HEARTS STOPPER FOR NEW BHOY LEN
Life after Rodgers as Lennon leads Hoops to late Hearts win
SCOTT BROWN insists he has no hard feelings over the Brendan Rodgers bombshell.
And the Celtic captain backed Neil Lennon to take up the challenge and lead the charge towards the club’s historic Treble Treble.
The skipper admits he was stunned at the manager’s shock departure for Leicester but won’t bear a grudge.
The champions took a huge step towards eight titles in a row with last night’s last-gasp 2-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle.
Bhoys winger James Forrest opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a swift counter-attack goal.
Jambos defender Jamie Brandon was shown a straight red by referee Steven Mclean just before the break for his robust challenge on Jeremy Toljan but the home side levelled in the 56th minute with a penalty from half-time substitute Oliver Bozanic.
The 10-man home side battled through the second half to hold off intense Celtic pressure, only to succumb to an added-time winner by substitute Odsonne Edouard to keep them eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the table.
Brown added: “It’s always going to be a shock when a manager leaves a club. But we need to just continue what we’re doing.
“He has left us in a great situation. We’ve won seven trophies out of seven since he came in and now we need to make sure we keep going on for him as well.
“There’s always going to be a lot of stick but for me he was brilliant on a personal level and that’s what really counts. The fans were unbelievable, singing for 90 minutes. Whether it’s Lenny or it was Brendan, they’re always following us.
“It’s never going to be a great time to have a manager leaving but he’s left us in a great place. I spoke to Brendan. I wished him all the best. He’s been unbelievable for me. I was written off this season, the season before, the season before, the season before – I just keep coming back.
“He realised I still had a couple of years left in my legs. It’s been very hard losing a top quality manager. But it’s a top quality manager who has come in.” Lennon spent just one hour with the squad before last night’s dramatic win and Brown was not surprised the man who started the run of seven titles in a row made such an immediate impact.
He said: “The gaffer is very positive. He just wants us to continue and keep doing all the things we’re doing.”
Meanwhile, Ulsterman Lennon has accepted he could be axed by Celtic in three months unless he leads the club to a third successive treble.
The 47-year-old wants to secure the role on a long-term basis but knows his hopes will be up in smoke should he let either of the remaining two major trophies slip.
He said: “I might have to win everything because of the bar being so high. It’s different circumstances to when I came in the last time after Tony Mowbray.
“The club was going through a difficult time as were the players. But this time I’m coming in totally different circumstances. The team’s going well, the club’s flying and I’m coming in from four years away so it will take a bit of adjusting to.”