Ex-Celtic boss 'tried to strangle' fellow Hoops hero as £3m man says bye

Tony Cottee has recalled the moment he watched two former Celtic managers have "an almighty" dressing-room bust-up - with one trying to strangle the other.

Speaking on a podcast with ex-Celtic hitman Frank McAvennie, Cottee recounted an episode while he was at Leicester City when Martin O'Neill clashed with Neil Lennon during a half-time argument.

O’Neill left Leicester for Celtic in 2000 and made Lennon one of his first signings, bringing him to Parkhead for around £6 million. While he became a mainstay in the team and was part of the side which one a host of trophies under O’Neill, reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2003 in the process, the duo also had a fiery side to their relationship.

Recalling the incident while at the Foxes, Cottee said: “I came into the dressing room at half time once and Martin was trying to strangle Neil Lennon. They were having a proper row. We all pulled the manager off of Lenny – it never got to the fight stage because he was too busy trying to strangle him.

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Cottee believes Lennon has O’Neill to thank for setting him on the road to becoming a successful manager in his own right. Lennon took the reins in 2010 at Celtic Park, winning five league titles, four Scottish Cups and a league cup in two spells.

“We had very strong characters and that was how it was. Lenny went on to become a very successful manager for Celtic and he learned a lot from Martin without a doubt,” added the ex-West Ham and Everton player.

McAvennie also shared a a tale which summed up the fun side of Lennon and O’Neill’s relationship. He laughed on his Let Me Be Frank podcast, co-hosted by journalist Simon Houston: “I remember a story from their time at Celtic and Lenny dyed his hair white. When he went in Martin said ‘what are you thinking?’ Lenny said that he was just trying to be different. To which Martin replied: “How about scoring a goal, that’s different.”

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Meanwhile, striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has penned an emotional farewell to Celtic fans after he left the club earlier this week. The South Korean joined Genk in Belgium last weekend for a fee believed to be in the region of £3million after spending a year-and-a-half in Glasgow. Signed by Ange Postecoglou, he was unable to break into the first team under current manager Brendan Rodgers last term and fell down the pecking order.

Taking to Instagram, 23-year-old Oh wrote: "Hello Celtic fans. My year and a half in Glasgow has gone by so fast. It's been an honour to be with the best team and the best fans. I will always support and be with Celtic. Good luck [followed by a four leaf clover emoji)."