MacLeod lauds Neil as perfect fit for Hibs

WHEN Brendan Rodgers was unveiled as the new Celtic boss last month, it was hailed as a stunning managerial coup.

But Murdo MacLeod believes the fact that Hibs have convinced Neil Lennon to take over at Easter Road is every bit as spectacular an appointment.

Just a few years ago, the prospect of Lennon managing a team in Scotland’s second tier would have been unthinkable.

But the Northern Irishman, whose finest moment in charge of the Parkhead side was a 2-1 victory over Barcelona en route to the last 16 of the Champions League in 2012, now finds himself tasked with restoring Hibs to the Scottish Premiership.

MacLeod, for his part, is impressed that the Edinburgh club have managed to pull it off.

‘This is a huge coup for Hibs — it’s like Celtic landing Brendan Rodgers,’ said the former Parkhead and Easter Road midfielder, who became right-hand man to Wim Jansen.

‘Hibs are bringing in a highprofile manager who has been very successful at a high level.

‘Neil will inherit some good players at Hibs but he will want to bring in a freshness.

‘It’s a similar situation to Celtic in that Brendan Rodgers will attract players there and Neil will do likewise at Easter Road. People will look at the clubs bringing in a manager of that calibre and see how ambitious the club is.

‘Hibs are getting a Champions League boss to manage in the Championship. But, for me, Hibs are a Premiership club in all but name. Their squad wouldn’t be out of place in the top division. The challenge for Neil is to get them there.’

For once, a new Hibs manager will be walking into a club brimming with positivity after their first Scottish Cup triumph since 1902.

Now that one of Scottish football’s most enduring curses has been lifted, it frees up Lennon to focus on the No 1 priority of promotion. Albeit he will also have European football to contend with, this time in the Europa League.

MacLeod believes that Lennon’s past experience at Celtic Park, if not his struggles at financiallystricken Bolton, will leave him primed to succeed.

‘The Scottish Cup win was huge for Hibs. It’s a weight off the shoulders,’ said MacLeod. ‘It’s nice for a manager to go in and for there be a good feeling around the club. It’s been a number of years since Hibs have had that.

‘For years the Cup has been been hanging over Hibs. But now the whole place has a freshness. The players that are there now are heroes and the trophy will be at Easter Road all year and the players can see it there. That will give them a spring in their step.

‘Every Hibs manager has had to deal with questions about the cup but next season Neil Lennon won’t have to deal with that. He will have just one target this coming season and that is promotion.

‘But Neil’s used to being in that position and under the kind of pressure where he is expected to win games every week.

‘As a manager you need a winning mentality and that’s exactly what Neil has got. When he was at Bolton it was about survival but at Celtic he went out to win every single game, no matter who it was against. He will have that same mentality at Hibs.

For a manager to go from Celtic to Bolton to Hibs is an unusual career path. But MacLeod believes the union of Lennon and Leith will prove mutually beneficial after his nightmare spell in charge at the Macron Stadium.

‘Neil went through a hard time at Bolton,’ he added. ‘It was such a difficult job with the financial problems and all the rubbish you don’t want to get involved in, like players not getting paid.

‘But there are a lot of managers out of football and Neil could have waited for positions that never come up. But now he is back in the game.

‘Usually managers would go from Hibs to Bolton to Celtic but Neil’s gone the other way. However, he has managed against the best in the world before — and succeeded.

‘And, the thing is, if he is successful again he will start getting calls (from bigger clubs). Alan Stubbs was successful at Hibs and now he’s away to the English Championship with Rotherham.

‘And Hibs fans will be happy if Neil eventually gets the call because that will mean he’s got them up and competing at the top level again. For me, Neil Lennon and Hibs is a good fit.’

Murdo MacLeod was promoting the Festival of Sport 2016, sponsored by Variety Scotland, that saw 1,200 children with disabilities and learning difficulties taking part in sporting activities at Scotstoun Stadium yesterday.