Hoops chief pondered future

Neil Lennon has admitted that he almost walked out on Celtic and football when threats were being made towards him.

The Hoops chief has spoken out about a difficult year after he was caught up in a court case which saw two men, Trevor Muirhead and Neil McKenzie, jailed for five years for conspiring to assault him by sending parcel bombs to Celtic Park and the club's training ground in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire. The Northern Irishman revealed he was left "very disturbed" by the news that he was a target along with other prominent Celtic fans, including his close friend, Paul McBride QC, who then died suddenly while on a trip to Pakistan in March, days before he was to give evidence at the trial. Speaking about the past 12 months in an interview with Real Radio's phone-in host Peter Martin, which will be aired on Monday evening, Lennon said: "I had a real difficult time when Paul McBride passed away. And there was a spell where, on the Monday it was Paul's funeral and then on the Tuesday I had to go and give evidence in the court case and that was a real tough, tough spell. "At times you think: is it worth it? You know, all these things that happen to you." When asked if he felt like quitting, Lennon added: "Yeah. I mean at the end of the day, your personal safety is in jeopardy or you feel it's in jeopardy. "I was always well briefed by the police and the intelligence officers, so that gave me a lot of comfort through those times but you're just thinking: is it worth living here? "You know, I love Glasgow. I love the environment. It's been my home for a long, long time. But there is an element to it that lets the city down, you know, lets the country down and the sooner we can eradicate that...but it's got to come from the home. "It's got to come from the families and it's all right pointing the finger at schools and this, that and the other, (but) you know as parents we have a responsibility to bring your kids up in the right way."