David Posted May 13, 2011 Report Share Posted May 13, 2011 Steve Jones left Northern Ireland as a 12-year-old. Twenty three years on, the latest stop on his football career offers a chilling reminder of his childhood. On the night the winger netted his maiden league goal for Motherwell in their 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock on Wednesday evening, Neil Lennon was suffering the latest in a string of personal attacks that have plunged Scottish football into the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again. Everything from Lennon’s fiery touchline persona to his Northern Irish Catholic background have been touted as motives for the mindless minority to act, dragging Scotland back to a time when division was rife. It is a familiar situation for Jones. “I was brought up in Londonderry,” Jones said. “You had to go across Derry to go shopping, you had to look after yourself. I moved across to Manchester when I was 12. “It was a fresh start for the family. We moved for my father’s job and then my football career started. “We kept ourselves to ourselves really. My parents didn’t like us wandering about the place, that is just how they were. I was oblivious to what the real threats were out there. “He [my father] said leaving was for his job but, as I have grown older, I have thought to myself ‘was it a bit of both?’ It is fair credit to him. He has left a fair chunk of his personal life behind to start afresh.” More than a fair chunk of Neil Lennon’s life has been aired over the course of this season; the touchline attack the culmination of a lengthy assault on the Celtic manager’s safety. “It is horrendous,” Jones said. “He is a human being and he has got a family. He is just trying to do things to the best of his ability. There are always altercations – that’s the way the people are in Glasgow, it is Catholic or Protestant isn’t it? It is the same in Nothern Ireland, it is something you would think would be derailed in this day and age.” With the Clydesdale Bank Premier League drawing to a close, the hype around Lennon may hopefully and belatedly cool. Celtic head into their final match against Motherwell in need of three points and a favour from Kilmarnock to end a tumultuous campaign on a positive note. Jones’ former Northern Ireland team-mates Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and David Healy will take to Rugby Park knowing they are just a win away from three in a row. “I know them all well,” said Jones. “I speak to them regularly. They are all geared up to win it. It is all in their hands. Steve has texted me saying we have to get a point off them [Celtic]. We roomed together for Nothern Ireland and became good pals, he is a top guy. They are all smashing lads.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy Posted May 13, 2011 Report Share Posted May 13, 2011 saw him central station last night I wonder if he was on his way home after talking to the herald mind you it's just another Well story that ends up being all about the old firm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted May 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2011 Having seen how the Glasgow-based media operate in the past, I'm willing to bet that he was asked about the Scottish cup final, how he's settling at Motherwell and so forth, only for such information to be completely binned in favour of his opinion on Lennon & the Old Firm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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