Lennon in a rage at his derby flops

NEIL LENNON tore into his Celtic players after a lifeless display at Ibrox, but the interim manager does not believe yesterday’s derby defeat will cost him the chance of landing the job permanently. There was nothing but pride on the line in this clash, with Celtic having already wrapped up an eighth consecutive title. But goals from James Tavernier and Scott Arfield gave Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side the win and left Lennon fuming. ‘Poor. Very poor,’ he said. ‘Lacked energy and desire. And lacked quality. The hungrier team won today and that’s the biggest criticism I can lay at the players’ feet. We looked flat, like we were just fulfilling the fixture, and that’s obviously not good enough. ‘I had to tell the players, “Whether I’m here or not next year, that performance is just not good enough for a derby”.’ Asked if the display might sway the Celtic hierarchy’s decision on whether he stays this summer, Lennon, who came in when Brendan Rodgers moved to Leicester, replied: ‘I’ve no idea, I wouldn’t have thought so. We have come through a lot of big games recently, meaningful games. I’m not saying this isn’t meaningful, but quarterfinals, semi-finals. We got the title won last weekend and have a cup final to look forward to. Then maybe I will know after that.’ For Gerrard and his Rangers side, this result will renew belief they can halt their rivals’ domination. ‘We should take a lot of belief and confidence from this performance and this result,’ said Gerrard. ‘If you analyse the four derby games, I think we’ve been more than a match. There’s still a target for us which is to try to knock them off their perch.’