NEIL Lennon last night sensationally threatened to walk out of Hibernian in this summer and branded his players “unprofessional” after they lost the Edinburgh derby.
The Northern Irishman will meet with the Easter Road board next week and it did seem in the wake of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Hearts that he was far from happy with the way things are going at the club.
Lennon, whose contract runs until 2020, was furious with his team, not just for of the way they performed, but also because many of them wore the wrong footwear which saw them slip on the wet pitch.
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“I would have been disappointed with a draw, the way we played. It wasn’t enough tonight,” said Lennon. “We’ll try to win Sunday and finish with as high but I will consider my position my summer over the summer.
“Why? Just in general. My own personal aims and ambitions. I can’t watch that in derbies. It’s not good enough. We’ve got a board meeting next week. So, we’ll see. Nothing last forever but I’ve been here two years, made great strides.
“But I’ve got to think about myself. Maybe I’m a bit over-emotional but fourth isn’t good enough. The players have reached standards. But they’re a bit short tonight.”
When asked whether this was down to this one game, Lennon said: “It’s not based on this result. I consider my position every year, whether it’s at Celtic or Bolton.
“No, I don’t feel I’ve taken this club as far as I can. But do I want to do it? I have to think about that It will come down to a lot. The squad is going to be different. We’ve a lot of work to do obviously.
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“But we’re not moving in the direction, the right way, at the minute. That may change. But I’m just not happy with tonight. Maybe it’s a rash thing to say but I think about it every summer, is this the right thing to do.”
Lennon did not miss his players in the dressing room and when he walked into the media room at Tynecastle.
“We had a great opportunity to go into Sunday with everything to play for,” he said. “But we did not meet the challenge.
“We’ve played tough games really well all season. But if they’re not going to listen to me, I’m not getting message through, maybe someone else should come in and they will listen to him.
“I can’t accept players slipping over because they don’t have right footwear. That’s amateur stuff. Not defending set plays. Amateur stuff. We had three good chances but didn’t have the gumption or stomach to make the difference.
“We threw it away. Unprofessional. Not good enough. We look like we’re going to finish fourth, which is acceptable.
“I told players to make sure right footwear on. The pitch is perfect but hard underneath. And five minutes into game, three players slip over under duress. Then they’re uncomfortable, not sure-footed.
“However, the game hinges at set play. Another bugbear.”
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