Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has backed Celtic boss Neil Lennon to come through this current dip in form and continue to prove himself to be a good coach, speaking to Sky Sports today.
McInnes went head-to-head with the Hoops boss on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership, and the two rivals will square off against each other at Hampden this weekend in the Scottish Cup.
Despite the big tussles, McInnes has looked to support the under-pressure manager after a week of poor results.
The Dons boss said of the criticism, to Sky Sports: “It comes with the territory, you don’t sign up to be a manager if you don’t develop a thick skin and have to ride certain things out.
“What’s important as a manager is dealing with your team.
“In Neil’s case, Neil’s got the experience; he’s been over the course to deal with this. He’s proved himself to be a good manager and he’ll continue to prove that.”
McInnes will be under no illusions about this weekend’s match. He’ll know as well as anyone that a wounded Celtic can be a dangerous Celtic.
Surely Lennon’s team will be out to prove themselves after the 3-3 draw at Pittodrie?
Celtic supporters need to see some sort of response to this rocky period and where better to start than in a national semi-final at Hampden?
That’s what Lennon will be hoping for. He’s been through it all at Celtic Park and will understand the only way to shut doubters and critics up is to win matches.
Some of the criticism of him has been fair in my view, though equally, plenty of it has been over the top and any personal abuse is obviously out of order.
We can only hope that consistent form renders this current run irrelevant in the context of our season.
In other news, some Celtic fans have been pining for Erik Sviatchenko.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
