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Pundit Charlie Nicholas thinks Celtic should not have chosen Neil Lennon to lead the club forward next season, speaking to Sky Sports on Thursday.
What’s he said?
Lennon’s appointment at the Hoops has yet to be confirmed, but the club announced he had been offered the job in the wake of last Saturday’s Scottish Cup win and the passionate Celtic man is unlikely to say no.
The debate surrounding the decision to try and appoint Lennon has rumbled on all week, with most media voices feeling that the treble winner is the right man to take charge of the Hoops.
Nicholas though feels that the club should have went in a different direction, even though Lennon did a fantastic job of filling in for Brendan Rodgers.
As quoted by Sky Sports, the former Celtic striker said:
I didn’t think it was the right decision. I would’ve went for something a little bit different. I was looking at somebody like [Slaven] Bilic or someone that might have a different creative [approach] but Neil did a fabulous sit-in for Brendan Rodgers.
He’s earned the right to take the position. He’s not agreed it yet, I know that, but I think Neil will be looking forward to it.
C’mon the Hoops throwback to one of the greatest Celtic goalkeepers of all time in the video below…
Should Lennon have been given the job?
Celtic fans may have preferred a big name to take charge. Brendan Rodgers’ arrival undoubtedly raised standards at the club and there are serious question marks about whether Lennon can maintain that.
The evidence is there though that Lennon can and will be a successful Hoops manager.
With a 70% winning record in over 200 matches and multiple trophy wins, his credentials are strong and he’s far less of a risk than appointing someone like Slaven Bilic, as Nicholas suggests.
Winning over the doubters
There’s only one way Lennon is going to get his doubters on board and that’s confidently winning matches during this summer’s European qualifiers.
If he can get Celtic motoring early and perhaps add a few first-team quality players to the squad in the transfer window, Celtic fans will soon forget their concerns and be much more comfortable heading into the domestic season.
Lennon has a lot to prove despite his enormous past success at Celtic, but anyone hoping for a Hoops meltdown should probably look elsewhere.
