Neil Lennon backs Rangers manager Graeme Murty, slams board member

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Graeme Murty’s future at Ibrox is in doubt after Rangers lost 4-0 to Celtic last Sunday.

Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has spoken of his sympathy towards Rangers manager Graeme Murty, before slamming chairman Dave King over his pre-Old Firm comments as quoted by the Evening Times.

Murty, who only remains in the role as Rangers manager until the end of the season, saw his side lose 4-0 to Old Firm rivals Celtic on Sunday afternoon in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

In what has been a tumultuous week at Ibrox, captain Lee Wallace and veteran Kenny Miller have been suspended for a dressing-room fracas in which the experienced duo pointed the finger at the 43-year-old manager.

Lennon, who has beaten Rangers with his Hibernian side twice this season, slammed King for his comments on Murty’s job just days before the encounter and spoke of his empathy towards Murty.

“The problem Graeme has is that for so long he has been an interim manager so when things are going well everyone is buying into it,” Lennon said.

“They say ‘this is great’, but when things aren’t going well then the players can say ‘well, you’re not the manager, you might not be the manager for much longer, so I can speak to you how I like’.”

On King’s comments, Lennon said: “Yeah, thanks, thanks a million. It is up to them how they want to do their business, but I certainly don’t think it was helpful to him or his staff.”

Celtic are now on course to complete a second successive treble under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers, as they could secure the Scottish Premiership title this weekend and face Motherwell in the Scottish Cup final.

But at the other end of the spectrum, Murty must re-galvanise his squad ahead of five crucial post-split fixtures in order to push the Gers into second place and give himself the best chance of landing the job permanently.