Neil Lennon appointed manager of Dunfermline Athletic until end of season

Former Hibs mananger Neil Lennon has been appointed manager of Dunfermline Athletic on an initial short term deal, until the end of the season.  

Lennon won the Championship during his Easter Road tenure before leading the club to a fourth place finish in the top-flight. 

He also won five titles at Celtic, four Scottish Cups and one League Cup and won the Championship and in Cyprus the national cup competition with Omonia. 

The 53 year old was born in Lurgan and as a player made over 700 senior appearances, initially making an impact at Crewe Alexandria, then at Leicester City and Celtic. A central midfielder, he won 40 international caps for Northern Ireland.  

Joining Lennon will be coach Iain Brunskill. After serving as assistant Academy Technical Director at Liverpool for a decade, Brunskill spent time at Norwich, Blackpool, QPR and most recently Rapid București as assistant coach under Lennon.  

Pars Chairman and CEO David Cook said: “Firstly I’d like to welcome Neil and Iain to KDM Group East End Park. We very quickly identified Neil as the outstanding candidate for the role. Having managed at the very highest level in the country he will bring a huge wealth of experience to the club. 

“Whilst it’s been a team effort in securing the services of such a high calibre manager, this wouldn’t have been possible without James Bord’s personal involvement in the negotiations.  

“Neil has already started work preparing for next Saturday’s match with Ayr United and with seven matches remaining we know our supporters will get behind Neil, Iain and the rest of the staff and squad as we fight to maintain our Championship placing.” 

Lennon added, “I’m very excited about the prospect of joining Dunfermline Athletic Football Club. Once I spoke to James Bord he put across a very compelling proposition on his ambitions for the club. However, short term our aim is obviously to be in the Championship next season.  

“Having watched the match against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup it’s clear there’s talent in the squad, perhaps just a little low on confidence at the minute.  

“What we want to do is bring an energy, confidence and an exciting brand of football. It may not happen instantly but we want to play on the front foot, excite supporters and get the players believing in what we’re doing.”