Lennon wants backing for Hughes

Celtic boss Neil Lennon says the pressure Hibernian counterpart John Hughes is under is symptomatic of modern-day football. Still unhappy from the poor end to last season, Hibernian fans turned on the former Celtic defender in the 3-1 Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat at Kilmarnock in midweek which left Hughes with one win in eight this season.Lennon took over as permanent Hoops boss in the summer, following a period as interim manager in the wake of Tony Mowbray's departure in March, and he is well aware of the growing demands made on footballers and managers."Everything is relative in terms of everyone has their own pressure at their club," the Northern Irishman said."Results haven't been great for Hibs recently but if anyone can turn it around it will be him."I would say that people are too quick to turn on managers and players because I am a manager."But it seems to be an increasingly short time before people do turn on managers. It is the unfortunate part of the job."I think the way the game is, the average span of a manager now is maybe only a season, a season and a half, and it is ridiculous."Lennon is aware of reports claiming there was a fight in the Hibs dressing room at Rugby Park but the Hoops boss insists there is nothing inherently wrong with a "bit of conflict" among players.He said: "You don't want it to happen too often but there's nothing wrong with having a bit of conflict now and again in the dressing room and even in training now and again."Sometimes it can be a good thing."I haven't been involved in punch-ups myself in the dressing room but I have seen them and normally you get a positive reaction from it."There was one involving a couple of players under Martin O'Neill."There was a bit of shoving and grabbing shirts, no-one got hit or hurt and afterwards there was regret but also a sort of respect."I don't want to say who was involved - but needless to say it took about four people to get them settled down."I wouldn't want it to happen too often."I haven't seen one as a manager yet - but I've got Johan Mjallby with me just in case."Lennon revealed that skipper Scott Brown has recovered from his ankle injury but insists he is not an automatic pick for the visit of his former club.The 39-year-old, though, claims to be at odds with many Celtic fans who have still not taken to the Scotland international since his £4million-plus move from Hibs three years ago."There is no automatic picks at all but he has been a big player for us and one of more senior players," the former Northern Ireland international said."I must see it differently from other people. I think he has played well."He didn't play well in Utrecht but that was a poor team performance. Other than that I have been pretty happy with his form this season and the games he played for me last season."I don't know (why some of the fans haven't taken to him). Maybe they expect him to produce the type of performances that they saw from him at Hibs."But we don't normally play a 4-3-3 which he did at Hibs and he brings a lot to the game defensively that he might not have had to do at Hibs and obviously there is a big price tag which isn't his fault."But I have been happy with his form and would have no qualms about putting him back in if I have to."

Source: Team_Talk