Former Bolton Wanderers striker Craig Davies has revealed that Neil Lennon’s "fiery" no-nonsense style of management used to ‘turn him on’.
Lennon succeeded Dougie Freedman in the Trotters hot seat in October 2014 after leaving Celtic five months before and went on to spend 17 months at the Lancashire club.
But while the Lurgan man's stint with Bolton was a relatively short one, Davies says the former Leicester City midfielder’s man-management made an instant - and lasting - impression.
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Speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast, Davies said: “He came in and you could tell he had that bite to him. He’s just that fiery character.
“He was like a firework. Spark it up, throw it over there, it’s going to go off, you just don’t know when. But I loved that about him. I liked him as a person and a manager."
Davies, who scored 11 goals in 58 appearances for Bolton between 2013 and 2015, recalls Lennon laying down the law in his first week in charge.
At the time Wanderers were rooted to the foot of the Championship with just one win from their opening eleven league games.
“The first week in training he just wanted to let people know what the f***’s going on,” claimed Davies. “I remember people thinking ‘he ain’t f***ing around’.
“Do you know players who normally take the p*** a little bit? They weren’t taking the p*** with Lennon.
“No joke, he is one of my favourite managers. Me playing under him, I would have done some mad sh** because he’d just wind me up and get me pumped.
“I had mad respect for him and I liked him a lot. Some players wouldn’t be able to handle him, but that sh** used to turn me on.”
Davies has fond memories of the former Northern Ireland midfielder's love of high intensity training.
“Young against old on the Friday,” he said. “I’m telling you now, that was more important than the Saturday.
“Most managers on a Friday are like ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’ but he was ‘do your bit’. It was crazy on a Friday but like I say, I loved that sh**."
Davies, who retired in 2020, won eight caps for Wales and enjoyed spells with the likes of Wolves, Wigan Athletic, Oldham, Oxford United and Brighton and Hove Albion.
Lennon, who went on to manage Hibs before returning to former club Celtic for a second spell in 2019, is currently managing Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus.
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