STAND BY US!
Lawwell in plea for fans to keep faith with Lennon
CELTIC l ast night begged disgruntled supporters to throw their weight behind besieged manager Neil Lennon.
The Parkhead board defied angry demands from fans to take action after Sunday’s Betfred Cup exit to Ross County.
Three police officers were left seeking treatment for injuries as mob violence erupted outside of Celtic Park after that 2-0 defeat.
Despite a run of just two wins in ten games, however, Lennon is still in charge for tomorrow night’s Europa League clash with AC Milan.
And, in a statement last night, chief executive Peter Lawwell called for ‘strength in adversity’, saying: ‘Like all those with Celtic’s best interests at heart, everyone at the club is feeling the same hurt, disappointment and frustration following the team’s recent results. We are accustomed to winning
and, of course, our objective will always be for that to continue. There is no complacency whatsoever. ‘Neil, the players and backroom staff, who have already done so much for the club, share in all of that. They have never been more determined to succeed. Having enjoyed such sustained, unprecedented success, we now need strength in adversity.’ The statement brought criticism on social media from supporters who think a change of manager is overdue. Insisting the Celtic board are listening to the collective demands of season-ticket holders yet to see a game inside Parkhead this season, Lawwell added: ‘We know many Celtic supporters share very honest and real concerns and they are being heard by the club. ‘Every decision taken, both on and off the park, is with the club’s best interests at heart. This is not about any individual, but about Celtic Football Club as a collective. ‘Together, we have faced unique difficulties in the early part of the season. While some of these were beyond our control, of course we recognise we must improve. There is a long way to go and everyone at the club is ready for the challenge. ‘Later this month, Celtic will attempt what no other club in the world has achieved — a quadruple treble in domestic competitions. ‘We can best prepare for that and for our other remaining competitions this season by moving forward together, with the sole aim of achieving continued success for the club.’ Skipper Scott Brown added his voice to those appealing to fans for calm after management and players were left shaken by violence as they left the stadium in a convoy on Sunday. Asked for his message to fans, Brown told Celtic TV: ‘Stick with us through thick and thin. We will sort this and get back to winning ways. ‘The manager is a winner. He drums that into us every day in training. He wants you to win no matter what. He drove that into us last season but it just doesn’t seem to be clicking at the back or in the middle or up front at the moment. So for us it’s a bit disappointing because he has put so much faith in us. ‘He has worked extremely hard, him and his backroom staff. They are feeling the disappointment as well because the gaffer is a huge Celtic fan. Even when he was away from this club, he was texting me to make sure we won titles. That shows how much it means to him. ‘We need to bounce back. We need to make sure we start getting performances and start defending as a team as well. ‘We know we can all do better. It’s about the lads on the park, we need to work harder for the manager and get this club back to where we should be. ‘We believe in the manager and the players. Everyone is together and we need to start getting results and start doing that extremely quickly.’