NEIL LENNON has bitten back at suggestions he’s not the man to take Celtic forward beyond the current season after the interim Celtic boss was asked about his future.
The Irishman addressed vocal fans on social media who are adamant he shouldn’t get the job on a full time basis. Neil will always give you his honest opinion on things but it appears he has scored a massive own goal with his comments on Thursday morning about some fans.
The former Celtic captain believes there’s a new breed of fans who are spoiled with success and aren’t seeing the bigger picture in terms of what the club is achieving on a yearly basis at the minute.
With the club going for a treble treble the interim Parkhead boss thinks his record speaks for himself and believes he’s in a strong position. He did, however, make the suggestion that he hadn’t declared his position on his own future.
“There is no evidence to suggest I can’t take the job on.” he told CelticTV.
“I have been here since 2000 and in that time Celtic have won 14 league titles and I have played a part in ten of them.
“So I think I know how to win titles here.
“I think that gets overlooked. If we win the cup that will be my seventh cup and any time we lost the league that I have been involved in it was on the last day of the season.
“I think there is a new breed of supporters, here or elsewhere. Since 20 years ago the only thing they have seen is success.
“They don’t remember the 1990s as the older generation do. I can’t take it for granted, they might. That comes from an immaturity from their point of view.”
He added: “I never said I wanted [the manager’s job] long-term. My contract here expires at the end of May and after the cup final I’ll sit down with whoever, and that’s always been the case.
“Nothing has changed, despite all the speculation, whether I’m getting the job, whether it’s Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Slaven Bilic, or whoever.
“As far as I’m aware, the club aren’t speaking to anybody until after the final. I’m in a strong position anyway.
“I’ve got the big one out the way and now the cup is very, very important. Not for me, but for the players.”
We’re getting into territory where the Celtic fans will be split. Lennon’s comments have sparked some angry opinions from Celtic fans who believe he’s not the man for the job.
When one group has very strong vocal opinions on a subject then others who maybe have been quiet on the issue will come to the forefront and have their say also.
Neil didn’t have to make these remarks and he could have been a bit more tactful about the current situation.
The Lurgan man has been a fantastic servant for the club and regardless of who you want to be the next Celtic manager, he deserves respect and space to finish the job he took on in February when Brendan Rodgers decided to do a midnight flitting.
