Lennon’s lessons in management
The Celtic boss will collect the Football Writers Manager of the Year on Sunday with Celtic firmly installed as the dominant force in Scottish football.
Lennon is the longest serving manager in the SPL and has cast aside the ‘rookie boss’ tag as quickly as his players have turned around the ‘we buy any players’ jibe that was aimed at them as they were assembled in the east end of town.
The Irishman took in all the coaching qualifications that he could but it was the words of another former Celt about management that proved most valuable- especially after he took over from Tony Mowbray on a caretaker basis.
“I was speaking to Mark McGhee about management a long time ago, he said that you never know when you are ready,” Lennon told Celtic tv.
“I was tinkering with the idea, I wasn’t sure if I was ready, you never do. This has been a good opportunity and one that I’ve relished.
“I always wanted to be a manager, it’s the next best thing to playing. I felt that I had the personality for it but you don’t really know.
“You go in with ideas, I knew the Scottish game and the club well but the players that have been brought in have exceeded expectations and that’s something that’s more pleasing than anything else.”
Looking at the demands placed on him Lennon added: “It’s a results driven business, winning games is the hardest thing. Dealing with expectation, there’s huge expectations here, not just from our own supporters but from outside influences as well.
“It can be difficult with the media at times, you are under intense scrutiny, they hang onto every word and sometimes take it out of context but you play the game. I’ve learned to do that a lot better over the years as well.”