Neil Lennon won't be taking things on the chin

It’s safe to assume that a new style of management will begin at Celtic with the confirmation of Neil Lennon as manager.

In contrast to Tony Mowbray Lennon played in an era when Celtic were dominant, when they competed in Europe and when moral victories were for losers.

Whilst the Mowbray reign is best forgotten there are lessons to be learned from the former manager’s eight months in charge with Lennon’s spell as caretaker a stark contrast to his predecessor.

Modern management requires more than just being able to put a winning team on the park, the demands and rewards are much greater than ever before and in three key areas Lennon has shown that he’s more suited than Mowbray to managing Celtic.

1. The necessity of winning now, not tomorrow or in the future.

2. Passion and commitment from the dug-out- even at the expense of various water bottles.

3. Handling the media sensibly and sensitively.

Dealing with the media may be seen as irrelevant to many supporters but unlike each of his three predecessors Lennon is at home and comfortable with the media.

Like it or not interviews with radio, television and newspapers shape the image that a Celtic manager projects to supporters and opponents alike.

Lennon has a knack for anticipating the next question and gives measured answers without the flannel and cliches that come with the territory in the job.

More importantly the next Celtic manager knows that winning matches is the only way that he’ll be able to retain his job and develop his ideas into the way that the team plays.

It wasn’t quite winning ugly at the end of last season but there was a greater discipline about the team as they won eight games on the bounce.

The vulnerability that was present throughout Mowbray’s time in charge was mainly absent, the pattern of losing early goals and being defeated from winning positions was eradicated although the Ross County defeat can be thrown back as a counter argument.

The antics of managers in the dug-out make for great television, the contrast between Martin O’Neill bouncing on the touchline, kicking every ball and contesting every decision contrasts sharply with the laid back approach of Sven Goran Eriksson whose reaction to anything on the pitch was to straighten his glasses and draw breath.

Mowbray looked distant from his team, there seemed little connection as he stood shoulders hunched staring at his shoes as if the team wasn’t his responsibility.

One of the most striking images of Mowbray’s time as manager was his reaction to Kyle Lafferty’s lunge at Andreas Hinkel in the new years derby match.

There were already plenty of doubts about Mowbray but when he shied away wincing from Lafferty’s attack on Hinkel it was clear that he wasn’t made of the right stuff.

A similar incident witnessed by Lennon, O’Neill or Gordon Strachan would almost certainly have required the intervention of Strathclyde Police with the manager watching the remainder of the match from the stand.

In that incident Mowbray’s own weaknesses and unsuitability to be Celtic manager were highlighted, two months later he was gone after an Ally MacLeod-like performance disappearing into the dug out during the 4-0 defeat to St Mirren.

We can expect to see Lennon lose it a few times in the season ahead, there will be times and decisions that stretch his patience but overall we can expect to witness the same controlled aggression that he showed throughout 300 appearances as a player for Celtic.

Hinkel was also involved in the other derby flash-point that highlighted Lennon’s suitability for the job and comfort with the media.

Without prompting or probing Walter Smith went off on a fantastic rant after losing 2-1 to Celtic, upset that Hinkel had said that Celtic were a better team than Rangers and also suggesting that the German and his team-mates had short changed Mowbray.

Smith said: “It might be if they had shown the same attitude as they showed in the first half of the game tonight, they might have been in a far better position.

“He has got to ask himself that question. If he sits down and says that Celtic are a better team than Rangers, he should ask himself if he’s proud of the way they have played over the last few seasons because I’m certainly proud of the way my team has played and my team has something tangible to show for it at the end.

“Maybe it’s simply because of their approach and their attitude to the game, that Neil Lennon is now bringing out in them. But if it takes a manager to bring it out in you, then you are looking at a poor set of professionals.”

Lennon refused to respond to Smith’s outburst, despite the euphoria of beating Rangers, an essential result if he was to stand a chance of getting the job permanently, he retained his composure with a studied reply to the Rangers boss.

Diplomatically Lennon said: “That’s not Walter’s place. He’s not the Celtic manager or affiliated with the club. Those comments should be best left for someone at the club to say.

“I don’t comment on Rangers, certainly not as a manager anyway. I’ve been quite gracious towards Rangers, their performances and the way that they’ve dealt with things. Their mentality this season.

“I don’t think that it’s Walter’s place to criticise the Celtic players, leave that to people like myself.”

Lennon and Smith will resume their battles in August with the first derby clash of the season at Celtic Park.

Handling that occasion will be how Lennon is judged, the jockeying for position begins tomorrow with transfer activity, in-bound and out, expected to be frantic as Lennon prepares to hit the ground running for a championship that Celtic can’t consider losing.

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