Neil Lennon has been given the backing of Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond to see out the season.
SunSport revealed that the promised New Year review of the under-pressure boss has led to him getting the continued support of Desmond and chief executive Peter Lawwell.
Fans had previously protested outside the stadium, and unfurled banners depicting Desmond, Lawwell and Lennon, blaming them for blowing the league title in a historic season.
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Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Rangers at the weekend left them 19 points behind the Premiership leaders and their ten in a row hopes look even more bleak. Some fans felt that Lennon would be given the Scottish Cup final last month (which was last season’s cup) to be given the chance to complete a treble as player and manager. However, he stayed on and seemingly survives a key defeat at Ibrox.
Lennon’s side have already crashed out of three other competitions?—?the Champions League at the qualifying stage, the Europa League, where they finished bottom of their section and were a goal away from having the worst defensive record in the history of the competition, and the Betfred Cup, after being humbled by Ross County.
But it’s understood Desmond saw enough in the performance at Ibrox to believe Lennon is sufficiently reviving the team. Be that as it may, the season is all but over, apart from this year’s Scottish Cup. Many fans would like to see a rebuild, with new structures and European ambitions. It is not forthcoming.
Defeat to Rangers, which was cruelly undeserved, ended a run of six straight wins.
Celtic have three games in hand and are back in action against Hibs at Parkhead on Monday night, but the task to overcome Rangers is still a monumental one.
In addition to being given the support of the board, Lennon has also reportedly got the go-ahead to pursue potential transfer-window strengthening, with an experienced centre-half and a winger top of his list. These transfers will be well needed as Christopher Jullien faces a fight to return before the end of the season after suffering knee ligament damage while James Forrest is still sidelined.
The club’s failure to address supporters directly on the matter has angered supporters. They are not happy with press leaks:
How can anyone at Celtic think giving The Sun exclusives about the managers future is a good idea, what a club and what a season.
— 4 Tims and a Podcast (@PodTims) January 4, 2021