball"

As you can see, there was no enraged request for clarity on the matter. He has commented on the situation that developed after the reporter asked the question. This is normal in the post-match interviews of a match that involved a controversial decision. An example, Kenny Dalglish in the aftermath of Liverpool's FA Cup loss to Manchester United. He commented by saying:"The penalty was a joke. Unless they have changed the rules it is not a penalty." You could argue that Kenny's comment are more critical of Webb than Lennon's were of McDonald; no threats for Kenny, mind. It is also interesting to point out the comments of Peter Houston after this game. He said:

"Dougie couldn't get his finger to the spot quickly enough. It's not the first he has given against us. Celtic created chances but I thought we coped well with anything they threw at us but then Dougie McDonald conspires to try to give a penalty against us. Then it transpires that it is not a penalty. What has happened there? I don't know what goes through Dougie McDonald's mind, permanently!"

Those comments are far, far more scathing than anything Lennon has said and they weren't the first time Houston had questioned referee Dougie McDonald. Prior to this he said, after a 3-3 draw at Ibrox: "I am disappointed and I just wonder if the penalties would have been given at the other end." Oddly Houston never received any direct criticism for his remarks from the media. Following the match, Celtic wrote to the SFA regarding what had happened. Stewart Regan then confirmed that Dougie McDonald had lied to Neil Lennon and Celtic; John Reid then requested the SFA punish McDonald for his actions. Six weeks on he resigned. This was nothing to do with Neil Lennon. Steven Craven, the linesman, cited "harassment and bullying" from SFA superiors as the reason behind his resignation. Again, nothing to do with Neil Lennon. Dallas came under fire because of decisions he made which were no way because of Celtic Football Club. He chose to try and protect McDonald and he chose to involve himself in sectarian emails. It was the Catholic Church who requested Dallas be sacked, not Lennon and not Celtic so how the blame can be put at Lennon's feet is beyond me.

2.) A referee does a high profile game, and gives a major decision that is not to the wishes of the home side. Neil Lennon after the game calls his judgement into question, lies that the referee could not have seen the incident, and brings a few more less obvious ones up all to question the impartiality of said official. This referee later receives various threats from supporters of the team, which Neil Lennon claims are "nothing to do with football".

Correctly, Neil Lennon commented on two decisions made by Willie Collum that day. On the penalty and McCulloch, he said:

"I feel let down on the penalty incident for sure. It's a big decision. I have seen a replay of the penalty and it looked soft.vI'm not sure he saw it and I'm not sure why he has given it. I have problems with my team but you have to get the big decisions right. I'll be asking for an explanation. I want to know why McCulloch was still on the pitch, it was blatant obstruction when we were breaking. It was a second yellow and they should have been down to 10 men in the second half."

A few days later, Lennon commented by saying: "I never got the opportunity to speak to the referee on Sunday. I am still not convinced he saw the incident properly. I don't know how he can be 100 per cent sure it can be a penalty. If he saw it again, I don't think he would say it was a penalty." As you can see from this vdieo:

Lennon didn't lie. Collum never seen it and the entire Sky studio agree's with that point. Due to this Celtic once again wrote to the SFA and Neil Lennon made no further comment. Collum received three phone calls on the night of the match as confirmed by himself and when asked about this Lennon responded:

"It is desperate. I don’t want this to overspill to something against Willie’s well-being. People must remember its just a game."

As you can see – full condemnation for the morons who called Collum. Once again, I'm struggling to see how blame can be attached to Lennon. He never made the call and he is well within his rights to question poor decisions. Something managers do all over the world without it cropping up as an excuse to try and blow them up.

3.) A referee makes a decision to send off a player. One man goes apoplectic on touchline, questions parentage of referee, and also uses a few other choice phrases before beign sent to stand. In a radio interview afterwards he claims ref and officials will "collude to get their stories straight" a clear hint he believes they will lie over incident.

