Neil Lennon has described his four-match touchline ban as “awful” as he prepares to return to the dugout for Saturday’s Scottish Championship clash away to Raith Rovers.
The Dunfermline Athletic manager was handed the suspension following comments he made after the Pars’ 3-2 defeat at Ross County in October. The ban has seen Neil watching from afar as his side endured a difficult spell, losing 2-1 at home to Arbroath and 3-2 to Ayr United, drawing 1-1 away to Queen’s Park, and suffering a 4-3 defeat to Queen of the South in the KDM Evolution Trophy.
The manager missed the match in Dumfries following the death of his father, Gerry, and he took time to thank everyone for their condolences and for giving him and his family room to grieve. “I would just like to thank everyone at the club here and the Scottish and Irish media. They’ve treated me and my family with the utmost respect. And obviously lots of people across the spectrum of football who were getting in touch, people I hadn’t spoken to or seen for a while. The messages that were coming in were quite overwhelming. I can’t thank everyone enough for that.”
Now with the ban served, Neil cannot wait to be back on the touchline:-
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be really good, not only to be able to be with the players before kick off but to be in the dugout and at half time. You really miss that side of it. I’ve got a lot of pent-up energy now to release. Not just for the players but for everybody else.”
The 54-year-old described the experience of being banned from the technical area, explaining the restrictions placed upon him:-
“It’s awful. You leave an hour and 15 minutes before kick off. You can’t be anywhere near the players. You can’t go down at half time, then you have to wait after the game before you address the players again. You’re very much hamstrung. For what? For criticising a refereeing performance when we were told all our points were valid.”
Neil believes the absence may have had a psychological impact on his players as the ban wore on:-
“I think gradually as it went on, the longer it went on then maybe the more they just missed that sort of voice or presence around the place. I’m not saying it’s all down to me not being there but it was a long period of time. You’re talking about the guts of a month. Ridiculous for a critique of a referee.”
While coaches Iain Brunskill and Kevin McDonald have stepped up admirably in the dugout, the manager was forthright in his assessment of recent performances:-
“There’s no doubt we’ve had a dip, we haven’t played at our levels in the last three or four games. Whether that’s me being there or not, it’s had an adverse effect on the team and the players. I’m looking straight away for an improvement. The first half on Saturday was totally unacceptable. They played very well in the second half but gave themselves far too much to do.”
With the Pars not having won in the league since their victory over Morton on 22nd November, Neil knows results must improve quickly:- “We need to start improving, not only performances but results. I wouldn’t say we’re giving ourselves too much to do or it’s a crisis but it’s not good. We need to find a vast improvement individually and collectively.”
As he prepares to take his place in the dugout once more, Neil Lennon is simply relieved to be back doing the job he loves. “Obviously it’s over now. I’m relieved. You’re sort of half at work and half not when you’re not in the dugout. It’s full on now for me.”
The Pars will be hoping their manager’s return can spark an upturn in fortunes when they travel to face Raith Rovers on Saturday.
