We’re NOT amateurs We’re NOT unprofessional And finishing fourth is NOT unacceptable
Bartley hits back at Lennon’s derby blast
MARVIN BARTLEY has hit back at Hibs boss Neil Lennon and insisted he had no right to label the players “unprofessional” and “amateur” after their midweek derby defeat.
A furious Lennon revealed he was considering his position in the aftermath of the 2-1 loss to Hearts which ended his side’s hopes of finishing second.
The Easter Road gaffer then failed to show up at the training ground yesterday to speak to the media ahead of tomorrow’s final game against Rangers.
He slept in due to a viral illness and assistant Garry Parker put the first-team squad through their paces instead.
The players haven’t seen their gaffer since Wednesday night when he ripped into them.
Lennon claimed finishing fourth – which will happen unless Hibs beat Gers 6-0 – was “unacceptable”.
But midfielder Bartley thinks otherwise and claims the players deserve more credit for what they have achieved in the club’s first campaign since promotion.
He said: “We are a very professional group.
“I have been in changing rooms that are not so.
“So it is disappointing to be branded as unprofessional and amateur because we are not that, we are a good group.
“Sometimes we’ll perform well and sometimes we won’t. We’ll win games and lose games.
“I don’t think an amateur group or an unprofessional group could beat Celtic or go to Ibrox and beat Rangers, go up to Aberdeen and draw. We’ll get on with it.
“I haven’t seen the manager. We trained today but I haven’t seen the gaffer since I left the team hotel on Wednesday.
“We can’t do anything about that (Lennon’s comments). The manager is his own man.
“If that’s the route he wants to go down and the decision he wants to make, it’s down to him.”
Hibs need just one more point to set their highest top-flight total in a season.
A fourth-placed finish will also be enough to secure a Europa League place if Celtic beat Motherwell in the Cup Final.
And Bartley believes that would be some achievement for the Hibees, considering they have just come up from Scotland’s second tier.
When asked about Lennon’s claim fourth place would be unacceptable the 31-year-old said: “You would have to ask the gaffer what he meant by that.
“Maybe he had a different position he wanted us to finish in. A lot of things are said in the heat of the moment after a match. It was a disappointing performance, we have lost to our arch rivals and emotions are running high.
“Sometimes you say things you maybe don’t mean but only he can answer that question. “The mood was flat straight after the game.
“The lads were disappointed to lose. We are like that with any game but especially that one.
“We’re now looking forward to Sunday’s match.
“As players we need to get on with our job because we have a game with Rangers.
“The most important thing is trying to break the points total because third looks beyond us.
“As players we were quietly confident about what we could do so I wouldn’t say we have exceeded expectations.
“Top four was what we were really aiming for, without coming out and saying that.
“We can walk away at the end of the season with our heads held high. We’re fourth in the league
and have just been promoted from the Championship. So people need to look at that.
“We still have a chance of Europe if Celtic win the Cup but it would be a productive season with or without that.
“The lads have done very well. It would be nice to set a new points total but even if we don’t we can still look back on this season with a lot more positives than negatives.
“When you consider it took us a few years to get out of the Championship, we’ve now come back up to the Premiership and finished inside the top four.
“I don’t think too many people can look at that and think it’s a disappointing season.”
Even Lennon might change his mind if the Hibees can thump Gers 6-0 to pinch third but Bartley isn’t holding out much hope of that.
He said: “Can we win 6-0? Can I score? Listen we’re just going to try and win and what will be will be. Stranger things have happened – but not many stranger things.
“We’ll give it our all and try to put on a performance for the fans who have backed us all season.
“There will be a sell-out crowd so we’ll try to set that points total and win the game.”
Hibs will wear a special commemorative logo on the back of their jerseys tomorrow to mark the Hibernian Community Foundation’s 10-year anniversary.
The logo will feature under the squad number on each home top and they will be auctioned off after the match to raise funds for the Foundation.
I don’t think an amateur group could beat Celtic or get a win at Ibrox MARVIN BARTLEY