Ex-Celtic player and coach Alan Thompson appeared on a recent edition of the BBC’s Sportsound Scottish football podcast to discuss his former club and one of the topics of discussion that came up during the ex-Celtic man’s appearance on the show was Celtic manager Neil Lennon.
As per Transfermarkt, Lennon’s first stint as Celtic boss lasted from 25th March 2010 until 21st May 2014. He collected three Scottish Premiership titles and one Scottish Cup during that time. He subsequently left the club and spent some time at Bolton Wanderers and Hibernian before returning to Parkhead in a caretaker role on 26th February 2019 and then became Hoops boss on a permanent basis once again on 31st May 2019.
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Thompson joined Lennon at Parkhead on 17th June 2010, becoming the Northern Irishman’s assistant and he remained in that role until 3rd June 2012.
During his recent appearance on the BBC’s Sportsound Scottish football podcast, Thompson spent some time discussing how he believes Lennon has changed since his first spell as Celtic manager.
Thompson said: “I think in his first period, he made a lot of mistakes in terms of his anger on the touchline, his mannerisms and stuff like that and I think when he’s gone from Celtic the first time, he’s gone to Bolton, he’s gone to Hibs, and when he’s been there, he’s seen Brendan [Rodgers] come in and seen how Brendan held himself on the touchline and he’s probably sat back and thought that’s an impressive way to come across to the fans, the players, and it rubs off on the players.
“I think that he has mellowed, without a doubt, I think he’s a lot more calm on the touchline. [I] don’t know what he’s like in the dressing room now, maybe he’s more calm in the dressing room and I think it’s for the better, I think he’s a better manager for the experience that he’s had.”
Do you think that Neil Lennon is a better manager now than he was during his first spell as Celtic boss?YES
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TIF Thoughts…
The fact that Thompson believes Lennon has become “a better manager” after accumulating some more experience may be positive news for Celtic fans ahead of the 2020/21 season when they are set to compete for what would be a 10th straight Scottish Premiership title.
Considering that Lennon led the club to three straight league titles during his previous spell as manager, it could only be good news for the Hoops in their pursuit of a 10th straight league title if he has become even better since then.