The one and only occasion that Lennon has been sent to the stands in the SPL this season. An unsavory incident in which Lennon himself as publicly admitted he let himself down. However, I don't remember Smith being deserved of death threats and attacks because of any of these incidences:

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We should get on that because after all, he would of "brought it on himself". Remember, folks – Lennon should be more like Walter. :rolleyes:

After the events of the Dundee Utd match in which two officials made up a story, told the Head of Referee's in Scotland and he then told them to continue I'm sure Lennon has every right to state that they will no doubt collude and lie. And the tone of that interview makes it quite obvious that Lennon was talking with humour. And once again, he isn't the first manager to react badly when sent to the stands. Arsene Wenger chose to do this:

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when he was sent to the stands at Old Trafford. Imagine my surprise at the lack of threats made to him over the incident.

4.) All of above points push referees to breaking point and they finally decide to strike. Neil Lennon is noticeable in is absence of comment about this, and also appears immune from any media criticism.

Doubt his absence was that noticeable because he did comment on it:

"I'm optimistic that something good will come out of it. First of all I'm pretty pleased the games going ahead, not only for the players but the supporters as well and we'll see what the outcome or the aftermath is after this weekend. At the minute we’re in the dark as to who the official is going to be. We wont be making any comment or any sort of criticism on who it might be. We're just pleased that these guys have made an effort to come over and keep the programme alive. It's not for me to comment on why there is a strike or what the reasons for the strike are. People have their own reasons for that. I understand it to a certain extent. I don't know what the outcome's going to be, I hope it will have a positive reaction rather than a negative one.”

A statement from Dougie McDonald:

"My Category 1 colleagues decided rightly to withdraw their services from matches this weekend in response to the outrageous way they have been treated by sections within Scottish football and, in my opinion, the lack of support they have received from the SFA General Purposes Committee in recent years. "It is also important to make clear that just as this issue is not about Dougie McDonald alone, nor is it about Celtic Football Club alone. I have read comments this week from Craig Brown, whom I admire hugely in the way he deals with referees, saying his club doesn't engage in questioning referees publicly. They maybe haven't under his reign, but the previous manager did and I don't recall the club apologising or dealing with their employee. The truth is, since I became a class one referee, managers or players – and sometimes directors – at almost every club, at one time or another, have been guilty of such behaviour"

I think this quite clearly shows they were not at breaking point because of the above events and Neil Lennon did not cause a referee's strike. Again, how this means he deserves to attacked and threatened I do not know.

5.) After a league game Neil Lennon again appears to question honesty and integrity of referee as his team only got one soft penalty, but were denied a late goal by a correct decision.

Firstly, Celtic's penalty wasn't soft. It was clear cut. Lennon's comments post match:

"You're talking about big moments in the game again – Hamilton's goal, which shouldn't have been a goal, and penalty we should've had. It seems to be every other game now. I don't want to say too much as I'm in enough trouble, but it's frustrating."

Yes, I can see this is steeped in accusation over honesty and integrity… Or not. It's a manager making comment about a poor decision. Something many managers can do without fear of a bullet being sent to them in the aftermath. Terry Butcher as an example.

After a 2-1 loss to Celtic:

"No action was taken against the Celtic player (at the penalty] who denied my player a chance of a goal. Four officials did not see who committed the foal and if it had happened at the other end I'm sure we would have had one of our players sent off. The free-kick for the second goal was in front of the Celtic fans. Had it happened at the other end it wouldn't have been given. The Celtic fans were jumping up and down screaming and shouting, as they do, the referee gives it and books my player as well. I just think the referee's got to be a bit stronger. There were a lot of fouls given against us tonight through minimal contact."

After a 1-0 loss to Rangers:

"Adam Rooney was fouled clear as day right on the touchline, right in front of us, right in front of the linesman, fourth official and the referee. No-one else around him that could block his view but he doesn’t give the foul and Rangers break away and score. I know that we have to defend from that situation but there’s a sense of injustice from the players point of view because the referee has stopped any sort of contact on Weiss, every time one of our players went within his magnetic field a foul was given against us. We couldn’t believe it that Adam wasn’t given a foul, it was a clear foul, he didn’t give it, Rangers scored and the injustice was there."

Or what about Water 'I don't question referee's' Smith?

