I was doing some trawling and some Googling on the subject of Neil Lennon and I stumbled upon the Hearts KicKback Forum. By and large the Hearts fans don't seem to care to much for Neil (Surprise surprise) but what really took me back was the second comment here, one of the most honest (and in my opinion, accurate) assessments of just why Neil Lennon has been demonised by the Media. I don't consider myself a liberal or a moderate but I do consider myself to be fair-minded and objective when I want to be and I certainly don't "hate" anyone, far less people whom i've never met. There are celebrities who I "don't like" and I fully realise that my opinions of these people are based upon what I have read or seen reported in the Media. One such example being that silicone- titted mess Jordan (aka Katie Price), Ian Brown is another who I could add to the list. A faux hardman whose voice and sneering attitude rip my knitting out. But here's the thing, I don't spend every waking hour posting my opinions of them on public forums. I don't "hate" them and my life does not revolve around talking about what they may or may not have done. Similarly I would not wish them any harm because when all is said and done, even though I don't like them, I DON'T KNOW THEM. As an example of the sort of slack-jawed yokelry one has come to expect, digest this first post by some random Jambo halfwit. (incidentally, thse comments were posted the day after he was "not assaulted" at Tynecastle) Neil Lennon secretly loves all this Iâm sure. Infact it would not surprise me if he is sending himself packages in the post. He is a vile little man who loves his victim tag. If he hated it all so much he would leave Celtic and go home. But he loves it all. If people wanted him dead â heâd be dead â this is a fact. He is a self publicist who loves the sympathy and equally loves being the pantomime villain. He brings everything and I mean everything upon himself and deserves everything he gets. He has no integrity, professionalism or respect as a player and now as a manager. There is no smoke without fire and Lennon was hated long before his days at Celtic. Itâs nothing to do with him being ginger, a catholic or the fact he plays for Celtic. It is all to do with the fact that he is a repugnant little rodent. Iâve seen his sort all my life. We all had a Neil Lennon in our class at school. You know â the wee kid who looked for trouble, then when it comes he cowers into the corner. I am sure he takes great satisfaction from last night and Iâm sure he will continue to send himself little packages in the mail. =========================================================== Now Compare that rant with this: He's a torn-faced midden who is forever moaning about decisions and screaming at officials. But enough about JJ . . . this Lennon guy. Sure, he's a torn-faced wee scroat and a bad loser. Always has been, always will be. That's why Martin O'Neill signed him. As a player, he actually wasn't much of a fouler despite being in the heat of the midfield scrap. But if there was an argument to be had, he was in the middle of it. If you're the opposition, you hate him, if he's in your team, you love him. As a manager, he's stood his ground, picked fights, lost his temper, made accusations about the world being against him. Remind you of anyone? Fergie perchance? But Fergie's been knighted. Wee Craigie Broon's had three punch-ups on the sidelines yet is practically a national hero. Lennon? Beaten up twice in the streets (by Rangers fans). Sent death threats (the first of them from Loyalists terrorists months after he'd signed for Celtic). Sent bullets and bombs in the post (after apparently annoying Rangers fans from Northern Ireland. Now arrests have been made in Kilwinning). Oh, and involved in an "incident" with a Hearts fan. Let's leave the last one out for now. The other incidents follow a pattern. I reckon the media has played a part in demonising the guy, purely because he has a wee snarly face that makes for great photos. Even wee women in the street will say he's a "hooligan", although the actual physical evidence for that is fairly scant when compared to the on-field and off-field behaviour of numerous other football players and managers. My conclusions: 1. Many people without any bigoted impulses have been persuaded by certain incidents (blown out of proportion by a media campaign of demonisation) to believe that Lennon's behaviour is "out of order" and that he is a "wee ned". 2. The death threats and, until last night, all the attacks on Lennon appear to have emanated from hardcore bigots with Rangers and/or Ulster Loyalist links who despise the fact this narky wee Catholic from Lurgan is the manager of Celtic. If he was a disaster, they would have laughed at him. The real hate didn't start until it looked like Celtic could win the league (after their New Year win at Ibrox). 3. Nothing, absolutely nothing , makes acceptable these attacks and threats on a man who is simply doing his job. Neil Lennon does not "bring it on himself". The actions of the hate-filled cretins who have targeted him are INEXCUSABLE.
