Neil Lennon's Celtic 'mitigating circumstances' claim draws defence as boss told he must protect himself

Dermot Desmond to show he still has the stomach for a fight.The pundit and former Parkhead star urged the club's billionaire majority shareholder to "stand up" and show disillusioned fans he's determined to rebuild the club.He fears Rangers, on the verge of clinching the title, will continue to pull away until Celtic get their act together again.Desmond responded to the threat of the Ibrox club's return by appointing Brendan Rodgers in 2016 and Nicholas wants him to show that passion and ambition again.He wrote in The Express: "Celtic fans need to see and hear if Dermot Desmond still has the hunger and desire to take the club forward."Neil Lennon has left and Peter Lawwell is leaving, so Desmond's voice is the only one that matters

Scott Brown is perfect Celtic manager material.The former Hoops defender – who joined Bayer Leverkusen in a bumper £11.5m move in January – was gutted to see old gaffer Neil Lennon depart Parkhead last week.Celtic have started the search for a successor, with the long list of names in the frame growing by the day, with former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner tipped for the job, along with big hitters such as Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard and Steve Clarke.But Frimpong reckons Celts could have the ideal candidate closer to home as the skipper is destined to end up in the dugout when he eventually hangs up his boots.Brown’s contract is up at the end of the season and he has been told by outgoing chief executive Peter Lawwell there is a deal on

Celtic to focus on appointing a director of football before they decide on their new manager.The Parkhead club are in the market for a new man in the dugout following Neil Lennon's resignation.But there's also expected to be a shake-up in the hierarchy with a sporting director to come in to guide the transfer strategy.Bournemouth's David Webb, Manchester City football partnerships manager Fergal Harkin and Juventus chief scout Matteo Tognozzi have all been linked.Collins knows the European model well from his time at Monaco and he believes that appointment should take precedence before a new manager is confirmed.Get all the latest Celtic news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.We cover every morsel of

Neil Lennon down.The former Scotland international left Ipswich on Sunday night, leading to a flurry of bets on him taking over at Parkhead.Lambert has previously ruled himself out of the job, but his odds have tumbled after he became a free agent.But the Champions League winner is adamant he doesn't want the job, and he pointed the finger at players for Lennon's departure.Asked on Go Radio if he'd be returning to Glasgow Lambert said: "No, I had eight great years there and success there."I wouldn't want to ruin that relationship I have with the Celtic supporters."Glasgow was my life a long time ago and I've moved on."Host Rob MacLean then asked if there was anything that could persuade Lambert to take over.He replied: "No, Rob."As I said I

Celtic claims Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.The veteran Spaniard has been out of work since leaving Brazilian outfit Flamengo after just four months in charge.However, Balague was fielding questions on the next Hoops' manager on social media, and took to Twitter to talk up Torrent as Neil Lennon's successor.When asked about the link to Glasgow's east end: "Well, wouldn't that be interesting! Domenec Torrent would be in my eyes a very exciting move. Number two to Pep [Guardiola] at Bayern and City, and a great believer in possession based football and in the need to give spectacle to fans.""He has won leagues in three countries, cups, helped develop Pep's style.

Jeremie Frimpong insists Celtic's failed 10 In A Row bid is "normal" because they "can't win everything".The former Manchester City youth moved to the Bayer Leverkusen in January for a fee of £11.5million with the club well off the pace in the Premiership title race.St Johnstone's League Cup win brings to an end the Hoops' dominance of silverware, with Rangers looking destined to reclaim the Premiership trophy for the first time in a decade.This has led to boss Neil Lennon resigning his post as the club look to spark a significant rebuild with incoming chief executive Dominic McKay arriving with a new boss.Frimpong, speaking at a press conference for the Bundesliga side, believes there has been an overreaction to the sides struggles this

Celtic rebuilds after a season that promised so much to the Parkhead faithful but looks set to deliver so little.The failure to secure an historic tenth title in a row has already seen Neil Lennon off the premises and chief executive Peter Lawwell has also decided to call it a day.Dominic McKay will take his place at the helm in June, but he won't be the only new arrival.A manager of the highest quality will need to be sourced that can give fans renewed confidence their team can tackle the juggernaught Steven Gerrard has created across the city.A sporting director is also being sought as the Hoops look to rejig their entire football operation on the back of chastening year.Players will also depart with star names like Odsonne Edouard, Ryan

Neil Lennon did for his career.But, with the old gaffer gone, the young stopper is now hoping two former defensive talents in the shape of John Kennedy and Stephen McManus will help him push onto the next stage of his development at Celtic.Welsh is indebted to the faith shown in him by Lennon.The former boss handed him a Parkhead first-team debut just over a year ago at Hamilton.He dished out a second start at the beginning of this campaign in the biggest domestic game of the lot against Rangers.Days later, Lennon trusted Welsh to go in against AC Milan in the Europa League.

