Rangers and Neil Lennon have never really seen eye-to-eye, so supporters shouldn’t read too much into his recent comments.
The Hibs manager could be mistaken for being a Celtic cheerleader this week, as he claimed Brendan Rodgers’ side remain favourites to win the league title. This is despite the fact that the Parkhead side have had their worst start to a season in 20 years. They’re also one point behind Rangers and six behind Hearts.
It hasn’t exactly been a powerful start to the season for them. Rangers are playing the more attractive football and are thriving where Celtic are faltering.
Yet, surprise surprise Lennon doesn’t agree. Whilst acknowledging the fact everyone is getting closer to Celtic, Lennon still came out with this:
“I still think Celtic will win the league. I think they have the strength in depth and the quality of player. Just like everybody else, they are going through a little bit of a blip.
“I have seen this before. I’ve seen it over the years under managers I played under. I have been in this position myself as Celtic manager. Other managers have and Rangers managers have as well.
“Once they hit the ground running, they are going to be a hard team to stop.”
First of all, someone needs to inform Lennon that he’s managing a side who should look to close in on Celtic. Whilst Hearts and Rangers are looking to stay above last season’s champions, Hibs seem quite content to stay behind them.
It comes across as though Lennon would rather see Celtic win the league than his own Hibs team. This isn’t an unusual narrative for the Hibs manager to try and put forward, however.
In the past, he’s also had plenty of previous pro-Celtic comments whilst speaking at Hibernian press conferences. Granted, the Northern Irishman can only answer questions put to him, but he hardly asnwers them with Hibs in mind.
These comments in the cold light of day mean nothing. Celtic could be fighting relegation come Christmas and Lennon would still have them as favourites. What Rangers’ main rivals are going through at the moment is more than just a blip. Everyone seems to be able to see that bar the Hibs head coach.
Celtic may indeed be favourites for the title, but it’s certainly not as certain as Lennon comes across. Whether he genuinely just believes that, or is working his ticket for a move back to Parkhead is an interesting question.
The fact is, however, that Lennon should be aiming to take advantage of Celtic’s “blip” instead of hoping they get their act together.
Rangers are closing the gap at a nice pace this season. They remain strong contenders for the title and are playing more attractive football than their rivals. If Celtic hadn’t been title winners for the last seven years, Rangers would be the favourites at the moment.
Don’t ever expect Lennon to let the truth get in the way of a pro-Celtic narrative however.
