Neil Lennon: 10th anniversary of first taking charge at Celtic and what he’s achieved

Today’s date – 26 March – marks exactly 10 years since Neil Lennon was first placed in charge of Celtic. To mark the anniversary, we chart 10 accomplishments that have made his two periods as manager of the club across that period hugely significant.

Neil Lennon during his first-ever training session as interim Celtic manager at Lennoxtown in March 2010. Picture: Jeff Holmes/SNS

A double interim

1 Lennon is the only man in the club’s 133–year history to hold the position of interim manager on two occasions. He did so first in March 2010, when, without any frontline trackside experience, he was placed in charge until the end of the season following the sacking of the unsuccessful Tony Mowbray. In February last year, meanwhile, he returned to the club after being tasked with filling the void created by the flit to Leicester City of the glitteringly successful Brendan Rodgers’. These interim spells mean he has effectively had to prove himself worthy of being the club’s permanent manager twice. In each instance he succeeded – first time around despite a cataclysmic Scottish Cup semi–final loss to Ross County early in to his stint – though both in 2010 and 2020 there were plenty among the club’s support initially unenthused about his elevation from interim.

Fourth longest stint in charge

Celtic manager Neil Lennon, right, and captain Scott Brown with all three major Scottish trophies after completing an unprecedented treble treble with victory in the Scottish Cup final. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS

2 By stewarding the club for four years and three months in his first stint, and now one year and a month in his second, Lennon has been Celtic manager for a total of five years and four months across the past 10 years. That length of service means only Willie Maley – 32 years, eight months – Jock Stein – 13 years, five months – and Billy McNeill – eight years, 10 months, across two spells – have spent more time at the Celtic helm.

Returning to paradise

3 As a result of McNeill having two separate periods in charge, the Lisbon Lions captain – Celtic manager from 1978 to 1983 and then again between 1987 and 1991 – and Lennon share the distinction of being the only two men in the club’s history to have two such tenures. With symmetry, both Lennon and McNeill returned to the club within five years of leaving of their own volition.

Level with Billy McNeill in trophy tally

Lennon with matchwinner Olivier Ntcham after securing home and away victories over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Picture: Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

4 The shutdown for the coronavirus pandemic has – as yet – denied Lennon the chance to overtake McNeill and become the most decorated Celtic manager since Jock Stein. While the club’s managerial godfather claimed 25 major honours, Lennon and McNeill currently sit on eight with both men clinging four leagues, three Scottish Cups and one League Cup. Lennon was only sixth on this list when he returned last February, with his five trophy haul from his first stint outstripped by the seven honours claimed by Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers, and the six harvested by Gordon Strachan.

Clean sweep of domestic silver

5 Lennon’s League Cup final success over Rangers in December allowed him to become the club’s sixth post–war manager to have lifted all three of Scotland’s major domestic honours. He follows Jimmy McGrory, Stein, McNeill, O’Neill and Strachan. Lennon, like Stein and McNeill before him, has achieved the triple of serving Celtic as player, captain and manager.

Winning both on and off the field

6 That League Cup triumph four months ago also placed Lennon in a select band of four men who have won all this country’s significant silverware both as player and manager. David Hay, Alex McLeish and McNeill are the other three. Hay is the only manager of the quartet to complete his clean sweep by winning a trophy outside of the Glasgow football domain. He won the league and Scottish Cup at Celtic in the early 1980s, but didn’t bring up his treble until he led Livingston to a shock League Cup win in 2004.

Ten times a winner in a single season in Europe

7 Celtic’s fine run to the last 32 of the Europa League this season allowed Lennon to become the club’s first manager to guide the club to 10 European wins in a single season. The 10 victories were made up of the home and away wins over Lazio, Celtic Park group stage triumphs over Rennes and Cluj, and qualifying wins at home and away in the club’s ties with Nomme Kalju and Sarajevo.

A first Euro win on Italian soil

8 With one of these victories coming in Rome against Lazio, Lennon became the first Celtic manager to win a European tie on Italian soil, and only the second in charge of a Scottish club to do so – Paul Le Guen’s masterminding of Rangers’ 3-2 success in Livorno 14 years ago making the Frenchman the first.

Top of the heap in Europa League group

9 Celtic’s form in continental competition ensured Lennon became the first manager to guide a Scottish club to a top place finish in the group stages of European competition. They won four of their sectional games, another feat never before achieved by a side from within these borders. More than that, in knocking out Lazio and Rennes, the success marked the first time any Scottish club had finished above two teams from the big five European leagues in a group campaign.

Money, money, money

10 Lennon has helped Celtic achieve a profitability unparalleled in Scottish football. For player transfers across his two spells as manager, the Northern Irishman is £22 million in the black. In his first spell, he spent £27m on recruits, and made £43m on sales – helped by the £12.5m banked when Victor Wanyama moved to Southampton. Since last summer, the outlay on players has amounted to £19m, a figure more than covered by the £25m raked in from Kieran Tierney’s move to Arsenal.