On Killie's penalty award at Ibrox:

"Kilmarnock managed to get themselves a penalty. It got them back in the game. If that was penalty and Nikica Jelavic's [claim] at the other end of the pitch wasn't a penalty then I don't know where the referee was. It was a very strange decision"

On the Cup replay red cards:

"I didn't think these warranted orderings off. I didn't think the referee handled that aspect of it very well. For Whittaker's first foul he was fouled prior to that and I felt the referee missed that and was quick to book him. I didn't think it was a necessary one. Madjid Bougherra's second booking was a complete overreaction by the referee."

On Jelavic's yellow card for simulation; LC final:

"It's dangerous for a referee to do that. If it had happened in the other box… I don't know. I've said before Celtic mounted a campaign at the start of the season but if you are good enough you'll win despite a refereeing decision. Today we've won and I am delighted. I felt aggrieved Jelavic was booked because the referee's first reaction was he'd been fouled. The referee gave the penalty and then didn't. But he must have thought there was something in it to give it in the first place. I don't know why he changed his mind but that's what he told the players."

On the penalty awarded to Stokes:

"It's not a penalty kick. But then again, they got it and Allan McGregor saved it. Celtic will be happy now because their whole campaign this season has been one of asking for decisions. Well, they got one today and Allan saved it so that's it. Over the season all we've heard is that Celtic don’t get penalty kicks – they got one today. They tried to get another one as well – both of them were exactly the same. On both occasions the players ran into [our] players and I don’t think they were penalties. I think the referee got the second one wrong."

On Willie Collums decision to red card Kenny Miller:

"We are extremely disappointed by the referee's decision. It's t's especially hard to understand how he can uphold the red card given that, during the game, he was telling our players Kenny Miller had kicked Dods in the head. That was the reason he gave for producing a red card. But, having watched the TV evidence myself, that is clearly not the case. The referee is adamant this was violent conduct but from watching the tapes I have to say there is not even a great deal of anger being shown by either of the players. You would expect to see anger involved in acase of violent conduct. That's why I'm disappointed in his decision not to change his mind. It seems obvious he got it wrong."

On a disallowed goal for Boyd:

"It was a poor decision by the linesman. I think the TV replays show quite clearly that Kris Boyd was onside. Mr Murphy was quick to allow a Scott McDonald goal at Celtic Park last season. And he was quick to disallow that one tonight."

He questions the integrity of referee's on more than one occasion there. Not only have the SPL never reprimanded him for it but again, he has never had his life threatened because of it. Must be because he isn't an "uppity Fenian" like Lennon.

6.) Neil Lennon gets a 6 game suspension for his numerous fights and outbursts but gets a lawyer to argue his case and get it reduced to 4, with 2 suspended should he step out of line again.

And this is reason to bomb him? Numerous fights :loel: he has been sent to the stand once in the SPL and incident which he subsequently apologised for. The excessive verdict was correctly appealed as it was an unprecedented ban for a first offence. If this is a reason to bomb in then I am lost for words. Should McCoist be bombed for appealing his two game ban? Should Smith be bombed for several touchline ban's he has served? In fact, has any manager in football had bomb threats over appealing a ban?

7.) After a stormy cup tie Neil Lennon insults at least 3 players of opposing team, questioning their integrity and honesty.

Look, a fabricated lie created on a certain internet forum which has since become some sort of fact. I'd love to see some actual evidence of this. Something more than the illusions of Rangers supporters who think their club cover have some sort of dossier on Lennon and things he has done but for whatever reason they don't want to report it. Lies. Lies. Lies. Weiss on this alleged incident: "If I had heard him saying anything to me I would probably have said something back. But I didn't hear anything."

8.) In replay Neil Lennon had a stand up fight with player of opposition team (possibly racially abusing him at same time), argued with referee when told to sit down and calm down, argued and snarled entire game, and got involved in an altercation with opposite number at end of game.

