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LEIGH GRIFFITHS insists Neil Lennon keeps having a pop at him because he wants to stay “relevant”.
The striker continued his war of words with former manager Lennon after completing his loan switch from Celtic to Dundee.
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Griffiths reckons the Northern Irishman’s remarks about his lack of professionalism are an attempt to keep himself in the spotlight while he’s out of work.
Lennon, who left the Hoops in February, questioned the former Scotland hitman’s fitness and commitment during his time in charge at Parkhead.
But while Griffiths is keen to draw a line under the public spat, he still had a few things to say about the feud.
He said: “I don’t want to keep talking about him because he is going to come back and he is going to have his bit to say. I don’t want to go tit for tat.
“I’ve said my piece, he’s said his. I just want to leave it there.
“If I ever see him in the street, we will probably have a couple of words to say to each other.
“But I am not going to keep battering him in the press because I don’t want it to be all about what Neil Lennon says to keep him in the loop.
“He is out of a job now and is trying to keep himself relevant.
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“For me, it is about my time here at Dundee and making sure I am playing well, scoring goals and helping the team hit that top six.”
Griffiths fell out of favour last season under Lennon, yet he doesn’t feel his old gaffer cost him a place at the Euros with Scotland this summer.
The 31-year-old scored one of the vital spot-kicks in last November’s play-off win over Serbia in Belgrade, then failed to make the cut when Steve Clarke named his finals squad.
Griffiths said: “No, he left in February, so I still had a few months to make sure I was there.
“It’s just unfortunate that I never had much game time under John Kennedy.
“Again, he’s a guy I don’t have a bad word to say about. He has been brilliant with me.
“The guys that got picked for the squad did well when they went there. Now we need to look forward to the World Cup.”
Griffiths also spoke positively about Ange Postecoglou, who handed him a new 12-month deal when he took charge – only to then deem him surplus to requirements weeks later.
He said: “Ange has been different class since he came to Celtic, great for me and the rest of the boys. I won’t have a bad word said about him.
“His training was first class. I just had a disrupted pre-season and was then trying to catch up with the boys, who were flying.
“Obviously you’ve seen the results lately, which makes it difficult to break in. But I’m at an age where I want to play games and start scoring goals again.
“Ange has brought something new to the club that hasn’t been there since Brendan Rodgers.
“The attacking way they are playing is first class and when they get it right, no team can stop them.
“Ange is a great guy and I wish him all the best for this season.
“It’s hard when you are a striker and the team only plays one up front. You need to be fully at it.
“He has gone with Kyogo Furuhashi or Odsonne Edouard, who are great players.
“Listen, there is no bad blood there and I am here to do a job for Dundee.”
Griffiths was originally in the Australian’s plans and did feature during pre-season.
However, he was never seen again after being booed mercilessly by his own fans during a pre-season friendly with West Ham in the wake of revelations about him sending text messages to a teenage girl.
If he had extended his seven-year stint with the Hoops, Griffiths reckon he would have been the only player in the country getting crucified by both sets of supporters.
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He said: “Tell me about it! If I’d stayed at Celtic, I’d probably be the only player to be booed home and away.
“But for me it’s about coming here. The Celtic fans have been brilliant with me since day one. They are some of the best fans I have ever played under.
“Yes, it hurts, but people are allowed to voice their opinion.
“Listen, it is done with now. I don’t have a bad word to say about the fans, the club or the people who work there.
“Now I’m here, I’m looking forward to it and hopefully my signing puts bums on seats to get this stadium rocking again.
“I came here because of the love I felt from the manager, James McPake.
“I have known him my whole career and he was desperate for me to come here and show I’ve still got it to play at the top level.”
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