When Neil Lennon comes to stretch out on a sun-lounger this summer to take a well-deserved break, he can look back on this season with a vast amount of pride. He succeeded in reshaping Celtic into a dynamic and dangerous outfit and reclaimed the SPL title with time to spare, however his biggest test could yet lie ahead of him. As he sips his drinks by the pool he would do well to consider the personal challenges he might need to face up to if he’s to continue to grow as a manager.
The Championship was the target for Celtic at the start of the campaign and it was secured convincingly in the end. They were the SPL’s top scorers, they had the meanest defence and finished with a goal-difference of +63. Some will point to Rangers’ woes in an effort to diminish the achievements of Lennon’s team but let’s not forget that the final gap between the sides was 10 points, even without the deduction inflicted upon the Ibrox club. Indeed, prior to Rangers going into administration Celtic had clawed back a 15 point deficit and embarked on a winning domestic run that lasted from November 6th to March 3rd – not too shabby in any league.
To read the rest of Mark Benstead’s article check out Issue One of FITBA coming out the end of this month….
