NEIL Lennon is insistent that he will not be hounded out of Scottish football, despite enduring another week of bile and bruising.

The Celtic midfielder displayed the wounds of Wednesday night's hostilities against Motherwell yesterday, yet he maintained there has been insufficient psychological scarring to force him to turn down the offer of a new contract.

Lennon, 33 this summer, is currently in negotiations to extend his stay at the club. Controversy has been a constant companion of the combative midfielder but, while his style of play can invite the type of dull challenge that left his freshly-iodined shin sporting three stinging stud marks yesterday, he has become immune to, if increasingly bewildered by, the incessant crowd abuse.

He is aware that his status as a Catholic from Northern Ireland who plays for Celtic is enough to make him a target for sectarian abuse, yet the howls of derision at Fir Park, echoed around the Premierleague grounds, are the cause of much confusion.

He survived Keith Lasley's lamentably late lunge in a 1-1 draw played in a poisonous atmosphere at Fir Park on Wednesday while, on Saturday, he was punished for his part in a train-crash challenge with his arch-nemesis, Fernando Ricksen, but Lennon insists he will not consider the quiet life yet.

''There is no way I will leave because of it. I am happy playing for Celtic, I love the club and working with the manager and the playing staff,'' he said. ''It has been endemic in the last couple of years but I am pretty much used to it by now. It seems to happen at a lot of grounds now and it has certainly gotten worse this year.

''I don't know if it is the sectarian issue or just personal abuse. I would not like to think it is because of my background. It is on a smaller scale at the other grounds, but I think it's just a case of them not liking me and that's that.

''I just make sure I am prepared for it and it has not affected my performances. On the contrary, it makes me even more determined to play well. In a way, I suppose it is a

back-handed compliment. The manager said he would love to have been booed at every stadium rather than being treated with indifference.''

Lennon's popularity away from Parkhead is non-existent. On Saturday, he and Ricksen tangled like rutting stags. Serious injury could have befallen either player, such was the venom and velocity of the challenge. As it happened, Lennon was penalised for his involvement while Ricksen, at least equally over-zealous, won a foul. Lennon was also involved in a heated confrontation with David Clarkson on Wednesday night, which riled the rest of the Motherwell team and earned him a booking for his trouble.

''I am not one for criticising referees because they have a hard enough job, but I got booked for trying to get the ball back yet I'm not even given a free-kick for the challenge [by Lasley]. I find that a bit odd,'' he added. ''The thing that annoyed me about the [Ricksen] tackle was that Hugh Dallas gave the free-kick to Rangers when he [Ricksen] went over the ball. You run the risk of injury every time you step on the pitch but my disciplinary record is good. I've been sent off once in over 150 games.''

Strathclyde Police confirmed yesterday that a complaint had been lodged by Ross Wallace after he was kicked by a supporter during their traditional end-of-season stampede.

Martin O'Neill attempted

to play down that incident yesterday, as well as speculation regarding Rivaldo as a potential replacement for Henrik Larsson.

Faced with a fresh interrogation on the Brazilian, the manager looked fit to combust. ''I have a cup final to look forward to, so I haven't seriously considered alternatives for next season,'' he said.

But by last night, O'Neill's thoughts on any prospective deal for Marcio Amoroso, the other big-name Brazilian linked with the club, had mellowed somewhat. Amoroso took part in his first training session with the senior team yesterday and impressed with his array of skills - so much so that he has been invited on Celtic's pre-season tour of North America in July.

''We organised a bit of a game with him and the players today and I think he enjoyed that and he did okay,'' said O'Neill, who earlier in the day had also rebuffed questions over his plans to sign Amoroso.

''There are no deadlines and we are not rushing into anything at the moment. He has cost a lot of money in the past, so he must be a good player and that is why we wanted to have a look at him. My own view is that I would like to see him again.''