Whether it be attacks on his person, threats to the safety of him and his family, or the more mundane business of trying to field a team capable of wresting the Clydesdale Bank Premier League championship back from Rangers and regain a foothold in Europe, he has refused to buckle.
It is somewhat surprising, therefore, to discover he does admit to feeling pressure, but that the source of this is not external, but is to be found deep within himself.
As he prepared his team for tonight’s vital match with Rennes in France, Lennon spoke candidly about the psychology of surviving as the man in charge of a Celtic side who trail Rangers by 10 points with only a quarter of the title race run.
Most managers would become brusque, or pin you with a steely stare if asked if they were feeling any extra pressure. Not Lennon.
“No, not really because you have to accept questions are going to be asked when you are 3-0 down at half-time away from home against any opposition in the SPL,” said the Northern Irishman. “You have to ask questions of yourself. Are you doing the right things? Why is the team not performing?
“But, I don’t feel as if I am in any trouble, as far as my job is concerned. If anything, the pressure comes from within myself -- my own pride in the performance of my team. I got that from them in the second half so we can move on now.”
Since that near-disaster at Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon, much soul-searching and talking has been done.
The players have been invited to have their say, but the Celtic manager says he is confident he already knows what ails them.
“Our problems have come down to a loss of form,” he concluded. “I’ve heard all sorts of rumours about ill discipline, but that is not the case at all. They are still quite a tight group and they are desperate to do well.”
That was the message to come out of this week’s meeting at Lennoxtown, and Victor Wanyama confirmed the manager got his point across. “He said we needed to get maximum points from the games and to help one another,” said the Kenyan midfielder. “The manager spoke, but the players were involved in it as well. We all agreed with what was being said, so it was positive.
“The meeting has given us a boost to work hard and try and get the points tomorrow. We have to give something back to our fans. We have to start winning regularly.”
Wanyama, who is a doubt for tonight’s match with a groin injury, has quickly emerged as a player who could help solve some of Celtic’s problems. It is to his credit that he has settled into life in Glasgow so quickly when the team is struggling for form and confidence.
“The squad is like a family,” said the 20-year-old. “The players help one another, and that has helped me. If a team-mate is struggling, we want to help him. That’s what being a good team-mate is about.
“The manager is part of that. Everyone is part of that.”
With the championship remaining a priority, Lennon could be forgiven for cursing his luck that his side are not only also competing in Europe, but in a group which contains Atletico Madrid, Udinese, and Rennes.
Results so far -- just one point from two games -- have provided no respite from the harsh scrutiny constantly on him, but he takes it in his stride.
“It’s part of being the Celtic manager,” Lennon accepted. “You are judged on all results. The Europa League isn’t like a sideshow for me, it’s just as important as the domestic scene.”
That being the case, it is essential Lennon records his first victory as Celtic manager on foreign soil tonight. The week has already picked up with the news that Biram Kayal has signed an extension to his contract.
Lennon was key mover in the offer being made, and in persuading the Israeli to accept the deal on the table. Now the manager wants his reward with a return to form for a player who is a key component in the team being welded together.
“Mentally, he’s had his issues with the contract,” said Lennon. “Hopefully, now he can settle down. He’s fully committed to the club, the team and myself, so we are hoping we see the best of him.
“He has only been playing in patches recently, which you could say about the squad as a whole really.”
Kayal’s form is, indeed, often a gauge of how hot or cold Celtic are on any given day, and Lennon needs him at his best tonight.
“He’s an important player for us, and an emotional kid at times. It’s part of his make-up,” said the manager. “But, now things have settled down, he’ll have no more voices telling him what to do here, there and everywhere.
“I think he was getting bad advice from other areas. But, he has listened to us, the people who really want him to succeed. He has taken our advice on board, and we feel he has done the right thing.
“It’s not a case of me feeling he owes me anything. He had a wonderful season last year, and that laid down a marker for him. He has not lived up to that standard of performance so far this season.
“But there’s a long way to go until the end of the season, and we expect big things from him now.”
