0% Villa: Lennon attacked during Hearts match

[TaxDodger]

Well I think thats what caused the death threats originally, which then led to him retiring from international football. Is there any reason as to why its escalated in the last year? Maybe it just reflects a broader increase in loyalist/republican tension.

Because he became manager of Celtic?

[cheltenhamlion]

I spend a bit of time working in Northern Ireland. The impression I get on the ground is that an escalation in tensions over the last couple of years has been well masked in the media.

[Irish villain]

George Best said similar.

He didn't have to contend with death threats and bullets in the post.

I guess he wasn't a 'native' so could get away with saying such a team would be stronger.

[dave.woodhall]

Neil Lennon ought to ask himself why it is that Celtic have had more successful managers, more 'Celtic-minded' managers, managers at greater times of strife in Northern Ireland and Gordon Strachan, yet none of them have attracted such a constant reaction as him. 

[saunders_heroes]

Neil Lennon ought to ask himself why it is that Celtic have had more successful managers, more 'Celtic-minded' managers, managers at greater times of strife in Northern Ireland and Gordon Strachan, yet none of them have attracted such a constant reaction as him. 

No previous Celtic manager ever signed for that club as a current catholic Northern Ireland international though. All the problems have stemmed from that.

[dave.woodhall]

Neil Lennon ought to ask himself why it is that Celtic have had more successful managers, more 'Celtic-minded' managers, managers at greater times of strife in Northern Ireland and Gordon Strachan, yet none of them have attracted such a constant reaction as him. 

No previous Celtic manager ever signed for that club as a current catholic Northern Ireland international though. All the problems have stemmed from that.

You really think so? You really think that the fact he was a current international as opposed to a  former one like O'Neill, a former Protestant Celtic player like Jock Stein or a former Republic player such as Liam Brady makes any difference to the sort of mindset that could send bullets through the post or to a Hearts supporter from Edinburgh? 

[cdbearsfan]

He's a Catholic and has made the odd Ferguson-like comment about the opposition. He's no more of a twat than Ferguson, Wenger and probably a few others.

[saunders_heroes]

Neil Lennon ought to ask himself why it is that Celtic have had more successful managers, more 'Celtic-minded' managers, managers at greater times of strife in Northern Ireland and Gordon Strachan, yet none of them have attracted such a constant reaction as him. 

No previous Celtic manager ever signed for that club as a current catholic Northern Ireland international though. All the problems have stemmed from that.

You really think so?

Yes absolutely.
What heinous crime has Lennon committed to warrant the bombs, bullets, physical attacks etc he's received from the nutters in Glasgow and Ulster?

[dave.woodhall]

There's a good article here, and the comments from 'joestrummer' (with a name like that he's hardly likely to be a sash-wearing Orangeman) make sense as well.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/celtic/8510762/Neil-Lennon-is-an-Irishman-who-polarises-opinion-like-no-other.html

The fact is that Lennon has, in the past and particularly this season, gone out of his way to be antagonistic not just towards Rangers but towards the whole of Scottish football. His being a current Northern Ireland interntional when he signed for Celtic is but a minor technicality. Does it make any sense at all that a Rangers supporter/Loyalist/whoever is going to threaten him just because of who he was playing for years ago, when they didn't give the same treatment to Jock Stein, Martin O'Neill, Liam Brady et al?   

[Ger Regan]

I'm really struggling to get my head around the argument from some on here. He acts like Ferguson or Mourinho (think referees aren't influenced by them?), yet if someone tried to kill them, I don't think anyone on here would be saying "but he was asking for it".

[Dave Cooper please]

What heinous crime has Lennon committed to warrant the bombs, bullets, physical attacks etc he's received from the nutters in Glasgow and Ulster?

He acts like a ******.
This is in no way condoning the fuckwits that send parcel bombs, bullets or physically attack him, they are even bigger ******.

Scottish football needs a divisive character in charge of one the Old Firm such as Lennon like it needs a contaminated heroin fix, you are never going to stop the idiots wanting to hate the others, but you don't need bleach in the mixture.

I'm drunk, has this worked?

[cdbearsfan]

There's a good article here, and the comments from 'joestrummer' (with a name like that he's hardly likely to be a sash-wearing Orangeman) make sense as well.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/celtic/8510762/Neil-Lennon-is-an-Irishman-who-polarises-opinion-like-no-other.html

The fact is that Lennon has, in the past and particularly this season, gone out of his way to be antagonistic not just towards Rangers but towards the whole of Scottish football. His being a current Northern Ireland interntional when he signed for Celtic is but a minor technicality. Does it make any sense at all that a Rangers supporter/Loyalist/whoever is going to threaten him just because of who he was playing for years ago, when they didn't give the same treatment to Jock Stein, Martin O'Neill, Liam Brady et al?   

There's nothing in that article that says he does anything worse than absolutely loads of managers have done. "Cupping his hands to his ears" to take the piss out of Rangers fans who have been slagging him off all game? Oh no.

Admittedly, I can't seem to read the comments you refer to. However, to suggest that his religion plays a 'minor' part in the hatred of him sounds unlikely. He's never been attacked at Easter Road, has he? It seems like a combination of him being a high-profile Catholic and a bit of a twat (but no more so than Ferguson or Wenger) that has made people hate him so much.

While I think he does come across as a bit of a cock at times, if he quits it would be a disaster as it would give bigots, on both sides, carte blanche to attack anyone they don't like in the hope of forcing them out of the game.

[Irish villain]

So according to that article, Lennon has the look of an Irish Catholic who'd unsettle Ulster Protestants. He doesn't quite have the urbane features or personality of an O'Neill. So that is part of the problem is it?

Whatever about the man's faults, or his unfortunate tendency to deliberately wind up Rangers, it's a bit much to link his physical features to the abuse he's been subject too. Should he be asked to die his hair a less offensive colour lest he offend loyalist sensibilities?

I hate to see two Scottish clubs base their rivalry around Irish history. Neither side as any idea what they're talking about and the antagonism between the two sets of supporters comes down to their own ignorance and grotesque style of sectarianism.

[dave.woodhall]

There's nothing in that article that says he does anything worse than absolutely loads of managers have done. "Cupping his hands to his ears" to take the piss out of Rangers fans who have been slagging him off all game? Oh no.

Admittedly, I can't seem to read the comments you refer to. However, to suggest that his religion plays a 'minor' part in the hatred of him sounds unlikely. He's never been attacked at Easter Road, has he? It seems like a combination of him being a high-profile Catholic and a bit of a twat (but no more so than Ferguson or Wenger) that has made people hate him so much.

While I think he does come across as a bit of a cock at times, if he quits it would be a disaster as it would give bigots, on both sides, carte blanche to attack anyone they don't like in the hope of forcing them out of the game.

What he did at Ibrox (and not for the first time) wasn't the brightest thing to do given the run-up to that particular Old Firm game and the thing about his religion misses what I said before - why is it that he, and he alone, has received this level of abuse? 

[cdbearsfan]

I said it is a combination of his religion and his twattishness. Not one or the other.