Neil Lennon

I questioned Lennon but I’ll hold my hands up today. I don’t really think either team played well in the heat of it but we got the goals! Well done!!

 

Clyde saying Lennon went into the post match presser and slated all the media

 

NEIL Lennon summed up Celtic’s 2-0 win against Rangers at Ibrox as the perfect performance and said the criticism levelled at his side going into the game only intensified their motivation to reassert their dominance on the title race.

Three days after securing their place in the Europa League group stages, Celtic arrived at Ibrox looking to continue their strong start to the new Premiership season.

Odsonne Edouard fired the Hoops ahead in the first half, and Celtic were unfortunate not to have a greater lead as the game drew to a close. Jonny Hayes sealed the win in added time with Celtic’s second to commemorate a dominant display from the champions.

“It was the perfect performance from start to finish, we were outstanding,” said Neil Lennon. “We took the game to Rangers and dominated the start. Everyone might have laughed at the kick-off but we wanted to play in their half, which we didn’t do in the corresponding fixture when we conceded a free-kick and were a goal down.

“There are many ways to skin a cat. This is a derby, it’s competitive and you have to fight fire with fire. You have to quieten the crowd and we did that to perfection today.

“From my own experience you have to press with aggression sometimes. For this fixture today, we felt it was the right way to go about business and with the players today we achieved that.

“I thought we deserved to win the game by more. The second goal was the icing on the cake. We defended strongly when we needed to. Elhamed had a brilliant performance coming in from the cold. The personality, character and strength of the team was evident today when everyone had written us off.

“We’re very proud, we take the three points and, psychologically, it’s a good win for us.”

Prior to today’s game Celtic had won three from three in the league and scored 15 goals in the process, yet the Treble Treble winners were widely viewed as underdogs.

Neil Lennon said the win against Steven Gerrard’s side served as a stark reminder that his team should not have been underestimated coming into the first Glasgow derby of the season.

“We were an afterthought coming into this fixture,” said the manager. “It was all about the opposition and what they were going to do to us. We didn’t listen to any of it. We stayed strong and played brilliantly. We came here to win, we came here to be strong.

“Everyone wrote us off. We were very motivated, hungry and had great belief about us. You can’t listen to the noise surrounding the game, you have to stick to what you believe in. I have a great backroom team and we set our stall out to be competitive.

“We’ve been dominant. We’re not prepared to give up our titles and neither are these players or the board.”

 

C’mon over here and get oan the Lenny bus.

 

He's Celtic through and through more than any of us probably. In the main the football has been great this season, he deserves the credit. * the frauds he's real *

 

New Monopoly piece

 

:lenny1::lenny2:

 

Top man today got it right and deserves all the plaudits he will get for the victory and this week as a whole, loved the celebration with Griff as well.

 

NEIL LENNON was jubilant after watching Celtic prove the pundits and the bookies wrong by leaving Ibrox with a comfortable 2-0 win.

The odds makers and many football experts were tipping Steven Gerrard’s Gers to win the first game of the season at Ibrox.

But goals from Odsonne Edoaurd and sub Jonny Hayes eased the Hoops to a deserved victory.

Gers finished the game with ten men when Jordan Jones saw red for a wild lunge on Moritz Bauer.


And Celts boss Lennon had a clear message to all the doubters.

He said: “I’m so proud. I’m proud of the team. I thought it was an outstanding performance again.


Everyone has written us off. We’ve had a difficult couple of weeks where myself, the board, the players have been written off so early.

“We don’t believe the noise, we don’t believe the hype.


And we’ve come here and performed an outstanding masterclass in how to play in a derby here.

“We were on the front foot from the start. We dominated the first-half and weren’t really in any trouble.

“Allan McGregor kept Rangers in it from the scoreline being 3 or 4 today. Maybe now people will cut us a bit of slack and respect us.

“We knew coming here and Rangers in great form and we were in great form but we felt we had the quality.

New players were coming in and bedding in.


You gave Jullien man of the match and he has shown what he can do. Bolingoli was outstanding. But the whole team have been playing so well.

“They are great players, great throughout and I thought my captain (Scott Brown) and Callum McGregor really set the tone today as you have to do.

“We were physical and I thought the referee had a great game when he needed to. Rangers were physical but we came out on top and deservedly so.

“I’m really proud. Elhamed had another outstanding game.

“Moritz had to come on and done a great job for us and Ntcham when he came on was outstanding.

“The shape of the team and mentality of the team was just outstanding.

“Coming here, like I said to you the other day as underdogs for whatever reason, but I think we put a real message out today. “

Lennon reserved special praise for “cold” Old Firm hero Edouard.


He said: “I don’t make predictions on players. He is very talented and having an outstanding 18 months now.

“He was a huge player for me when I came in from February onwards and he’s started the season in the same vein.

“He’s cold, he’s got great composure under pressure and his finish is typical Odsonne.

“We are delighted with the progress he is making and he could go on to have a fantastic career.”

Celtic now go into the international break in buayant mood and Lennon expects them to really kick on when they return to domestic action.

He added: “It’s brilliant. It gives the players a bit of leeway.

“It’s been a monumental month in terms of games and you can see the input it has had on us physically.

“We’ve had one bad half of football in the nine games. The rest of it has been absolutely outstanding.

“I hope this is a real kick start for our European and domestic seasons. “

 

I'd honestly run through a * wall for him right now.

 

Massive tactical performance..

40% possession but defensively sound..

So happy for him.

 

Calmness personafied, which was my worry before..

 

Fukin delighted for lenny today , some of the criticism of him from the media and some fans has been disgraceful, he will sleep tonight when he comes down off cloud 9 !

 

Has said he is a lot calmer now , water off a ducks back

 

Fair * to him handle the last two weeks better than I expected

 

Legend

 

It's how he's wanted us to play as well to be fair mate. Talked about getting it forward and no passing it for passing sake..

Was evident today at school although they had 20% more of the ball than us....you'd never of said that..

Honestly delighted for him and still buzzing. I've gave him some stick myself but he deserved that more than anyone today..

Seriously can't call even one fault through any of it..

It was noticeable on the bench..

I was a nervous wreck at 1 nil and everytime it panned to him he was ice cool and relaxed..