Neil Lennon thinks Lambert has learned a lot from O'Neill

Source: Scottish Daily Record

NEIL LENNON laughs when he hears his pal Paul Lambert described as a clone of their ex-boss and mentor Martin O'Neill.

The tracksuit, with the collar up and the bottoms tucked inside his sock. The tiny specs resting on the bridge of his nose as he prowls the touchline.

As Lambert celebrated with his Norwich team-mates after being promoted to the Premier League on Monday night it could have been O'Neill with that one-handed salute to the jubilant Canaries fans.

But Lennon isn't surprised by the inevitable comparisons. He was delighted to see his former Celtic team-mate pull off a "miracle" and lead the Carrow Road side to a double promotion - and the promised land.

It reminded him of what O'Neill did at Leicester when Lennon was his midfield general.
And the current Hoops boss insists every player who has worked under O'Neill will rightly use the Ulsterman as a template for success.

Asked about Lambert's likeness to his old boss, Lennon said: "I'm not sure if he's done that by design but it just shows the influence Martin had on a lot of us, not just me and Paul.

"I'm sure if other guys from that Seville team of 2003 decide to go into management Martin's a template for us all.

"Paul's had great success. There's no doubt the majority of the way he approaches football and the ideas he uses will have come from Martin.

"He's worked a miracle at Norwich on limited resources. They are a provincial club, with a great fanbase. But what he's achieved since taking over there is nothing short of remarkable.

"He's done it the hard way because he didn't have a great time as manager of Livingston. But he went and did his apprenticeship at Wycombe then Colchester.

"Since he's taken over Norwich they have been a real force in League One and the Championship. They've got a great spirit and work ethic.

"Paul had a great career as a player but as a manager to get out of that Championship, some managers don't do that in their lifetime."

Lennon and Lambert still speak to each other on a regular basis but the Celtic gaffer is still waiting for a reply to his congratulatory text after Norwich's win over Portsmouth on Monday night. He said: "I've not spoken to him since they were promoted. I'm sure he's still coming down from cloud nine.

"I sent him a text on Monday night but I'm sure he'd have got thousands of them. He should enjoy the moment because it's very rare you get moments like this. But knowing Paul he'll then start worrying about the Premier League."

Lennon is trying to follow up his mate's success in England with an SPL title in his first season as Celtic boss but insists he doesn't need any extra motivation.

He said: "Seeing Paul achieve what he has doesn't make me more determined to win something. I'm pretty self-motivated and determined anyway.

"Paul's achievements are not relevant to mine. It's just a really good friend of mine doing brilliantly."

Lennon hopes Lambert is given the financial backing he deserves to try to establish his club in the top flight. And what impressed him most about Lambert's stunning back-to-back promotions was his ability to pluck a player from relative obscurity and turn them into a star - a trait O'Neill mastered.

Lennon said: "Look at what he's done with Grant Holt who was with me at Nottingham Forest. He was rough round the edges but Paul's turned him into a scoring machine.
"He's brought in Simeon Jackson from Gillingham and Russell Martin from Peterborough who he also had at Wycombe.

"Paul knows these players and what they did for him before. He's taken them to a new level, similar to what Martin did at Leicester.

"It's a tough ask for Paul in the Premier League and he'll need a bit of financial backing.

"The top flight has evolved into this monster of a league and it's now very difficult. If Paul finishes fourth from bottom it'll be a magnificent achievement."

you can definetly see a lot of likenesses