Sir Kenny Dalglish: Today’s Old Firm result will not decide the futures of Neil Lennon and Steven Gerrard in the Celtic and Rangers dugouts

Neil Lennon and Steven Gerrard will occupy the technical areas at Celtic Park today.

But will the same personnel be in charge of the Old Firm for the first game between the teams next season?

That’s the burning issue for me.

Neil is in interim charge of Celtic after Brendan Rodgers’ departure to Leicester City.

So there is a decision to be made at the end of the season as to whether he will get the job on a permanent basis, or the Parkhead hierarchy will decide to look elsewhere.

In the eyes of some people – and considering the way it ended for him at Hibs – it may have a been a surprise for Neil to be given the job by Peter Lawwell.

I happen to think it was an astute appointment.

Under the circumstances, it made sense.

Celtic had a lead at the top of the table and were still in the Scottish Cup. The treble Treble was still a possibility.

So the Parkhead board needed someone to come in who knew the club and knew the domestic game.

Giving the timing of Brendan’s exit, it was important to avoid too much disruption.

Neil was available, and it was a bonus that he was familiar with a few of the players and had even signed the likes of Mikael Lustig, Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths for the club.

He also gave James Forrest his first-team debut eight years ago.

In Neil, the Celtic supporters also have someone they can relate to, and the majority seem happy enough to have him back.

First and foremost, he is a good manager.

In his time at Easter Road, he won promotion and had the stadium vibrant. The team played attractive, attacking football.

Sure, there was a bit of a hiccup this season, but that was always likely to happen after three or four influential players left during the summer.

But here he is now, back at Celtic and he must be pinching himself.

I’m sure he would have been on the floor a wee bit after the way it ended at Hibs. But what a pick-me-up and motivation to land the Celtic job.

He will be desperate to win today to put any doubt about the destination of the title to rest.

However, even if he does guide Celtic to victory – and I fancy them to take the three points – I don’t think that will guarantee Neil the job or make the Celtic hierarchy feel they have to make the appointment permanent in the next two or three days.

Sure, it’s probably fair to say that Neil is in the driving seat.

If he does get the job for the start of next season, then he’ll have earned it.

But there is no pressure to rush this. The focus needs to be on winning games of football, and trying to win the League Championship and Scottish Cup to complete another Treble.

Across the city, it’s unlikely there will be any silverware going to Ibrox this season.

Yes, the title is still a possibility, and a victory this afternoon would certainly give Steven and his squad a major boost.

But I’d say that it’s unfair to judge any young manager on the trophies he delivers.

And it’s totally unfair to label Steven a failure if he doesn’t win anything,.

Finishing this season with nothing should not cost him his job, that’s for sure.

When he took over at Ibrox last summer, Steven had to rebuild the squad, and three or four of his signings were loan players.

They were young players with really good potential, but hadn’t really had a full season of first-team football under their belts – and certainly not under the glare of a club as big as Rangers and the daily challenges that brings.

They started very brightly and got into the Europa League group stages after some gruelling scheduling in the qualifiers.

They also made it to the winter break within touching distance of Celtic, having won the Old Firm game at the end of December.

The biggest disappointment was losing to Aberdeen in the semi-final of the League Cup. That was a real blow.

But a few of the players were eventually going to have the demands of the first half of the season – both physically and mentally – catch up with them.

That’s not to say that anyone at Ibrox will be conceding anything before today’s game.

Steven will have his players up for it, and ready to match Celtic for effort and commitment.

Moving forward, he knows he will need to improve his squad, adding quality.

But it could well be he has to bring in a few more loan signings during the close season – young players similar to those he brought in last summer.

That means he might again face problems of burn-out.

Overall, I think Steven has handled himself brilliantly at Rangers, and has moved the club forward.

He has brought stability and a presence back to the club. He has been a positive appointment.

Any judgement on him should come next year. That’s only fair as he is a young manager, and this is his first top-team job.

He also inherited a situation of trying to catch up with Celtic.

Rangers were punished seven years ago for the misdemeanours of previous regimes.

That played a part in Celtic winning titles, and having first-class financial muscle from Champions League money and player sales in excess of £10-million also made a difference.

That’s not Steven’s fault, or anyone in the current Rangers hierarchy’s fault.

But it is a factor.

It’s not an excuse for anyone to throw in the towel.

There is work to be done at Rangers, and the pressure to win the League title, and halt Celtic’s quest for 10-in-a-row will intensify week by week next season.

However, for the moment, the most important thing is the next available three points.

Steven will need all of his players, from Allan McGregor to Alfredo Morelos, on top form today.

They will take heart from their 1-0 victory at Ibrox back in December.

But they definitely go in as underdogs.