csconstantine.com

{ DERMOT Desmond tends to be highly selective about his visits to Celtic Park. The Irish billionaire has a busy schedule, one which prevents his regular attendance at the club in which he is the major shareholder.So the mustachioed Dubliner's presence in the directors' box yesterday, seated between chairman John Reid and chief executive Peter Lawwell, was confirmation, if any was needed, that even by Old Firm standards, this was a highly significant game. After witnessing Celtic's comprehensive 3-0 dismantling of Rangers, it would be a huge surprise if the boardroom chit-chat among the three men was not dominated by the issue of Neil Lennon's contract at the club.

Lennon, of course, has won nothing yet as Celtic manager and has all along accepted that his prospects of having his initial 12-month contract extended would be dependent on bringing the Scottish Premier League title back to the club for the first time in three years. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the sense that Lennon has already made a compelling case that he is the right man for the job on a longer-term basis. A straw poll of the jubilant home support yesterday would certainly have returned a powerful mandate for the man from Lurgan.

His Celtic team stretched their current unbeaten run to 17 matches with a performance brimful of confidence and conviction. Now eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the table, albeit having played two games more, Lennon's players have put their early season inconsistencies behind them and are responding effectively to both the methods and the motivation of their boss.

There was vindication all over the pitch for Lennon yesterday, from another clean sheet for his defence, through the midfield dominance orchestrated by Beram Kayal and the attacking pace and finishing power of Gary Hooper and Kris Commons. His key signings are coming good at the business end of the season and his team simply looked fresher, livelier and more mobile than Walter Smith's often labouring side.

While Celtic did not have a failure in their ranks, there were few in light blue who mustered pass marks. Ironically, it was the man around whom many anticipated an explosive contest to centre who was perhaps the only exception.

El Hadji Diouf, jeered to the echo by the Celtic supporters from the first moment he appeared, was the only player who looked to possess genuine belief that this could be Rangers' day. The Senegalese international, for all of the contentious baggage he carries with him, clearly has a level of ability which lifts him above the average SPL player.

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