NEIL Lennon is not a pollster.

The Celtic manager is simply a 'football man', though one with his ear close to the ground. So when he offers his view on the 'big vote' it is worth listening. Not independence, but reconstruction. Lennon has been deciphering messages from the top strata of Scottish football, the club chairmen, as well as fans as the game pushes towards its own crucial poll. If Lennon is accurate, Ipsos MORI may be on the phone wanting to copy his method.

The Celtic manager believes the movement for change to a 12-12-18 set-up in Scottish football has suddenly lost pace, and senses a deep resistance to revamping the league in such a form. "The fans do not want it and I do not think it will happen, that's my honest opinion," said Lennon yesterday, referring to a survey of Scottish fans by the SFA that found 87% want a larger top flight than the current 12-team Clydesdale Bank Premier League

His club is among those in the Scottish Premier League pushing for change, while the Scottish Football League clubs have failed to agree on the SPL's plans for a 12-12-18 set-up. They will vote on the issue no later than April 19.

Not everyone in the SPL is on board – Ross County and St Mirren are the main doubters – but they will reveal their preference later this month. In January, Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster and David Longmuir – the respective chief executives of the Scottish Football Association, SPL and Scottish Football League – announced the 12-12-18 plan. The most contentious part of the proposal is that the top two divisions would split into three leagues of eight midway through the season, and the current financial distribution model would be revised.

Somewhere between January and April, the radical dreams of winter have given way to the harsh reality of spring. Asked if reconstruction could be pushed through in time for 2013-14, Lennon replied: "I don't think so. I think there is too much dissent from some of the chairmen for it to go through. No-one likes change but this looks likes the best way forward for the game.

"When you have only one up and one down, particularly this season, there's not much excitement at the bottom of the league. The problem [in the new model] for the teams that will be down there is that there are going to suddenly be four fighting to stay up and that puts extra pressure on managers and chairmen. It also puts extra emphasis on the January transfer window. That's become a concern. You got to 22 games, everyone will be vying to get into that top eight and after 22 games there is a real pressure pot for a lot of managers. This season there has not been. There will be more chance of teams going down [in the new model] but that's why the distribution of money is going to help them."

The alternative suggested by fans in the SFA poll is of a larger top flight of perhaps 14 teams. "I don't know what will suit us any more," said the Celtic manager. "I do not make plans on what reconstruction is going to bring. I feel that the current league is probably a bit staid but it has produced, in my time, five last-day finishes. That creates enough excitement on its own.

"I'll wait and see what the chairmen vote for, then we'll work around that, but our remit is a bit different to a lot of the other clubs. No-one likes change but you want change for the better. That's what people within the SPL are trying to bring. There are a lot of factions – the SFL are at war with the SPL and it does not make for good reading. It sends confusion out to the public.

"The fans don't want it and I don't think it will happen. It would be a missed opportunity. I think 12-12-18 is the best way forward. They have had a look at all the models, at other countries and play-off scenarios, which will generate excitement to the end of the season and give most teams a competitive edge. We don't have that just now unless its fighting for a top-six spot."

One innovation from the SPL's creation in 1998 that Lennon would happily drop is the rule requiring three under-21 players in a match-day squad. "There have been times I have had three top internationals sitting in the stand to make space for lads who we will not be using," said Lennon. "Sometimes they are there just as a bench-filler. We have a young team so the rule does not really damage us at the moment. I'd say a lot of other managers will be glad to see the back of it."

Mark Wotte, the SFA performance director, urged last week that young players be fast-tracked in the SPL. Lennon added: "Mark's intentions are very good but if the kids are good enough, they will come through anyway. You don't have to make up rules. We are all for fast-tracking young players if they are good enough."