Celtic are an absolute stick-on for the championship- Chic Charnley

You wouldn’t expect anything else from him but Chic Charnley is backing Neil Lennon to bring the thunder- and SPL title- back to Celtic.

“I think that Celtic are an absolute stick-on for the championship this time,” he admitted modestly!

Like most supporters Charnley was left feeling deflated by the emotionless reign of Tony Mowbray which ground to a halt with a 4-0 defeat from St Mirren in March.

Lennon will be in permanent charge of Celtic for the first time in Portugal on Wednesday with a new look squad needing to hit the ground running.

Half a dozen signings has given the squad a fresh look but it’s the return of some traditional qualities that Charnley is looking forward to most.

He said: “No disrespect to Tony Mowbray but the place was stone dead last season.

“The fans weren’t getting any vibes from the touchline, they got going again when they saw Neil jumping up and down. He wasn’t patronising anyone, he meant it. It wasn’t for show, he doesn’t need to do anything for show.

“Martin O’Neill was exactly the same and a great example. I wouldn’t compare John Lambie who I worked with to Martin but when you see enthusiasm on the bench- when you see a manager going that extra bit it drives players on.

“When you look to the bench and see no enthusiasm whatsoever it doesn’t inspire you.

“I’ve never been in one of Martin O’Neill’s team talks but from speaking to players who have his man management is first class. That’s a big part of football, if you get the players believing that they are the best you are half way there.”

Lennon was appointed manager on June 9 with Charnley instantly impressed by the new managers opening comments.

He added: “I loved it when Neil talked about being inside the ground after midnight and realising that he was the manager, that was fantastic.

“I still get goose pimples thinking about it and I just wish it was me. He also wants to get the fans on board and get the atmosphere going again.

“When a new manager comes in a club gets a lift, that’s happening at Celtic and I’m impressed with the way Neil is dealing in the transfer market.

“Joe Ledley and Daryl Murphy are good signings, I like the look of Murphy, he’s physical, holds the ball up well and I’m sure that he’ll get amongst the goals.

“Rangers are losing a lot of players and that gives Celtic a great opportunity. Losing Kevin Thompson and especially Kris Boyd will be a big loss for them, who’ll score the goals without Boyd?

“I think that there could be a few more players leaving Rangers, possibly Madjid Bougherra and Kenny Miller.

“That’s sad for Scottish football but that won’t be bothering anyone at Celtic, their only job is to get a winning team on the park.

“Lenny is getting the right people around him. Big Johan and Thommo have known the success that Celtic have had over the last ten years and will be doing everything to be winners in management as well.”

The one black mark against Lennon is of course the 2-0 defeat from Ross County in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.

That result looked to have ended the caretaker’s chances of getting the job on a permanent basis.

After the match Lennon spared no-one as he criticised the players claiming that they had gone out of every competition with a whimper.

Slaughtering the men that he had to rely on to get the job seemed a risky strategy for Lennon to adopt but Charnley believes that players respond to straight talking gaffers.

“After the Ross County defeat Lenny let the players know what he was feeling, he won’t suffer fools gladly,” Charnley added.

“The managers that I worked with didn’t worry about what the dressing room had to say about them.

“To a certain extent a manager has to rely on his players but if players think that a manager has a weakness he won’t last.

“If I saw a manager with a weakness he never lasted, when players see that in a manager he is finished.

“Managers need to stamp their authority from day one, if they go the other way they will be out of the job- you live or die by results and Neil knows that and I believe he’s going to be a big success.”

Part 2 with Chic– Raiding the Manchester United dressing room

‘Seeing Red’– The Chic Charnley story

Chic and chums at the Northern Masters

Follow Video Celts on Twitter and Facebook

Who’ll show the Braga match on television?