When Lennon arrived at Celtic to sign on, he never was to believe what he was to be in store for him. It was to be his being from that point onwards. His funnily bleach blond hair made him look a little comical and masked the true fighter underneath it all.

Signed by Martin O'Neill as a holding midfielder, his presence on the pitch was meant to bolster the defensive aspect of the team and cover for the more attack minded players and do the unglamourous defensive roles in the middle of the park. As it happened, this was all turned on its head, and he himself needed the club and fans to cover for himself off the pitch. There have been far fewer players in our club's history who have been as victimised as Neil Lennon by others, and his struggle to just be able to live his life has been a difficult one.

The strange thing is that much of this write-up will be about anything apart from what was on the pitch! Surprising, as there is a hell of a lot to say for what happened on the pitch as off it. He was a talented midfielder, but having taken on a more defensive holding role in the side (reflected in that he only scored three goals for us in seven years) he was one for the more avid fan to be able to understand and appreciate than anyone else. Football is a team game and not just about the goalscorers, and every great side needs players like Lennon who do the graft work that gives the space for the others to score the goals.

Arriving in Dec 2000, Celtic had already got off well from the starting blocks with Celtic manager Martin O'Neill (who was also his former manager at Leicester), and Lennon was brought in to build on the early success the team at that point was enjoying. Slotting into the Celtic side, he gave the attacking players a bit more comfort that he was behind them to assist, and effectively allowed us to be more daring in attack than if he wasn't there. Many people who only watch matches on TV don't understand the work that is done on the pitch by some players off the ball, and there were few players who worked as hard Neil Lennon off the ball. Some Celtic fans could find him frustrating as he was not averse to playing the ball back to the defence but in the course of a 90min game this is intelligent play, and you can't just attack at all times (possession is key).

His time at Celtic was marked with success, and two league titles in his first two years was excellent but the Road to Seville season (2002-2003) was one of the greatest highlights. As with others, he was well overshadowed by Larsson, Sutton and the goal scorers, but he never complained and got on with his job. Needling players to defend from the midfield, compete for the ball and cover for the others, he more than showed his value, and it was sad to see players like himself being on the losing side in the UEFA Cup when they deserved so much more. Having played throughout the bulk of Martin O'Neill's tenure at Celtic, his place will be assured as a player with the other more lauded players during that golden period.

As a reflection of his importance to the team and the club, he was made captain of the side in 2005, a well-earned accolade.

He did state that if we had achieved going through the group stages in the Champions League then that would count for more than the UEFA Cup Final (something the Huns liked to bring up when they achieved the feat first), and in 2006 his face was fully of joy as the interviewer informed him that we had qualified to the knock-out stages after defeating Man U 1-0. There are few other players for whom you could have felt as happy for.

As happens too often, Lennon stayed a season longer than he probably should have at Celtic. His pace was slowing down making him less effectual in his position, and in turn he became too easy a target for the moaners (they need a target to keep them occupied). Nevertheless, he captained the side to the league title for the second year in a row and he never gave less than his all.

At his last game for the club (as a player) he gave a farewell thank you speech. However, the traveling Aberdeen fans were giving him lip throughout his speech, and so he politely requested for the "sheep shaggers" to be quiet for a minute. All in jest, and in fairness the Aberdeen fans didn't take the hump! Controversial to the end our Lenny!!! (and we love him for it). Extra sadness on his departure at seeing another link from the "Road to Seville" on his way.

Controversy - whilst as a playerO'Neill shows his support fro Lennon
So what exactly was the issue with Lennon for many people out-with of Celtic? The simple answer is that he was a Roman Catholic Irish man who studied at St.Micheal's Grammar school, was raised in Northern Ireland, and then chose to sign for Celtic. Myths, lies and propaganda then were fabricated about him by the Huns and other in-bred fans from other Scottish clubs to supposedly justify (sic!) their barracking of him. Whole spates of non-incidents followed him as most people seemed to form delusions to try to convince themselves that Lennon was a bigot (not that he ever did or say anything bigoted to supposedly demonstrate that he was).

Notable was his departure from the N Ireland squad. He had to endure abuse at Windsor Park for having signed for Celtic - death threats were made against him and his family by Loyalist terrorists - and it led to his decision to have to prematurely end his international career. On choosing a political football XI, Simon Kuper (a respected international football journalist) chose Neil Lennon to be represented in the side due to the Northern Ireland incidents. Bigots had beaten him in in Ulster, but they weren't to defeat him in Scotland, yet they still made his life difficult and it was a challenge.

Bigoted abuse was relentless against Lennon, clearly showing that there were still many in Scotland who were stuck in the cesspits of the 17th Century. One episode happened at the end of a game against Rangers, where Neil Lennon went up to the Rangers fans and made a mock sign of smoking a cigar (you can take from what you want). What did they claim? They claimed that he spat at them (!) and that he made sectarian remarks. A set of Huns even got out a lip reader to try and "prove" this (they couldn't) and how someone was supposed to hear and witness him supposedly from so far away is not possible, and it just shows the low levels the Huns were willing to go to try to blacken Lennon's name. It was all a bizarre fantasy in their heads and it was all just a disgrace.

