NEIL LENNON’s Celtic legacy will not be compromised by this season, according to former Parkhead manager Gordon Strachan.
Strachan has made a comparison between Lennon and the late Tommy Burns, believing that their feelings for the club will ensure their time is framed in a particular context.
Lennon left the club this week after a tumultuous season and with Celtic 18 points off the pace of Rangers. There has been anger towards Lennon from the Celtic support but Strachan expects time to soften their fury.
Speaking to Football Pass, he said: "Tommy Burns is probably the most loved Celtic player of all time because he was a genuine fan.
"And when Tommy was the manager, that was his thing - about letting the fans down. And Neil picked up on that as well. Tommy felt bad about this, really bad. Over the years Tommy didn't win the league, he won the cup and lost in a league cup final.
"But when all is said and done he is probably the most loved Celtic person of all time. And that is what is going to happen to Neil Lennon. He is going to come back, people will forget this last six months and remember all the good things he has done. There will be a rebirth then.
READ MORE: John Kennedy breaks silence on replacing Neil Lennon at Celtic
"That is going to happen. If you look at the history of the past 20 years, he’s been involved in most of it – the histories moments of winning things when [Martin O’Neill] was there up to when I was there.
“He was the manager when they beat Barcelona. Just think about that.
If you are a fan and you think you are hurting just now, be in his shoes for an hour today. I don’t care what anybody feels like at this moment, no one fees as bad as him.”
And Strachan has also insisted that the growing presence of Rangers has given Lennon problems that the Parkhead side haven’t had to deal with in any time over the last decade or so.
Such a theory is underlined by the fact that Celtic, in theory, could still eclipse their points tally from Brendan Rodgers’ last season while there is also the chance that this term, for all its faults, could still end with a higher points tally than from three of the nine-in-a-row years.
“Rangers have been terrific. They’ve not just shown it in the league they’ve shown it in Europe. They have got better and better,” said Strachan. “No one in the previous eight years had ever had to deal with a side as good as them – nowhere near the Rangers teams we are seeing just now.
“They were bang average and are now completely different.
“When it settles down, there will be a time to look back over the past 20 years at Celtic and see how we got to there and now.
“He’s up there with the top people that’s ever played for the club. He’s managed the club, coached the club, he’s been everything.”
Strachan is confident that after a period out of football that Lennon will look to get back to it.
“I hope he’s not lost to the game,” he said. “Where do you go after this? It’s not easy leaving the Celtic job. It’s hard to see what he’ll want to do with himself.
“But the strange thing is that after a period of time, you miss the madness of the West of Scotland.
“It’s a time for reflection and to look forward and to enjoy what’s gone past and take off in another direction now.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel