JOHN HARTSON, speaking at the Hartson Foundation golf event at Turnberry yesterday, outlined what he believes Neil Lennon has to do between now and 25 May to put himself in the best possible position to be appointed as the new Celtic manager.
And Lenny’s former team-mate and great friend also warned that there are four or five other candidates that he is aware of who could do a great job managing the Hoops.
“All he can do is bring it all home in terms of the Treble. Then he can go, ‘Don’t give this job to me at your peril’. I would like Neil to continue as manager but there are candidates out there,” Big Bad John stated to the media, as reported in Daily Record.
“There’s four or five but I won’t say who they are. I know they would come to Celtic and do a great job, though. Neil would also do a great job – it just comes down to whether he’d get the decision.
“If I’m Neil I just want to get that historic treble Treble then say to the club, ‘I have done everything asked of me’.
“The Champions League qualifiers start in July, the Scottish Cup Final is May 25, the boys only get four weeks off, which is not much of a break and the international players will get far less – so there is a lot to do.
“The team needs a bit of help. It needs some signings. Will it need big investment? I think so, yes. I’d like to see investment coming in. But whoever is going to decide who leaves and who comes in, it needs to be done fairly soon because there is so much work to be done.”
The former Celtic striker is aware that the failure to score in three matches – all finishing goalless – has been used as the counter argument to giving Lenny the job by some commentators and sections of the support. But Hartson quite easily picks holes in that argument, pointing out the football wasn’t that spectacular under Rodgers for most of his time in charge this season.
“You can’t say the football isn’t great and it’s him because it wasn’t great for a couple of months even when the previous manager left. Celtic have ambled at times.
“I believe Neil has become a better manager with his time away from Celtic and when they needed him the most he was there.
“The feeling I get is it’s divided. The fans love Neil, ‘He’s a legend, he started this off, he’s one of our own – but I’m not too sure if I want him to be the one to take us on’.
“There are names on their lips, some of the big managers. But from Lenny’s point of view it’s do the business, keep the team motivated and get over the line by winning the league and the Cup. Then he can say he’s excelled.”
John Hartson was speaking the ninth The Hartson Foundation Golf Event at Turnberry. His Foundation helps raise awareness about testicular cancer.
