Neil Lennon leaves Hibs by 'mutual consent'

| 30 January 2019

Neil Lennon leaves Hibs by 'mutual consent'

The club played down reports that the former Celtic boss clashed with senior figures.

Hibernian insist they neither sacked Neil Lennon nor had reason to discipline the Northern Irishman but have finally confirmed his Easter Road exit.

Leith chiefs stressed the former Celtic boss and his number two Garry Parker have left the club "by mutual consent" in a statement released five days after it emerged the pair had been suspended.

Both men were nowhere to be seen on Sunday as academy coach Eddie May presided over a 3-1 win over St Mirren in Paisley amid rumours of an angry bust-up with chief executive Leeann Dempster.

However, Hibs have now broken their silence on their manager's fate to insist that while Lennon has decided to stand down after two-and-a-half years in charge of the Edinburgh club, he was not guilty of "misconduct or wrongdoing".

Joint Statement: Hibernian FC and Neil Lennon/Garry Parker.

▶️ https://t.co/kX6BgtOGfd pic.twitter.com/UHzLYTDhBu

— Hibernian FC (@HibernianFC) January 30, 2019

A statement, posted on the club's website late on Wednesday afternoon, said: "The management team of Neil Lennon and Garry Parker has left the club by mutual consent.

"They have not been dismissed and have not resigned.

"The suspension, put in place to allow an internal review, was lifted by the club as part of this agreement.

"Despite widespread speculation, the club confirms that neither Neil nor Garry has been guilty of any misconduct or wrongdoing and no disciplinary process has been commenced.

"However, Neil, Garry and the club now consider that it would be in the best interests of all parties to part amicably.

Neil Lennon was a popular figure with the Hibernian support (Ian Rutherford/PA)

"The club would like to place on notice its thanks to both Neil and Garry for their hard work and the success they have brought the club."

Lennon took over from Alan Stubbs in the summer of 2016 and lead Hibs back to the top-flight after three frustrating years in the Ladbrokes Championship.

A fourth-place finish and qualification for the Europa League followed as Lennon's side make a successful Premiership return.

Yet the former Leicester and Celtic midfield enforcer was clearly irked by the club's failure to match his ambition and threatened to walk away after losing a derby clash to Hearts last season.

The departure of key men like John McGinn, Dylan McGeouch and Scott Allan only hampered his efforts to maintain the performance levels shown last season and a run of five league games without a win brought matters to a head on Friday as Lennon gathered his team together for what has been described by some as a "full and frank" discussion of what was going wrong.

The club played down reports that Lennon had clashed with Leeann Dempster (Ian Rutherford/PA)

It was that summit which, according to reports, led to his exit.

The statement included words from Hibs chairman Rod Petrie, who said: "We are grateful to Neil and Garry for all their efforts and in particular for leading the club back to the top flight of Scottish football. We wish nothing but the best for Neil and Garry and their families for the future."

And Lennon added: "I would like to thank the board, the coaching staff, the players and all the fans for making the last two and a half years so enjoyable. It has been my privilege to serve the club and I wish it every success in the future."

Stubbs, former Kilmarnock boss Lee Clarke and ex-Scotland boss Gordon Strachan are among the early favourites with the bookmakers to replace Lennon.

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