LENNON’S IN WITH A SHOUT OF MAKING PARKHEAD RETURN

NEIL LENNON has nothing to prove to the Celtic board. Or to the club’s supporters. As player and manager he won eight league titles, six Scottish Cups, four League Cups, played in a European final and claimed a manager of the year award. Yet Hibernian travel to Celtic Park today and it feels like Lennon is reapplying for his old job. Brendan Rodgers won’t be the manager forever. There’s a chance he won’t even be there next season. And if, or when, he goes the current manager of Hibs is a hot favourite to return. Not every Celtic fan thinks it’s a good idea to turn back the clock. The appointment of Rodgers gave them an intoxicating whiff of showbiz glamour. He raised standards and propelled the team to an unprecedented double Treble. He has scaled domestic heights beyond even Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill. But Rodgers has big ambitions and it’s not entirely clear that Celtic are willing to spend the money it might take to realise them. Bring in a David Moyes as his replacement and the same issue would rear its head after two or three seasons. Neil Lennon was no different, of course. Simmering frustration with the transfer policy and the signing of ‘projects’ was a contributory factor in his own departure. But the grass was no greener at Bolton Wanderers, the money certainly isn’t any better at Hibs and bridges have been well and truly built with the Celtic hierarchy. Hibs really should be moving heaven and earth to hand their best manager in years a lucrative new contract, a deal which would reward him generously for working wonders with a modest budget while protecting their interests when the offers come in. Be they from another club or the Republic of Ireland. But they haven’t done that and, if Lennon takes anything from the game of the day, people will leave Parkhead convinced he’s destined for a Celtic return.