Neil Lennon insists he won't walk away from the Celtic job

Neil Lennon has insisted that he won’t quit as Celtic boss after the club went four Premiership games without a win.

The under-fire manager was speaking after his side let slip a 2-1 lead to draw 2-2 with a Livingston side missing key players ahead of their Betfred Cup semi-final this weekend.

Lennon also saw his captain Scott Brown sent off for violent conduct several minutes after being brought on to help his side find a winner.

“”I won’t walk away,” he said. “I’ve put too much into it. It’s my life.”

The result was a fourth league match in a row without three points, having lost to Rangers on January 2, then drawn with Hibs and Livingston while 16 players and staff self-isolated after the squad’s trip to Dubai and Christopher Jullien’s positive Covid-19 test.

The draw at Livingston means Celtic trail Rangers by 20 points having now played one of the three games they had in hand.

Lennon admitted that results hadn’t been good enough and when asked if he was concerned about his position, he said: “It’s not that I’m confident one way or the other. I am very conscientious about the work that I do.

“If the club need to make a decision then they need to make a decision. You’re asking the wrong guy about the position.

“I’m fed up answering it really. Everyone seems to be interested in my job. So be it.

“You keep asking me about ‘Am I going to be here?’. I will be until I’m told otherwise.

“I won’t walk away, I’ve put too much into it. It’s my life.

“A month ago we won a treble. I know I can’t keep banging on about it but it has to be said.

“We’ve lost two games in the league. Europe wasn’t good enough, and we’re out of the League Cup.”

The manager admitted he couldn’t put his finger on the cause of the problems that have beset his side this season.

“They’re human beings,” he said. “They haven’t played well this season for whatever reason and we can analyse it to death.

“Maybe no fans has had an adverse effect on them. I don’t know. But they certainly haven’t reached the levels they were at last season, by any stretch of the imagination.

“I haven’t changed my procedures or anything. My philosophy hasn’t changed. But for some reason, too many of them haven’t performed anywhere near their level.”

Livi manager David Martindale was delighted with his side’s performance after he took the decision to play fringe players ahead of the cup semi-final against St Mirren.

He said: “I’m delighted for the boys but frustrated because we could have taken three points.

“I thought there was a stonewall penalty late in the second half which was missed but you do miss things.

“When Celtic went down to 10 we got a couple of very good counter-attacks which we might have done better with.

“I’m disappointed but delighted for the boys the unbeaten run keeps going. If it goes for one more game I’ll be delighted.”