Celts in management

Thompson’s relief at no call from Celtic

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Stephen Thompson has revealed that he feared the worst when Neil Lennon quit Celtic.

Jackie McNamara seemed an obvious candidate for the vacant manager’s job but the Dundee United chairman never got the call that he dreaded.

In less than 18 months McNamara has transformed the side by placing his trust in a group of young players that have got scouts watching Ryan Gauld and John Souttar on a weekly basis.

Those qualities seemed to tick the Celtic wish list but rather than go for a former favourite the Celtic board looked to Norway and brought in Ronny Deila to replace Lennon.

“Jackie’s done very well since he came here and, given his Celtic connections, it’s something I thought of when I heard Neil Lennon had gone,” the Tannadice chief told the Dundee Telegraph. “It wasn’t something I was going to panic about.

“I have a great working and personal relationship with Jackie and I want him to be here for a long time. And one thing I’ve learned as chairman is if that relationship between manager and chairman isn’t right a club will not be successful.

“It doesn’t matter how well a club is run, if those two don’t get on you’re going to have big problems but I also recognise Jackie is an ambitious young manager just as I am an ambitious chairman.

“If he gets the success he wants, and I want, it’s inevitable at some point another club is going to come on wanting to take him. There’s no getting away from that and there is no point worrying about it.”

United turned down a £1m bid from West Brom for left-back Andy Robertson.

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