Former Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson insists he 'blames Peter Lawwell' for last weekend's derby defeat.

The ex-winger threw his weight behind old pal Neil Lennon after the manager was forced to choose a non-full strength side to play Rangers at Parkhead due to Covid-19.

Fans were left furious with their boss's tactics on the day where the Hoops failed to muster a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. But Thompson urged supporters not to blame Lennon who had done the best with what he had.

And he blamed Lawwell despite Celts splashing out around £14million on transfers this term.

The Newcastle-born ex-coach also urged fans not to be so 'critical' after the defeat. In a series of tweets, Thompson said: "I blame Peter Lawwell. DO NOT BLAME LENNY !!! He's doing his job to the best of his ability." He finished it off with "seriously guys stop being so critical and relax".

Fans let Thompson know what they felt, however, with one saying: "Who do we blame then?! It’s his team he is the coach? The tactics are awful!! So who is to blame?" Another added: "That's the problem. He's peaked and isn't able to do it at the level we need him to".

One moaned: "That was poor today Alan, but I don’t think Lennon should escape criticism. I’m not a fan of Lawwell at all but we can’t sit here saying Lennon hasn’t been backed".

Celtic bought Vasilis Barkas, David Turnbull and Albian Ajeti this season while bringing in Moi Elyounoussi, Shane Duffy and Diego Laxalt on loan.