Add as preferred source on Google

Neil Lennon will begin his second stint as Celtic manager away to Hearts in a storybook baptism of fire for the Lurgan man.

The former Hibs manager has replaced Brendan Rodgers, who left Celtic for Leicester City.

The club’s official website announced on Tuesday evening that Lennon has agreed to be Celtic’s interim boss until the summer.

It is hard to argue Lennon’s case to be the Celtic manager until the end of the season. He is a more than competent manager at this level.

He is an excellent tactician and is more than capable of leading Celtic to a treble treble.

However, he should not be given the job on a permanent basis. He’s already had his chance at managing Celtic and although he did a good job, he left for the bright lights of England.

It’s more of a case of ‘it’s not you it’s me’ when it comes to Lennon being the Celtic manager on a full time basis. The club have moved on since 2014 and Rodgers should have left the job even more advertising than the one he inherited from Ronny Deila.

Since 2016, it appeared that Celtic’s mentality as a football club was revolutionised under Rodgers. It is important that Celtic stay true to the bar they set when appointing Rodgers.

They must advertise the club appropriately, and watch the CVs flood into Celtic Park.

Celtic are one of the biggest and most attractive clubs in the world. There are not many clubs who can guarantee a sustained and committed backing from fans. 60,000 will flock to see their heroes every second week at Celtic Park.

You just don’t get that in too many other places in football. To be the Celtic manager must be an incredible honour, even if Rodgers’ departure leaves the hot seat a tad sullied.

Celtic must be ambitious in their approach for a new manager. They must ask the best available candidate. The fans have invested a lot of money into the club and demand their efforts are reciprocated by the board.

Don’t make a bad thing worse

Celtic must not rush into making Lennon their new permanent manager. Even if he secures the treble treble in the coming months, he should be thanked for his service and moved on.

This summer is the most important in the club’s history since 1997. Back then Rangers stood on the brink of 10 in a row.

Fast forward 22 years and Celtic need to get it right this summer again. They got it right in ’97, they cannot afford to make a rash mistake.

It could set them back decades.