Neil Lennon claimed Celtic reaching the Champions League group stages for the second successive season was his “greatest” moment in football.
The Hoops trailed Shakhter Karagandy 2-0 from the first leg of the play-off, but goals from Kris Commons, Georgios Samaras and James Forrest booked a place in the group stage draw.
Lennon said: “It is the greatest thing I have ever done in football. We lost three very important players and it has been difficult to replace them.
“Coming from a two-goal deficit as well it makes the players’ performances all the more remarkable.The players were wonderful.
“There is a great sense of pride in what we achieved considering we lost Hooper, Kelvin and Wanyama, who were the spine of the team. I am angry as well angry at the reaction from the first leg.”
“The environment here is all wrong. There is far too much negativity. These players have given everything for the club and have put Scottish football in a really good light last year.
“I wouldn’t say we had a bad week last week, we didn’t take our chances, we created plenty but the hysteria afterwards was disgusting.
“It might have come from some quarters of the media or some quarters of our own support but the knee-jerk reaction to an average performance was baffling to me. It just makes the job impossible at times.
“There is no respect for managers these days, we are analysed and scrutinised. I call the game as I see it but you still get slaughtered and people try to humiliate you.
“It is totally wrong and it doesn’t do the prestige of the job justice.”
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