FOR Neil Lennon to get the Celtic job, I feel that he probably has to win the treble. That might not even be enough for him, because the Celtic board might have other candidates in mind, but he would certainly be putting himself in the strongest possible position that he can.

If they can overcome Aberdeen, they are in the final, and the likelihood is that another treble would follow for Celtic, so that can only enhance Neil’s prospects if he manages to deliver it. And I feel he will certainly be deserving of it should that all come to pass.

Unless there is a calamitous collapse from Celtic in the league, then it all comes down to the Scottish Cup for him. I know there is a lot of talk about securing a big name, but to be fair to Lennon, he has done it before at Celtic and it looks as though he is going to do it again in the league.

The problem for Neil is that cup football can be so unpredictable, as he found out a few times during his first spell in charge of the club. All you need is a one-off bad day and you are out, and it is remarkable they managed to avoid that under Brendan Rodgers.

The way that standards are now at the club, you have to feel though that the treble is the minimum requirement.

I have heard the odd grumble about the style of play so far under Lennon too, but to be fair, there have been times already this season under Rodgers where the team huffed and puffed quite a bit too.

If you look at the Livingston game, yes, Celtic were expected to win and to win comfortably. But for poor finishing though, they certainly would have, and it is harsh to lay that at the door of the manager.

When a result like that happens, there is of course a Stewards Enquiry, but that’s hardly the first time that has happened to Celtic this term. There have been a few occasions where they have slipped up, and while the form hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination, the fluency hasn’t always been there.

That happens during a league campaign, you can’t be magnificent every week. You try to be, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

A huge positive for him would have to be that despite the team probably not firing on all cylinders, he has maintained the winning aspect on the whole. Beating Hearts in the league and Hibs in the cup just after he came in set the tone, and while there have been a few last-minute goals among his run, that shows that the team are fighting for him.

So, there may have been some justified criticism after Saturday’s game, because they shouldn’t be drawing at home to Livingston, but let’s keep that in perspective with the situation Lennon inherited after Rodgers’ sudden departure.

It all comes back to the Scottish Cup, and with no disrespect to my former club Livingston, a run-of-the-mill league game and a semi-final at Hampden against Aberdeen are entirely different prospects. Players will try to approach both matches in the same frame of mind, but human nature will have them fired up come Sunday.

When the question has been asked of Celtic over these past three years on the big occasion, they have always come up with the answers. You can get unexpected blips in the league, but I don’t see one here simply because of that reason.

There is a winning mentality already in place, and whatever your doubts over Neil, he has that in spades.