MARTIN O’NEILL believes that Neil Lennon was treated harshly by supporters during his final season as Celtic manager.
With the Glasgow club aiming for an unprecedented tenth consecutive title, a disastrous campaign saw the wheels come flying off the team’s bid to win the league and the Parkhead outfit finished the season trophyless.
Lennon was relieved of his duties in February of last year before going on to join Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia – who travel to Old Trafford on Europa League duty on Thursday – a few weeks later.
By the time he left the club Lennon had become a reviled figure amongst a section of the support but O’Neill, who brought the former Northern Ireland internationalist to Parkhead as a player in 2000, was surprised by the treatment Lennon received – and hopes that given time, the 51-year-old will be recognised as a Celtic great.
He said: “Ok, that last year at Celtic, it was difficult. I make no apologies for this here – I am a fan of his, really am.
“Obviously that starts with what he did for me both at Leicester and Celtic and he has gone on and managed Celtic brilliantly.
“I personally thought – and this might upset people – that the criticism he received grew arms and legs so quickly. And I try and think about it now.
“I was watching these things from a distance so I am not privy to absolutely everything at the time but I felt as if the ten in a row became everything, all-consuming.
“And I was surprised… I know social media can do anything it wants these days, and that’s fine, but I was surprised Celtic fans would be against him. And you might tell me that it was only a minority. But the minority grew and grew.
“And I felt for what he had done for the football club both as a player and a manager, I thought it was unfair. Listen, there are different ways at the end of the day – if you don’t win, and ten in a row becomes the holy grail and it doesn’t happen, there are different ways of doing it.
“I just thought it was a bit unfair and that’s from a distance. However, when everything sorts itself out again, I honestly think the Celtic fans will realise he did really well.”
Martin O'Neill was speaking at the launch of William Hill’s newly transformed, state-of-the-art shop on Gordon Street, Glasgow.
