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Leeds United boss Steve Evans was censured by his club’s owner Massimo Cellino earlier this week for “talking too much” yet here at Wanderers, Neil Lennon remains the only source of regular information emerging from the Macron Stadium.
Whereas Evans was instructed not to speak to journalists after his side had been battered 4-0 by Brighton on Monday, there was no such respite for Lennon who has so often appeared the sacrificial lamb in these troubled times.
His club’s takeover hanging in the balance with the Football League, speculation running wild that Phil Brown is poised to step into his job at any time, and the small matter of a relegation battle was still not enough to dull the manager’s willingness to face the music.
Whether or not you believe the Northern Irishman is getting the best out of his squad, or even that he is complicit in the club’s downfall, his unfaltering honesty and candidness in the most trying of circumstances simply has to be admired.
“I don’t mind talking to media,” Lennon told The Bolton News, “but it’s just coming to meetings with a lack of information. That’s been a case on numerous occasions since I have been here. Even today I am coming in not knowing what is going on with the takeover.
“Time is running out, I know that much. The tax case is on Monday so I would imagine things will need to be resolved by today.”
Lennon has resisted the urge to contact the potential new owners directly, trying instead to concentrate on changing Wanderers’ fortunes on the pitch.
“Until it is confirmed I don’t think I need to do that,” he said. “I have got plenty to concentrate myself on with the position we find ourselves in the league.
“It would have been nice to have some reassurance but maybe they don’t want to do that until they are confirmed as the owners. Or maybe they have got something else in mind.”
Leading Wanderers out of the bottom three appears a tall task. But while Lennon knows his own future is under significant doubt if Sports Shield get the go-ahead from the Football League, it would at least be more likely as it would mean the club avoids a 12-point deduction for going into administration.
Having won three titles north of the border with Celtic, masterminded a famous win against Barcelona and lifted all manner of trophies as a player, Lennon believes getting Wanderers safe would rank among the very best achievements in his career.
“It would be up there, yeah,” he said. “We did some really good things at Celtic and people thought it was easy but you can see currently maybe it’s not as easy as we made it look but if we could keep Bolton up it would be a great achievement under the circumstances.
“If we get through I think I can build it. I have already brought in assets for nothing in terms of Zach Clough, Rob Holding and Josh Vela. I think we could attract good players here as well.
“Obviously it still needs a bit of housekeeping to be done in the squad and I had to do it at Celtic at a time when it wasn’t in great shape and we turned that around over the four years. I like to think I could do it here as well.”
Lennon knows beating Leeds United tomorrow would be a big step, even though it would ramp up the pressure on his opposite number Evans.
Cellino’s trigger-happy reputation in England and Italy adds an extra air of expendability to any manager to have come and gone from Elland Road in recent times.
And Lennon is clearly not a fan of the approach.
“I am not convinced it works,” he said. “You look at last season and Alan Pardew is having a little blip at Newcastle but they stuck with him and went on a fantastic run after that and that longevity kept Newcastle in the Premier League.
“For quite a while it has certainly been the case with English clubs that if you stick by the one manager – Alan Curbishley did it with Charlton – obviously Sir Alex and Wenger, there is definite evidence there that continuity is important.
“It is difficult when you chop and change managers as often as Leeds do to get continuity, especially for the players. Steve has gone in there and steadied the ship.
“Okay they are having a blip, or whatever you want to call it, but I think the calls for him losing his job are very premature. You just never know – but I don’t think it’s ideal for a club or a group of players to have a new face every five or six months. There needs to be some sort of stability. Steve seems to have provided it.
“It is not always going to go how you want it but I think he’s done a decent job there so far.”
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Whereas Evans was instructed not to speak to journalists after his side had been battered 4-0 by Brighton on Monday, there was no such respite for Lennon who has so often appeared the sacrificial lamb in these troubled times.
His club’s takeover hanging in the balance with the Football League, speculation running wild that Phil Brown is poised to step into his job at any time, and the small matter of a relegation battle was still not enough to dull the manager’s willingness to face the music.
Whether or not you believe the Northern Irishman is getting the best out of his squad, or even that he is complicit in the club’s downfall, his unfaltering honesty and candidness in the most trying of circumstances simply has to be admired.
“I don’t mind talking to media,” Lennon told The Bolton News, “but it’s just coming to meetings with a lack of information. That’s been a case on numerous occasions since I have been here. Even today I am coming in not knowing what is going on with the takeover.
“Time is running out, I know that much. The tax case is on Monday so I would imagine things will need to be resolved by today.”
Lennon has resisted the urge to contact the potential new owners directly, trying instead to concentrate on changing Wanderers’ fortunes on the pitch.
“Until it is confirmed I don’t think I need to do that,” he said. “I have got plenty to concentrate myself on with the position we find ourselves in the league.
“It would have been nice to have some reassurance but maybe they don’t want to do that until they are confirmed as the owners. Or maybe they have got something else in mind.”
Leading Wanderers out of the bottom three appears a tall task. But while Lennon knows his own future is under significant doubt if Sports Shield get the go-ahead from the Football League, it would at least be more likely as it would mean the club avoids a 12-point deduction for going into administration.
Having won three titles north of the border with Celtic, masterminded a famous win against Barcelona and lifted all manner of trophies as a player, Lennon believes getting Wanderers safe would rank among the very best achievements in his career.
“It would be up there, yeah,” he said. “We did some really good things at Celtic and people thought it was easy but you can see currently maybe it’s not as easy as we made it look but if we could keep Bolton up it would be a great achievement under the circumstances.
“If we get through I think I can build it. I have already brought in assets for nothing in terms of Zach Clough, Rob Holding and Josh Vela. I think we could attract good players here as well.
“Obviously it still needs a bit of housekeeping to be done in the squad and I had to do it at Celtic at a time when it wasn’t in great shape and we turned that around over the four years. I like to think I could do it here as well.”
Lennon knows beating Leeds United tomorrow would be a big step, even though it would ramp up the pressure on his opposite number Evans.
Cellino’s trigger-happy reputation in England and Italy adds an extra air of expendability to any manager to have come and gone from Elland Road in recent times.
And Lennon is clearly not a fan of the approach.
“I am not convinced it works,” he said. “You look at last season and Alan Pardew is having a little blip at Newcastle but they stuck with him and went on a fantastic run after that and that longevity kept Newcastle in the Premier League.
“For quite a while it has certainly been the case with English clubs that if you stick by the one manager – Alan Curbishley did it with Charlton – obviously Sir Alex and Wenger, there is definite evidence there that continuity is important.
“It is difficult when you chop and change managers as often as Leeds do to get continuity, especially for the players. Steve has gone in there and steadied the ship.
“Okay they are having a blip, or whatever you want to call it, but I think the calls for him losing his job are very premature. You just never know – but I don’t think it’s ideal for a club or a group of players to have a new face every five or six months. There needs to be some sort of stability. Steve seems to have provided it.
“It is not always going to go how you want it but I think he’s done a decent job there so far.”
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