It wasn’t my fault!
That’s all we hear when Neil Lennon takes part in a radio show or a newspaper Q&A. The former Celtic manager refuses to take any sort of responsibility for the disaster that was last season.
Instead of letting sleeping dogs lie, he continues to come out time and time again with more stuff to try to prove it wasn’t his doing.
We know perfectly well everyone had their part to play in last season’s debacle – there’s no one man responsible but Neil Lennon played his part. The Irishman continues to pan his former players while keeping his name in the media.
RecordSport delivered some of the things Neil has said about players and the team since leaving the club.
From panning individuals to going after Angeball.
On Griffiths.
He said: “We had gone from before the lockdown rampant, gone on to win another treble. Then when the boys came back from the three-month break, a lot had changed in their mindset in terms of some of them wanted to move on. Which I got.
“Some of them had reached the top of the mountain and were looking at other mountains to go and try their careers somewhere else. Which was understandable. But it creates a little bit of disaffection and tension within the group at times as well, and there was some of that at times – there’s no question of that.
“There was a few and it doesn’t need me to say it. It was pretty self-evident in their performances. You’re hoping they’ll come round once the window shut. To be fair the window went on until October as well, so it was a long protracted window, and you’re hoping ‘right, come on, find your rhythm, find your form’. But it never materialised really.”
Edouard
He said: “He was of his mindset with his representatives that a move was in the offing. When the pandemic came he had scored 27 goals up to March and he was sought after. Then the pandemic came and everyone is checking their budgets.
“You could tell in the preseason when he went to France that his body language wasn’t with us.
“He was of his mindset with his representatives that a move was in the offing. When the pandemic came he had scored 27 goals up to March and he was sought after. Then the pandemic came and everyone is checking their budgets.
“We had one bid for Odsonne in the summer last year but it was nowhere near the valuation of the player.
“I said after the Ferencvaros game that there were a few players wanting to leave the club.”
Europa League defeat
“Are the players good enough to adapt to the way Ange wants to play? On the evidence of tonight you have to say no.
“They are losing too many games at the minute. I would be really reluctant to criticise the manager. There is a rebuilding job here.
“A new back five, injuries, I get all that, but the players they have brought in shouldn’t be losing all of their away games domestically and getting hammered here will damage them psychologically.”
Dragged down
“You could see it pre-season, the body language, they weren’t with us. You could smell it.
“Some players were, I wouldn’t say feigning injury, but they could have played and didn’t.
“This eats into the dressing room.
“You’ve got great pros like Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, unbelievably successful, being dragged down by guys who don’t want to be there.”
Neil wants another managerial role and to do so he must convince people he didn’t help leave Celtic in a mess. That’s a hard thing to do considering what went on last season. Publicly berating the players under his watch to flying the team out to Dubai [at all costs] in what would be the final nail in our coffin.
Take some responsibility Neil, and have the humility not to pass judgement on a team or manager who are trying to rebuild after last term.
What he’s saying is that as a manager, he has zero influence on the players – so completely innefectual…..
Players wants to leave, but we’re not getting enough money, so keep them as an under performing, disruptive influence, feining injury and eating into the morale and cohesion of the squad – and he got paid how much to do this…..
When what actually was the case is he was a huge negative influence.
Everyone else’s fault as usual. He knew the problems but was unable to grasp the nettle and deal with or resolve them. Does not say much for his managerial, man management skills. That’s what he was paid to do and failed miserably, he should have left after Ferencvaros.