FOR a man who promised and then delivered the return of thunder to Celtic Park, Neil Lennon is oddly not a fan of noise. Some of it at least.

The ear-splitting volume on (anti) social media can at times, and for a large part wrongly, feel as if it’s driving agenda and opinion outside of of the football club the Northern Irishman is managing for the second time. It’s an an awful dim din.

By now, according to keyboard wallopers, Celtic should have spent millions and millions upon player and player. They remain fixed in their blocks. Rangers are almost at the tape. Every club in Europe which the Scottish champions eight times over could face have done their business already.

Let’s all panic. Etc and indeed etc.

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Lennon has seen and heard it all before. More than once. He seems calmer these days, we shall see, and no matter what you think of the man, he’s nobody’s fool, which would suggest the calm demeanour being proof that everything is in hand.

Celtic’s transfer policy is like a pair of ugly pyjamas. Sensible but not exactly sexy. The club has money. It will spend money. However, it won’t enough for some. It won’t be soon enough and the genuine targets, inevitably, aren’t enough.

“It’s really easy to ignore it,” insisted Lennon. “We know what we are doing. We’re dead conscientious about our work. If we weren’t up to speed with things, then subconsciously it would eat away from you. However, we are working feverishly in the background to get the right players in that suit our style of play and, obviously, within the budget and wage scale.

“I am not on social media. I’m not aware of it because I can lock myself away up here at Lennoxtown for hours on end, blissfully unaware, getting on with my work.

“I have a total understanding of the model. The football environment has changed with social media. I have to realise that it’s not real. It’s not reality. My reality is here with the players, with the board and with my staff. All the rest of it is noise.

“We need to get young players early before the get hoovered up early elsewhere. There is a model where we are looking for recallable value from players we look to bring in and develop – then sell on. It’s a very big part of what we do here.”

There are no shades of grey with this football club. Everything is amazing or disastrous. An over-exaggeration? Yes and no.

There are Celtic supporters still unable to get their heads around modern football and where their club sits. There are two leagues, almost, in English football, that can outspend one of European football’s greatest names.

To compete, at least to have a bit of a go, Celtic must buy low and sell high. The thing is…it works.

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“We got Kristoffer Ajer at 17 and that’s good business,” Lennon reminded us. “We have a couple in the development team that we like and believe they have a future at the club. It augurs well.

“Kieran Tierney is a big plus from the academy side of things, on top of Callum McGregor and James Forrest. It’s important we keep that pathway open. They are a great role model for the rest of them, as well as Victor Wanyama, and Virgil Van Dijk.

“Moussa Dembele is now worth £40m. It is a good selling point for young and hungry players. But it’s finding them and competing. That’s the difficult part.

“And you have to remember that in the five years since I was here, the money in England has gone sky high. That money filters down to the Championship and League One. We haven’t really moved in terms of TV money and money being brought in. This is another hurdle we will need to overcome.”

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Celtic need players. The squad last season was too big but not because there was too much quality.

Cristian Gamboa, Dorus de Vries, Emilio Izaguirre have left – the insultingly well-paid Marvin Compper is still there – and few more will be exited having made quite a bit of money while contributing nothing. Every signing is a risk to some extent but Celtic have blown a fair bit of cash on rubbish over the past two years.

However, there are some about the fringes who will be given a chance to impress Lennon. One or two have hinted that they might good enough. Lennon is not in a mind to write off anyone.

“Jack Hendry, Danny Arzani, Eboue Kouassi - the injury list was horrendous so it’s great to see them getting back,” said Lennon, rhyming off some of the names of players he hasn’t yet seen kick a ball.

“Marian Shved will join us on Monday - he was away on international duty as well. And then Leigh Griffiths is like having a new man in the building as well, he’s training very well just now, which we’re all pleased about.

“So, there are a few things I need to weigh up in my own mind over the next few weeks.

“These are just guys I haven’t seen, through no fault of their own, but it does mean there’s a freshness there for me and I’m excited about a couple of them coming back. It’s a clean slate for them.”