OPINION
Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths is spot on when he insists Neil Lennon has done a “brilliant job” since stepping in at the helm following Brendan Rodgers’ departure.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the Scottish international reflected on the season and said that his fellow countryman handled Rodgers’ “sudden departure” very well.
“Neil’s done a brilliant job since he’s come back. He’s done exactly what’s expected of him,” the 28-year-old said. “No one expected anything less, to be honest.
“It was a sudden departure with Brendan leaving, but given Neil’s stature at the club, and what he’s achieved before, there was no hesitation in giving him the platform to make us treble champions again.”
And Griffiths is spot on. Rodgers’ exit from Parkhead seemed a way off and then when Leicester City came calling, everybody soon came to the realisation that this would be it. That the Northern Irishman would be off.
Thee was no real surprise in his departure, given that his sacking from Liverpool left a stain on his managerial record in the Premier League. He had unfinished business in the English top flight.
But you have to give enormous credit to Lennon for coming in and guiding the Hoops to the treble treble. It could all have come crashing down, what with there being massive uncertainty over who was to be the next permanent boss.
Lennon, though, was the perfect man to bring in as interim boss. He has been here before, done it and got the t-shirt more than once at Parkhead.
He is Celtic through and through and, had the Hoops appointed someone else, the club would definitely not have finished the season so strongly.
His presence came as a calming one, and the players – many of whom worked with Lennon in his previous spell with the Glasgow club – did not have to worry about having to adapt to new tactics or anything of that ilk that usually comes with the appointment of a new manager.
It was simply forget about Rodgers, and continue winning football games. The players did that in all but one of Lennon’s matches in the back end of last season, which shows how effective his appointment was.
As for going forward, Lennon being offered the role on a permanent basis sets a great foundation for the seasons to come. It means that the love affair between the Scotsman and Celtic – which was so fruitful last time – will be reignited and it is an appointment that the manager thoroughly deserved.