Should the Celtic board stick with Neil Lennon – or twist on Brendan Mark II?

An intelligent man, Neil Lennon doesn’t need the irony of his job situation pointed out to him.

More specifically, the fact that Brendan Rodgers – whose actions helped land him the position of Celtic caretaker boss – could well be the key figure in any decision not to keep him on in a more-permanent basis.

Through leading the Hoops to the Premiership title, Lennon is already well down the line to delivering on the mission handed him by the Celtic Board in mid-February.

He brought calm to the chaos left by Rodgers’ hasty departure, he has the Double secured and his team within 90 minutes of completing the treble Treble, though Hearts will have something to say about that in the Scottish Cup Final on May 25.

So why then, if he has been successful in his remit, is there hesitancy on all sides when it comes to the question of his longer-term future?

The fast answer is that Lennon has been suffering by comparison to his fellow Irishman.

Certainly, his team have recorded a succession of big victories at in traditionally treacherous fixtures – Hearts away, Hibs away and Rangers at home in the Old Firm derby.

They were largely dominant against Steven Gerrard’s side, save for a wobbling spell against 10 men, and powered past Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.

But there are negatives.

The three goalless draws – against Hibs, Livingston and Aberdeen – were the source of much frustration, both in the Celtic dugout and in the stands.

A couple of the wins, too – Dundee away and Kilmarnock at home – felt strangely unsatisfying.

Where under Rodgers, fans had been accustomed to their team stylishly swatting opposition teams aside, recently the victories have been ground out.

Even the important wins mentioned against Rangers and Aberdeen in the Cup owed a bit to opposition indiscipline, with four red cards shown in those games.

It has been a long way from the swaggering, unbeatable confidence of the Invincibles of 2016-17.

And if, in fairness, the same could be said of a fair few of Celtic’s performances under Rodgers this season, the displays of Leicester City since his arrival have been a reminder of his early spell at Celtic.

He has wasted no time at all in galvanising the Foxes star players.

Jamie Vardy will go into tomorrow night’s clash with Manchester City, having scored six goals in his last five games, while loan midfielder Youri Tielemans has been exceptional.

With young players such as Harvey Barnes, Demarai Gray and Hazma Choudhury also clearly buying into the new boss’s philosophy, there have
already been some exciting wins recorded.

A 3-0 win against Arsenal, 4-1 away to Huddersfield and 3-1 at home to Fulham.

None of which will have been missed by the Celtic Board.

Their multi-million-pound gamble on Rodgers three years ago paid off better, on and off the pitch, than even they could have dared to hope.

Now they have to collectively decide whether that was a glorious one-off.

If so, with nine-in-a-row to shoot for next season, the sensible decision would be to stick with Neil Lennon, an impressive manager and very much a proven quantity in the domestic game.

Alternatively, should they try to cash in on the added allure their recent success has given the club, and look to attract another marquee name capable of enticing top-quality players – from home and abroad – to Celtic Park?

“It is that old saying – be careful what you wish for.

“His results speak for themselves, his league positions speak for themselves, his consistency in the cups speaks for themselves as well.”

The words were Lennon’s own this week.

He was talking about Derek McInnes’s future at Aberdeen.

But he might just as well have been reflecting on his own position.