Stiliyan Petrov has suggested that he wants Neil Lennon to be given the Celtic manager’s job on a permanent basis.
The former Hoops man played under Lennon during his first tenure at Parkhead, and believes that he is the right man for the hot seat, but did also insist that a decision has to be made soon.
As quoted in the Daily Record, he said: “If Lenny finishes with the Treble, and I know he did not do all of the work, I hope he gets the job and is given the support of the club.
“If not then, with Lenny’s CV, I’m sure he will have offers to manage elsewhere. But the club have to make a quick decision.
“That will show they have a clear plan and they know what they are going to do. They can’t afford to waste time.
“A quick and clear decision would give reassurance to the fans and to whoever gets the job that they will get the support and time to rebuild.”
OPINION
It’s perhaps no great surprise that Petrov, a man who played under Lennon during his own time at Celtic, believes that he should be given the permanent job, but even factoring out his affinity with the Northern Irishman, you would have to say that he is probably right. Lennon is the safe choice. Some people will see that as a copout, but the reality of the situation is that a safe pair of hands is what the Hoops need right now. They are so close, in relative terms, to a historic 10 league titles in a row, and the gamble will be that bringing in a new manager, regardless of their status or reputation in the game, could have an adverse effect on that bid. Lennon knows the club inside out, he knows the Scottish game inside out, and honestly, it would be daft if he wasn’t given the job at this stage.