Celtic icon Neil Lennon is embarking on a new permanent stint as manager of Dunfermline. We travelled to Fife this week to hear from the former Bhoys boss on his next career steps and why he's so keen to stay in the game as a manager.
"I miss the chaos..."
Four words that tell you Neil Lennon is well and truly back in football management.
With that statement, you get the feeling the former Celtic, Bolton, Hibernian, Omonia, and Rapid Bucharest boss is back where he belongs. In the thick of the action. In the technical area. Where it matters.
Lennon signed a two-year deal with Dunfermline after guiding the Pars to Championship safety in his brief stint as caretaker manager last season.
The 53-year-old Irishman could easily have taken the easy option and stepped away from the game altogether, continuing to carve out a living as a highly successful football pundit.
However, being behind the mic isn't Lennon's forte. He's more interested and comfortable creating the headlines and making them rather than talking about others. Football, like Lennon's life, needs an edge. He positively thrives on it.
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Lennon explains, "I know I could be a football pundit, but I would miss the edge. Talk to all coaches, they have that inner competitive edge, we all have it.
"You go and do the games as a pundit, and then you get in the car afterwards, and that’s it. If you are a coach, you are thinking about what is happening, what you need to do, and so on; it’s very stimulating.
"In the modern era, it’s very claustrophobic, being analysed by the media and social media. You need to step away from that. I’ve worked on the media side and know how it works, I’m okay with it.
"You are more mature now and know what to get involved in and what not to get involved in. Some people might like that it’s done and dusted after the game when you are a pundit, but I like that it’s not.
"You need that edge. In a perverse sort of way, I enjoy the chaos. I miss the chaos. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I still had plenty left in me and if I thought I couldn’t make an impact.
"You have to back yourself. I know what I can do and achieve. You never lose that competitive streak. I do think more about the emotional side of the game. You have to address the players a little differently.
"You have to adapt slightly. The players might not have played at the level I played at, but you still want to impose that set of values, standards and way of thinking, without being too forceful. Ian does a lot on the training ground, and I do more with the psychological side of the game.
"I had to ask all those questions of myself. I have liked the last couple of months. The football wasn’t sparkling, but we got the job done. Now we have a new page to write."
Lennon believes that trying to replicate the glories of the past is a task to be embraced, not feared.
Despite a plethora of top-flight jobs arising already this summer - Hearts, Kilmarnock and Motherwell to name but a few - he revealed that he returned to Fife out of a sense of loyalty to Dunfermline owner James Bord.
He said, “I see Fergie’s (Sir Alex Ferguson) face every day! I saw him a couple of weeks ago at the Airdrie game and told him I was sick of seeing him! There is Jock (Stein) as well. I like it. There’s a great history and tradition here.
"The owner (James Bord) now has good ideas. He said the club is under his skin now, and it took him four goes to convince me, but in the end, he sold it to me.
"I felt I owed him something back. We want to make an impact and have people remember you for the right reasons – and that’s what I am aiming to do.
“It’s just because of the owner here. I really enjoyed the seven weeks, and then I enjoyed speaking to him about what the plans are.
"It’s different. I can learn a lot from him and the people who work under him. That’s the way the game is going. It’s not always my way, but if you want to be successful, you have to evolve and learn new adaptations with scouting and recruitment.
"It’s fascinating when you sit down and talk to him. I got a good feel about it as well. I’ve always had a bit of loyalty in my career and felt I owed him that as well. My mind was made up weeks ago. I didn’t speak to any other clubs or entertain them.
"I am really focused on the job at hand. It’s exciting, but it’s going to be tough, no question about it. I don’t get excited very much at my age, but this is really exciting me. I've got a really good relationship with the owner, which is important to me. I don’t like the word ‘project’, but this is a rebuild. We’ve already made changes, and you can see what’s going on with the investment in the pitch and so on.
"Now we have to find the right types of players we want to be competitive this year, and by playing some strong football."
For all his managerial experiences at home and abroad, Lennon reckons he is now far more rounded both as a person and a boss.
He says, "I’ve had so many experiences as a manager. I loved Cyprus, it was great. It ended quickly, and I couldn’t get my head around it. That’s their culture. We got to play in the Europa League, won the Cypriot Cup, we played Man United, and at times, it was surreal how good it was. It was only eight months.
"So I’ve still got that experience, and I think I can bring that to Dunfermline. I want to excite people. I might get into a few conflicts along the way….just to get the crowd going, the players going, more than anything.
"It won’t be dull.”
The one word you could never associate with the life and times of Neil Lennon is dull. Brace yourselves, Dunfermline. It's time to embrace the chaos.
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