THE departure of a pillar of the Scottish game may occasion a period of reflection for Neil Lennon, but the Celtic manager is still consumed by the immediate challenges of his job.

Lennon took time yesterday to pay tribute to Craig Brown, who is to retire as Aberdeen manager at the end of the season, but he also revealed that he had a series of one-on-one meetings with several of his players after the defeat by Ross County at the weekend.

"I'm sure [Brown] can look back on his career with a huge sense of satisfaction," said Lennon of the 72-year-old former Scotland manager. "What he's had in the game is what I want: longevity. [He is] a great guy and a great football man and he'll be a loss to the management fraternity here in Scotland."

Lennon would concede one of the keys to that longevity is winning and he revealed that he had discussions with unnamed players after accusing some of a lack of drive and motivation in the defeat in Dingwall.

"I was right to be critical of the players," he said. "They had thrown away a two-goal lead, the second and third goals, from our point, of view were poor and I did not like the way we played defensively. We were a little bit too open for my liking and we had clear-cut chances to win the game so it was a bad day all round."

Lennon referred on Saturday to the possibility that there were players who did not want to be at the club. "It is a concern, but I have had it out with a couple of them," he said yesterday. "I have put my point across and they have certainly said I have nothing to worry about on that score. I expect to see a vast improvement over the next few games. We know what we have to do now to win the title and I imagine that if we win the next three games that would almost guarantee the title regardless of what other people do."

He would not name names but such as Fraser Forster, Efe Ambrose and Anthony Stokes may have had what diplomats call "meaningful talks" with the manager. Lennon is aware that his future can be in the hands of players and he is keen to have the longevity of such as Brown.

"If I'm still in the game then, I'll be doing very well," he said of Brown's long career. "There are some who keep going. Look at Giovanni Trapattoni, Sir Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson. They were all in the game a long time but very few and far between.

"You have to have a love for the game and have passion, as well as a thick skin. What I like about these guys is that they have had huge disappointments in their career and have bounced back and used adversity to their strength and that is testament to why they have been in the game so long."

Lennon, at 41, has learned much about the job and himself in his short but demanding stint as Celtic manager. "It's a real desire," he said of the driving force behind his job. "I love football. There are days when you hate the job but they are few and far between. It's the only thing I have known, all my life I've loved football and that's why I want to stay in it as long as possible.

"I can't imagine being in the garden. I can't imagine not being in football. It is very addictive and sometimes it is not good for your health, not good for your state of mind. Why do we do it? We do it because we do not know anything else.

"Honestly, that is the real reason why. I was speaking to people about [Pep] Guardiola and he wanted to take a year out and then about November he was ringing his advisers to say: 'Get me a job'."

The Celtic manager admitted that there were periods when the demands threatened to become overwhelming. "There are times when you need a break. There are times when you need to take a step away," he said.

But he added: "You go away for a break but after a day you think: 'I'm bored. I wanted to get back to my work'."

Lennon finds it almost impossible to switch off but he will take "a few days to myself" during the international break. He will be on the golf course but his mind will not be exclusively on the next shot.

"You are thinking about different things, could you try different formations, about players coming in or coming out, about how you could improve the team," he said.

This is par for the course for a manager who wants to break Craig Brown's round of 72.