Out of order Lenny

[ian1964 10,416]

PETER LAWWELL invited me into his office when Celtic were looking for a new manager.

 

"What do you think, big man?" he asked.

 

"Easy," I said. "There's only one man for the job â?? Neil Lennon."

 

I could have given him a dozen names but for me Lenny deserved a crack at it.

 

And when he was appointed as Tony Mowbray's successor I couldn't have been happier.

 

Since that day I've virtually done nothing but back him.

 

Despite some appalling defeats at home and abroad, I refused to stick the boot in â?? even when it would have been the EASY thing to do.

 

But did he pick up the phone to thank me? No, not once.

 

Instead Neil had a derogatory pop at me earlier this week â?? after the ONE time I asked the questions which thousands of Celtic fans were asking.

 

And for me that's just not on.

 

I'm not in this column-writing business for any thanks or special praise. That's not why I do it.

 

The truth is I've NOT been lucky enough to be handed a good living by the club I used to play for.

 

So this is my job. This is what helps pay the bills.

 

If Neil hadn't been in the right place at the right time and not now be manager of Celtic, then it could easily be him writing in these pages.

 

But while it's me writing for you, I intend to be as honest and forthright about the game as I was when I played it.

 

That's the way I've been since the day I accepted the offer from SunSport.

 

I know I might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's been four years now so I must be doing something right.

 

I just found it hard to take when Neil had a go at me for putting across my views.

 

I wrote a 900-word piece earlier this week which had people sitting up to take notice.

 

I asked questions of Neil and his team on the back of Celtic's Old Firm defeat to Rangers.

 

It was so thought provoking even a reporter from another newspaper asked Neil about it ahead of the cup game with Ross County. His response? "Yeah," Neil said "He'd know what he's talking about, wouldn't he."

 

Frankly I deserve a bit more respect than that.

 

This is a guy I sat beside for five years. A guy I like, respect, admire and actually get on with. I consider him a good friend.

 

But on this occasion, I'm sorry, he's totally out of order.

 

He should realise he doesn't have a bigger supporter in the game than me.

 

I've been right by his side through thick and thin, never once having a dig at him when others were quick off the mark.

 

And if he read closely what was written in Tuesday's paper, he'd see I was only talking about things HE later admitted himself.

 

The fact is I was writing on behalf of the Celtic supporters who don't have the platform I do to air their views.

 

They wanted to know why Georgios Samaras was picked for the Old Firm game and not Anthony Stokes â?? so I asked the question.

 

They wanted to know why Charlie Mulgrew was given a game in midfield and not Joe Ledley â?? so I asked the question.

 

They wanted answers on the pitiful performances of Glenn Loovens and Badr El Kaddouri â?? so, again, I asked the question.

 

And on Tuesday night I was able to get my head down and enjoy a perfectly good sleep.

 

If you've not noticed by now, I call it as I see it when I write for The Scottish Sun.

 

I've not slated Neil in the past because, in all honesty, I didn't think that he deserved it.

 

Others have but I've always given him the benefit of the doubt.

 

But he couldn't have expected me to sit back and say nothing after the way things went at Ibrox. That just wouldn't have been right. I owe it to myself, my sports editor and my readers to give an honest assessment on what took place. And that's all I did.

 

I'm not naive enough to think everyone is going to agree with my point of view.

 

But Neil can't expect it to be all sweetness and light.

 

He's had more than enough support from the people around him, with the club's fans uniting behind him through all the off-the-field stuff last season.

 

All that can't have been easy to deal with, but that doesn't mean he can't be questioned when his team fall WAY short of what's required.

 

Celtic were far too tame at Ibrox, they stood off Rangers and let their manager down.

 

Things I wrote on Tuesday.

 

But the buck stops with the guy who picks the team, whether I point it out or not.

 

Listen, I'm not one for falling out with people and the last thing I want to do is create a divide with Neil over this.

 

I'm only a Celtic supporter, he's the manager at the club at the end of the day.

 

But while it's okay for him to stick two fingers up at his critics when his team are winning, it's unfair to do it when they've just chucked away three massive points against their biggest rivals.

 

Neil knows that as well as I do. At least he should.

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3833406/Hartson-Dig-at-me-was-out-of-order.html#ixzz1Yr3TVqyc

[Danny 0]

So even die hard timmies are starting to turn on Lennon. What a nice man he is.

[Guest Dutchy]

I read that earlier, and I'm of the opinion that lemon should be banned for football, on the basis of stupidity, lol.

[stewarty 1,876]

Excellent stuff. First we had this nonsense over whether Commons was fit, or not. Now we have Lenny having a pop at his mate for saying what seems obvious, and what a number of other folk are thinking/said. The Timplosion continues!

[Super_Ally 0]

Was this Hartson?

 

Calls it as he sees it my arse.

[Guest Dutchy]

Was this Hartson?

 

Calls it as he sees it my arse.

 

Yes, it was Hartson, read it and laugh ha ha ha.

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3833406/Hartson-Dig-at-me-was-out-of-order.html

[GovanAllan 0]

Oh irony all those IRA songs you had to sing to get loved you big bawbag, Ha Ha.

[calscot 0]

Hartson gets PAID to write that narcissistic, whinging drivel?

[Danny 0]

It is kind of ironic that instead of having a quiet word with his good friend, he instead splashes his backstabbing opinion slagging him off all over the biggest paper in the country.

 

Hate Lennon or not, that's not what a supposed friend does.