THE pressure continues to mount for Neil Lennon in the aftermath of his side's Betfred Cup exit at the hands of Ross County on Sunday afternoon, with the Scottish champions on a torrid run of just two wins in their last 10 games in all competitions.

With their elimination from the Europa League mathematically confirmed and an 11-point gap between the Parkhead club and their rivals across the city in the league, some fans have had enough.

An angry mob congregated outside Celtic Park in the wake of Sunday's defeat calling for Lennon's resignation, while other supporters have taken to social media to vent their disquiet about their team's performances of late.

Lennon remains in post and has outlined his hope that he will be given the opportunity to turn things around as Celtic go chasing an historic tenth consecutive league title, while bookmakers are accepting bets on who the next man in the Parkhead hotseat could be, should the board decide that a change in approach is required.

Here, Herald and Times Sport looks at the current favourites to succeed Lennon, should the Celtic boss be relieved of his duties, and examines their coaching record to date.

Glasgow Times:

Eddie Howe (43)

Teams managed:

Bournemouth (2008-11, 2012-20), Burnley (2011-21).

Honours won:

English Championship (2014/15).

The 43-year-old would be an ambitious appointment from the Parkhead board given Howe’s stock remains relatively high south of the border, but the former Cherries boss could well be tempted into the role after watching from afar as Brendan Rodgers rebuilt his reputation in Glasgow’s east end. Has been out of work since August but would likely command a large wage.

Glasgow Times:

Gordon Strachan (63)

Teams managed:

Coventry (1996-2001), Southampton (2001-04), Celtic (2005-09), Middlesbrough (2009-10), Scotland (2013-17).

Honours won: Scottish Premier League (2005/06) (2006/07) (2007/08)

Scottish Cup (2006/07)

Scottish League Cup (2005/06) (2008/09).

The 63-year-old enjoyed considerable success during his time in the home dugout at Parkhead, winning three consecutive titles and leading the club into the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time. Failed to end Scotland’s wait to qualify for a major tournament during his time in charge of the national team and is now working as a technical director at Dundee, overseeing the Championship club’s youth development.

Glasgow Times:

John Kennedy (37)

Teams managed:

N/A.

Honours won:

N/A.

Kennedy’s playing career was cruelly cut short in its infancy but since making the step into coaching, the former Celtic defender has made quite the name for himself. Kennedy spent over five years taking charge of the club’s Under-20s side before becoming part of Brendan Rodgers’ backroom staff for the senior squad, and rejected the chance to follow Rodgers to Leicester City. Held in high regard at Parkhead and tipped for a bright future, but this particular role may have arrived too soon for him.

Glasgow Times:

Henrik Larsson (49)

Teams managed:

Landskrona Bols (2010-12), Falkenbergs FF (2014), Helsingborgs IF (2015-16) (2019).

Honours won:

None.

The Swedish striker will always be a legend at Celtic and given the fact that Larsson has already taken his first tentative steps into management, the legendary forward’s name is always going to be banded about. The prospect of a Larsson return to Parkhead is stirringly romantic but doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny. It would be generous to call his coaching record in Sweden mediocre and he has yet to really show he has what it takes to be a manager, particularly at a club the size of Celtic. Oh, and he’s currently working alongside Lionel Messi every day as part of Ronald Koeman’s backroom staff at Barcelona. As much as Celtic mean to him, it could be a very tricky sell.

Glasgow Times:

Steve Clarke (57)

Teams managed:

West Brom (2012-13), Reading (2014-15), Aston Villa (2016), Kilmarnock (2017-19), Scotland (2019-present).

Honours won:

None.

Clarke may have never lifted a trophy as first-team manager but the Scotland boss has enjoyed considerable success in his career nonetheless. He played a key role as a member of the coaching staff as Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012, turned Kilmarnock into the third-best side in the country during his spell in Ayrshire and, of course, masterminded Scotland’s qualifications for next summer’s European Championships. Another unlikely candidate, given the national side’s form under Clarke and his preference for tactics that don’t really fit into Celtic’s ethos.