Neil Lennon will be a ‘sad loss’ to Hibs says Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers says Nail Lennon has 'galvanised' Hibs. Picture: SNS.

Lennon was suspended by Hibs on Friday along with assistant Garry Parker pending an investigation into heated verbal exchanges during a team meeting.

Rodgers expressed his dismay at the situation his fellow Northern Irishman finds himself in and questioned the capacity of modern-day players to handle robust criticism.

“I’m disappointed for Neil,” said Rodgers. “I know him well as a person and within football. He wants to be the best he can be. It is no coincidence that Hibs have done well in big games under Neil but he is  trying to draw that out for every performance, not just the big games. That is something he will push.

“He was a top-class player and he has taken that mentality into management. He won’t settle for players switching the engine on and off when they want. He wants the club to be the best it can be.

“He has gone in, he has galvanised the club. I am not privy to what went on but we all have dealings with players and we all analyse performance. Knowing Neil well, he will be doing it for the best for the players and he will want the best for the club.

“What he has done for that club has been amazing. If it ends, as it looks like it might, then it is a real sad end to what was a great partnership.

“I know Neil’s mentality and how it’ll hurt him because he’s been trying to push the limits at Hibs, to make them the best that they can be.

“If they do end up going their separate ways then it’s an unbelievably sad situation for both because he is an outstanding manager and Hibs are a fantastic club.

“Neil has a passion for football and for me the thing that gets lost is that he’s a really bright guy. People see him jumping up and down and think of him that way. But he knows the game inside out. He’s got an intelligent approach to it. He’s aggressive in his game and his teams play that way. He’s first class. But it all depends on what the Hibs owners want.

“I have been managing for over ten years now and it has totally changed. The mentality of players has and that is because society is different now. Everything is protected and we are in surveillance society now where everything is monitored and looked at.

“It used to be that, if a player got bollocked, a number of years back, he wanted to show the manager was wrong.

“You would still have respect for him and you got on with it. He was only doing it to push you and make you better. Now players will crumble and go away. In general, you have to adapt to your audience. You can swear (at players), you can still do that. In life and in football you can tell anyone anything, you can give them the worst news, but it is about how you tell them. If you continue to beat people with a stick, I don’t know if it always works. I have always been one to dangle a carrot then hook people emotionally so that consistently they can

perform.

“Even the strongest mindsets, in my experience, still want that. There are different ways to do it. Neil is a fantastic manager and had Hibs play with an intensity, but he is wanting consistency. Each time he has challenged the players is only because they have turned up in a game against Celtic and then dropped the mentality for the next game and you have to ask the question.”

Rodgers feels Lennon’s likely departure from the Hibs hot seat is another example of what he views as the increasingly weakened position those in his profession find themselves.

“The problem now is that the most vulnerable person in a football club is the manager,” added Rodgers. “It never used to be the case. “There is vulnerability now for a manager because players who aren’t playing will be after him. Some people in the club will be after him. Supporters will be after him. The media, too. So what used to be the position of power is now arguably the most vulnerable at the club.

“It is a different way of management now – how you speak to players – and now you have this crossover of managers who were players in a previous era and who could take criticism from their managers and deal with it. Now they are coming into management and they are coaching a different breed of player. Society spills into football and you have to adapt.”