Neil Lennon comes out to bat for Celtic board and ‘Mr Desmond’ in baffling assessment that won’t please fans

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The Celtic board are coming under scrutiny this season from the fans.

A shambolic transfer window coupled with the board selling off key Celtic players and not replacing them was just the start of fan unhappiness.

A ‘senior’ Celtic board member briefing against Brendan Rodgers followed by the club’s bizarre statement on the summer transfer window was the final straw for supporters who are now taking active action to force change in the leadership at the club.

So what Neil Lennon had to say about the Celtic board prior to the Europa League tie against Red Star Belgrade is sure to anger much of the Hoops support.

• READ MORE: What Kelechi Iheanacho did just before scoring for Celtic vs Red Star Belgrade left James McFadden stunned

Neil Lennon defends the Celtic board over the summer transfer window and the Champions League

The summer transfer window was a shambles. There are no two ways about it. Being laughed at by members of the Go Ahead Eagles board for Celtic’s shambolic haggling over Jakob Breum is proof of that.

And speaking about failing to qualify for the Champions League, Lennon tells the fans that it’s not all down to the Celtic board.

Lennon told TNT Sports, “It’s a huge disappointment, obviously, not being in the Champions League, but they’re the most fraught games of the season to come so early.

“I know the fans are very discontent with the board. I don’t necessarily agree with that. I don’t put it all on the board.

“I think that the team that Brendan had was good enough over two games to beat Kairat, and I’m pretty sure that the board would have been working away in the background to try and get deals done, to get players over the line.

“And I know for a fact that some of the players didn’t come early. They’ve come now. Like Tounekti, for example, Celtic were in for him, very, very early.

“And then the flip side of that is they spent a lot of money last year because they were guaranteed the Champions League. You know, £30 million on Engels, Trusty, Adam Idah. These players aren’t playing at the minute.

“And the flip side of that is this year, with not having the guarantee of the Champions League. It’s hard to attract players to Scotland without that carrot of being in the Champions League, especially with the amount of money that they’re prepared to spend on the players.”

Where Lennon has a point is that this Celtic team should have been good enough to beat Kairat. Not many fans will disagree with that point.

But what didn’t help was all the background noise over transfers and the fact that Celtic sold one of their best players before the tie will have contributed to the result.

So on that point, the board must take their fair share of the blame and that’s something Lennon needs to recognise.

Lennon weirdly tells Celtic fans the Parkhead board and ‘Mr Desmond’ are ‘class operators’

Now onto what Lennon really thinks about the Parkhead board. And these comments are bound to really wind up the Celtic support.

Lennon continued, “It’s their club, and they’re entitled to voice their opinion any way they want. The Celtic fans have been amazing over the course. But there’s a realism about this and a sustainability that the club have to plan, not just for this season, but for years to come.

“If you’re spending 10, 12 million pounds on a player on top of the wages, it eats a lot into the money the club have earned over the years and they can’t spend that amount of money without the Champions League money on top of that to plan the club going forward.

“So, yeah, I understand the discontent. I understand the frustration but it’s not all on the board either. There has to be a unity at the club.

“The club have been so successful under this stewardship of the board, and Mr. Desmond at the helm. The success he’s brought up from 2000 has been unparalleled. I worked with these people. They’re class operators.

“They know the environment, they know the culture of European football, and they do look ahead too. Celtic are such a well-run club, but I understand that people want instant success constantly.

“It doesn’t always come around that way, but I still think the team is good enough to get through and then build on that.”

The way the Celtic board have handled themselves over the summer transfer window, another Champions League qualification failure, briefing against Rodgers and their embarrassing statement shows that those in charge of the club are anything but ‘class operators’.