Danny Lennon: My Bully Wee Clyde
Danny Lennon is vastly experienced within Scottish football in both his playing career, most prominently at Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle and in management with Cowdenbeath, St. Mirren and Alloa Athletic.
During the past four-and-a-half years, the 53-year-old has been manager of League One club Clyde. Nicknamed the Bully Wee, the club are set to end their 28-year stay at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, having played their last match this weekend. They will be ground-sharing with Scottish Championship side Hamilton Academical from next season.
Danny was appointed at the club in November 2017, who at that time, were third bottom of League Two, facing down the barrel of the Lowland League and were in danger of losing their status in the SPFL.
Looking back on the process behind his appointment at the Bully Wee, Danny said: “At that particular time, I was out of football for a year, maybe slightly longer and after leaving Alloa, I was looking for the next opportunity to present itself.
“Unfortunately you’re waiting for things to fall in your lap, but the longer you’re out it, they don’t, and I thought maybe the opportunity is to go down the leagues to a part-time club that has ambition and good history.
“I then saw that the vacancy had opened up at Clyde and I was up against it to get a CV in. However, I managed to get in touch with the club chaplain and he passed it on to a member of the board, who invited me to an interview the following evening, and I got offered the position the Monday morning.”
Clyde’s domestic results began to improve in the first few months of Danny’s tenure and the club finished in 5th position in the league, narrowly missing the promotion play-offs.
On the importance of an immediate impact, Danny continued: “The main reason that managers lose their job, is because results aren’t going well and that’s how most jobs present themselves, so it was paramount that we created a bit of stability. I think when I first went in, we got five draws on the trot, but we were difficult to beat, so we built upon that and went on a very good run.”
Danny expressed how he believes the club have progressed during his management: “We have managed to progress year upon year and thankfully that’s been the case.
“I think you’ve got to have ambition and aims, but you’ve also got to understand your budget and the quality of players for the league that you are in. There are a lot of clubs out there that have bigger resources than us, and I believe that with our resources, we are punching well above our weight and long may that continue.”
18 May 2019 is a date that will forever be etched in the memories of Clyde fans, as the Bully Wee gained promotion to League One after ten arduous years in the bottom tier.
On that memorable day, Danny recalled: “For me, a club the size of Clyde having spent that much time in the bottom division, is far too long, and to take them up after trying so long to escape, not just for me, but for the supporters, directors- it was an absolutely fantastic achievement by everyone, so it was a very proud moment.”
Last season, Clyde finished 8th in League One after an immensely challenging season due to COVID-19.
But as Danny explained, that was a massive achievement:
“We were getting sucked into the bottom end of the table, but we pulled through, dug deep and got the results to get us over that line safely, so it was a momentous achievement and for me, that was as big as getting the club out of League Two.”
In August 2019, Danny briefly came out of retirement as a substitute in a Glasgow Cup match, which spread like wildfire on social media, something he was not expecting:
“I didn’t expect that reaction, we were very limited with players due to injury, and unfortunately in the last 20 minutes, I had to make an appearance. On reflection, I thought it was positive publicity for the club, as well as areas such as mental health and the importance of keeping fit and healthy, but it certainly wasn’t my intention.
“It was just so we didn’t have to go down to 10 men, but unfortunately when I went on, we finished with nine!”
Danny has recently signed a new contract to remain as manager of the Bully Wee until May 2024. He emphasises how special it is to be part of the club:
“I am very honoured and very humbled to be manager of this club, it’s well-run, has fantastic supporters and I am privileged to work for them every single day- also, at this moment in time, it is the right fit for Danny Lennon.”
Clyde Manager - Danny Lennon