Neil Lennon targets promotion to Scottish Premiership for Dunfermline

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·31 Mei 2025

Neil Lennon targets promotion to Scottish Premiership for Dunfermline

Celtic hero Neil Lennon revealed on Thursday night that his goal as newly appointed permanent manager of Dunfermline Athletic is to push for promotion to the Scottish Premiership next season while also delivering exciting football…

Neil Lennon signs on as Dunfermline boss, penning a two year contract with The Pars. Photo Dunfermline Athletic

Hoops legend Lennon guided the struggling Fife side to safety in the Championship, stepping in for Michael Tidser during the last seven matches of the 2024/25 season.

Video OneFootball

The Irishman, who recruited former Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama and secured victories against Livingston and Queen’s Park during his short tenure, has now committed to a two-year contract.

He recognised that earning promotion will be tough, especially with Ross County and St Johnstone coming down from the Premiership but remains resolute in his ambition to guide Dunfermline back to the top flight for the first time since 2012 next season.

Neil Lennon signs on as Dunfermline boss, penning a two year contract with The Pars. Photo Dunfermline Athletic

“I more or less agreed things with the owner towards the end of the season”

“I more or less agreed things with the owner towards the end of the season,” Lennon told the club’s YouTube channel. “Obviously, there was negotiations going on with the contract and that, but he was true to his word, and I’ve been true to my word. We’ve got a good relationship, which is really important.”

“The same is true of the people around the club, David [chairman and chief executive Cook]is obviously important in that aspect as is John [advisor Colquhoun]. We know there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. That’s a real challenge for me and one that I’m looking forward to.”

“I would like us to be challenging around the top”

Lennon added: “I don’t like making predictions. But I would like us to be challenging around the top. That’s going to take a lot when you consider that two Premiership teams have come down into the division.”

“Allied to that, you’ve got Ayr United and Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers finished the season really strongly, Morton are consistent. So it’s an attritional nutritional league. But we have to find the players that will give us the edge in games. If not, they will then be difficult to beat, but also consistent. We need more consistency in our performances.”

Lennon, who will continue working alongside Iain Brunskill, Kevin McDonald, and Andy Collier on his coaching staff, has been actively working to bolster the Dunfermline squad since the season concluded, with a particular focus on adding attacking players to increase the side’s offensive threat.

“We only scored 28 goals in 36 games”

“We came in at a difficult time and some of the performances were good, solid,” he said. “But we weren’t spectacular by any means, so I want to change that. We only scored 28 goals in 36 games. That’s something that has to be changed overall.”

“The players were good, their attitude was good. We liked it, we enjoyed it. We enjoyed the challenge, but now this is a different challenge. We want to start looking up the table rather than over our shoulders. There’s rebuilding work that needs to be done, but we want to do that incrementally.”

Lennon continued: “We’ve been working away in the background on a number of players, it’s a slow process. There are already players who have signed new contracts from last season.”

Victor Wanyama trudges off the field of play after being red carded and is consoled by Neil Lennon Dunfermline manager Ayr United v Dunfermline, Scottish Championship, Football, Somerset Park, Ayr, – 29 March 2025 Photo Garry McHarg Shutterstock

“We just want to change a little bit of the culture around the place”

“There are players who have obviously left the club and their own players have come back to their parent clubs. We’ve got a small platform to build from in terms of the squad of players so far.”

“Recruitment is going to be important. Getting the right players in the right positions and obviously with the right mindset as well. There were things that didn’t please me over the six or seven weeks I was there. We just want to change a little bit of the culture around the place as well.”

Neil Lennon and Callum Davidson. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday 20 April 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

‘They rock up. They love the club and they want to see a team perform’

“I want more attacking players. That’s always been my way. The bottom line is football is an entertainment business and you want to entertain. I think sometimes it gets lost in all the analytics and the coaching side of things.”

“We have good support here. They rock up. They love the club and they want to see a team perform. Yes, full of commitment, that’s non-negotiable, but with quality as well.”

Conor Spence

Celtic Star Books – shop now at celticstarbooks.com

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW!