OPINION
There will be many Celtic fans out there who will not share the same view as Peter Lawwell about Neil Lennon’s appointment as the permanent Celtic boss.
Speaking to the Hoops in quotes published on their official Twitter account, Lawwell was full of praise for Lennon and said he was the perfect man to be offered the job.
“Neil stepped up to the plate when we needed him,” the chief executive said. “He’s a true Celtic man who knows the club and the city. He’s a winner with a fantastic eye for a player. I’m delighted to announce he’s been offered the job.”
? Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell: “Neil stepped up to the plate when we needed him. He’s a true Celtic man who knows the club and the city. He’s a winner with a fantastic eye for a player. I’m delighted to announce he’s been offered the job.” #TrebleTreble
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 25, 2019
There is no doubting one fact – that Lennon will officially go down in the history books as the man who guided Celtic to completing the final step of the treble treble.
It wasn’t the best of performances from the Bhoys in their 2-1 win over Hearts. Odsonne Edouard proved the key man in the tie, scoring a brace to get his side past Craig Levein’s side.
But one goal was a penalty, and for over 50 minutes, Celtic weren’t great at all. In fact, they were 1-0 down when Ryan Edwards put Hearts in front, and until that point, it wasn’t a fantastic performance.
That is one thing that will worry lots of Celtic fans. While he did guide Celtic to the treble treble, he hasn’t been very convincing in his second spell at the club.
There is no doubting that ex-Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers laid the groundwork for the season before his departure to Leicester City, and all Lennon had to do was keep the team ticking over in order to secure the Premiership title.
There are lots of times that Lennon achieved this, yes, but there are also crucial times when he didn’t, such as the 2-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox.
Many Celtic fans will say that Lawwell has picked the easy way of beginning pre-season preparations, by offering Lennon the contract due to to the fact that he completed the incredible run of trophies.
But there is no doubt that Lawwell must back Lennon in the transfer market if the manager is to achieve more success at Celtic, and get the side back to dominating the Old Firm derby.
Otherwise, there will be plenty more Hoops fans on his back following Saturday’s decision to keep Lennon on.