Neil Lennon

He’s honestly no shame.

 

Fair play to him, wouldn't wish him any ill-will, still think he's a * though.

 

Must be a job going in the second tier over there.

 

https://m.sport5.co.il/articles.aspx?FolderID=285&docID=383745

I wanted my gold at Celtic. I will consider coaching an Israeli team


Neil Lennon, who coached Kiel, Alhamid, Bitton and Gershon at Celtic and Marciano at Hibernian, in a special interview with the Sports Channel's envoy to Scotland. The Israeli player ("he has good values, he also does not cost £ 20 million"), worked ("will finish each season in double digits") and who is one of his favorite players?




Scotland vs. Israel, in recent years this has become a routine confrontation, but the football connection between the two countries began a long time ago. One who knows us very well is Neil Lennon, who has coached five blue and white players during his career: Ofir Marciano at Hibernian and Biram Kiel, Nir Bitton, Hatem Abdelhamid and Rami Gershon at Celtic. The sports channel's envoy to Scotland, Moti Peshchetsky, spoke with the coach, who today serves as a commentator in the local media about the players he coached, the game at Hampden Park and the chance he will coach in Israel one day.

Who is the favorite to win the game?
"Probably Scotland, because the game is at home. The games at home so far have not been amazing, and Scotland have made a great result in Austria. I think in the playoffs the rise to the Euros, Israel was the better team."

"If Israel manages to maintain this level, Scotland could come under pressure at home and this could be a good opportunity for Israel. It has Eran Zehavi, Moanes Dabour and Manor Solomon. I think the chances on Saturday are 50-50, Scotland does not conquer much, but it is a difficult team. Win".

Is the fact that Hampden Park will be full an advantage for the Scots or will the crowd stress the players?
"In my opinion, the crowd is a bit far from the field, there is a track that separates the crowd from the field and it takes them a bit away, but if there is pressure and the crowd is noisy then yes it affects. I do not think it will affect the Israeli team. "After the Scottish team defeated Austria, it is a game that Israel must win, if Israel comes under pressure the crowd will applaud, and it will be screened by the players."

"In Euro Scotland they lost both games in Hampden and scored 0-0 at Wembley, when Scotland play as an 'underdog' they raise their level, both the journalists here and the crowd expect the team to win the game, and it can work against them."






Coached five Israeli players, four at Celtic. How do you explain your relationship and success with them?
"I have a good relationship with Dudu Dahan from Israel, and he brings us a lot of players. The first to arrive was Biram Kiel who was a great success and also moved to England. Biram's arrival was the beginning of a very strong relationship."

"I trust Dahan's judgment, and then I see the players in my eyes. They have good values, they are hungry and they make a positive impression. It is a good market, and the Israeli player does not cost £ 20 million either. "Israelis want to create a career abroad and that is not an easy thing to do, to live outside your country, to leave your family, a different weather."

"For example, Nir Bitton has been here for six years. He is almost Scottish. His children study here, Biram was also here for a long time, Ofir Marciano was also here for 4-5 years. They go on a journey, they do not come for a year or two and go, so they have a mentality "Good, they get more motivated to go somewhere else. The five players I coached are very good and very talented."







In which of the five players you coached did you identify the most potential?
"I saw potential in everyone, I myself played in the link center and as a very strong player, I have not seen such a player for a long time, he very much reminded me. In the first game I saw him in Celtic he was amazing, but he was injured and had a hard time returning to the previous level."

"Nir (Bitton) is different, more elegant, more relaxed with the ball, more technical. We played one game for Aberdeen and the way he played, it was just unbelievable, the potential we thought he had. He played for Celtic for a very long time, in my opinion he was Can go further in his career. "

"Rami (Gershon) was young, strong, brakeman and defender, but he got into competition with Virgil Van *, so he had a hard time playing on a regular basis, he did great things in Belgium and certainly in Israel. Ofir (Marciano) is one of my favorites, I really liked him "When I coached Celtic, I would watch him at Hibernian, he came to them and made things so much better, he was brilliant for 2-3 seasons."

"Khatam (Abd al-Hamid), has everything you are looking for in a modern player. He is fast and he is good with the ball, in the first games he got here he was fantastic when he was fit, he adds a lot. Sometimes he loses concentration and that's fine."

"He sacrificed a lot to get here. The problem was that the closures came and he and his family had a very hard time. He found himself in training and at home and very isolated and he was not happy. They were all good kids with hunger and good values, they all played very well with me and had a good time in Scotland




Were there other Israeli players you wanted to add when you coached Celtic or Hibernian and it didn't work out?
"Yes. Eran Zehavi was one of them at the time, I really liked him. He is a good striker, an icon, influences the other members of the team, but we never managed to reach an agreement with him."

"When I coached Hibernian I watched the game between Celtic and Salzburg, and Moanes Dabour played up front and I thought he was good. I really like him as a player."

"I have not yet seen enough Manor Solomon games for me to have a real opinion, but I like the team's right back (Eli Desa). I think he is very good with the ball, he is mentally strong, and in front of world-class Andy Robertson he stands very nicely."