Wow, another follow follow fabrication – the racial abuse of Diouf. :loel: Something which El Hadji Diouf himself admitted was nonsense when he confirmed: "He is not a racist. He did not racially abuse me." Repeat a delusion enough times and suddenly it becomes fact. There was no stand up fight. Diouf made movements towards our bench, he attempted to encroach and enter our bench. It is clear who the aggressor is:

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And Lennon never argued with the referee at all. More fabrication. He retreated into our bench quite quickly as Diouf continued to try and access our bench, having to be held back by Rangers players and referee's whilst Lennon stood in our bench next to John Clark. Ally McCoist also had to be restrained by Smith after the incident began. I find Diouf interesting here because this accusation of "bringing it on yourself" does it apply to everyone? Because I'm at a bit of a loss as to why a man who has been involved in so many foul incidents in football has not had a nail bomb sent to him yet? He takes "bringing it on yourself" to an entire new level.

Argued and snarled the entire game. Again, I'd love to see some evidence of this. I'd love to see evidence of a member of the Rangers staff having to physically hold Neil Lennon back as he approached their bench:

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And yes, an altercation that was started by whom exactly? Neil Lennon approached McCoist with a smile on his face, ready to put the match behind them and shake his hand. Lennon didn't cause that. If McCoist had kept his fat mouth closed the incident would never have happened. Interesting too that McCoist himself has never been threatened after the events of this game.

9.) Neil Lennon got a 2 game ban for this, and his suspended ban was added on. He declined to appeal this, in the knowledge his lawyer felt he'd only end up serving 1 game of 4, so although it may be legal, it certainly is morally wrong.

So now a lawyer correctly applying SFA guidelines is reason for Lennon to be threatened? This is a part of the "bringing on himself". I don't whether to laugh or cry at how desperate this is. And as for morally wrong, he served the ban. McCoist, Diouf and Bougherra however were let off scott free. That was, morally spot on… Sure.

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10.)Neil Lennon felt the need to comment on an ongoing UEFA investigation into supporters of another team in a match his team were not even involved in.

Oh wow, more lies. The only comment regarding this which involved Rangers that Lennon made was when he claimed Rangers and Celtic "do as much as they can to stamp it out". He then said:

"It's been going on for quite a while. I've been here for 10 years, when I played there was quite a lot of it. Martin O'Neill made a stance against it in 2005 and got shot down by a lot of people in the media. In 2011 it's still ongoing. It's taken maybe an intervention from UEFA for people to come out and condemn it from all quarters. That might be a good thing in the long run."

11.) Neil Lennon feels the need to provoke opposition fans through celebrations, entering the field of play at full time and gestures.

Where are these provocative celebrations. Last night Lennon was attacked after Hooper scored. Here you can see his celebration:

Just how easily provoked are Hearts supporters? Directly in front of our bench, lifts his arms aloft and that is it. Was Mourinho attacked for this?

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Or on this occasion:

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Would he have been to blame if he was? How about Pep…

Or what about McCoist? Who left the technical area to join Lafferty who had just ran directly next to the Celtic fans.

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Lennon also has the right to enter the field at full time. This isn't reserved for Ibrox. He does it at every away ground in Scotland, much the same as Artur Boruc blessing himself was something reserved for Ibrox. He wants to do; he can. This is something which many managers do at full time without fear. As for his gesture – deserved. If you can't take it then don't dish it out.

Craig Brown on the gesture:

"All that I’ll say is that [BBC Scotland's trackside reporter] Chick Young told me that Neil had been subjected to horrendous abuse throughout the game and that was his way of responding"

Alan Thompson:

"I was two feet in front of Neil and was surprised nothing was done, especially with such a large police presence in that vicinity. I heard some horrendous things going up the tunnel at the end. It’s staggering people can shout some of the things they did. The fans seem to be able to say what they want and get away with it"

And all Lennon did was cup his ears.

12.) Only Neil Lennon has received these alleged bullets and nail bombs and now you know why.

So why were Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt sent bullets. Why were Paul McBride, Trish Godman and The Cardinal sent bombs. Did they bring it on themselves too? Or did Neil Lennon bring it on for them.

So there it is. The supposed reasons for why this has happened and why Neil is to blame for it. A myth that has spread like wild and has now become sort of accepted reasoning for this madness. He did this, he did that, but but but. That is all we will ever hear on this subject. As shown by the reasons put forward, these people have opinions which are etched in their heads despite all reasoning and common sense. It is a very sad state of affairs. I presume the Jews brought it on themselves too by becoming successful and getting good jobs, good houses etc.