The whole bigotry against Lennon matter came to a head in November 2004, when after a torrid time in another game against Rangers, Martin O'Neill defiantly took Lennon back onto the pitch, and he went to the Celtic support to show his support and backing after Lennon had endured an afternoon of "racial and sectarian abuse". Papers wrote full write-ups on the events, and Graham Speirs (a respected journalist) later noted in a book he wrote that this shook David Murray (Hun's chairman) to act more decisively on the issue in fear of UEFA repercussions. The way that Martin O'Neill handled it was brave and deserving of respect, and both he and Neil Lennon had become reluctant heroes in this respect.

In all honesty, Neil Lennon was no angel. In one incident at the end of a match, he even ended up in a spat with fellow team mate Aiden McGeady! It was more handbags at ten paces but was a ridiculous spectacle. The problem was that he was just an over emotional guy. In a frank admission, he admitted later to having had serious problems with depression, but he has had the strength to speak about it publicly and hopefully other footballers can learn from his experiences. In any case, even when Lennon did go awry it was never offensive let alone sectarian.

In years to come Lennon's time at Celtic will be seen as an important point in the whole divide issue. Celtic have always been an open club - though not denying a handful of events that have gone against our ethos over the years - and Neil Lennon's treatment by other Scottish clubs' fans really showed that the country have many who are deaf, dumb or blind to reality, and this was notable even amongst various pockets of people who weren't just Rangers fans. Lennon stuck through it all and we stuck by him. That more than anything else is a real measure of success of Lennon's time as a player at Celtic.

We wish that it would have been possible to have just been able to talk about his performances on the pitch. However, when the next player comes from a similar background to Lennon's and he does not have to go through what Neil Lennon went through, then it will be time to happily reflect on the real victory for the Celtic ethos and on Lennon's part in this change.

However, matters were to get even worse when he became our manager with the bigots going into overdrive, with the press heavily pandering to them. Absolute disgrace.

Celtic Coach & ManagerLennon, Neil - Pic
In 2008, following Tommy Burn's stepping down due to illness, Neil Lennon was appointed to the Coaching Staff (under Gordon Strachan), and very welcome he was too. It was a successful move as we won the league in incredible nail-biting style, but the next season was a disaster and Gordon Strachan left at the end of it all.

In March 2010, he was appointed as the interim manager after Tony Mowbray was sacked after a long line of failings on the pitch. It was a turnaround for Lennon. Despite being said to be a popular coach amongst the players, stories abounded on the forums of some poor treatment and sidelining by the Tony Mowbray & Peter Grant regime, which didn't go well with the general support. The whole story isn't fully known to be fair to Mowbray & Grant, but the stories helped to fuel Lennon's popularity with the aggrieved support.

Anyhow, now in charge temporarily the question is how he was to handle the transition. A brave start with some good wins turned things, only to see it crash as we were knocked out by lowly Ross County in the Scottish Cup. It was embarrassing, and the players had let Lennon down. The result wasn't his fault, and the damage from previous regime was beginning to destroy things. He let the players clearly know his feelings:

“See projects? Forget it. I’m sick of hearing it. I’m sick of hearing about two- and three-year plans. I don’t buy into it. It’s about now. You don’t have time as a Celtic or Rangers manager. Projects are something my daughter does at school. I’m a football man, only interested in results, performances and players. I don’t care about two years’ time. I might not bloody be here.”


On 9 June 2010, Neil Lennon was confirmed as the manager of Celtic. In truth, there wasn't a long list of candidates for the job. Scottish Football was at a low and the club could neither afford or entice a big name manager from England or the Continent to come on board. However, that is no slight on Lennon. A good spell in charge meant he was a fair choice, but in truth there was a large degree of scepticism taking in account his short experience in coaching and lack of prep for management.

<b>2010-11</b>
However, in his first full season in charge Lennon would galvanise the support by producing an entertaining and winning team. The campaign took a while to get going and after early disappointments in Europe the team took a little while to gel. But his signings - particularly Izaguirre, Hooper, Ledley and Kayal - were on the whole superb acquisitions and by the start of the new year the Bhoys were in impressive form.

Ultimately though the season will forever be overshadowed by the shocking treatment of Lennon by some sick sections of Scottish society. Bullets, death threats, bombs and assaults would all ensure Lenny was never far from the front page.

Sadly, although there were a few examples of excellent reporting of the issues at hand, some in the media were far from innocent in this whole shameful saga. Ever eager to vilify Lennon, mostly for simply doing his job, some reporters added fuel to the fire. The Celtic manager was regularly and severely criticised for speaking out about referees, and reacting to provocation from the likes of Ally McCoist and El Hadj Diouf. Meanwhile other managers - such as Craig Brown - were all but ignored for behaviour far worse than that displayed by Neil Lennon.

