Lennon backed move for Strachan as Celtic mentor

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has confirmed he supported a move to bring Gordon Strachan, one of his predecessors in the job, back to the club earlier this season in a mentoring role.

Strachan, who has been out of work since his resignation as Middlesbrough manager over a year ago, was approached by Celtic in September in the midst of a troubled start to the campaign for Lennon.

But Strachan, who left Celtic in the summer of 2009 after a four-year tenure during which he appointed Lennon captain of the club, was unable to agree terms for a position which would have seen him employed as an adviser to the current first team coaching staff.

“It was two months ago and it is already ancient history as far as I’m concerned,” said Lennon after Celtic’s 2-1 win over Dunfermline at Parkhead last night, which cut the gap on Rangers at the top of the SPL to seven points.

“I am still a young manager learning my way and sometimes it is good to lean on someone who has been in the trenches. There is no better man than Gordon but we just couldn’t get it done. It is dead and buried and I don’t know why it has cropped up now.

“Gordon is still there for a phone call whenever I want to talk to him anyway, and he’s been brilliant for me that way. When you talk to him, it’s like you are living through him.

“He knows exactly how you are feeling and knows the exact scenarios which come up. You think you are on your own sometimes in this job but other people have been through it and it’s good to talk to them.”

When Lennon was initially appointed as Tony Mowbray’s successor as manager on a permanent basis in June 2010, the club’s board first floated the idea of a more experienced man being recruited to assist him. Stuart Baxter, then the Finland head coach, was among those targeted for the post. At that stage, however, Lennon publicly expressed his belief he did not require that kind of help. But the 40-year-old is now open to the prospect of a mentor coming to the club. I’m still not averse to having an older head around the place now and again,” added Lennon. “I don’t know if it’s something we will look at again. At the minute, though, it’s not on the agenda or the horizon.

“Obviously, the more experience I get myself, the need is lessened, but I don’t have all the answers. I’m only a year or so into the job and it’s a huge job. My backroom staff and me are inexperienced in this job but I think we have done well. You are always looking to do better and if that means getting an ear somewhere, then why not?”

Of more immediate concern to Lennon is the pursuit of Rangers at the top of the SPL. Celtic can move just four points behind their rivals if they beat St Mirren at home on Saturday before the champions travel to Kilmarnock the following day. Despite last night’s win, there was an air of discontent around Celtic Park in the closing stages when Andy Barrowman’s 87th minute goal ensured a nervous finale to a match which the home side looked to have under control when they took a 2-0 lead inside the first 13 minutes through Gary Hooper and James Forrest.

The reaction of some Celtic supporters left Lennon irritated and he had a verbal altercation with one of them as he walked up the tunnel at full-time.

“Yes, I was annoyed about that,” he said. “They forget the first 80 minutes when we played some brilliant football. I can understand the fans’ frustration, because it was ridiculous that we were scrambling for the win in the end after the way we played for the majority of the game. But we are in a title battle here and the players need all the support they can get.

“In terms of our attacking play, the only criticism I have is that we didn’t put the game away. If we had taken our chances, it could have been another 9-0 like the one against Aberdeen last season.”

Dunfermline manager Jim McIntyre was left to rue his side’s poor defensive work at the start of the match. “Celtic gave us a bit of a runaround after our two early mistakes at their goals,” said McIntyre. “We were lucky to be only 2-0 down at half-time. It would have easy to crumble, but I’ve got an honest bunch of players who rolled their sleeves up. When we got our goal back, you could feel the Celtic fans getting on their team’s case. Celtic deserved to win, but who knows what would have happened had we got a goal back earlier.”