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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O'Neill was left massively surprised by the reaction to Neil Lennon's appointment as permanent Celtic manager, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What's he said?

O'Neill of course was an iconic Celtic manager in his own right, winning multiple trophies with the club in the early 2000s, with Lennon installed as a firm fixture in his Hoops midfield.

Admitting he still watches Celtic matches on a regular basis, he reckons that any negative analysis of Lennon's permanent appointment at the end of last season is misplaced.

How does Neil Lennon turn his doubters into believers? The answer lies in the video below...

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said:

"This idea that Neil was cheap or the board were negligent in not looking elsewhere seems exceptionally unfair. Neil has more than proven himself to have the credentials for this job and I would have full confidence that he’ll do it justice.

When I heard there was some criticism towards Neil getting the job, I would have to say that it truly took me aback.

I’m not sure why that would be the case. I really can’t get my head around it at all because I don’t think he put a foot wrong after taking over from Brendan Rodgers.

If I get the chance, I watch Celtic games on television and I’m not sure that the season had been entirely fluent for the duration of the campaign, for one reason or another. So it was not a given that Neil would walk in there and get it right.

I think you have to be really appreciative of the kind of pressure he was under in those months — all the while as he was trying to win a Treble, which is no mean feat."

Was the reaction to Lennon's appointment too severe?

As O'Neill points out, it's fair to say Celtic did not receive unanimous praise from supporters when Lennon was given the job directly after the Scottish Cup final in May.

It's really no surprise to hear the Forest boss back his former midfielder considering they are close, but his comments are still very interesting and bring a bit of balance to the argument that the club have faltered by not following the Brendan Rodgers era up with a box office appointment.

Lennon did almost everything asked of him when given the interim position in February, with the only real hiccup coming via a derby defeat to Rangers after the league was already won.

In terms of a job interview, the Hoops boss went through quite the process, ensuring a treble success that shouldn't be underrated.

He has work to do to maintain that success next season, but beyond the super elite managers, is anyone better placed to deliver it?