Kenny Dalglish insists fans must stay patient with Neil Lennon's Parkhead successor - because they may not immediately taste success.Lennon departed the club on Wednesday morning and has been replaced on an interim basis by former assistant John Kennedy.However he has shied away from talk of taking the job permanently and supporters are anxiously expecting a high-profile appointment to ease the pain of missing out on 10 In A Row - which will be confirmed if rivals Rangers accrue seven more points.Dalglish notes that it took them three seasons to become a team capable of winning the Premiership title and insists that must act as a lesson to those across the city to remain patient with whoever comes in.He wrote in his Sunday Post column: "The

since his £3m move from Motherwell in August and has been one of the few shining lights in a nightmare campaign for Celtic, which has seen their 10-in-a-row dreams end with a whimper. Rangers are just a couple of wins from ending Celtic's near decade of dominance, but for Turnbull himself it has been an impressive season that could culminate in a call-up to the national squad for Euro 2021.

Celtic fans it might be hard to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel at this present moment. The pursuit of the Holy Grail that was 10 In A Row led to more escapades than Monty Python in a season that hit the skids.Manager Neil Lennon is gone and long-standing chief Peter Lawwell is retiring with Dominic McKay set to take his place.

Celtic this season.But the former Motherwell midfielder believes hard work and self belief are the factors behind his good fortune.The 21-year-old also insists the blame should be shared for a dismal campaign that last week culminated in the departure of boss Neil Lennon.He said: “It has been a weird year.“On a personal level, it has been good. I have got a lot of good games under my belt.“It is a team game, though.

Kristoffer Ajer stays at the club - but admits it could be a struggle keeping him beyond this summer. The Norwegian defender is one of the club's biggest assets but only has one year left on his contract after this season.

Gordon Strachan did not hold back as he took aim at Celtic's players just days after Neil Lennon left the club.Strachan was on punditry duty for Celtic TV during the 1-0 win over Aberdeen and made sure not to miss as he launched a wide-ranging blast on those in and around the club.The passionate address was sparked by a friendly dispute between Ismaila Soro and Odsonne Edouard at the full-time whistle.The Frenchman could have played through the midfielder to double the advantage late in the game but opted to go it alone. However, the duo were all smiles about the decision after the game leading Strachan to question the mentality of the team just days after Lennon resigned.

Aberdeen was cut off just before kick-off.Supporters will have been intrigued to watch John Kennedy's first game in temporary charge following the departure of Neil Lennon as the Dons travelled south to Glasgow.But before a ball was kicked, the video feed on the Pass to Paradise season ticket platform - broadcast to tens of thousands of season ticket holders - turned black.Many fans even missed the opening goal of the game, a deflected Odsonne Edouard strike that found its way past Joe Lewis inside eight minutes.Two minutes before kick-off, the club's Twitter account for all matters relating to Pass to Paradise posted: "Apologies for the temporary issue with the picture. We're working this right now.

Patryk Klimala is ready to grasp his chance at Celtic after handing the striker a surprise start.The Polish striker will partner Odsonne Edouard up front against Aberdeen as Neil Lennon's temporary replacement named his first team.On BBC Sportsound he backed the striker to hit top form after working on his game at Lennoxtown. He said: "Patryk is one who has not played a lot of minutes and not had a lot of game time, but in the last year he has progressed and he’s now at a point where I think he is ready to go."It’s one thing with the team at times, we’ve probably lacked a bit of pace at the top end to stretch oppositions and ask the question in behind at times.

Celtic.It's been a huge week for the Hoops as Neil Lennon resigned from his post leaving John Kennedy at the helm for the clash with Aberdeen.Having stepped up from the being the assistant, Kennedy will be keen to get the focus back on football and bounce back from the disappointing defeat to struggling Ross County in the Highlands.Although insisting he is not classing it as an audition to take up the role permanently, wins are essential to rebuild squad confidence ahead of the next clash with Rangers - which could decide the league title.Aberdeen will be on a high as they head to Glasgow's east end for the second time in 10 days.The Dons' broken a six-game scoring duck came to an end in last weekend's win over Kilmarnock.Callum Hendry came

John Kennedy will assess his squad ahead of Aberdeen’s visit. James Forrest is continuing his rehab following ankle surgery while Christopher Jullien is out long term (knee).

Neil Lennon will be feeling a sense of relief after the lights went out on his Celtic reign.The stand in boss watched the Hoops hero work tirelessly to halt the slide this season but eventually called it a day late on Tuesday night.Kennedy said: “Neil’s been great. He decided the time was right.

John Kennedy after watching him help build one of the best players on the planet.The Parkhead skipper was gutted to see Neil Lennon quit this week but he knows the show must go on.Kennedy has stepped in to the breach and Brown believes there’s no better man for the job right now as the club looks to stabilise for the remainder of the season.The coach has been in with the bricks at Celtic for two decades and it was no shock to see former star Kieran Tierney being one of the first to offer his support.Premier League ace Tierney called Kennedy his hero – and Brown admitted he also idolises the new interim gaffer.Brown – who has ruled out stepping in to a coaching role himself – said: “As a coach, John is the one I look up to.

Eddie Howe "tier" philosophy he reckons could be perfect for Celtic.The Peterhead midfielder and pundit has previously expressed doubt over whether the former Bournemouth could handle the pressure at Parkhead.But he admits coming round to the idea that he would thrive in the director of football model it's expected the club will now pursue, a setup which would represent a major shift from their current operation.John Kennedy has been installed as interim boss following Neil Lennon's departure as the search for a permanent appointment begins.Ferry told how his friend, a youth coach at Bournemouth, detailed the way Howe set up a consistent playing and coaching style from the first team down through the academy.And the ex-Parkhead youth