The support I’ve had from other bosses and players is unbelievable.. it’s been touching. I feel great..never been healthier &
I’m motivated to turn this around SAYS NEIL LENNON
NEIL LENNON admits he has been touched by the vast swathes of support that have swamped him during his current battles at Celtic.
The Parkhead manager is at the eye of the storm right now.
Lennon has had angry supporters outside the stadium holding up banners, screaming abuse and singing derogatory songs about him.
He’s had pundits and critics take aim at him and pull apart his ability to do the job. That has been front and centre during the past eight days. What has been in the background and delivered behind the scenes, however, has offered comfort to the under-siege boss.
Club chiefs Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell have his back and so do a host of managers past and present from across the football spectrum.
Lennon appreciates the support in a footballing and personal sense.
This current situation at Celtic would be tough for anyone to deal with.
For someone who has also had the strength to open up about living with depression and worked to tackle mental health stigma in the workplace, it could make it even tougher.
But while criticising his team’s performances or his workings in the past few weeks is fair game, no one can question his courage in coping through these difficult footballing times.
Lennon said: “It’s been unbelievable the amount of support I’ve had, from people at the club, from supporters, from other managers too.
“It’s been amazing the amount of managers who have been in touch over the past couple of days.
“Some of them have gone through similar circumstances. I’ve had great support from the players as well.
“The people at the League Managers Association who deal with this on a daily basis have also been in touch.
“It’s all been very touching and encouraging. I’m great. In my own mind, and my own physical well-being and mental well-being, I’m healthy as anything. And motivated at the minute to turn this around.
“I’ve got coping mechanisms now. I know how to deal with it. I’ve had it in varying times and spells in my life and my career. And there are no warning signs at the minute at all.
“I’m living healthy, living good, quietly. I’m conscientious with my work too and trying to cover all the bases the best we can.
“I’m ticking all the right boxes and trying to motivate the players. It’s a results-driven business and results haven’t been what they should be for the quality of players we have. At the end of the day now it’s all about results.
“You have to bear that responsibility. You have to dig deep, ride it out and come again. And you need to enjoy it all, the good times and the bad times.”
Just because he’s coping doesn’t mean he’s not hurt by some of the abuse which has come his way. But he said: “I wouldn’t say the fans are spoiled. They have enjoyed the success as we all have, so maybe, like some of the players, this is all new to them and people react in different ways.
“Society at the minute isn’t in the best of health with massive restrictions and there are frustrations. People can’t get to the games to support their team and they really need their support at the minute. That’s a big factor. The players are really missing their connection with the supporters.”
While he can’t fix that situation, he can sort other things and Lennon is occupied day and night repairing the current damage.
He has barely left Lennoxtown since Sunday’s defeat to Ross County, dissecting all aspects of the situation with assistants John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan trying to find solutions to the problems threatening to destroy Celtic’s season.
He said: “I wouldn’t say it’s been sleepless nights but we’ve had long hours at the training ground just me and the backroom team looking at things.
“Set-plays, body language, our style of play, the football things really. It’s a collective thing. When you go through a bit of a run like this, you analyse everything to the nth degree. And sometimes you can overthink it as well.
“Obviously it’s just getting back, maybe not to basics, but trying to keep it as simplified as we can and keep giving the players the confidence and belief they can come through this. And they can.
“Maybe some of them haven’t been through something like this before. We’re trying to not give them too much to think about. But obviously we are concerned with the results, the lack of goals and the set-plays and the penalties. We’re going through all of that as a backroom team and passing on little messages to the players.
“We know it’s not been good enough of late and there’s a bit of anxiety and confidence that needs to come back. But I don’t think we’re a million miles from getting it all back again.”