Neil Lennon: Just because I've been linked with Everton job doesn't mean I'm Jose Mourinho. THE Celtic boss insists he has unfinished business at Celtic and may not have to leave at all if British football changes dramatically.
NEIL LENNON has already guided his Celtic team from the touchlines of some of the greatest stages in football.
He has taken the Hoops to cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Turin over the last two years and restored the reputation of the club in the Champions League.
Lennon admits he can picture himself standing in such venues on a weekly basis, pitting his wits against some of the best managers and players on the planet.
However, as he is linked with the manager’s job at Everton, he concedes it’s a dream for another day as he still has unfinished business at Celtic.
Lennon will hoist aloft the SPL trophy at Parkhead this afternoon for the second season in a row and then bid to add his first double as a boss with victory over Hibs in the Scottish Cup Final on May 26.
It will add further to a managerial and coaching CV that is beginning to glow in the aftermath of that defeat of Barcelona and run to the Champions League last 16.
Lennon is in no rush to leave Paradise – at least for now. He also hinted he might not have to leave at all if the landscape of British football changes so dramatically in the coming seasons that trips to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, the Emirates and Etihad become commonplace.
Lennon said: “There are only 20 managers in the Premiership and it’s a select band.
“There is no doubt I would like to manage in one of the big leagues, be it the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A or the Bundesliga, but that’s for another day.
“I’m not getting ahead of myself here. Just because I’ve been linked with Everton doesn’t mean I’m Jose Mourinho.
“I don’t want people jumping the gun. Look, we are all ambitious. We all have our own personal targets to achieve. I am some of the way there.”
Lennon was as honest as ever when asked if there will come a point when he will ask himself if he can do any more with Celtic.
His answer suggested he is keeping as close an eye on manoeuvring behind the scenes at UEFA and FIFA as he is the tactics of other teams.
He added: “Possibly, but you never know the environment might change in the next five or six years, the landscape of the club or the environment it is in.
“This club is huge, it has so much potential and we’re barely tapping into that.”
Realistically, Lennon’s ambitions at Celtic can only be fulfilled for a finite period so long as the glass ceiling remains that restricts Scottish clubs from operating in more financially lucrative broadcast markets.
However, building a legacy at Parkhead remains an attraction and he revels in the thrill of beating the big boys to a rough diamond he can scrape and shape at a profit to become a player of Premiership class.
He added: “There’s still plenty to do and you must evolve with the game as well in terms of formations.
“Look at how the French played in 1998 with big, strong technical players. That became en vogue. Now you have the Barcelona style with the quick passing.
“A lot of clubs and cultures copy the big clubs and countries but we are trying to develop our own stamp on the game, our own trademark.
“We have good, young, hungry footballers. Whether we can keep them I don’t know but that’s the challenge.
“I want to keep building the reputation of the club and the players to the point where they might move on.
“Plenty will want to stay. Guys such as Samaras, Ledley and Brown are all very happy here.
“Sometimes the market dictates you must let one or two go. But if we can keep the core of the squad – as I hope we will – then we can progress again.
“I have learned a lot this year, particularly from European games. We have not really spent a great deal and I want to improve the squad next season to kick on again.
“Look, we are going into the market with clubs half a third of our size and we can’t compete financially. That’s the reality. Does it make you fed up? Sometimes. Does it give you a challenge? Yes.
“However, I’ve learned you can be sensible with the money and still get good players in. The Champions League is a carrot for me to attract players.
“You bring in these little gems that are under the radar. You polish them off and see if they can progress the club as they have the last three years.”
Sadly, Scottish football’s stock has never been so low. Our managers have never been more in demand, with Malky Mackay also tipped to replace fellow Scot David Moyes at Everton, but the reputation of the SPL is at an all-time low down south.
Lennon added: “Yeah, it’s frustrating and you have to nullify that by doing what you do in the Champions League every year.
“We’ve turned a lot of heads this year but there is always apathy or indifference towards the Scottish game.
“We all want Champions League nights every year yet it’s difficult to attract the calibre of player to progress it.
“However, no one gave us a chance this year and that has given the players a real appetite to do it all again.”
Celtic will celebrate their title success after the game against St Johnstone and Lennon, who returns from a touchline ban, said: “My emotion when the trophy is lifted will be immense pride.
“I will be really happy, although I may not look happy to some. First of all I want us to play well, win the game and then really enjoy the celebrations.”
Source: Daily Record
