Brown Lennon on course to become a legend like Stein

Neil Lennon will post the greatest achievement of any Celtic manager since Jock Stein if he can lead the Hoops back into the last 16 of the Champions League.

That is the firmly-held belief of Scotland boss, Craig Brown.

He helped launch the Irishman’s managerial career back when he was a player at Nottingham Forest.

“Jock will always be the man, obviously, because of 1967 and the European Cup win,” said Brown, who took Lennon through his coaching badges. “But I would think if Neil can get his side into the last 16 again, it will be an achievement to compare with or even surpass anything any Celtic manager has done since.

“When you think of the resources Neil has available to him in comparison to some of the teams he has come up against that would be remarkable. Celtic get a couple of million pounds of television money each season, and they have to compete with top English clubs taking in up to £90 million! It is a totally uneven playing field, so you can’t overstate the job Neil has done there.

“Way back when I had him in Ireland for his coaching course, you could tell he was going to be great. He was just an outstanding student of the game, and I find him that way still.

“I always found Neil to be very genuine, modest and highly intelligent. No-one should ever underestimate him. He has proved that at the top European level, he can definitely do the job.

“I think the win over Barcelona last season, in particular, gave a tremendous boost to the club’s reputation in Europe.

“I do travel a wee bit and there is fantastic respect for the fact a Scottish team could achieve that result.”

The concern, of course, for Hoops fans is that the success will lead to unwanted attention being paid towards their manager.

“I think Neil would be an attractive proposition for an English club,” Brown continues. “You can’t get good managers easily, and I think Neil would be a certainty to do well wherever he went.

“I think it would take a big, big club to shift him, though, because these European nights are very hard to beat.”

And, of course, as the recent sacking of Davie Weir by Sheffield United underlined, England can be a brutal environment for managers.

“I really felt for Davie,” says Brown, who will be honoured by his fellow coaches at a dinner at the Inverclyde National Sports Centre in Largs this evening. “I couldn’t envisage that happening.

“To give a guy just 10 games no matter how bad they were for Sheffield United is wrong.

“Sir Alex Ferguson is the prime example for everyone. He didn’t have an auspicious start at Manchester United but they stuck by him.

“You do learn a lot, though, when these things happen and you have to handle adversity.

“I expect Davie to bounce back from it, and sincerely hope someone gives him the opportunity.”