That could well be my brother-in-law talking that type of sense. He's stopped going to the Swiney cos he claims there's more and more arseholes around about him these days - there ARE decent Hearts fans just like there are decent fans of every club (I go to Scotland games with a couple of Jambos) and arseholes who support every club but my B-I-L seems to think that there's a greater amount of fuds with red hands at Hearts games these days and they seem to multiply when they're playing Hibs or Celtic. Fair play to whoever wrote that
Why not accept the fact that many do not like him as I rightly said on perception he grates on people. Just like you Dev criticise celebrities based on no personal knowledge. I do not know Neil Lennon personally so I cannot comment. Based on what I have seen of this gobby permaraged confrontationalist that I have seen both on the pitch and just off it no I do not like him. That's not to say I wouldn't under different circumstances. I also did not approve of the business dealings in Ireland not his childish threats to his pregnant p girlfriend. We all make mistakes though I appreciate that.
The dude speaks a lot of ****e. There is no media campaign to demonise him. Lennon looks like a wee snarling ned you'd see throwing stones at buses. That is why people think he is a wee ned. His behaviour on occasion has been out of order - the SFA agree. I simply do not believe his treatment is purely down to religion either. One thing I never understood was the Martin O'Neill question. O'Neill, as a high profile Catholic from Northern Ireland, played for his national team and managed Celtic. He wasn't popular with Rangers fans during this time (what Celtic manager ever was apart from Mowbray) but there was always a grudging respect. Why didn't he receive the same treatment as Lennon has? Lennon simply has a face that you'd never tire of smacking **** out of. Just like Michael Gove, Robbie Savage, Craig Whyte, Mr Blobby and the smug **** that works behind the bar in my local. That said - having a face you'd never tire of smacking is no excuse to actually smack it let alone post a bag of nails to it. Point three is the only point I actually agree with.
Fair comments T. Hopefully you have realised by now i'm not one of these Plastics or a Paranoid type but I have been told that the reason MoN left Celtic was that he HAD received death threats, I don't know if it's true or not but would it really be that much of a surprise when you see the state of those two ****wits who sent the pacakges?
Wouldn't surprise me Dev but I thought it was because of his wifes health. My views on attitudes within The Great Divide are well known. By the way I was not wumming about Neil Lennon.
Never heard of any threats against MON; even though I don't hang around with the rabids of either side I would have thought I'd have heard such a rumour.
Each to their own really. As long as you can substantiate your dislike in a fairminded way, you're probably no a *****. If it involves you ranting, offering up ****e like "he brings it on himself" and you feel you should send a nail bomb, then you most likely are a *****.
Apparently (or allegedly) that was the cover story, the Police had advised him to leave Celtic ASAP and he left at the season's end.
Of course no one believed it was anything to do with Martin O'Neil's wife's health. That was a no brainer from the outset. Anyone with even the average brain of a Ranger's supporter knew there was something else. O'Neil and Celtic managed to keep it quiet because they knew it would be difficult to attract decent quality candidates for future Celtic appointments. The Rangers fans behind the threats were disappointed that no reports of their threats against O'Neil had been made public and so when they started on Lennon they were more persistent and made public their threats. However it appears now to be all in vain. as Neil isn't leaving and the Rangers club are in such a state of distress that probably any manager, even McCall or Brown could lead Celtic over Rangers for the foreseeable future.
I almost forgot, Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt. What did they do to upset people? Both quiet individuals who were not exactly Neil Lennon lite yet they received threats/bullets? Is it really so silly to think that MoN was warned off?
Och well, SAF is one of the mopiest, torn-faced, snarliest bastards in football and he's done no bad for himself. If Neil Lennon is only a quarter as successful I'll be more than happy.
MON wasn't as confrontational as Lennon. Not by a long stretch. It's kinda like the deep south of America in the 50s. It's okay to be black just as long as you know your place and don't make a fuss. We all know what happened when a black person made a fuss don't we? He got his life threatened and was often assaulted at his place of work. Not that anything like that would happen in Scotland in the 21st century of course...
