Celtic manager preparing for lengthy reign
Neil Lennon has had to endure being sent bullets and parcel bombs and, as recently as this week, being attacked on the sidelines of a football pitch by an opposition fan in his first full season as Celtic manager, but has vowed not to let the villains trying to force him away from Scottish football win.
His agent and close friend Martin Reilly said: "It's getting to the stage where he will sit down in the summer with Celtic and the security and go through the whole scenario of what's going on. Obviously, he is a wee bit shaken by what happened - but I don't see them driving him out the door."
"Neil is a very strong character, but it's getting on now. These incidents are coming quite frequently. He's going to have to sit down and have a right good think about it and go from there. But I'm sure, once he gets a taste of some success, it will be a new chapter and he'll just want to get on with it again."
Whether the Northern Irishman gets that first piece of silverware as a boss this weekend remains unclear, as even if his side beat Motherwell on Sunday as expected, they need [1.25] favourites Rangers to drop points at Kilmarnock to claim top spot in the SPL for the first time in three years.
That's been a rarity over the last few years, as the Gers have won 13 and drawn one of their last 14 clashes with Killie, however if you think Celtic will deny Walter Smith his tenth title in his final game in charge of the Ibrox-based giants then odds of [4.9] are offered on the Hoops finishing first.
Neutrals are split as to which fairytale finale they'd prefer: Smith walking into the sunset with his head held high and as a champion once again or Lennon closing one of the most turbulent chapters of his career by clutching a trophy in his hands.
Smith's critics would argue that the anti-football employed in the run to the 2007-08 UEFA Cup Final tarnished his legacy, while Lennon isn't an obvious hero due to his confrontational manner and spats with officials over the course of the campaign, yet both men have contributed to a fascinating title race.
Who would like to see get their happy ending to a wild season? Which team are you backing? Tell us with a comment below...
Published: 13 May 2011
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