Neil Lennon may have carved out a successful career as a football pundit, but the competitive fire that drove him as a player and manager continues to burn brightly. The experienced manager who had significant success at Celtic and led Hibs back to the Premier League in his first season in charge has committed the next two seasons to Dunfermline Athletic, driven by an unshakeable belief that he still has plenty to offer the beautiful game.
After taking charge for the crucial final seven games of last season – securing the club’s league status with two wins, two draws and three defeats – Lennon has officially taken the hot seat at KDM Group East End Park with ambitious plans to write a new chapter in the club’s storied history.
While many former players have found contentment in the media spotlight, Neil admits the transition never felt quite right. “I miss the edge. All coaches just have that inner edge to be competitive, you know, you go and do your games as a pundit and then you get in the car afterwards and you’re like, did you enjoy that?”
The contrast with management couldn’t be starker. “Whereas if you’re a coach you’re like thinking, what happened there, I might have been right, we need to address this, and you know, it’s very stimulating,” he explains, his passion for the tactical intricacies of the game evident.
For Neil Lennon, the pressures and scrutiny that come with modern football management aren’t deterrents – they’re part of the appeal. “In a perverse way, I like the chaos a little bit. It’s stimulating and you miss it,” he admits with characteristic honesty. The Pars manager acknowledges the unique challenges facing today’s coaches. “Obviously, it is, in the modern era, very claustrophobic, the job, and you’re analysed by social media and the media itself. You have to step away from that, because I’ve worked in the media side of it, I know how it works.”
However, experience has taught him valuable lessons about handling external pressures. “I’m fine with it, but from my point of view, you’re more mature and you’re more experienced and you know what to get involved in and what not to get involved in.”
At this stage of his career, the 53 year-old’s decision to return to management isn’t driven by necessity but by genuine conviction in his abilities. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I could still make an impact. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I had plenty left in me. So I had to ask all those questions of myself as well.”
His brief spell at the end of last season provided the perfect litmus test. “I liked the last couple of months. The football wasn’t sparkling but we got the job done and now we have a total new page to write and that’s what we want to do.”
While his competitive drive remains unchanged, the gaffer acknowledges how his approach has evolved. “I know what I can do and I know what I can achieve. You never lose that competitive streak in you. I do think a bit more about the emotional side of the game more and you have to address the players a little bit differently.”
The psychological aspect of management has become increasingly important to him. “Although the players maybe haven’t played at the level that I played at, you want to impose that sort of thinking on them without being too forceful on them. So there’s a lot of strings to what you have to do. Iain (Brunskill) does most of the work on the training ground and I like to do more of the psychological side of the game.”
Surrounded by the rich history of Dunfermline Athletic, Neil Lennon is motivated by the opportunity to add his own chapter to the club’s legacy. “When you come to a club, you want to make an impact, you want to have people remember you for the right reasons, that’s what I intend to do. I want to get the place full up, and I want us to play a brand of football that can entertain.”