Some things never change.
Neil Lennon was never far from an SFA hearing in his first Celtic spell, and famously said that ‘we should be able to send referees off’ in his time at Hibs.
He mellowed in his second spell, but not without slamming the Scottish media and government for how they handled Celtic’s Dubai trip in 2021.
After leaving the Hoops, Cyprus was his destination, where he won a domestic cup, before a brief spell at Rapid Bucharest in Romania.
Things have been quieter on his return to Scottish football, where he has made the surprise move to ambitious Dunfermline Athletic – but he’s now in trouble for an incident with a referee who is familiar with Celtic.
Neil Lennon given six-match touchline ban for ranting on referee who later officiated Celtic
We all know that officiating in the Scottish Premiership can leave a lot to be desired.
But lower down the pyramid, things can get really messy.
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Lennon knows this as well as anyone, and his comments about referee Duncan Nicholson in a Championship fixture against Ross County have now landed him a six-match touchline ban, after a disciplinary hearing.
Remarkably, Nicholson was later promoted to the Scottish Premiership, and officiated his first Celtic match in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Dundee.
Lennon’s comments after the game were quite something. He told BBC Scotland: “I haven’t been this angry with the officials for a long, long time.
“And even at the end I’ve had to go into his office and speak about the way the assistant linesman made disparaging comments to one of my coaching staff.
“If this is the level we are getting to we are in trouble. “There is a clear foul on [Nurudeen] Abdulai for the first goal and the free kick Ross County got for the third goal is a clear tackle.
“Declan Gallagher has forearm-smashed Matty Todd in the face and the referee can’t see that.
“It’s an abomination of a performance. I’ve got a young team who are trying to play football the right way.
“They need to understand the rules of the game because we are not getting taught them by the referees that’s for sure.
“This guy cost me a goal against Partick Thistle when Chris Kane is a yard out and the guy pulled his shirt.
“I don’t know how he keeps missing opportunities. We are getting done by referees, and particularly that one.
“I’ve already asked the head of referees – I don’t want him refereeing any of our games again. He’s either incompetent, or, I don’t know what the word I’m looking for is…
“I’ll leave to the club to report back to Willie. I’ve been in the game a long time and that attitude from a certain individual is unacceptable.”
Celtic-tied players and managers in the Scottish Premiership
Lennon’s Dunfermline are currently fifth in the Championship, but he is the lowest-placed out of three ex-Celtic players managing in the division.
Scott Brown’s Ayr United are in third, with Hoops youngsters Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure both on loan at Somerset Park – the latter has recently suffered a long-term injury.
But Mark Wilson’s Partick Thistle, second in the league only on goal difference, have earned widespread plaudits for the football they have played.
Celtic trio Sean McArdle, Josh Clarke and Ben McPherson are all on loan at Firhill.
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