Lennon is great to listen to, but he needs to tread carefully with his Celtic criticisms.

The last couple of days, I’ve seen Neil Lennon’s name popping up a lot on fan media news aggregators. That’s because Lennon has not fully embraced his role as a pundit—he’s everywhere, offering his views on all things Celtic. And I, for one, welcome that.

I don’t know if he still harbours ambitions of getting back into the dugout, but let’s be honest—he’s a much better pundit, a much better commentator, than he is a coach. Ironically, it’s his experience as a coach, a winning coach at Celtic, that makes him an effective pundit and a far better one than some of those who sit in studios with him, whose knowledge of coaching is, at best, surface-level.

I always enjoy listening to former managers talk about the game. There are a handful, like Souness, who try to be controversial just to grab headlines. But others genuinely speak from the perspective of experts—real experts—who understand the inner workings of the sport better than most. They are better at analysis than players, better than even the most seasoned pundit. Their knowledge leaves even the most ardent fans and stats geeks in the dust. They have the ultimate backstage pass.

Managers deal with every aspect of the game. They aren’t just tacticians and strategists; they’re also man-managers, babysitters, confidants, and friends to players. They deal with directors and their weird and wonderful demands. They are the face of the club, front and centre in front of the media, engaging more openly with supporters than almost anyone else in the organisation.

That’s why I never get tired of listening to them when they’re talking about the game in a way that only they can. And it’s why I think Lennon is one of the best out there—because he understands that fans crave that little bit of extra insight only a former manager can provide.

For his own sake, I wish he would fully embrace this new role. I wish he would leave management behind completely and focus on being a pundit because he could offer us years of great stuff.

That said, Lennon has to be a little bit careful when he talks about Celtic. There has always been an unspoken convention that former Celtic managers do not criticise the performances of current Celtic managers. Lennon has done this a few times—not in a nasty way, but in a casual, unthinking way—which has generated headlines. In another time, it could have caused real problems.

He also needs to watch what he says about the current playing squad. Nothing generates headlines faster than a former Celtic manager criticising the current Celtic team or individual players. A case in point came just this week when he commented on Adam Idah’s inconsistency. Now, that’s not something we’re unaware of, but I was surprised the mainstream media didn’t pounce on it and put the question to Rodgers.

I’m not saying he can’t be critical—he needs to be critical to be credible in the job. I’m saying he should tread carefully. That should be his mantra. He must be cautious whenever making comments that could be construed as second-guessing the man in the dugout or that the media could spin as undermining the players. Lennon has worked in Scottish football long enough to know that we have enemies who don’t have any scruples and who will not hesitate to put the boot into him or the club if they spot the slightest opportunity.

This convention, by the way, is not unique to Celtic—or even to football. Nothing grabs headlines faster in any field than a former CEO criticising the company or a former Prime Minister attacking the current government. That’s why so many high-profile people who have held big roles make a conscious effort to avoid commenting on those who currently occupy them.

Lennon is a breath of fresh air. I love listening to him speak. When he’s asked pointed questions, he gives pointed answers. He speaks like a man who absolutely knows what he’s talking about, and very little of what he says can or should be casually dismissed. It would be crazy to suggest he shouldn’t talk about Celtic—but he does need to exercise a little more discretion when he does.

He needs to remember that the media is an ever-hungry beast, and you don’t feed it scraps unless you have to. These people are more than happy to dig up gossip themselves—just look at the papers most days, and they’re full of it. But if they can seize on something, they will. I mean, this is an industry that isn’t even beyond making stuff up when they don’t think there’s a story to tell.

I listened to Lennon talk this week about the game on Sunday. The highest praise I can give him is that if you didn’t already know, it would be difficult to tell which way he leans. He speaks like someone who has managed both clubs but doesn’t have a preference—although we all know he does.

The fact that he spoke about both sides with equal respect and integrity, the fact that he highlighted both their strengths and weaknesses, and the fact that he analysed their form rather than gushing over Celtic alone separates him from the hacks who are pro-Ibrox and don’t want to talk about anything else.

I get a thrill every time I turn on the TV and see him in the studio. Only Martin O’Neill gives me the same sense that I’m listening to someone who isn’t just passionate about our club but who is deeply immersed in the game itself—someone who understands all its many facets. That makes him a pleasure to listen to.

But O’Neill also understands that there are things you don’t say as a former Celtic boss. There are things you shouldn’t say, things that could be interpreted as questioning the man currently in charge. Lennon has very little to learn about being an effective pundit, but if he wants to see how it’s done, he should watch how deftly O’Neill handles these situations—how he steers conversations away from controversy.

That aside, Lennon is tremendous to watch.

And because guys like Lennon and O’Neill are out there, it makes it all the harder to understand why the airwaves are filled with so many third-rate intellects—people whose football knowledge could fit on the back of a matchbox. The contrast is never starker than when you listen to him and then have to endure some village idiot. There’s simply no comparison.

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