Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been overlooked for the Ipswich Town job, and most likely the Hibernian job, despite his impressive record with the Hoops.
Former Manchester United assistant first-team coach Kieran McKenna has been given the job at Ipswich Town [BBC]. Meanwhile, it seems as if Shaun Maloney will be taking over imminently at Hibernian [Sun], who face Celtic on Sunday in the Premier Sports Cup Final.
Although Lennon endured a torrid end to his second spell at Celtic, his record is surely still good enough for the English League One. As a manager, he’s won 5 league titles. He also secured one League Cup, 4 Scottish Cups and an SPFL Championship trophy with Hibernian.
A spell at cash-strapped Bolton Wanderers wasn’t the most successful. However, there’s surely enough credit in the bank for Lennon to get another role in management soon.
Lennon, for his part, is keeping his options open. He told ESPN at the start of December [ESPN]: “Hopefully the right team will come along, whether that is here or abroad.
“I love the Spanish game, I enjoy Major League Soccer, too. I’ve had a good rest, I feel fresh and I’m excited about whatever challenge lies ahead.”
Opportunity will surely come soon enough for former Celtic manager Neil Lennon
Yes, admittedly, the way things ended with Celtic was not good whatsoever. There was a lot of bad feeling between Lenny and the supporters by the time he left in February of this year.
Managers, though, are allowed a bad season. Before then, he’d taken Celtic to another treble, as well as progression in the Europa League. In his first spell at Celtic, Neil Lennon brought through the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Gary Hooper, Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster.
It’s harder to recall now because of last season. But Lennon has built good squads. Surely there’s an opportunity coming for him soon.
Perhaps these roles weren’t ideal fits. Ipswich are in significant trouble, and their opting for a young, rookie manager is a curious choice. To an extent, you could say the same about Hibernian. Although Shaun Maloney and his experience with Belgium and Celtic will have helped.
Eventually, the right club will be the right fit for him. It may have ended badly at Celtic, sure. But do supporters really want to see Neil Lennon unemployed for a long time?
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