Neil Lennon has revealed that three transatlantic phone calls helped him blank out social media speculation and fake news.
The calls came from Augusta as Dermot Desmond enjoyed a week at The Masters.
Back at Lennoxtown there seemed to be a daily rumour appearing over who would be managing Celtic next season as Lennon attempted to prepare his side for the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.
Drama is rarely far away from Celtic’s caretaker manager but the reassurances from the club’s biggest shareholder paid off at Hampden as the hoops saw off Aberdeen to book a place in the Scottish Cup Final against Hearts.
“I still jump [when that number comes up], you know, don’t worry about that,” Lennon told the Daily Record about those phone calls. “It keeps you on your toes. We talked three times in the week. I spoke with him Tuesday, then I rang him on Friday and we spoke again briefly on Saturday. It was all good and positive.
“And Peter and I talk with him every day. I couldn’t ask for two better people to work with in a footballing sense. It was a difficult week but it was made a lot easier by those two and the conversations I had with them, I have to say that.
“What was Dermot saying? It was: How’s the team doing? How are you doing? He’s a great port of call and he was in Augusta as well.
“It’s almost as if you’re going from game to game to game and being judged [by outsiders]. They don’t make the decisions. We live in a generation now with social media, fake news and stuff being put out there, you just have to blank it out.
“You almost have to take no notice of it. It’s hard but you are living in a bubble really. Lennoxtown and home, Lennoxtown and home. I know the way they work and I know it’s not Dermot’s style.
“He’s given me the job until the end of the season and he wouldn’t want anything to affect that. The levels of concentration. People forget I have worked with him before, so I know how they work.
“I did it for a long time whether it be as a manager, a player or a coach, so I’m very comfortable with what they are telling me.
“It’s their opinion and I have no issue with that at all, so I just breathed, leaned on the staff, talked about team selection and we did a lot of work on the semi-final.”
Despite links with Roberto Martinez, Andre Villas-Boas and Rafa Benitez, Lennon remains the bookies favourite to take over from Brendan Rodgers on a permanent basis.
