Ex-Celtic manager on Bristol Rovers radar as Joey Barton replacement hunt continues | OneFootball

The search for Bristol Rovers goes on in their attempts to replace Joey Barton in the dugout at the Memorial Stadium.

The controversial Barton was sacked by the Gas hierarchy on October 26, which was now three weeks ago, after three matches without a victory, although his dismissal came in the wake of disparaging comments made towards Stevenage boss Steve Evans.

Barton had been in charge of Rovers for over two-and-a-half years, so the need to get their next appointment right is crucial, and it is the first appointment under new chairman Hussain AlSaaed after he completed a majority takeover of the company that owns the Pirates back in August.

Caretaker boss Andy Mangan, who was Barton's assistant at both Rovers and Fleetwood Town, is unbeaten in his five matches in charge, which includes two wins and a draw in League One action to move them up to 10th in the standings.

Mangan has revealed he would be keen on taking on the job on a full-time basis, but plenty of names from outside of the club have been linked with the job too.

Dean Holden is one coach who has talked to the club, as has ex-St. Johnstone boss Callum Davidson, whilst Garry Monk and ex-Gas manager Ian Holloway have also been of interest.

The latest name that Rovers want to talk to is recently sacked Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor, but another new name has emerged as a candidate, and that is Neil Lennon.

According to Sunday Mirror Sports Editor Darren Witcoop, the former Premier League midfielder has been mentioned in discussions when it comes to Barton's replacement, although it is unclear if talks have taken place.

What is Neil Lennon's managerial record like?

Lennon has of course managed Celtic twice, having played for them for seven years, and because of how dominant the Hoops have been in Scotland over the years, his career win percentage is pretty high.

Winning five Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish Cups and winning over 230 matches across his two stints at Celtic Park, Lennon hasn't had as much success outside of the green and white half of Glasgow, although he did win the Scottish Championship with Hibernian and the Cypriot Cup with Omonia Nicosia.

Lennon's only job in England was with Bolton Wanderers, who he kept in the Championship in 2014-15, but he struggled in the 2015-16 campaign and was sacked with just two months remaining.

His last role was in Cyprus with Omonia Nicosia, but he has been out of work for over a year and is certainly an intriguing name to add to the mix.

Would Neil Lennon be a good appointment for Bristol Rovers?

Even though he had a lot of success at Celtic, his trophy-winning came mainly at a time where their main rivals Rangers were struggling and eventually had to drop a few divisions.

In-fact, in his second stint he was losing out to Rangers in the 2020-21 season so much that he was eventually sacked at Celtic Park, so there will be concerns about what level he can actually manage to effectively.

His struggles at Bolton a number of years ago also saw him sacked, and a number of the candidates that have already been talked about feel a bit more exciting than the 52-year-old.

Bristol Rovers should perhaps look elsewhere.