Even though the Pars’ unbeaten streak now stands at three games, the manager was dissatisfied with his team’s performance in last weekend’s goalless draw against Airdrieonians at KDM Group East End Park:
“I explained that to the players at halftime, and while the second half improved, it still fell well short of what I wanted or expected of them. You want to end on a high note, or at least with a flourish, because we have one more game left. You want to raise the bar for overall performance because we are only one win out of five.
The manager was particularly unhappy with his team’s approach to the Airdrieonians match and is expecting better on Friday night.
“I didn’t like the attitude as I said after the game. I think I’ve been very fair with the players. We were flat and lacked urgency, and that’s not acceptable. So just little reminders sometimes of what’s expected of them. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”
Neil Lennon has placed great emphasis on standards since taking charge at the club, something he believes is crucial to achieving success.
“You have to get consistency there. If you do well one week and then think you’ve cracked it, then that’s when you’re in trouble, because football catches up to you very quickly. Consistency of performance comes from not only what you do here, but what you do away from your work as well, preparing yourself mentally and physically for games.”
With the season concluding, many players will be considering their futures, and the manager stressed the importance of finishing strongly.
“It’s a prerequisite of a professional footballer if you are full time, to make sure you’re number one CEO of yourself. You’re taking care of your body, taking care of your mentality and your preparation, not just going into a game, but for the whole week.
“You’re playing maybe 36 games. You might not be involved in them all, but you’ve got to prepare yourself for playing 40 or 50 games a season. That’s really what you want to bring here. That means you’re being successful, that means you’re playing in competitions, and you’re at the forefront of them. That’s the mindset that we want to bring going forward.”
The former Celtic and Hibs boss has been impressed with the club’s young talent during his time at Dunfermline.
“I really enjoy the young players. We had a great success last week in the Reserve Cup. I really enjoyed the game. Their attitude and their quality was great. You want to encourage that.
“I’m really impressed with the Sutherland brothers and the Tods have done well. They’re good boys. They’ve got a bit of personality about them, which I like as well. We’d look to nourish and nurture that going forward.”
When asked about improvements since his arrival, Neil reflected on the progress made.
“We had a bit of an analysis meeting this morning and a lot of them said we feel as if we’re improving. There’s definitely been an improvement in their willingness not to get beat. We haven’t improved in the front third of the pitch, which is annoying me a little bit.
“We worked the ball into great areas again on Saturday but that’s been a sort of Achilles heel for us all season. The clean sheets have delighted me, the goalkeeper’s delighted me, the back three have been really consistent. There is a platform there to build on.”
On the subject of his own future at the club, with his short-term contract coming to an end, Neil would only confirm that discussions are ongoing.
“Talks are ongoing. That’s all I can say on it at the minute. I’ll not have a definitive answer, I wouldn’t imagine, before the weekend anyway, that’s for sure.”
The manager did suggest he has been encouraged by the club’s ambitions.
“I have (noticed ambition) with the owner, yes. He’s got plans. Whether you can run before you can walk is another thing. It’s got to be incremental but he’s very, very willing to do that. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of the infrastructure of the club and the infrastructure of the staff. That all can be done pretty quickly.”
Asked if these plans excited him, Neil replied: “Yes, going forward. Absolutely, yes. Something to work on, something to build on. Recruitment obviously I really enjoy that side of it as well.”
Regarding team news for Friday’s match, the manager provided an update on player availability.
“Joe Chalmers is back in the squad. Kano will hopefully train tomorrow. Again, we’re just nursing him through. Aaron Comrie (pictured above) is not fit to train so he’ll be out, which is unfortunate for him because he’s played a lot of games this season.
“Kieran (Ngwenya) is okay after playing an hour last week so we’ve got a decent pool to pick from. Michael O’Halloran’s out still so he won’t make it. Lewis (McCann) is due in for surgery next week in London.”
On the matter of Hamilton Academical’s appeal against their 15-point deduction, which could affect the final league standings, Neil Lennon remained focused only on what his team can control.
Since we have no control over it, I honestly don’t have an opinion. Simply put, we’re attempting to get as ready as we can by either knocking off or getting on the 15 points. The table is truthful. We’re above Queen’s Park and we’re above Airdrie. On Friday, Hamilton might lose. We might prevail. Regardless of the 15 points, we could still finish higher than them.
“Together, we’ve run very well. Although it hasn’t been very great, it has been practical, and that’s all you could do. From our perspective, the task is completed.
