Celtic: Peter Lawwell shouldn't 'bear brunt' for poor season, says Neil Lennon
- Published
Neil Lennon has twice served as manager during Peter Lawwell's Celtic tenure
Peter Lawwell should not "bear the brunt" for Celtic's troubled season and deserves to be judged on his 17 years at the club, says manager Neil Lennon.
Chief executive Lawwell will leave at the end of the campaign, to be replaced by Scottish Rugby's Dominic McKay.
Celtic are 23 points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers, with hopes of a 10th straight title all but over.
"Whether we had won the league or not, he probably would have left at the end of the season anyway," Lennon said.
"He's sad about the way things have panned out this season, as we all are. But I think when he takes a bit of time and reflects on things, he can look back with a lot of pride.
"He's been very strong with me and I've been very strong with him. It's not like an old pals' act.
"The season hasn't gone the way we wanted it to, but previous seasons have and sometimes that's football.
"It's not all down to individuals, it's about the collective and Peter shouldn't bear the brunt of this season on his own. It's a collective responsibility."
'He won a lot of battles for Celtic'
Celtic's dominance of the domestic game has crumbled this season, with abject performances on the park amplified by controversies off it such as the trip to Dubai for a winter training camp.
Lennon says Lawwell's accomplishments - 29 trophies, including 13 league titles, were won during his tenure - cannot be overshadowed by what looks set to be a failed final campaign in charge.
"I can't speak for the fans and how they perceive other people's record at the club," Lennon said.
"What I do know is in a very high-pressurised job he won a lot of battles for Celtic. And on and off the field the club has made enormous strides in the last 17 years.
"You've got three Champions League last-16 appearances, 13 league titles, a quadruple treble, you've got [wins over] Barcelona [2012], Man United [2006], Lazio [2020]. You've got [Virgil] Van Dijk, [Victor] Wanyama, [Fraser] Forster, [Moussa] Dembele, all these players that have come in, enhanced the club on the field and then left for a vast amount of money.
"Only in the last couple of days, we've taken a young player [Jeremie Frimpong] from Man City and sold him for a huge amount of money. When you put that into perspective, it's phenomenal the work he's put into the club.
"You look around the stadium, the walkway, it's in magnificent condition. While Dominic has big shoes to fill, I've seen the club in a lot worse straits than it is now."
Former manager Brendan Rodgers, who steered Celtic to seven successive domestic trophies before his departure for Leicester City in February 2019, praised Lawwell for bringing "great stability" to the club.
"I was aware when I was there what the long-term plan would be and I knew at some point over the next few years that [Lawwell's departure] would be the case," Rodgers said.
"You only need to look at how Celtic is run as a business, and the figures behind that, to see the great job Peter has done there."