Scott Brown says Celtic’s flops must shoulder the responsibility for the “sad” ending to Neil Lennon’s Parkhead reign.
The Hoops captain paid a glowing tribute to the Northern Irishman after his departure was confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Brown was skipper for all five titles under Lennon’s watch and admits he probably wouldn’t still have the armband if it wasn’t for the support of the 49-year-old.
But after the bid for an historic 10th successive title nosedived in spectacular fashion this season Brown conceded the players must carry the can as much as Lennon.
He said “It’s been a difficult season in a lot of ways, so you’ve got to feel sorry for the manager. We’ve got to take responsibility.
“It’s a sad day to see him leave but it’s because we’ve not been playing as well as we can on the park.
“Even after he left Celtic as manager the first time, we kept in contact all the way through, and it was great to see him come back.
“He was fantastic for me the first time around.
“He kept me on as captain, he gave me a lot of confidence. The second time he came in, I was a little bit older, and he continued to play me.'
“It’s obviously a hard decision for him as well to leave the club that he loves and that he wants to do well. He always wanted Celtic to win week in, week out, whether he was manager or not.
“It’s not been a great season to go down in our history books, but it’s one that we’ve got to take on the chin.
"We’ve got to start performing as well as we can for the remainder of the season. We keep saying that, but we need to try and get it done. We need to get back to winning ways, bring back the fans and bring back the pride in Celtic as well.”
Lennon won 10 trophies in two spells as manager including the first three and last two of the nine-in-a-row run.
He led the club over the line for an unprecedented Quadruple Treble with December’s Scottish Cup victory.
But he came under heavy fire from supporters as the push for an historic 10th successive title fell apart in calamitous fashion.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to bottom side Ross County - who had dumped the Hoops out of the League Cup three months ago - was the final straw as Lennon left his position on Wednesday morning.
But Brown said: “Neil won another treble for us - he won the Quadruple Treble, which we picked up against Hearts, and he’s got great passion for the club.
“He’s supported Celtic his whole life and he wanted to play for this club - he won a treble as a player, as well as a manager.
“He’s given 15-20 years to this club and he deserves respect, and also praise for what he’s done for the club and the success he brought us.
“I probably wouldn’t still be captain at Celtic if it wasn’t for Neil Lennon.
“He kept me on after Tony Mowbray left, and he was a breath of fresh air when he came in. He was great with the lads, and we were fighting for him because we wanted him to get the job, and eventually he did get it.
“He was the one who started the nine-in-a-row, and he was the one who got us the nine as well.
“One good thing about football is that there’s always another game around the corner.
“We need to get better, get back to winning ways and start making Celtic Park a fortress again.
“We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, and concentrate on Saturday’s game against Aberdeen. John’s done well over the years with the manager, with Brendan and with Ronny as well, and while I know it’s not the circumstances he would have wanted, he’ll take it in his stride.”
