NEIL LENNON has jumped to the defence of under-fire Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell.
And he has warned Celtic fans they will struggle to get better men in charge.
The Celtic Fans Collective have called for boardroom changes.
But club legend Lenny, a Treble winner as player and manager, is baffled at the protests directed at major shareholder Desmond and chairman Lawwell.
He said: “I think it’s unnecessary, I don’t agree with it.”
Asked about finding suitable replacements Lennon — speaking on SunSport’s YouTube One-on-One show — replied sarcastically: “Good luck.”
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Former chief executive Lawwell and Desmond gave Lennon his first managerial role in 2010 and he has remained close to them ever since.
The former captain admits he’s bewildered by the supporters’ stance given Celtic’s dominance over the last 25 years.
Fan fury rose in the summer due to a combination of a dreadful transfer window and abysmal Champions League play-off exit to Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty.
It has gone up a notch since then, with demands for chief executive Michael Nicholson and finance director Chris McKay to step down.
But Lennon is adamant Irish billionaire Desmond should remain.
He said: “Dermot is a genius, for me. Not just from a sporting point of view, but an intellectual point of view.
“He’s very successful, hugely successful, probably the most successful man I’ve ever come across, in terms of what he’s earned and generated and built in his career.
“He’s on an intellectual level of no one else I’ve ever come across.
“He is very forward thinking, always looking to the future.
“He is very proactive, I have to say, in supporting Irish sportsmen, whether it be football, golf or Gaelic football.
“He loves his sport and he loves Celtic.”
Lennon also backed Lawwell, who retired as chief executive in 2021 after 17 years and returned as non-executive chairman 18 months later.
He said: “Peter is not only a great administrator but very astute.
“I fell out with him loads of times, as you would do, over deals or contracts or whatever.
“But everything he did was for the betterment of Celtic Football Club.
“Every deal, every decision made, the club always came first.”
Lennon added: “I think they’ve brought great success. They’ve fought many battles for the club — many battles they’ve won against the odds.
“I just think the success the club has had since 2000 has been incredible. The amount of titles, Champions League, the Uefa Cup final, player trading, the money the club has, how well-run and sustainable the club is.
“The health of the club is what they think about going forward.
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“They know they’re not going to be there forever, but what they’ve achieved on and off the field, it’s incredible.
“There’s no way Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers, Gordon Strachan, managers of this ilk, would have come to Celtic if it hadn’t been for Dermot. No way, honestly.”
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