Neil Lennon’s valid Celtic points obscured as ill-conceived words surely leave future hanging by thread

Neil Lennon will return to the Celtic dugout on Wednesday against Livingston, possibly for the last time depending on the result, after a period spent stewing at home.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon with much on his mind during training at Lennoxtown yesterday (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

All the pent-up frustration came out on Monday in press briefing performances that some are interpreting as his last stand. Many would feel the same rage if subjected to such fierce criticism. And that’s before taking into account the sting of hearing a parade of friends – or former friends – calling for him to lose his job. John Hartson and Stiliyan Petrov are the latest.

Lennon knows the score. He’s been a media pundit – a good one – and will be one again. Andy Walker might not have been classed as a friend but his well-received monologue on Sky Sports prior to a shadow Celtic side’s 1-1 draw against Hibs was bound to antagonise Lennon. He may even have heard it live while sitting at home on his sofa.

The truth hurts. Lennon might bridle at some of the pejorative terms employed by Walker, who described the trip to Dubai as a “jolly”, but the former striker neatly encapsulated why many Celtic fans, and supporters of other teams, took offence at the club’s actions.

There’s no question Lennon has become a lightning rod for discontent. The “bloodlust” he mentioned with such distaste on Monday has been apparent since the 2-0 loss to Ross County in November – long before Dubai became a factor.

But in the midst of a pandemic, one proving more deadly than feared, employing phrases such as “it’s absolutely scandalous” in relation to an uncomfortable spell of media scrutiny deserves to be deplored.

It meant several of his more astute observations, such as why there was not the same condemnation of Scotland’s socially non-distanced celebrations after qualifying for Euro 2020, were obscured. A manager taking aim at the government while also seemingly contradicting his own chief executive, with Peter Lawwell having made an apology attempt a few days earlier, understandably dominated the news agenda.

“Why didn’t they stop us from going?” Lennon wondered. Celtic should not need mollycoddled by government, they should know to do the right thing. After all, they maintain the club is more than a club. The inference is they operate to higher standards.

Lennon was damned by his own words. “I was hoping we would go out there and get away from pressure a little bit, get some warm weather, train…” The way he reflects on it, the trip doesn’t sound necessary, never mind essential.

The result is Celtic have contributed to putting Scottish football back on a knife edge. First minister Nicola Sturgeon had more urgent matters on her mind on Tuesday as she relayed the grim if expected information that Scotland will remain in lockdown until mid-February at least.

Lennon’s press conference performances, which made the front pages of newspapers in some instances, will have been noted at Holyrood.

There’s already a sense the Scottish government is not fully on board with the top two tiers of Scottish football continuing at present. This latest drama involving the game won't make the task of convincing them otherwise any easier. That is something that does come back to Celtic’s door, whatever Lennon’s complaints about the club – and him – being singled out.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription - https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions