JUST LIKE THE GOOD OLE DAYS
Del’s delighted to see Lenny in Celts dugout again
They’ve got a guy who knows the club inside out and has won things DEREK McINNES
DEREK McINNES thinks Neil Lennon has already had an Ole Gunnar Solskjaerlike effect by uniting Celtic.
The Aberdeen boss takes his team to Parkhead tomorrow as their returning manager gets prepared to take his home bow at the second time of asking.
Prodigal son and fellow caretaker Solskjaer has come in at Manchester United and steadied the ship taking them on an unbeaten, domestic run and into the quarterfinals of the Champions League, with Wednesday night’s famous away win at PSG.
Celtic turned to Lennon after they lost their own Special One in Brendan Rodgers and he has already won his first two games against Hearts and Hibs to keep them eight points clear at the top of the table and lead them into the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
McInnes said: “I’m pretty much sure that Celtic have given him the job until the end of the season with the hope becoming permanent manager could be the outcome.
“We’ve seen it with Solskjaer. He’s so saturated within the Man United way of working, it’s seen to be easy for him to go in and get that club going the right way again.
“The only difference is that Celtic weren’t in a bad place.
“Neil knows Celtic the way Solskjaer knows Man United. He knows how things operate in there and how important it is dealing with that size of club.
“I’m pretty sure if Celtic finish the season the way they want to Neil would be in pole position for the job. I’m pleased for Lenny because I was gutted for him when he lost his job.
“But it’s worked out well for him. He’s got a real opportunity and I’m sure he’ll be under no illusions of how much of a chance he has got to go and get the job permanently again.”
McInnes was surprised at the way Rodgers left Celtic and reckons things fell perfectly for the Hoops with the fact Lennon had stepped down at Hibs.
He said: “I was surprised more at Brendan’s departures.
“The more you thought it the more Neil was linked with it, the more it made sense. I wasn’t totally surprised once I’d digested it all.
“Lenny has spoken about how it’s been a privilege for him and how fortunate he is to be back in the position as Celtic manager. But equally, Celtic have the same fortune that Neil was available.
“A new manager might have come in with different ideas who didn’t know the club. That might have just complicated it a bit more than was required.
“They’ve got a guy who knows the club inside out and won things there and knows what it takes to deal with that.
“I’m sure that Lenny will be doing all he can to justify coming back.
“The disappointment maybe of the Celtic support with Brendan leaving hasn’t been as extreme because Lennon has come back in and got results.
“The positive of Lenny coming in has helped the disappointment of Brendan leaving.”
The spotlight will all be on Celtic and Lennon, although Aberdeen will be heading to Glasgow looking to spoil the happy homecoming. They also know they could set a record of eight straight away wins with a Parkhead success.
But McInnes knows that is easier said than done with Celtic tomorrow and then the Scottish Cup replay at Ibrox on Tuesday.
He said: “We understand the task ahead of us. It’s difficult games and difficult challenges to overcome but it’s also exciting.
“We see them both as major opportunities to go and show we’re a good side and that we can compete against teams with good players.
“There’s plenty on the game for all the teams and these are the type of games that you want to be involved in, meaningful games.
“We’re going to have to do it in Glasgow which is always traditionally very difficult to do.
“We’ve shown this season already and last season when we won at Celtic Park to finish second that we can manage to get the result.
“The evidence is there, along with the strong away form, that we can go into both these games with the belief we can get the desired results.”