The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)

Lennon delighted to sign new Hibs deal

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Neil Lennon only has eyes for Hibernian after signing a new three-year contract.

The head coach was in the final year of his previous deal after leading Hibs to the Ladbrokes Championsh­ip title in his debut campaign, but has now extended his commitment until 2020.

The former Celtic boss has rejuvenate­d his managerial career after a difficult 17-month spell at Bolton, a club then in the midst of significan­t financial problems.

And he is in no rush to return to England after finding happiness in Edinburgh.

Lennon, whose side face St Johnstone tomorrow, said: “We all have romantic ideas about the game and where we want to go, but the most important thing is if you are happy and enjoy the players and enjoy the environmen­t. And I very much do so.

“It’s a very precarious job being a football manager and I’m privileged to be in a job and a club like this. And when you are here you want to make the most of your time, and thankfully the board have agreed to extend my time here.

“My ambitions are here – that’s why I signed a contract. I’m not looking anywhere else. I haven’t done since I walked in the door.

“It’s been a good move for me, profession­ally and personally. I owe the club a debt of gratitude and I want to repay them with success on the pitch and hopefully make them some money along the way.”

Lennon captured three titles during his four-year spell as Celtic manager and he hopes to win more silverware at Easter Road given time to continue building.

“In the modern game, particular­ly in England and even abroad, managers don’t get enough time to put in place what they want to do,” he said. “In Scotland it is slightly different – there are plenty of managers here now who are in their third, fourth, fifth seasons.

“You saw Derek (McInnes, at Aberdeen) sign a new deal, Brendan (Rodgers, at Celtic), now myself – that’s a good sign that there are not trigger-happy chairmen around.

“And it gives me a target, an incentive, and scope to work with people and achieve the targets we set.”

 ??  ?? Neil Lennon is enjoying life at Easter Road.
Neil Lennon is enjoying life at Easter Road.

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