Lennon doesn’t need help from older hand

Celtic boss Neil Lennon doesn’t need help from older hand, insists Chris Sutton

Chris Sutton last night backed Neil Lennon by insisting he doesn’t need an old hand to guide him at Celtic Park.

Celtic chiefs spoke to former gaffer Gordon Strachan in September with a view to bringing him back to the SPL as a mentor for rookie boss Lennon, who was going through a rough patch.

Lennon has admitted he wouldn’t have been against the idea of having Strachan in his corner as he battles to grab the title back from Rangers.

But Sutton, who starred alongside Lennon during Martin O’Neill’s trophy-laden stint as Celtic boss, insists the current Hoops gaffer is capable of doing things on his own.

Sutton said: “I don’t think it’s a good idea.

“It would be difficult for any manager if someone was brought in over their head.

“It could be quite unsettling which is not what you want as a manager. Neil is capable of doing the job on his own and recent results have shown that.

“Neil’s a very strong character and is ideally cut out for management because he demands the best of himself as well as his players.

“He is motivated and always wants to win which is what you want at a club like Celtic.

“I know him well from our playing days together and think he’s ideally cut out for the job.”

As positive as Sutton is about Lennon’s Celtic, the Englishman was keen to point out the Hoops won’t have it easy when they visit Peterhead in January in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

Sutton, who knows Blue Toon boss Jim McInally from his days as a Hoops coach, said: “He’ll have Peterhead very well-organised so they could cause Celtic one or two problems.”