Lennon lets fly
Under-fire Celtic boss blasts TV pundit over Dubai ‘jolly’ claim
UNDER-FIRE Celtic manager Neil Lennon has called for former Hoops striker and media pundit Andy Walker to apologise for his assessment of the club’s controversial trip to Dubai.
Lurgan-man Lennon is clinging on to his job at Parkhead with struggling Celtic a huge 21 points behind bitter rivals Rangers in the title race.
Ex high-profile players Chris Sutton and John Hartson have both called for his head.
Lennon, a former Northern Ireland international, has missed Celtic’s last two league games — home draws against Hibernian and Livingston — after being sent into self isolation following the club’s mid-season training camp.
Lennon, assistant John Kennedy and 13 players had to self-isolate after Christopher Jullien tested positive for Covid-19, and chief executive Peter Lawwell subsequently admitted the trip was “a mistake” and apologised to Hoops fans.
Former Celtic striker Walker, speaking in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports, criticised the club for “dismal governance” over the trip, which he labelled “a jolly”.
Ahead of tomorrow night’s trip to Livingston, a furious Lennon, who confirmed that one Celtic player who had been self-isolating had tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, turned on Walker.
He said: “You can’t go on a public platform and spread lies and insults about my professionalism, my players’ professionalism.
“About 70-80 per cent of the group are teetotal and you know the inference and innuendo that he is making. It is not a stag do, it isn’t an ‘18-30’ even though it has been portrayed like that.
“We went out there with the best intentions. I want Andy to apologise because he was demanding apologies from the club. I want an apology from Andy because he has questioned my professional integrity, my players’ professional integrity and the use of the word ‘jolly’ is crass and arrogant.
“He accused the club of being arrogant last week. We weren’t.
“Does he speak for the Celtic support? Is he all of a sudden the man of the people?
“Andy’s been in the game here for 20, 30 years, he has made no contribution to Celtic whatsoever.
“He stood up there as if he is a Celtic legend and a stalwart of the club, putting the boot into me, the club and everybody else. He is totally out of order.”
Sky declined to comment when contacted last night.
NEIL Lennon confirmed another Celtic player has tested positive for Covid-19 as he angrily hit back at criticism of the club’s controversial trip to Dubai.
The Parkhead boss missed the 1-1 draw against Hibernian and the goalless draw with Livingston as he was self-isolating following the mid-season training camp.
Lennon, assistant John Kennedy, another member of staff and 13 players had to isolate after Christopher Jullien tested positive for coronavirus, and subsequently chief executive Peter Lawwell admitted the trip was “a mistake” as he apologised to Hoops fans.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned whether the trip was essential and revealed doubts “based on some pictures I’ve seen whether adherence to bubble rules was strict enough”.
The pictures showed members of the Celtic squad not distancing or wearing face coverings.
Ahead of tomorrow night’s trip to Livingston, Lennon responded to a question about his time self-isolating by saying: “It has been interesting watching the fall-outs, the media and the attacks on the club.”
He then said: “Another player has been deemed positive, it is someone who is self-isolating. The whole squad is negative bar two players.
“I think that is remarkable and blows out the water the way the trip has been portrayed in certain quarters of the media, by certain pundits and by certain government officials as well. We did not abuse any ‘privilege’, we did the right things, we were totally professional.
“We had a little drink in the afternoon on the day off, completely allowed, no law breaking.
“Yet now we come back to this barrage of absolute hypocrisy.”
The former Celtic captain continued: “It shouldn’t have been Peter who apologised to our supporters, it should have been me, it was my decision, with the best intentions for the second half of the season.
“Unfortunately it has not worked out that way. I think the fallout from this is way too much and a bit of bullying going on.
“We have been held to a far higher standard than any other club. There seems to be some sort of agenda being driven here.
“It seems political, in my opinion. I am not getting into a fight with the government but I will just leave it out there.
“My apology is to the fans because 13 players and three staff had to isolate for 10 days, which is ludicrous. But I am not apologising for anything else, I am not apologising for going out there and training for a week.
“I am not apologising for the players having a day off.”
With a nod to the Scotland squad being filmed dancing a conga last November after they had qualified for the Euro 2020 with a penalty shoot-out win over Serbia, Lennon continued his passionate defence of his club, who are 21 points behind Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership with three games in hand.
He said: “We were in our bubbles. The players were in a bar, they weren’t on top of one another.
“We were outside, in our bubble, having a beer for half an hour. This has been made out to be something that it is not.
“We weren’t doing a 20-man conga which is lauded by all and sundry because Scotland qualified for the Euros.
“Our players weren’t behaving like that at all.
“Like I said, 80 per cent of them are teetotal, and for anyone to call it a jolly is totally disrespectful.
“There is nothing wrong with the photographs, we weren’t hiding anything, we were there on our day off, having travelled through the night. We had some downtime, as it was impossible to train.
“This has been a stick to beat us with — these photographs — and it is completely preposterous.”
Lennon also questioned the coronavirus protocols in Scottish football.
He said: “We had to bus six people on two buses against Hibs. That hasn’t been going on all season.
“We have been going to away grounds where we are crammed in like sardines, like Boxing Day at Hamilton. St Johnstone, all crammed in.
“There is no social distancing. So protocols at different clubs are inconsistent. But as soon as Celtic are deemed to have done something wrong, bang, you all want blood. It is absolutely scandalous.”