Celtic captain Scott Brown has lauded Neil Lennon.
Broony was kept on as captain by Lennon, who kept his faith in the ex-Hibs midfielder well into the autumn of his career. The surprisingly diplomatic Celtic captain has cut a mature figure all season. In press conferences, he’s praised Ismaila Soro and outgoing CEO Peter Lawwell.
In a year of unexpected transition, Broony has largely kept his cool throughout. He seemed to take the latest news in his stride, offering a lengthy tribute to the now former Celtic boss. If anything, the number 8 took responsibility for Lennon’s dismal final season in the Hoops dugout.
Brown said [Daily Record]:
“It’s been a difficult season in a lot of ways, so you’ve got to feel sorry for the manager. We’ve got to take responsibility. It’s a sad day to see him leave but it’s because we’ve not been playing as well as we can on the park.
“He kept me on as captain, he gave me a lot of confidence. The second time he came in, I was a little bit older, and he continued to play me.’
“It’s obviously a hard decision for him as well to leave the club that he loves and that he wants to do well. He always wanted Celtic to win week in, week out, whether he was manager or not.
“It’s not been a great season to go down in our history books, but it’s one that we’ve got to take on the chin.”
Broony backs Neil Lennon and his Celtic passion
Scott Brown continued:
“He’s supported Celtic his whole life and he wanted to play for this club – he won a treble as a player, as well as a manager.
“He’s given 15-20 years to this club and he deserves respect, and also praise for what he’s done for the club and the success he brought us.
“I probably wouldn’t still be captain at Celtic if it wasn’t for Neil Lennon.
“He kept me on after Tony Mowbray left, and he was a breath of fresh air when he came in. He was great with the lads, and we were fighting for him because we wanted him to get the job, and eventually he did get it.”
Party line, or genuine emotion?
While it’s easy to imagine that Scott Brown would parrot the Celtic party line, his words carry weight. The Celtic captain isn’t one to mince his words or talk for talking’s sake.
There has always seemed to be genuine affection between Brown and Lennon. Lenny seemed keen – perhaps too keen – to play Brown, even while drastically out of form. Recently, the ex-manager played Broony in just the right way, and it reaped dividends for the Bhoys.
However, his reliance on particular players, Brown included, was part of his downfall. At times this season, there was nothing the likes of Broony and Duffy could do to get dropped. It was immensely frustrating that we didn’t see Soro or Turnbull in the team until December.
With these comments though, Brown has put himself in an excellent light. Yes; he’s unlikely to come out and say “You know what? Our manager was rubbish, wasn’t he?”. Regardless, for all of Lennon’s faults, he deserves this kind of send-off from one of his most trusted confidantes.
If Brown follows a career in coaching, you can bet Lennon will be answering the phone and giving advice.
READ MORE: A few Celtic exiles took a slightly different approach in reacting to the Lennon news…
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