Yahoo News Scottish Cup win would boost job security of Lennon or Levein
It is a quirk of football north of the border that two of its most high-profile clubs, Hearts and Celtic, will on Saturday be brought together in a Scottish Cup final for the first time since 1956. Back then, in simpler times and when the resource of the Glasgow clubs did not dwarf all around them, Hearts ran out 3-1 winners in front of 132,000 fans.
The managers on that occasion, Tommy Walker (Hearts) and Jimmy McGrory (Celtic), are club legends. Similarly prolific scorers at domestic level, Walker was briefly coaxed to Chelsea, with McGrory essentially a one-club man save a war-affected spell managing Kilmarnock. The football lives of Walker and McGrory remain fascinating 63 years on.
Related: Neil Lennon has steadied the ship to keep Celtic on top – but what happens next?
Craig Levein and Neil Lennon chuckle in contemplation of an era when managers could remain in place for more than a decade, or in McGrory’s case two. As Hearts and Celtic prepare for an occasion where Levein’s men are aiming to halt Celtic’s successive run of trophies at eight, intense focus has been placed on those in the dugout. If it is unfair that so much weight is placed on one fixture, that is the reality.
Football fans tend to be far harsher towards their own, with outsiders often afforded more leeway from the stands, as witnessed, for example, during the underwhelming tenure of Ronny Deila at Celtic and, to an extent, Pedro Caixinha’s time at Rangers. Familiarity with a manager, even a fine one, can trigger contempt.
Levein, once an outstanding defender for Hearts, now does more for the club during his days off than the majority of his detractors will do in a lifetime. Nobody can appropriately make the case that finishing sixth in Scotland’s top flight, as was the case in this campaign, is acceptable for Hearts, but there are a batch of mitigating circumstances after a terrific start to the season.
Levein was asked during the week whether delivering a trophy at a club he is steeped in would be a fitting way to bring the curtain down on his career. The reply was sharp. “The curtain isn’t made yet,” said the 54-year-old, “so it won’t be coming down.”
Levein has overseen an overhaul of the football department, including the left-field but rewarding appointment of Robbie Neilson as head coach, since Hearts left administration in 2014. That Ian Cathro, Neilson’s predecessor, failed is a matter Levein has taken full responsibility for.
Lennon took aim at a 'new breed' of supporter who had become accustomed to domestic formality as delivered by Rodgers
There has been improvement since. Hearts have the core of a fine team, with the general outrage regarding a level of recruitment lacking context and the demeaning of their brand of play a tired cliche. The cost of replacing Tynecastle’s main stand was reportedly £18m, a hardly insignificant outlay to cover.
To suggest Levein is unsackable is disrespectful to the Hearts directors. To infer he cannot build Scottish football teams ignores the past.
Lennon will have sympathy for Levein, not least because the pair get on very well. “Craig is an outstanding manager,” he said. Lennon was also forced into a robust – and entirely legitimate – defence of his own hugely successful time as player and manager at Celtic last weekend.
Pointedly, the Northern Irishman took aim at the “new breed” of supporters who have become accustomed to the team sweeping all before them, as delivered by Brendan Rodgers prior to his departure to Leicester.
Uncertainty over Lennon’s position is natural given his contract runs only until the summer. The sense Celtic might want a “name” exists but there has been a chunk of unfairness ab out that given his body of work. At Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solksjær has arguably illustrated why handing the keys to the caretaker is a dangerous business, but Lennon has managed Celtic positively before.
“It’s not about me,” the interim manager insisted again during the week. Should Celtic’s domestic monopoly break, that view will be put to the test.
Probable teams
Hearts Zlamal; Souttar, Berra, Dikamona; Smith, Djoum, Haring, Clare, Mulraney; MacLean; Ikpeazu.
Celtic Bain; Lustig, Ajer, Simunovic, Tierney; Brown, Ntcham; Forrest, McGregor, Sinclair; Edouard.
