From the Evening Times:
www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/neil-lennon-reflects-on-his-first-100-days-in-parkhead-hotseat-1.1055857Neil Lennon today celebrated 100 days as manager of Celtic, and reflected on the steepest learning curve any boss could experience.
He has seen his hectic summer of signing and selling deliver a team good enough to sit top of the table, and boasting the only 100% clean sheet record in the country.
However, Lennon does not hide from the fact going out of two European competitions within the first month of the campaign was a bitter disappointment.
He is now targeting all three domestic trophies. Lennon knows that, with his lack of experience still considered by some to make it a huge gamble for the club to appoint him, he must get it right first time if he is to have any chance of extending the 12-month contract he began on June 9.
Like any Celtic manager, he will be measured by the number of trophies he delivers, in particular the SPL title.
And he aims to bring the flag back to Parkhead by further developing the winning combination of defiant defending and exhilarating attacking, starting at Kilmarnock on Sunday. As Lennon prepared for day 101 in the job, he admitted he has been surprised by the amount of time he must devote to matters away from the training pitch.
But he is still managing to get his message through to his players, and said: “Defensively we are looking a lot more solid.
“There was a vulnerability about us last year. I’m not saying that has disappeared in four games, as we did have some anxious moments against Hearts last weekend.
“But I’m getting flashes of it and I’m just looking for consistency of performance.”
That was the main failing of the side under Tony Mowbray last season, and it has been the priority for Lennon to sort out since he was handed the reins.
But he has also been working hard to make Celtic much more of a threat going forward and declares himself happy with this aspect of the side.
He said: “I feel like we can score goals at any time, particularly at home.”
On the road, they have found it harder to maintain this strike rate, with only 1-0 victories at Inverness and Motherwell to show for all their attacking play.
These are the only goals they have scored in four away games, including matches in Braga and Utrecht.
But Lennon is satisfied he has the firepower to improve this record on the road. And, even with Gary Hooper fit again and pushing for a return at Rugby Park this weekend, the 11th and final signing before the window closed, Anthony Stokes, is set to be given another chance to get off the mark.
Lennon told Channel 67: “I thought he did very well on his debut, and was always in goal-scoring positions.
“He has great qualities and just wants to hurt teams, which is what I like about him.”
Paddy McCourt is another who the manager plans to use more in what will be a busy few weeks, and he said: “The more he trains on a regular basis, the less we need to worry about his injury problems.
“He will play a part in the next few weeks, no doubt about that.”