NEIL LENNON has admitted he was mystified at the “terrible” treatment that was directed at Peter Lawwell – even BEFORE the club’s bid for a historic tenth successive title went off the rails.
The former Celtic boss, who ended his second managerial stint at Parkhead in February 2021, defended the former chief executive and Dermot Desmond, the club’s majority shareholder.
There was massive disappointment when a season that promised so much delivered the team’s first trophyless campaign in 11 years, but Lennon insisted some of the criticism was baffling.
HAPPIER DAYS…delighted Neil Lennon holds aloft the 2019 League Cup following the 1-0 triumph over Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox side.
The Irishman, one of only four Celtic bosses to deliver a treble alongside Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers, was astonished at treatment to some individuals even when the Hoops were dominating Scottish football and bringing in a silverware landslide.
Asked about his relationship with Lawwell and Desmond. Lennon, speaking to PLZ, answered: “Brilliant with Dermot and Peter.
“Peter went through the mill, as well. I felt he was treated terrible. It was a real difficult time for Peter, the criticism he was getting.
“Listen, he was getting criticism when we were winning seven and eight and Dermot was getting criticism when we were winning all these trophies – trebles, double trebles, treble trebles, quadruple trebles, a long unbeaten Cup run.
“You get to a point thinking: ‘What more can they do to satisfy people?’.
“I think there was also a lot of anxiety amongst the supporters not being able to go to the games and when you look back on that, when you look at what some of the players went through, as well, it becomes more and more understandable because they’re human beings at the end of the day.”
THAT’S MY BHOY…Peter Lawwell congratulates skipper Scott Brown after Celtic’s seventh successive title in 2018.
One of Lawwell’s last actions in his capacity as CEO was to play a major role in Ange Postecoglou being identified as the successor to Lennon.
While Eddie Howe remained undecided about his next move, it was the outgoing executive who initiated the move for the Greek-Australian who was head coach at Yokohama F Marinos at the time.
Compensation was thrashed out with the J-League club and Postecoglou agreed to become the new Celtic gaffer on June 10 – just 20 days before Lawwell left the club.
He returned as chairman in January and was involved in his THIRTIETH trophy success at the Hoops when they won the League Cup the following month as a double from Kyogo Furuhashi overcame Michael Beale’s Ibrox side at Hampden.
