Celtic manager Neil Lennon has claimed his team have been excessively criticised following last Sunday's defeat at Rangers and believes his players deserve better after delivering yet another fruitful campaign.
Last weekend, Lennon's side were beaten 2-0 by bitter rivals Rangers at Ibrox, with goals from James Tavernier and Scott Arfield either side of half-time sealing a win for the Light Blues in the final Glasgow derby of the season.
Having already won the league title, Celtic did not have anything tangible at stake. Yet, the result has not sat well with the Celtic faithful.
Lennon, who is yet to be handed a permanent contract, has hit back at supporters for being too harsh on the players, claiming they should be grateful for the trophies they have won.
Lennon told a press conference: "In modern football, there's a furore after one game. You just have to keep a lid on it and keep calm.
"We played with the handbrake on on Sunday. No question, we deserved to lose the game, but it's not terminal by any means.
"They've won two trophies out of two and they've got the possibility of winning the third one for the third year in a row. What more can the players do? Really, sit back and think about it.
"For some reason, there's been a bit of negativity around the place, whether it be the expectation level of this team or unrealistic expectation at times from the supporters.
"All these people criticising, whether it be me, the board, or the players, take a step back and go, 'you know what, this is pretty special, pretty special'."
Having already won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup, Celtic will look to bag another domestic treble when they take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup final on 25th May.
