Jullien jumps to defence of bruised boss
CHRISTOPHER JULLIEN last night claimed the Celtic dressing room remains 100 per cent behind under-fire Neil Lennon. Calls for the manager’s sacking increased after a 4-1 pounding by Sparta Prague saw the Scottish champions crash out of the Europa League with two games to spare. The ailing Parkhead outfit are currently on a grim run of two wins in nine matches and trail Rangers by 11 points in the SPFL Scottish Premiership. But defender Jullien (right) still feels Lennon is the right man to turn things around and hopes the board continue to back his beleaguered boss.
‘I have no worries about the manager,’ said the Frenchman. ‘I believe in him 100 per cent. It was a bad game but we still have belief in each other and in the coaching staff ‘He’s a great coach. He has been unbelievable since I arrived at the club.
‘He has done great work here before — and he will do it again. ‘I know there have not been the results on the field but we just need to look out for each other. ‘We have to erase the mistakes and work hard for each other.
‘If we do that, we can get back to the way we were.
‘It was definitely a bad night and it’s the end of the Europa League.
‘But there are some big matches ahead and a lot to play for — and the manager has 100-per-cent support from the players.’ Lennon believes that his Celtic players are suffering from psychological and confidence issues. His side have now lost a whopping 21 goals in nine matches but Jullien believes they can bounce back.
‘Mentally, we might have had a slump or something like that, but it’s just something we have to work on,’ he said. ‘We have to trust and believe in each other to get back to what we were doing last year when we were great.
‘We still want to win every game but there is just something missing.
‘I’m going to treat these times like a lesson. I think all the team are going to learn and work hard in training to get back to what we believe to be the great team we were — and we are going to be again. ‘We have to stay positive because we know we have the talented players to do a beautiful thing here.’