Neil Lennon on the Touchline - What Changed Him?

In my opinion, Neil Lennon is a quite different manager to the one he was 12 months ago. I am thinking mostly of his behaviour on the touchline and his dealings with the press when I say this.

I have yet to see any water bottles being kicked this season, there doesn't seem to be so much anger from him when we're struggling and he seems to be a lot calmer in the way he talks about/deals with the officials.

Maybe others don't agree but I think this is the case. Now, my question is........why the change?

Seems to me there are 3 obvious potential reasons for it...............

1. He's naturally maturing as a manager
2. The Celtic board sat him down over the summer and told him he needs to calm down a bit
3. The bombs and bullets. I dare say going through all that stuff must have made Neily sit down on his own and have a think about how people were portraying him. This could easily have led him into making a conscious decision to alter his demeanour on the touchline and to use less emotive language when talking to the media.


What do you think has made Neil Lennon a different man this season?(If you think he's been different at all).

 

i think he has learned from his past experiences. he now knows not to take notice what is going on out-with the team. he is focusing on us and us alone. channelling his energy into the team instead of letting it boil over.

i think it is very much number one on your reasonings. he isn't going to get wound up as easily as last season.

everyone harps on about our most improved player. i think everyone is overlooking our improvement of our manager.

channelling his passion could make him reach his managerial potential.

i've said it before and i'll say it again. Lennon could become a bigger legend as a manager than as a player at this club.

 

Strachan has probably helped and advised him.

 

Nice one mate. I agree with you. I think for a man in only his second full season as a manager he is showing real potential.

Hail! Hail!

 

I think we're missing another option. That he's happier with the desire we're showing to win games, however ugly, when things aren't going our way. Since Kilmarnock there have been few reasons to let frustration boil over into rage. I think it's maturation as a manager, if the players see you as frustrated as he was at certain points last year, they'll react in a similar fashion.

Loving the focus he seems to have this year, particularly the improvement in tactical nouse.

 

clicked wrong one meant to click the 1st one

 

His balls have dropped and now he is grown up.

 

I voted for naturally matured.

But now I think about it, he's doing nothing different on the touchline. He's just staying away from commenting on referees.

 

I think he is different. When we were getting pummelled at Kilmarnock he stayed pretty calm on the touchline and you could see him watching the game and taking it all in. Trying to work out how to change it no doubt. I think last season he'd have been going bananas if we'd been 3-0 down to Kilmarnock.

I definitely think he's maturing.

 

I see him going mental all the time on the touchline though, especially at Parkhead.

The Lenny we saw at Kilmarnock was one that had gave up nearly all hope.

 

Don't think it was calm, more distraught.
I voted for the first one but I don't think he's changed much. Yo can still see the passion but when we were losing he wasn't going mental but I think that was more down to disbelief at how a team that were praised for their style was being so *.
Yes he's calmed down, and learned lessons but he still bring that same passion.

And I think we can add that he does fear for his safety. Even still.
So 2 reasons for me

 

He is maturing as can be seen in his decision making ,Last season he got it in the ear about his team selections and mainly his strange decisions when making Subs .

He made a good few mistakes in his Subs ,wrong players and the wrong time ,This season especially earlier in the season things were not going to well as we well know and again a few dodgy decisions went against him, but the penny dropped and he turned this around ,Not mucking about if a player is having a mare he will now sub that player with no hesitation .

This was a major factor with Lennon but he is getting it right I feel.

 

I think Lenny has matured a great deal this season . In previous seasons the way he behaved atracted SOME trouble ( this does not excuse the threats against him and his family ) but this season he is so calm and that must really * off all the morons who love to hate him . Now he stands there and acts with a great deal of dignity as a Celtic manager should .

 

I think the attacks had an effect. The media villanised him during the attacks, made it out like he brought it on himself by the way he acts on the touchline. Because of that he toned it down, to the point where he's hardly animated at all. He used to be like MON when we scored (look at his reaction to Hoopers goal in the first OF game last season), now he's toned it right down (see his reaction to Ledley's goal in the last OF.) It's a real shame, because of course nobody mentioned what a bad tempered thug Grahame Souness was as a manager, but of course he managed Dignity FC.

 

lennon is maturing as a manager which i like and this is showing in the players they are more calm on the park hence playing better. Last season lennon done well but was abit over eager which show in our teams play at times take inverness away at the end of the season I know we were rotten that day but lennon was jump around going daft because of our play. Did we improve because of this no, i feel he has learn the you cant change the little things, just stay calm and deal with it. A calm manager transmitts to the players and i for one prefer calm players that make the right descision. I think he has change but its easy to be calm when everything going well long my he keep it up.

 

Experience.....He has managed to differentiate between being a heart on your sleeve player and fan to being a more calculating and pensive touchline manager.

Which to me shows that he learns from his mistakes and is a quick learner....Great for him, the club and us!

 

Definitely he is maturing but this year, there are nowhere near as many decisions going blatantly against us. The amount of decisions that went against us last year was shocking but Celtic put the fear into the SFA when we actually decided to stand up for ourselves. Lenny really hasn`t much to be angry about towards the officials this year so that is a big factor in not seeing as much in the interviews etc. Lenny is still learning but he has all the attributes to be a top manager

 

I think the bombs and bullets HAD to have had a massive effect, how can they not?
I also think the board would have told him to calm down a bit, as they know the same thing that makes tims love him is what huns hate - the sheer passion and love for Celtic.
I think he is more likely these days to just say "that was a good win for the lads"
than "yaaaaaaaaaaaaaas you orc * girfuy:icon_mrgreen:!!"

Although I know he never said that but in all honesty I do think he's got less combative and that will be a combination of him naturally aging and maturing, and also the outside factors he (shouldn't have) had to deal with.

 

i think he's matured as a man, and with that a realisation what being the manager of a club like celtic is all about.
the only negative thing i can say about lennon is his continuance of wearing a tracksuit on the touchline.
now i know this is a trivial thing, but as the manager of celtic, i feel he should stand out in the dugout and not be dressed the same as his backroom staff.
but mabye this is just his way of him hanging onto ''one of the bhoys'' tag, and eventualy will stand alone as the manager.
as i say it's a trivial thing.

 

I think Strachan has had a big bearing on his behavior, decision making and ultimately this turn around.