Neil Lennon hit back at irresponsible journalism after having coins thrown at him by Aberdeen fans last weekend.
The Celtic manager was forced out of Tynecastle last week after hooligans threw coins at him as he tried to watch a League cup semi final.
It seems the Northern Irishman has had enough of ‘chournos’ up and down the country who claim Neil attracts this sort of behaviour because of his touch line temperament.
He said
“I’m not happy with some of the stuff that has come out regarding myself in terms of journalists saying, ‘He attracts it, it’s his controversial, confrontational nature’
“You cannot have people throw coins at you when you are sitting there trying to do your job. And yet some people in the back of their minds think it’s my fault. Why this happens, I don’t know.
“‘He brings it on himself.’ In what way? Do I go down the street looking for it? Anyone who knows me away from football knows the type of person that I am.”
Lennon has dealt with unimaginable abuse since coming to Celtic, from death threats to being attacked on the street. To suggest he brings any of this on himself is mindless.
People decide to hate him, they feel they are justified in hating him so it’ then Neil’s fault when they attack him? What planet are these people on?
The manager has called for more action on incidents involving himself as condemnation is not enough –
“I don’t think the condemnation is enough. Sometimes I get the feeling that, ‘It’s Lenny, he can take it, he’s a stand-up guy, he’s a street-fighting man’. All that crap. I’m fed up with it.
“I don’t go street fighting. I look after myself and my friends and family. I live my life as quietly as I can away from football but I’m in the public eye.
“But a lot of the stuff has been almost life threatening and the condemnation has been nowhere near enough.”
Despite everything that he been put through since coming to Celtic, Neil still enjoys being the Celtic boss and isn’t thinking about quitting Scotland.
“I love being the manager of Celtic. It’s a privilege, an absolute honour, I don’t want to give it up because I worked very hard to be in the position I’m in.
“Being the manager of Celtic, there are only 17 other people who have done it, and that means a lot to me.”
