NEIL LENNON swerved his weekly press conference at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training complex yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Premier League clash with St Johnstone. The Celtic manager did not make himself available to discuss what could be a title winning party then afterwards tweeted: “there seems to be no balance in the Scottish media when it comes to us.”
His analysis appeared as he faced up to three charges from the Scottish Football Association, two of which have come as a result of comments which appeared in the media.
Lennon has been asked by the Scottish Football Association’s compliance, officer Vincent Lunny, to explain his comments from earlier in the week when he said of the visit of the Saints: “It will be nice just to be able to go out and think only about winning a game of football – and maybe have a decent refereeing performance into the bargain.”
Those remarks came on the back of last Sunday’s Old Firm defeat by Rangers at Ibrox where the Northern Irishman was sent off at the interval by referee Calum Murray, which also brought him a notice of complaint from Lunny. Celtic can clinch the title if Rangers fail to beat Motherwell at Fir Park today.
Meanwhile, two men were convicted yesterday of conspiring to assault Lennon and other high profile supporters of the club in a parcel bomb plot.
Trevor Muirhead and Neil McKenzie sent devices they believed were capable of exploding to the football boss, former MSP Trish Godman and the late Paul McBride QC, as well as the republican organisation Cairde Na hEireann, in March and April last year.
McKenzie was also convicted of posting an item to Lennon at Celtic Park with the intention of making him believe it was likely to explode or ignite and cause injury or damage to property.
Muirhead was cleared of this charge after the jury returned a not proven verdict.
A jury of 11 women and four men took almost two and a half hours to find the pair guilty by majority verdict of the conspiracy to assault charge and McKenzie by unanimous verdict for sending another suspicious package to Lennon, following a five-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
