Does Neil Lennon Align with Dunfermline`s Ambitions?
Date: Sunday, 1st Jun 2025When Neil Lennon was announced the new Dunfermline manager in March, he announced an intention to “bring an energy, confidence, and an exciting brand of football.”
Is Lennon the right person to deliver this, and does he fit the club’s long-term ambitions?
Lennon’s record and style of football
Having hired Lennon, chairman and chief executive David Cook noted his “wealth of experience” at “the very highest level in the country”. Lennon had two spells as Celtic boss from 2010-2014 and 2019-2021. He managed Bolton Wanderers and Hibernian in between, and later went to Cyprus and Romania.
Lennon’s record is unquestionable, having won 5 Premier League titles in charge of Celtic, as well as 4 Cups and one League Cup, as well as the Championship with Hibernian, and the Cypriot Cup in his short time overseas.
His style of football and his potential to bring excitement is more up for debate. Shortly after he retook the head set at Celtic after Brendan Rodgers had left for Leicester City in 2019 (before returning in 2023), there were comparisons between the two managers’ styles of play. Lennon favours more direct football, more crosses, and a high intensity out of possession.
Dunfermline are unlikely to prioritise possession rates and pass completion stats over promotion next season. With Lennon in charge, they’ll probably be one of the favourites. Dunfermline fans may be keeping a keen eye on the sports betting UK odds over the summer - watch this space.
Lennon’s recent career and relationship with fans
Lennon was out of work for over a year between his second spell at Celtic and joining Cyprus club Omonia Nicosia. He only lasted seven months before being sacked following poor results in the league. Lennon won the Cypriot Cup and the club’s statement said he had “written his name in the history of Omonia”.
In 2024, he moved to Romania for the Rapid Bucharest job. Lennon described it as an opportunity to broaden his horizons. He had received offers from Scottish clubs but “turned them down because they weren’t right.” Lennon’s surprise move only lasted three months and six league games. After the side lost five and lost one of those games, he was sacked.
Lennon was working as a pundit earlier this year. One Celtic blog said he was “everywhere, offering his views on all things Celtic.” Taking the Dunfermline job, Lennon stated his short-term intention was to keep the team in the Championship. He mentioned the “very compelling proposition” put forward by the new owners. That’s likely to have included promotion ambitions. Lennon has rarely managed outside the top flight wherever he has been. The manager’s spell at Bolton was a rare exception and fans had mixed feelings about him.
Elsewhere, Lennon has generally received support. Even after the Celtic fan protest in late 2020 after a poor run of results and Rangers speeding ahead in the league, other Celtic fans condemned the “entitled” protestors. In November that year, Lennon said it was “disappointing” to see a banner calling for him to leave. He said fans were allowed to “voice their opinion” and whether he agreed with it was “irrelevant”. Lennon resigned the following year.
The Dunfermline fans have taken well to Lennon. In a recent forum thread on DAFC.net, one fan said they felt “we are finally going in the right direction” with the new manager and owners. The owners are aiming to use their expertise in analytics and AI to “gain a competitive edge” in player recruitment and sports science.
2025-2026
Dunfermline haven’t been in the Premier League since 2012. The club were relegated twice in succession and spent three years in League One before returning to the Championship. Another relegation followed in 2022 but quickly bounced back to the Championship the following season.
Next season, Lennon and Dunfermline will be aiming to return to the top flight for the first time in over a decade. Fans will be hoping Lennon’s stay is longer than that in Cyprus or Romania, and more like his trophy-laden time at Celtic.
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