Neil Lennon 'had to be convinced' to take Dunfermline job by poker player owner

Neil Lennon says after having doubts over the Dunfermline job, conversations with the club’s US-based owners persuaded him to take on the role.

The 53-year-old said he was convinced by former professional poker player and Las Vegas-based businessman James Bord.

Now Lennon is looking forward to the challenge of getting the Parks back up the Championship table and out of the relegation zone after being appointed manager at the East End Park club.

The former Celtic boss, who won ten major honours during two spells in the dugout at Parkhead, has returned to Scottish football, for the first time since leaving the Hoops in 2021, to take charge of the Championship side until the end of the season.

Dunfermline are currently second bottom of the division with seven games of the league season remaining meaning they face a potential relegation play-off unless they can climb up the table.

They are two points behind eighth-place Hamilton, with a game in hand, and six ahead of Airdrie who are in the automatic relegation spot in tenth.

Lennon, who won the Championship as Hibs manager in 2017, says the club’s board convinced him to take the job with an impressive pitch and vision for the future.

Speaking on Tuesday as he was officially unveiled as manager, he said: “It’s a pleasure. Last week I had a lot of conversations with the chairman and the owner, and they made a very compelling argument for taking the job.

“Sir Alex Ferguson once said, sometimes you pick the owner rather than picking the club and I think we have a good one here with good aspirations for further down the line and future of the club.

“I wanted to align myself with that, so I am excited. Obviously we have a lot of work to do which is not going to happen instantly, but I have had a good response from the players over the last couple of days.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, it’s great to be back in football first of all. I know how competitive and attritional the Scottish Championship can be and that we haven’t been in the best of form so it will be a challenge for myself to turn that around.

“I’m not thinking too much about what’s happened previously, I’m more focused on the present and doing the best we can over the next seven games.

“It’s short term for now, with a view to it maybe being longer. The owner is a very interesting man, he has ambitions to do great things here. A lot of owners will say that, but it is about backing it up as well and I think he will do that.

“I enjoyed talking to him, he’s different and I am going to learn from him, and that appealed to me as well.

“He was so compelling with his offer that he talked me round, because I was very sceptical about taking it, but the long conversations we had last week made my mind up.”

Lennon’s first game in charge of Dunfermline will be up against his former skipper Scott Brown when the Pars travel to promotion-chasing Ayr United on Saturday.

The pair spent seven trophy-laden years together at Celtic, winning five Premiership titles, four Scottish Cups, and a league cup.

And Lennon is looking forward to coming up against Brown who he has nothing but praise for and is not surprised with how well he is doing at the honest men.

He said: “Scott always had leadership qualities, he was an amazing player who I think has been underrated and undervalued at times but over my two spells as manager of Celtic he was exceptional and was the first name on the team sheet every week.

“I’ve told him already to make sure he has a nice bottle of red waiting on me.

“He’s doing a fantastic job and they are having a great season so it is a tough opening game for us.

“It is not about me and him, and he will be the first to tell you that.

“He will have his focus and I will have mine, but I am looking forward to seeing him again.”