Also, can I have the award for Longest KDS post in history?

Is the Scottish Media stirring up the hatred towards Neil Lennon?

July 2011, ESPN
Posted by Andy Muirhead

Over the past eleven years Neil Lennon's life has revolved in and around Celtic Football Club. And in all those years the Northern Irishman has received a level of hatred and abuse that no man in British Football has endured. From Parcel Bombs to bullets to being assaulted on the streets of Glasgow and the sideline at Tynecastle, Lennon has had to endure so much in those 11 years that it would make lesser men run for the hills. A campaign of attrition so hate-filled that it would have had a lesser man throw in the towel long ago.

So why has it gotten so bad? In my opinion, elements within the Scottish mainstream media.

From phone-ins to the written press to TV broadcasts, Neil Lennon has been subjected to the level of spin that Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell would be proud of.

Throughout his Celtic career, Lennon was targeted as an overly aggressive player, at times labelled a snarling dog. Yet in all his time at Celtic Park how many bookings did he receive? Not as many as some would lead you to believe. Yes he was confrontational and was passionate on the field, but what great central midfielder isn't? Roy Keane is a prime example of a dominant central midfielder who is passionate, who is confrontational and who likes to get a bit lippy and stuck in. So where were his bombs, bullets, assaults?

During the Summer, Celtic travelled Down Under on a Pre-season tour of Australia. But the tour was overshadowed – in the Scottish press that is – of his comments on a stunt by some Rangers fans in Perth.

The Perth Rangers Supporters Club tried to goad Celtic by organising a plane to fly over the stadium just before kick off trailing a banner that boasted about Rangers' three SPL titles in a row.

Lennon was asked after the match about the stunt and he told reporters: "Well, you'd think they'd have better things to do following their team in Germany (for their pre-season tour) than pay a lot of money to annoy us, I think they're a wee bit obsessed with us at the minute."

Nothing twisted or hate-filled in those comments, in fact the video footage of the post match interview saw Lennon quite calm and collected when answering.
Cue the headlines from the Scottish newspapers:

"Neil Lennon raps plane crazy Rangers fans"

"Lenny’s air rage"

Yet check out these headlines from non-Scottish based media outlets:

"Celtic shrug off Rangers plane stunt"

"Celtic manager Neil Lennon unfazed by Rangers flyover stunt"

The Scottish media outlets had a field day last season with the number of incidents that revolved around the Celtic and Neil Lennon. And by all accounts it looks as though they are looking to continue this, by fuelling the flames of hate that burn between the Lurgan man and Rangers supporters.

In the 11 years that Lennon has been at Celtic, not once did any newspaper outlet publish an article condemning the attacks or threats on Lennon. They used it to fuel stories, with pundits giving their opinions on why Lennon brought it upon himself, and that given he lives in the goldfish bowl of Glasgow, he should stay indoors. Comments coming from former players who boozed it up to the early hours when they were at Celtic or Rangers in the 1970s and 80s, even those who haven't kick a ball in anger as a professional got in on the act, trying to take the moral high ground.

It was only after the Scottish Government, the Police, the Westminster government got involved that the media then changed their tune and denounced those targeting Lennon, all the while trying to ignore the years of abuse and hatred that they tried to blame on Lennon himself.

Most officials, fans and football personalities hope and prey that Neil Lennon does not go through a season like he did last season. However you can bet on the Editors and the bean counters in Scotland's mainstream media, hoping and praying it continues to a certain degree to sell more papers, to gain more air time.

Celtic and Rangers cover 90% of the Scottish Football coverage in our media, and with Neil Lennon at the helm at Celtic Park the focus will as per usual for the coming season fall squarely on the shoulders of the Lurgan man. And with some papers cutting jobs and others losing circulation numbers dramatically, they will use any trick any angle to sell more copies.

Maybe this year, maybe this season will be different. Sadly I won't be counting my chickens that's for sure.

