Neil Lennon insists that facing Aberdeen on Sunday is just another pressure match.
Since coming in as Caretaker in February 2019 the Irishman was on a hiding to nothing- winning the title was expected with a seven point lead while winning the 2019 Scottish Cup simply added the Treble tally up from two to three.
There was plenty of pressure on last season, especially after the winter break in Dubai but that has been multiplied for a variety of reasons this weekend.
A stale start to the season saw Ferencvaros end interest in the Champions League, a winning but unconvincing run was halted last Saturday by a defeat in the Glasgow derby.
There were a number of factors but a flat performance on the pitch coupled with a lack of passion or activity from the dug-out set off alarm bells among the fans.
Against AC Milan in the Europa League there were signs of life but anything less than full points at Aberdeen will see the panic signs come out.
Shifting attention from himself to defending the players, Lennon told The Herald:
Every game is a pressure game, every game since the day I walked back in the door every game has been a pressure game. You can hype it up all you want, for me we will just go out there and endeavour to win, play well, start getting our juices back and get the momentum that we built up last season.
Is it a test of character? It is just another game. You talk about character, they have it in abundance. It is a bit of a cliché to say this is another test of character. It is just another challenge for them to look forward to. I think Lille next week will be a cracking game to look forward to.
I just want to see us improve now because we have been decimated. It has been very difficult to do with everything that has been going on. It has been very stop-start. It is not ideal, but, slowly but surely, we will get them back. I don’t think the damage, if you can call it that, is irreparable. There is a long way to go.
Lennon will have the same squad for Aberdeen as he had against AC Milan with Nir Bitton, Hatem Abd Elhamed and Odsonne Edouard all missing.
