Neil Lennon's second spell at Celtic was mixed.
While he would lead the club to five trophies after his return (something that was perhaps expected considering the gulf between them and the rest of the league) things ended badly for the former Northern Ireland international.
Rangers quickly closed the gap between themselves and their Glasgow rivals, with the pressure piled on Lennon throughout last season. He would eventually lose his job in February with the team well adrift in the league and out of Europe.
However, he has now defended his record at the club.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, Lennon said that his Celtic team had come to the end of a cycle and that the lack of fans in stadiums also had an impact. The 50-year old also reminded us of his trophy haul during his second spell in charge, aiming a dig at Rangers boss Steven Gerrard in the process.
We’d won nine titles in a row — four Trebles — and some players just got to the end of the road. You could see it pre-season, the body language, they weren’t with us. You could smell it.
Some players were, I wouldn’t say feigning injury, but they could have played and didn’t. This eats into the dressing room.
You’ve got great pros like Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, unbelievably successful, being dragged down by guys who don’t want to be there...
Before lockdown, we’d been rampant, we’d won at Lazio. But after three months of players going home, the environment changed. Players found it difficult to adjust.
But Juventus didn’t win the league, PSG didn’t, Real and Barcelona didn’t, Liverpool won the league by 20 points, then lost six in a row at home. It was unprecedented and we were the same.
Did I want to leave? Not really. But you want to do what’s best for the club, especially with what Celtic means to me.
I won five out of seven trophies the second time, though, and Steven Gerrard has won one out of nine.
People think it’s easy coming up here but you have to win every week — a draw isn’t good enough.
Celtic's struggles have continued this season after the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, with the club sitting in sixth place in the Scottish Premiership table and having lost their two opening group fixtures in the Europa League.
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