The decision to award a penalty to Hearts on Sunday in the final minute of the match spoke for itself, don’t waste your time replaying it as it just gets more baffling and incredible the more you look at it. Our manager Neil Lennon didn’t let the decision speak for itself, he took to his heels at the end of the game to let everyone know what he and Celtic thought of it, we were left in no doubts as to his feelings and sense of injustice and for that I am thankful.
This came just a few weeks after Celtic were denied a Penalty in the final minute of the league cup final and Anthony Stokes was booked for diving. The referee was lauded for being brave and as it was repeated in various medias – you need to absolutely certain before you give a penalty in the last minute of a match of such importance. No matter from what angle you look at it, this was a penalty and no matter the cries of how we underperformed that day the fact remains goals change games. Had we converted that who could argue that we wouldn’t have gone on to win in extra time by 2,3 or 4 – 1?
This came a few weeks after Victor had been red carded for a high tackle which never connected with his opponent and yet we had to watch Ian Black commit a red card, over the ball intentional foul on Ledley who was left with stud marks embedded in his leg. In addition to this Black would deliberately handle the ball later in the match with no caution. Again we have cries of evening things up with Celtic being awarded an off side goal, but with 8 minutes remaining and Celtic having wave after wave of attack who’s to say we wouldn’t have got an equaliser anyway? Look at Hearts – in the space of two minutes they got a corner, a penalty and scored it – decisions change matches.
On the back of these match defining decisions we have now come to learn that officials of the SFA fabricated an offence against Neil Lennon which saw him banned from managing his team in the second half of a league decider at the home of his biggest rivals. The second time in two seasons officials have been found to be lying directly in connection with Neil Lennon.
Okay now put all that together and tell me how you feel if your Neil Lennon and Celtic? Do you think it’s personal? Too right you do and you would be right, it’s personal against Celtic.
But this isn’t a Blog about referees; I want to question the thinking and mentality behind those who take to the airwaves claiming to be Celtic Fans and holding the view that the Championship Winning Manager should be removed from our club because of his actions in fighting the clubs corner. I love debate about Celtic, I enjoy discussing and questioning line ups, formations, substitutions and transfer hits and misses and defend anyone’s right to do this on whatever forum or format they wish to choose.
But I struggle to comprehend that people who could be sitting around me at Celtic Park would decide to take to the airwaves and wait in line behind narrow minded bigots who have a pathological hate for Neil Lennon to be put through to sub standard journalists and washed up ex footballers and feed the frenzy that is an illogical campaign against Neil Lennon. Lennon Bashing is a National Sport for this great wee country of ours always has been and will be but it sickens me to hear alleged fellow Celtic fans forming the same view.
The recent hysterical reaction is nothing to do with his recent spats with the officials and peoples outrage at his behaviour on the touchline or running on the park. The character assassination of Neil Lennon just now is because he won the league; this perennial figure of hate for Rangers fans and general bigots won the league and they can’t stand it. The sight of Neil Lennon being successful and winning the title to put him into Celtic folklore caused a frustrated, volcanic bitter rage within these people because of who he is but they had no outlet to vent these views or they would have been shown up for the bigots they are. As soon as they saw Neil Lennon jog onto that on Sunday pitch that was it, the pressure valve was released and they had a reason for making public their irrational hate of the man in the guise of it being about his behaviour.
It goes beyond his behaviour on Sunday, its there for all to hear they don’t like the fact he is a winner and those Celtic fans who have been enticed into this train of thought that he is tarnishing the reputation of Celtic and that his behaviour is unbecoming of a Celtic manager need to have a serious think about who they are.
I heard Hugh Keevins on Monday night targeting his manifesto to the older generation of Celtic fans and comparing Neil’s behaviour to Jock Stein and Tommy Burns and found that pretty crass. It has been well documented via twitter and other blogs about the way Jock Stein, Davie Hay and Billy McNeill rallied against officialdom without the national shockwaves Neil Lennon causes.
For me in Tommy Burns we had a man who fought Celtics corner all through his life and wasn’t afraid to offend those who didn’t care to listen if he felt he had a point to make, he respected the Celtic history and served the club with distinction. However Tommy Burns had run-ins with officials much in the same way as any of the aforementioned managers and Neil Lennon. The Tommy Burns side of 1996/1997 had eleven players red carded during that season, quite a remarkable disciplinary record for a team we remember so fondly for playing football the Celtic way.
During the match against Rangers at Celtic Park
After the match referee Jim McCluskey refused to speak to a fuming Burns to explain the decision. Some days after the match Tommy Burns was still vexed by the decision and in his following media conference stated “While you were sleeping I watched the game again on video. Jorge assures me he never used his hand and he certainly wasn't offside. But we know what we get accused of at this club if we make too much about these incidents.
I think somewhere along the line we should get an explanation. We're entitled to that because it's a mystery why that goal didn't stand. Referees are the same as everyone else. Everyone makes mistakes but as long as there's honesty involved you can accept that.”
I think somewhere along the line we should get an explanation. We're entitled to that because it's a mystery why that goal didn't stand. Referees are the same as everyone else. Everyone makes mistakes but as long as there's honesty involved you can accept that.”
So what is behaviour becoming of a Celtic Manager? For me it’s Passion; a will to win; a desire to bring to success to the club; standing up for the club and fighting our corner. All the successful Celtic managers have had that – and I include Tommy in that list too. For the Celtic fans who want Neil to calm down or be removed I would ask what type of manager they want? A Tony Mowbary who takes everything on the chin? Who turns away when his player Andreas Hinkle is subjected to a potential leg breaking assault by Lafferty? No thanks. Do they want a dignified patsy who is more interested in his attire and appearing statesman like and dripping in dignity? No thanks.
Remember last game of the season last year? Something inside so Strong? 60,000 turning out and staying till the end to pay tribute to Neil Lennon? Well it should be the same this season; only this time we have a championship manager to honour.
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