On the pitch Celtic would fall short of claiming the title with Rangers taking another tainted championship. It was hard to take for a team who had played the best football in Scotland and which had frequently dominated the Ibrox side in encounters. But there was some consolation when the Bhoys claimed the Scottish Cup with a 3-0 win over Motherwell at Hampden.


<b>2011-12</b>
Season 2010-11 saw Celtic make considerable progress under Neil Lennon and there is considerable confidence about the season ahead. That confidence was underlined on June 20th 2011 when Lenny was awarded a lucrative new 12 month rolling contract.

If you were to describe the 2011-12 season to anyone for Neil Lennon, then it would be best said that it was a season that no script-writer could necessarily beat. It was an emotional and topsy-turvy season that saw Lennon plumb the depths of despair to rise again and claim the SPL crown for the first time.

Unlike the previous season where Lennon was given the benefit of the doubt as he was a rookie manager and due to the off-field circumstances, there was less leeway this time. Against the Huns who had a rookie manager, we were favourites and many felt we were to cruise it. Things aren’t always as easy as that, and that’s what proved to be the case.

Domestically, after a fair but unconvincing start, we hit a rut which deepened over the coming months. The good form from last season was deserting the team, although injuries weren’t helping. The team were poor to watch and Lennon’s team was clearly not managing tactics well. The Huns despite being bereft of any talent, pulled ahead by an incredible 15pts by end-Nov (albeit playing two games in hand). It was an embarrassment and opinion on Lennon’s judgement and management were at rock bottom. There were few if any apologists, but most importantly the most patient were the board members who stuck by him even though most fans were of the opinion that it was all over for him.

One game stick out the most. First was the 3-3 match with Kilmarnock. The fans were heated over Lennon, and this match was a hoped for respite. Yet by half-time in an abject display we were amazingly 3-0 down! A fight-back led by Stokes and Mulgrew amazingly brought us within a hairs breadth of a victory but 3-3 was a fine and undeserved result. However, the support little celebrated the result, it being more two points dropped. Lennon admitted himself later that at half-time that he though it was all over. It didn’t appear to be an aberration either to many.

As for the press, the Daily Record had nailed it’s colours to the mast early on, and little difference from elsewhere. After wrongly disallowing a fair goal by Wilson in the opening match, they ran a back page story twisting Lennon’s words and making a mountain out of a molehill. The paper was in the wrong and portrayed him out to be a walking timebomb. It was out of order but an early reminder of the underhand agenda that many outwith of the club had against Lennon. An easy target for too many and the support’s backing was vital. There was little better from there on in.

Away from Scotland, in Europe, a disastrous early season saw Celtic out of Europe in the UEFA Cup qualifiers embarrassingly only to be re-instated by UEFA after FC Sion played ineligible players. Despite the reprieve it didn’t help Lennon’s reputation. The criticisms of his being tactically inept were gathering steam having lost against poor opposition.

Things were to change, not rapidly but they did. The league was believed to be over, and without the pressure the players played far better and began an incredible run of wins. At the same time the Huns began to slump and by the time of the match in the Dec game, our victory meant we’d leapfrogged them. Lennon was deserving of the praise having turned the side around! After all the criticism (much from even the Celtic support), he didn’t walk away or make excuses. He galvanised the players and we were now on top. We stayed that way from then on in to take the title.

Back in Europe, we didn’t qualify from our Europa League group. A poor start saw the team re-group and pull some great performances out the hat. It was a good learning curve for all. Lennon we hoped would have picked up a lot.

For Lennon, he was bringing through the players, they were all behind him. The performances were getting better and he was increasingly getting the hand of management. Problematically, he admitted that he didn’t bother with tactics. Naïve and daft comment and if true then it didn’t bode too well, and in the cups this showed, where we lost to Kilmarnock in a poor performance in the league cup final and then lost to Hearts in the Semi-final of the Scottish Cup. For a side that was coasting the league, it was baffling how we’d succumbed so poorly in the cups. We thought we’d win the treble, but Lennon was satisfied with the league at least. However it still brought out concerns over his managerial ability. Why were we still losing crunch games?

Lennon could take a lot from this season. It was also the collapse of Rangers on and off-field that will privately give Lennon the most satisfaction after the league title.

Must add that off-field, matter were as hard as ever. The Huns & Press continued to press Lennon as being some kind of villain. He wasn’t. He was no better or worse than others. It was deflection from the Huns’ predicament. Pathetic.

Additionally, Lennon had to manage after the unexpected death of a lawyer friend who had also been sent a potential exploseive device the previous season. The court case was difficult for Lennon but saw the defendants jailed for their actions. Lennon had to later sack friend and colleague Alan Thompson at the end of the season. A difficult move.

Moving forward, Lennon had to show mettle and tactical nous. His apprenticeship was over. Tactics brought us down previously and we wanted to be ahead on this balance for a change. He’d done well with transfers and we hoped this to continue. The young squad was maturing and needed a hand to take us to the next level.

It was a brave new world with the Huns gone now for Scottish Football. Question for us, how will Lennon adjust to the change with our main rivals gone?