Scott Brown says Neil Lennon is the best person for the Celtic job

Scott Brown celebrated the landmark treble treble by hailing manager Neil Lennon as the right man to further bolster that trophy haul.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Scott Brown celebrate winning the William Hill Scottish Cup . Pic: SNS/Alan Harvey

In the wake of the team winning their third successive Scottish Cup, the club announced that their interim boss had been rewarded with the job on a permanent basis, giving the players even more reason to celebrate, according to his captain.

“We all found out on Twitter and all the lads are diving about in the changing room. We went out, got the gaffer and brought him back in. The cheer the manager for getting the job - it was phenomenal. He deserves it. It has been a hard one since he came in but he’s the only man in my eyes for the job.

“He has had to win two trophies and yet again he has shown that he knows how to win trophies. He’s a fantastic man manager and he’s been fantastic since he came in. He speaks well and every single one in that changing room loves him.”

Having been at the helm as the club kicked off their eight in a row run of Premiership titles, he has been given the role of trying to ease them towards the fabled 10-in-a-row and with the domestic domination continuing, Brown believes few others could understand or handle the level of expectation.

“I don’t think there is a better person for the job. The pressure this job brings on everyone, for us to do eight in a row, for him to push us towards, hopefully, nine, for me shows he’s the right man for the job for the club.

“It’s a great appointment at a great time. We need to push on next season. The Champions League is the big one at the start, we need to make sure we continue the form as we have been. The recruitment of players is going to be a thing, there will be a change in the team because of what Brendan had and what Neil is going to go out and do. I’m sure it will be a breeze.”

While the fans rocked Hampden yesterday, there were many who claimed the post-match appointment had killed the party vibe but Brown said there were few of those doubts on show in the dressing room.

“That doesn’t matter to us. He has won us the league and won a semi-final and a cup final. That shows the kind of man he is. He could have distanced himself from the job because of what Brendan did. But when he got called, he answered that call.”

The Celtic captain was in boisterous mood after the club equalled the feat of Rangers, Aberdeen, Queen’s Park and Vale of Leven, in winning the trophy for the third time in a row. But his animated celebrations in front of Hearts striker Uchje Ikpeazu, screaming in his face, and an antagonistic encore in the face of Steven MacLean threatened to sully his input.

But, while Brown was booked for his actions, he was unrepentant.

“I think Steven MacLean just came over to us for a chat because he celebrated when they went 1-0 up. He celebrated in front of me. We know each other so that’s alright. I’m not sure what Willie [Collum, the referee] said. I’m sure it was because of something on his wee radio!”

In a game many had predicted would be a stroll in the Hampden Park, the champions were made to work for their rewards and Brown admitted that they had been stung by Hearts taking the advantage.

“They angered us by scoring a lucky goal, so we went up the park and scored two goals and I think we showed our strength at the end of the day, we defended well, and we took the chances created when they came about. Over the 90 minutes, we deserved this.”

Odsonne Edouard was the man who overhauled that deficit, scoring first from the spot and then by running through onto a Mikael Lustig header before slotting past Zdenek Zlamal.

“I’m very happy. It’s special because it’s the Treble Treble. And I’m very happy for this.”

But with so much resting on the spot kick as Hearts refused to cow-tow to the team chasing an unprecedented reward, the 21-year-old striker displayed nerves of steel.

“I am never nervous. So when I took the penalty I believed I would score. I was confident.”

It allowed the club to wrap the season in buoyant mood and proved the perfect stage to announce Lennon’s extended employment.

“It’s been a hard time but it’s only the coach who has changed. The players are the same.”

“I have just been told about the manager and it’s good news,” said Edouard. “This is a good achievement for the players and I’m very happy to work with the coach.”

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