‘He used to terrorise me’ – ex-Celtic cult hero says Neil Lennon ‘wanted to batter me’ as stormy feud came to a head

NEIL LENNON didn't suffer fools gladly when he was Celtic manager.
But one player says the Hoops boss TERRORISED him during his time at the Glasgow club - as he recalled how their stormy relationship came to a head.
Tony Watt scored perhaps one of the most famous goals in Celtic history back in 2012.
He raced through and caught the Barcelona defence napping in the 83rd minute to seal a remarkable Champions League win for the Hoops with a cool and composed finish that defied his tender years.
Watt was only 18 at the time and was brought on as a sub that night at Celtic Park and it remains the outstanding moment of his career.
He became an instant hero in the eyes of the Hoops support and his place in Celtic folklore is cemented forevermore.
Even if his actual Celtic career never kicked on from that point.
Watt, now starring for Motherwell on loan from Dundee United, has turned out for 12 different clubs since scoring that goal against the Spanish giants 12 years ago.
His career moves have taken him from Scotland to England, Wales, Belgium and Bulgaria and now aged 31, he has plenty of stories to tell.
However, he looks back on his time at Celtic Park with a tinge of regret.
After signing for his boyhood heroes from Airdrie in 2011, Watt was desperate to make an impact in the Hoops.
But he admits the notoriety he gained from the goal meant the fame and accolades came somewhat too soon for him and that he wasn't ready to become a regular first team player at the time.
Lennon was his boss at the time and it's fair to say they didn't always get on.
"He used to terrorise me," Watt said on Open Goal.
"There was an incident off the pitch that I can't say.
"Well, I can say...," he continued.
Watt explained how he felt Lennon was ready to fight him one night as tempers reached boiling point.
He said the club wanted to cash in on him in the wake of the historic Barca strike.
Watt felt like he'd been "dumped" and then made peace with the fact he had to move on.
However, when Celtic's move for striker Juan Agudelo fell through it meant Watt was told to stay put.
That further increased the tensions between him and Lennon.
Watt said: "He (Lennon) was going to batter me one night, genuinely.
"I think he was fed up with me and I was fed up with him.
"I'd asked to leave a hundred times. They wanted to sell me right after the Barca goal.
"I was gutted. It was like somebody had dumped me and I never wanted to go back.
"They wanted to cash in on me.
"Remember Juan Agudelo? They'd lined up everything but couldn't get a work permit so then Celtic said 'Nah, we're not selling you'.
"My agent phoned me and said there were a couple of Premier League teams interested in me.
"I was 18, 19 and it was the likes of your Wigans and West Broms but there was no money on the table.
"Then he turned around one day and told me 'you're not going' and I was like okay that's fine.
"He'd bring me back for the big games but bomb me out for everything else so I'd always be out of the team.
"Then one night he told me to go up the road and I was like 'I'm not going'.
"He said 'who do you think you are?' and he lost it with me.
"We weren't quite head-to-head but I backed off and we left it."
But that was far from the end of the feud.
Just a couple of weeks later, Lennon used a team talk to get absolutely tore into the young striker.
Watt said: "The next week (after the argument) we were away to Motherwell and I got an assist, then we played Ross County away and he hadn't been in the whole week so I didn't see him.
"I seen him on Saturday for the game, I think we had won the league but his team talk was all about me.
"'See him, if he talks back to anybody, go through him. And see you, if anybody speaks to you, don't open your mouth' blah, blah, blah.
"So before the game I was genuinely nearly crying. I was in shock.
"Kelvin Wilson came up to me and told me everything was going to be fine.
"He said 'you know what he gets like, just play your own game and be yourself' but after that it was done. I didn't speak to him (Lennon) until after the summer.
"He said about a fresh start but it was done. A month later I was out on loan."
Watt added: "I was desperate to leave.
"I wasn't ready for Celtic. It came too fast. Far too fast.
"Now when I train I work hard and I say that running is more bigger than everything.
"But back then? It was just give me the ball and I'll do whatever. I was naive and young.
"It was definitely my fault with Lennon but I think he could have handled things better.
"If I saw him five years ago I wouldn't have spoke to him.
"If I see him now, I'd speak to him."
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