You boys are in trouble

It has been observed more than once that Neil Lennon seems to act as a magnet for trouble. A combative player, easily distinguished by his red hair, he frequently drew the ire of opposing fans because of his desire for the ball and his no-nonsense manner of getting it.


One fact, though, is starkly clear. Whatever reaction he prompted while playing for Crewe Alexandra, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest and Wycombe Wanderers, it remained within the normal bounds for a professional footballer.

Only when playing for Celtic between 2000 and 2007 and during the year he has spent at Parkhead as manager, has he been the object of persistent menacing attention, sometimes brutal and now – it seems from the discovery of a nail bomb addressed to him – potentially fatal.

The combination of Lennon's background as a Roman Catholic from Lurgan in Northern Ireland and the frequently dysfunctional politics of the province – plus the spillover of persistent sectarian attitudes into some areas of the west of Scotland – has made him a hate figure for bigots.




He was not a target for the Loyalist section of the Northern Ireland support until he moved, with his fellow countryman and co-religionist, Martin O'Neill, to Celtic.

The abuse from the crowd began soon afterwards, followed by death threats, via phone calls and on graffiti near his home. Lennon, captain of Northern Ireland, quit international football.



That decision largely dispelled the fear that he would be beyond protection when playing at Windsor Park, but even in Glasgow he was twice assaulted, once after two students attacked his car, and once in the street near his home.



Lennon, though, has repeatedly said that he loves Glasgow and, as a near neighbour of mine, I can testify that he is very fond of life in the city's cosmopolitan west end and is frequently seen in its bars, cafes and restaurants – although his activities have been curtailed greatly in recent weeks, for obvious reasons.



He told me this week that he was coping with this latest incident as he has coped with all the previous threats – such as live bullets sent from Northern Ireland or lurid pictures of him riddled with bullets or swinging from a gallows, that have been posted by the twisted minds who use the internet for their purposes.



A man who has suffered from depression and written candidly and movingly about his struggle with the illness, Lennon is an intelligent, grounded individual who is not inclined to be dislodged from his home – where he lives with his partner, Irene, and five-year-old son, Gallacher – or a job that he greatly enjoys.



There must now be a question, however, about how long anyone can put up with the wearisome business of perpetual vigilance and the need to report to his security minders if he wants to dine out or even take a walk amongst the elegant Victorian villas in the leafy streets around his home.
In the meantime, though, he has Celtic on course for a possible Scottish league and cup double.



But will that be the start of a glittering managerial career – or will he decide that they constitute his legacy to Celtic and Glasgow? The answer may not be unresolved for long.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...gotry-that-has-culminated-in-parcel-bomb.html

 

He encroached on the field of play (while a game was being played) for starters, that's the first rule broken. He then broke the rules further with his tanking of the water bottles. It's not rocket science.

 

He should hang for that.

 

No, but he should (as every other manager would) be hauled up in front of the SFA beaks, for his behaviour.

Yes or No?

 

Had Walter Smith broke the rules as Lennon did last night and no action was taken against him, we all know that the usual "hotlines" would be in meltdown with cries of "Establishment SFA" etc, so why are Celtic fans not querying the lack of action against Lennon?

After all, you bhoys were all for this perceived "level playing field" in Scottish football.

 

For kicking a bottle?

I can show you worse behaviour by a manager which went unpunished, can you guess who?

The fact is the people at the SFA seem to actually be getting some sense knocked into them for once, they are not going to encourage witch hunts by people who don't like Lennon for one reason or another, last week it was cupping his ears, this week a water bottle, what's next, jumping up and down in a celebratory manner?

 

Wait a minute, Dev, this is the here and now, not some vintage Walter.

I'm not interested in "whitabootery", I want to see the rules followed NOW.

Lennon broke clear SFA rules last night so I want to see action taken. Like I said above, had it been Walter conducting himself like that last night but finding himself getting away with it, then the "usual suspects" from Celtic Football Club would've been going tonto.

Afterall, a level playing field is what we all want, isn't it?

 

What rules? Encroaching on to the field of play for, what, a second, maybe two at a push in the 94th minute of a game when the ball was fifty yards away? Is it really that big a deal? Or what else has he done that's so dreadful that he's 'got away with'?

Of course it's not a big deal and there's only a few reasons why you would think it is. One, you just blindly hate Neil Lennon and have no sense of proportion whatsoever or two, you're a delicate flower who gets upset by the scary ginger man. Either way, it's pretty pathetic.

As for 'people in general' and what they think, they don't give a flying ****. About football, about the old firm and about Neil Lennon. 'People in general' are at most only vaguely aware of who Neil Lennon is, my missus certainly doesn't know who he is and she lives with me, a celtic fan. I'd guess that far more people know about him as a result of the threats he's received recently than any of his 'heinous' touchline crimes. Which puts it all in perspective, don't you think?

 

What punishment would be apt? A fine? £2.50 would be about the going rate.