Why our manager is special, but not quite ‘The Special One’
Something has really struck me ever since Neil Lennon first walked through the doors, after joining in October. I saw Dougie’s last game in charge and Lennon’s first three at the helm of the mighty Bolton Wanderers and immediately something changed.
Players are enjoying coming to work and fans are very happy to shell out money and time for faraway away trips. YouTube videos are getting countless ‘thumbs us/likes’- a far cry from the back end of the Dougie Freedman reign.
Surely, this can be no coincidence. It is also no coincidence that our new manager has an incredible track record, leading Celtic to numerous league titles and considerable Champions League success.
We were the club lucky enough to get him, and the loss of clubs such as Norwich and Cardiff City (who reportedly rejected job applications from the Irishman) is our huge, huge gain.
Our club is now one of great stature under the guidance of Neil Lennon, Johan Mjallby and Garry Parker- a very dynamic trio who not only are tactically strong, but work tirelessly. You can see the passion in their eyes during matches.
To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lennon during his Celtic days. I acknowledged his success, but I found his exuberance slightly irritating, and I didn’t really appreciate the difficulty of the job. We can see the difficulty his successor Ronny Deila has been having there. I wanted Chris Hughton who had proven himself at this level before.
However, as soon as he was named as our manager, and during his press conference I sensed something very special. His passion which I once found over the top and annoying shines through his somewhat fatigued and angry looking demeanour.
I know he is a good person, he’s done countless things to help others and speaks kindly of opposition managers. This is more of a feat considering what he’s been through.
During his time at Celtic both as a player and a manager, he was often the target of attacks which saw him forced to end his international career. His family have had to move on multiple occasions into a safe hime as a precaution. He has suffered from depression. His ability to get through this and remain a positive, though realistic and down-to-earth manager is incredible. This takes incredible toughness.
From the word go, he said that any problems with the club are his responsibility and he would be willing to take the blame for anything that went wrong.
We have a very special manager in Neil Lennon which we have to cherish. I don’t know how long he’ll be here because, as much as I hate to admit, he is too good for the Championship.