Although you did not coach Liel Abda, but how do you see his progress at Celtic?
"He started his career very well. He is not really physically built, but he is fast and sharp. I watched him against Leverkusen, he is a big part of the transitions forward, he finishes very well relative to a winger and has already been reflected in Celtic and Lamb."

"He's only 19 and I think he'll finish each season with double digits. For a winger these are very nice numbers and a very good contribution. Maybe he should develop a little physically. He's still young, but so far I'm very happy with what I see of him."




Nir Bitton plays as a back contact and as a brake, in the team as a brake. What do you think is the ideal role for him?
"I always thought he was 6, I know Beavers Natcho plays you in that position, but when Bitton's head is strong he's 6."

"Nir likes to be a contact and see the game, when I played with him as a contact, he was great, knew how to move the ball, good in tackles and in the air. I think today he can still play about 6, but he wants to play from behind as a brake."

"In games in Europe he has played for the national team, or in the League of Nations against Scotland, he has played wonderfully. I think he is better about 6 but it is good that he can play in both positions."

If you receive an offer to coach an Israeli team in the future, is this something you will consider?
"Yes. Absolutely. For a start, Israel is a very beautiful country, it has people I knew, players I coached, colleagues, always kept in touch. I watched the big teams in Israel like Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Beer Sheva, even MS Ashdod."

"I love the quality of football, I think there is potential, the coaches you coached have had success in Europe, despite the recent decline. These are things that go up and down and it will come to mind again. I spent all my life in the UK, I was a coach and player and I would love a new challenge. Every other country on my list. "

 

50, 10 years in management and you are needing to resort to begging Israeli teams to hire you.


Let that sink in, this * held on to the job at our club for the majority of last season and this is now his level, begging Dudu to sort him out with a gig.

 

Buckled at those Dudu Dahan videos

 

I'm with packy on this one. Lost the last bit of love I have for him. I'm not with most who slate the man at everyone opportunity and turning everything the man says into a negative and slandering him. Not my style! I do understand losing the 10 wasn't all to do with him. It was just one of them cluster * of a season where everything went wrong, operation stop the 10 in full flow along with the media spins thst turned our own against him. IMO he should of kept of side for awhile then somehow try to build back the good rapport we all had with him . If he gets this gig he is a first class * stain and I don't say them words loosely. Anyone with any Celtic values should stay well away from the Huns, Israel, and the england job. In that order though the former is self explanatory! Something tells me if he does take this gig, there'll be more graffiti in lurgan only this time it won't be from the loyalist scum. It'll be from our own only this time it'll be warrented! Even coming out with the words he did about Israel sickens me. *!

 

Definitely trying to troll the support..

Wee fat *. I hope he goes anywhere far enough that we never hear from him again..

 

Dudu and Doo Doo.

To be fair to him he’s looking for a job and is asked by an Israeli if he would work in Israel. He’s hardly going to say no or talk * about the country.

I hope history is kind to him. He hasn’t helped himself clearly, but the utter hate for a Celtic legend breaks my heart.

 

Hope he * off to Israel permanently.

 

Tells you how desperate he is that he’s having Dudu try and get him a job in Israel.


That toxic he can’t even get a look in the UK or Ireland just now.

 

It’s desperate I agree. Still doesn’t sit right with me the hate for him, even though I have joined in with the abuse in the past.

To be fair he has made it very easy at times. Still annoys me that he gets so much hate. I’m probably more annoyed at him for making it so easy though. Folk like Burley and Commons were here for 5 minutes in comparison so easier to dislike. Lennon was/is a legend for many reasons. I hate that he is making it easy to dislike him. Ugh.

 

It’s his own fault.

The fans defended him from everyone for best part of 20 years even when he was a piece of *.

 

Yep..

I severely ripped him last season for a whole load of obvious reason's but see when he was getting abused and looked at his lowest ebb in Carlisle or wherever he was, and I was getting video's sent from * tearing in to him...I felt sorry for him and went on the defensive a bit..

I won't have been the only one. What has the * done since? Been everywhere slagging us and our current regime from the mess he left behind. Actively going out his way to talk * and troll us..

* him..

 

I honestly can’t disagree with you lads. That’s what * me off more than anything.


Can any of you think of any other long time servant who has ruined their legacy like this?

Of everyone who has given the best part of 20 years of their life to this club I cannot think of one who has managed to turn a majority of the support against them.

 

It's a sore one mate, I know what you're saying..

He's shat on the very people that were behind him all the way...

If he gracefully went last year like he said he would if it wasn't going well.....he'd put the club first and all that.....then time would've favoured him..

He didn't though. He stuck his finger's up. Called out the support when we were protestingand had genuine grievances about where we were being taken. Backed the board. Stayed on a ship that had sank month's before (probably as early as our champions league qualifier at home to Ferencvaros when he threw the player's under the bus). Was telling us he didn't even bother trying to do work on the training ground to defend set pieces after we lost 1 nil in Dingwall. Had his part in Dubai. Then eventually slipped off and has been everywhere and anywhere to anyone who'll listen, talking * about us non stop..