Celtic supporters backing Lennon
A prominent Celtic supporters' group insist they will give Neil Lennon full support following his weekend clash with referee Stuart Dougal, despite admitting the 34-year-old was in the wrong to confront the referee after the final whistle against Rangers.
Peter Rafferty, secretary of the Affiliation of Celtic Supporters Associations, said: “The Celtic supporters are 100% behind our captain Neil.
“We can’t condone his actions and he is looking a lengthy suspension. But as far as Neil is concerned, the bond between him and the Celtic fans is very strong and that won’t change.”
Celtic were beaten 3-1 in the first Old Firm clash of the season, a result which caused added consternation for manager Gordon Strachan after a difficult start to his reign.
“We know Lennon plays for the jersey wholeheartedly and he showed what it means to him,” said Rafferty.
“The Celtic fans appreciate what he gives to the team and understand that he takes a lot of stick from the Rangers fans so there was a great deal of frustration there on his part because of what happened during the game.”
Lennon was angry with Dougal’s rash decision to show Alan Thompson a straight red card for a foul on Nacho Novo.
Despite it being a miserable Old Firm debut for manager Strachan, Rafferty said: “It’s happened now and we can’t change it, but these things take a little bit of time and nothing can be done overnight and not after a few weeks.
“It takes a bit longer. We would all like to win every game because this is the team we support, but the fans are still behind the manager and what he is trying to do.
“We have got the rest of the season to make sure we forget this result and we will turn it around. There is a long, long way to go and we have only played three league games so far.
“It’s not disaster but we want to win every Old Firm game no matter what happens. Nevertheless, this is a new team and it takes time to bed those players in. It was also an eye-opener for Gordon Strachan to see how the game went.”
