Celtic supporters made their feelings known in an online poll as two of the club’s former players turn on each other
There were numerous talking points that emerged during Neil Lennon’s sensational press conference on Monday, but chief among them was his response to Andy Walker.
Lennon launched a passionate defence of his club’s recent trip to Dubai, which has been criticised by fans, politicians and pundits.
The former Celtic striker was among the most vociferous critics, accusing the club of “extraordinary arrogance” when he discussed the trip on Sky Sports.
Soon after returning to Glasgow, the club confirmed that defender Christopher Jullien had tested positive for Covid-19. That led to Lennon, his assistant John Kennedy and 13 players being forced to self-isolate.
A depleted Celtic side went on to draw consecutive home matches with Hibs and Livingston with coach Gavin Strachan in the dugout.
Walker told Sky Sports viewers: “We’re seeing some dismal governance from this club. It is unbelievably arrogant to abuse your status as an elite sportsman.
“That was only brought in for international, for European competition. Not for a jolly in Dubai, and I don’t know of any club in Europe, any top club who are thinking of going to sunnier climes to get some warm weather training.
“No other club is criss-crossing the world to go for warm weather training.
“We’re talking about all the big clubs in England, all the big clubs in Europe. None of them are going, but Celtic, I think, showed extraordinary arrogance. ‘We’ve done this before, we’re doing it again. We don’t care what anyone thinks, because we’re going to do what we want’.
“It’s not right.”
To say those comments didn’t sit well with Lennon would be an understatement.
At his startling press conference, he addressed a Sky Sports reporter and said: “I have a question for you Charles, on your alleged show last week you had Andy Walker on live saying our winter training camp was a jolly.
“Can you explain to me what he meant by that?
“You can’t go on a public platform and spread insults about my professionalism, my players professionalism. 70 to 80 per cent of the players are teetotal.
“You know the inference and the innuendo he was making. It wasn’t a stag do, it wasn’t an 18-30, even though it’s being portrayed like that. We went out there with the best intentions, the lads had one day off.
“We got into Dubai at 7 in the morning and were entitled to a bit of down time.
“It’s not as if we did the conga in the dressing room dancing to Baccara or doing a train journey from London to Glasgow while having Covid.
“I think we’ve been harshly treated. I would apologise to our supporters for the fallout, it shouldn’t have been Peter who had to do it, it should have been me.
“It was my decision, along with the backroom team, medical staff and sports scientists to go with the best intentions for the benefit of the team going forward for the second half of the season.
“Unfortunately it’s not worked out that way, we’ve had one positive test but that shows our protocols were very good out of a group of 60 odd people.
“I think the fallout from this has been way too much and a bit of bullying going on and we’ve been held to a far higher standard than any other club.
“What I want is for you to go speak to Andy and for Andy to apologise because he was demanding apologies from the club.
“I want an apology from Andy because he is questioning my professional integrity, my players professional integrity and the use of the word term ‘jolly’ is quite crass and arrogant.
“He accused the club of being arrogant, we weren’t. We had no intention of being arrogant or rubbing it in anyone’s faces.
“We went out to do a good week’s work and get a volume of work we wouldn’t have got here back in Scotland. Until then, you won’t be getting anything from me or my players.
“Who is Andy speaking for then? Does he speak for the Celtic support?
“Is he all of a sudden a man of the people? Challenging the club’s social ethos.
“I’m not sure he’s in a position, he stood up there as if he was a Celtic legend and a stalwart of the club, putting the boot into me, the club and everyone else involved and I think he’s totally out of order.
“Who is he speaking for Charles?
“He’s on your platform.
“His opinion is false and it’s insulting.”
In normal times, few Celtic fans would think twice before backing their manager against a pundit.
These are not normal times.
A one-hour Twitter poll asked Celtic fans to decide whether they were supporting Walker or Lennon.
An overwhelming majority of the 2,040 voters sided with Walker, who garnered 61.7% of the vote.
Just 24.7% said they would support Lennon, while 13.6% said they would back both men.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
