'Hysteria around Celtic is too much' says ex-Hoops midfielder in defence of Neil Lennon
The former international midfielder won the league with the Hoops to deny Rangers a 10th league title in a row in 1998 but says the pressure of playing in Glasgow creates an atmosphere of hysteria and over-reaction.
He’s seen Celtic boss Neil Lennon come under pressure with one win in six games – but Lambert says his former team-mate will pull through.
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Hide AdHe said: “This group has won nine years of unbelievable success – nine years.
"The hysteria around the football club is too much because they’ve lost a few games. They’re still well in everything, they’ve got the league and Scottish Cup final to come – Europe is tough but the hysteria of someone under pressure after six games, after winning nearly everything in sight for nine years – I know he wasn’t there for the full nine years but he’s won a hell of a lot.
"I don’t think it’s right, the hysteria around it.”
Lambert knows first hand the pressures of playing for Celtic and added: “There’s a massive hysteria in Glasgow – you're one bad pass away from being an absolute nightmare of a player. It’s a difficult place to play if things don’t go well for you.
“The hysteria around the whole football club – they’ve lost a few games. They’ve won everything in sight domestically, shown an incredible longevity and Lenny’s only had a little blip. One win in six. By Celtic standards that can’t happen but that’ll come back again.”
Speaking on BBC Sportsound he backed his former colleague and said: “My big issue is Neil Lennon losing a few games and people saying he has to go. He will come through this – Peter Lawwell is not a silly guy, he knows where Celtic are and where they’ve to get to. The hysteria of ten in a row, you have that every day at Celtic – you have to win.”
Fellow pundit Allan Preston agreed: “I think the hysteria over Neil is ridiculous and having polls in newspaper about him is ridiculous.
"It is a nonsense – he is one match 90 minutes away from being the quadruple treble winning manager. Everyone has to relax.”