Neil Lennon has revealed he is taking inspiration from former Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill’s spell at the club to help him through a tough spell at the moment.
As reported by the Scotsman, after his former boss at both Celtic and Leicester came out and publically backed him to turn things around, Lennon spoke on what he takes from O’Neill and how he will look to turn things round in a similar way to as he did at Leicester City.
“Martin O’Neill has been a massive influence on my career and in my life. I remember early in his time at Leicester. We lost at home to Sheffield United and the Leicester fans spilled on to the pitch at Filbert Street.
“They were demanding a change of manager. Martin had to go through that but he remained strong. We went unbeaten for nine or 10 games, we ended up getting promoted and he became one of the best managers in the Premier League for the next five or so years.
“He went through it in various stages of his managerial career. It’s not easy but you have to stay strong. I take a lot of inspiration from that.
“Martin knows me, as a person, a player and a manager. He believes in me. He believed in me when I played for him and he knows exactly what I am going through.
“He wouldn’t say anything publicly he doesn’t mean. While it was brilliant to have his support, it’s also great to talk to him privately about things as well.”
“Every player or manager goes through a sticky patch in their career,” he said. “I have had a lot worse than this, to varying degrees. I need to keep a calm head and a sense of perspective.”
It is clear to see why Lennon takes a lot of his inspiration from a man like O’Neill who he spent many years with as a player. Both are very similar in a way and he has probably learned a lot from him and used that in his time as a manager.
We would all love Lenny to use that inspiration and turn things around. However, it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen and that is the reason he is under growing pressure.
Unfortunately, it looks a step too far at the stage and if we want to make this season count, winning our 10th title in a row, a change needs to take place.
