Celtic boss ‘fraught’ over death threats


Bullets and parcel bombs were sent to the Lurgan man in the latest in a series of personal attacks.
The 41-year-old was previously targeted when he was a player, leaving Northern Ireland in 2002 after a warning from sectarian gangs.
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Hide AdHe told UTV the attacks in 2011 were “fraught times” which made him question his future as a manager.
“There were very fraught times - particularly the season before last - when you’re thinking ‘Is it really worth doing it?’
“I had a lot of police intelligence who kept me informed of what was going on [...] but the one thing that kept me going was the players.
“Coming in and seeing them work every day, trying to improve, that whole environment that I worked in. I brought them here from all over the world and I felt as if I owed them that.
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Hide AdHe added: “Thankfully things have turned a corner in all aspects of that. It’s just amazing.”
Lennon also denied he is “confrontational... bullish and not afraid to speak his mind”, describing himself instead as a “strong character”.
He explained: “If I feel that there’s an injustice or something to say about certain football aspects I will say it, but I’m not confrontational.
“If you ever see a newspaper there’s always a picture of me pointing the finger at one of my players, shouting at him as if I’m doing it for 94 minutes. But I do have time where I think about things in great depth.
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Hide AdLooking to the future with the hoops, Lennon said while some players will be leaving the club - including Republic of Ireland striker Anthony Stokes - he is also hoping to bring new players in.
Portuguese forward Amido Baldé could be on the move from current club Vitória SC with Lennon expected to lay down a £2.5m bid for the player.
But for now, Lennon is reflecting on last season’s victories in the Scottish championship and Scottish Cup.
He added: “The way we finished off the season, it was a perfect day for us all and on reflection there was a great way for the three years to end.”