Neil Lennon makes a strong case but Celtic right to take time

IF Celtic managers were appointed by acclamation from their foot soldiers the way Roman emperors once were, Neil Lennon would be ensconced in the job by now. His players want him, most of the club's fans want him; even opposition managers such as Jim Jefferies have come out in favour of him.

In the light of such a groundswell of support, the Celtic board's reluctance to rush to a coronation may seem unnecessarily dilatory. Why insist on due diligence, Lennon's proponents would argue, when he has already provided ample evidence that he is suited to take up the post on a permanent basis?

Chairman John Reid and his fellow-directors have said little about their thinking behind this supposedly unseemly delay, but two obvious reasons for it come to mind. First, the evidence in favour of Lennon is not nearly as conclusive as his proponents appear to believe. Second, the true weight of that evidence can only be assessed when it is compared to the record of other applicants.

The backing for Lennon has grown as his record of five wins out of five in the SPL since taking over from Tony Mowbray became six out of six, then seven out of seven, and then finally, with the 2-1 win at Tynecastle in Sunday's final game of the league season, eight out of eight. All well and good. A points haul of 24 out of 24 cannot be bettered.

But that is not Lennon's complete record. He was also in charge, of course, for the 2-0 defeat by Ross County in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.

A blip? Perhaps. An aberration? Maybe so.

But long after the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock and the seven SPL victories which followed it are forgotten, that Ross County match will be talked about. No matter if the Dingwall side triumph in the cup final on Saturday or not, their win in the semi will remain as an indelible blot on Celtic's record.

And so will the fact that Lennon was the man in charge of the team that day. The exonerating circumstances, such as his only just having taken charge of a team which had become badly demoralised, will be mentioned in a footnote, if at all.

What is more, while the eight league wins are impressive given how badly the team struggled under Mowbray, they are not that remarkable in the broader context of the ability of the squad and the standard of play they might reasonably be expected to attain. Eight wins out of eight should be routine for Celtic, achievable as a matter of course a couple of times each season.

This is far from being one of the vintage squads in the club's history, but you could say the same about every other SPL team this season. And when you compare the players at Lennon's disposal to their rivals, it is reasonable to conclude that they have the best central midfield duo in Scott Brown and Landry Nguemo; the most dangerous winger in Aiden McGeady; the most accomplished striker in the on-loan Robbie Keane; one of the best goalkeepers in Artur Boruc; and several others who would at the very least be serious contenders for a place in any other team. These men have not over-achieved in the past couple of months. They have simply begun to approach the level of consistency they should have reached far earlier in the season.

It would be unjust to state that Lennon's principal virtue was not being Mowbray. There are thousands of coaches out there who share that characteristic with him, yet lack the motivational qualities which he has applied to the job so far. But

now, as the board deliberate on a longer-term successor to Mowbray, they are seeking someone who can do more than effect running repairs. After getting the managerial appointment so badly wrong last summer, they have no intention of appointing at haste and repenting at leisure again.

And given his lack of experience it could be very difficult for Lennon to persuade the board that he is the right man.

It all depends, of course, on who else applies or might be persuaded to become interested. The board may well find that the quality of potential replacements for Mowbray is nowhere near as high as they would like; that the days in which they could appoint someone of Martin O'Neill's calibre are over, and they now need to recognise that they are no longer as attractive, either financially or in terms of their footballing environment, as they once were.

Indeed, perhaps they recognised as much a year ago, when Owen Coyle and Roberto Martinez decided to continue the upward trajectory of their careers in England rather than relocate to Glasgow. For those two and for many other ambitious young managers, Scottish football may be a backwater in which there is a risk of becoming becalmed.

Celtic could strike it lucky and find they appeal to an up-and-coming manager who then goes on to greater things. Lennon could strike it lucky and find he is given the chance to be that up-and-coming manager. But the club, quite rightly, want to leave nothing to chance.