Fan cleared of assault on Lennon and sectarian slur

The Herald

‘MOMENT OF MADNESS’: John Wilson ran on to the pitch and was grabbed by coach Alan Thompson before falling. Picture: Lynne Cameron

Catherine Shanks

1 Sep 2011

CELTIC Football Club said the acquittal of a Hearts supporter on charges of assaulting manager Neil Lennon at a match was “difficult to comprehend” .

The SPL club waded into the case last night after unemployed labourer John Wilson, 26, was also acquitted of making a sectarian remark by calling Lennon a “Fenian b******.”

A jury of seven women and eight men took two-and-a-half hours yesterday to convict Wilson of conducting himself in a disorderly manner, running on to the pitch, running at the away team dug-out, shouting, swearing, causing further disturbance to the crowd there and breaching the peace.

But the jury deleted the reference to making a sectarian remark from the charge and that the offence was aggravated by religious prejudice.

Celtic officials were incensed by the not proven verdict for charge two, which alleged Wilson assaulted Lennon by lunging at him and striking him on the head,

This was a disgraceful incident, seen by the world … and one which embarrassed Scottish football

In a strongly worded statement, the club said: “It is for the jury to decide on this case. However, we find the accused’s acquittal of the charge of assault difficult to comprehend. bearing in mind our knowledge of the incident.

“This was a disgraceful incident involving Neil Lennon, seen by the world, the sort of incident which should not have happened in any football stadium and one which embarrassed Scottish football.

“As always, we will give Neil Lennon our full support and hope that this season he can be given the opportunity to be allowed to do his job without the kind of threats, attacks and intimidation which have marred much of his time in Scotland.”

During the trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court the jury was shown footage of Wilson running at the away team dug-out where Lennon, 40, was standing. The court heard from coach Alan Thompson, 37, who told how he grabbed Wilson’s clothing and threw him off balance before he fell to the ground.

Peter Croy, 61, operations director of G4S, told the court he jumped on top of Wilson to restrain him and claimed he heard him shout: “Lennon, you Fenian b******.”

Wilson denied that was what he said and told the court he had simply sworn at the manager.

Principal fiscal depute Melanie Ward said Wilson, of Edinburgh, had three previous convictions for breach of the peace. She asked Sheriff Fiona Reith QC to consider that the offence was football related and that the imposition of a football banning order be considered.

Defence advocate David Nicolson said: “His three minor convictions for breach of the peace are not football related. One was demanding entry to a police station. He has been in custody since May 11.”

Lennon told the court he felt the incident had been “the tipping point” for him in a series of threats to his personal safety. He has received death threats, been sent live bullets in the mail and has had 24-hour security at his home,

He described how the atmosphere that night had been “on edge” and he felt “angry” after the incident.

He said: “I felt a contact on the corner of my head and I saw a body sprawl in front of me and it was then I realised somebody had tried to hit me. I felt like a glancing blow to the corner above the left eye. It all happened very quickly.”

He added: “It was the tipping point for me. It was the last straw. I’m a football manager at the end of the day and this sort of thing is nothing to do with football. It brought embarrassment to Hearts and Scottish football.”

Wilson told the court he had felt angry after Celtic scored a second goal in the May 11 game at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh. He said he had run on to the pitch in a “moment of madness” and that he “regretted every moment of it”.

Sheriff Fiona Reith, QC, deferred sentence until next month for reports and remanded Wilson in custody.

Neil Lennon – Club Statement

By: Newsroom Staff on 31 Aug, 2011 19:10 CELTIC Football Club have released the following statement regarding the verdict at today's court case in Edinburgh.

"It is for the Jury to decide on this case, however, we find the accused's acquittal of the charge of assault difficult to comprehend bearing in mind our knowledge of the incident.

"One thing is clear – this was a disgraceful incident involving Neil Lennon, seen by the world – the sort of incident which should not have happened in any football stadium and one which embarrassed Scottish football.

"Regardless of the verdict reached, we hope that people will learn from the events of last season and realise these cannot be repeated.

“As always we will give Neil Lennon our full support and hope that this season he can be given the opportunity to be allowed to do his job without the kind of threats, attacksand intimidation which have marred much of his time in Scotland."