He has his critics among the Celtic support but Neil Lennon delivered an emphatic response when thanked by the club’s media channel for stepping into the breach.
Lennon took over on an interim basis when Brendan Rodgers quit for Leicester in February.
He could yet land the job permanently although his chances seemed to plummet among the bookies at least following the defeat to Rangers.
The 47-year-old was odds-on favourite for the job ever since Rodgers left but Davie Moyes is now the frontrunner.
When saluted by Celtic TV following the 2-1 win over Hearts on trophy day, Lennon said: "It was my duty, it was my club. Thank you for having me."
He added: "Today was a great day for the club, a great day for the players and for the supporters.
"It was a great game. We played well – especially in the second half and the Celtic fans saw a glimpse of the future.
"Getting the win just makes the whole day better. We could have won by a lot more.
"Mikey Johnston scored two great goals and you can see the talent we have in the squad.
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"This title was as good as any I’ve managed. It was difficult for the players with Brendan leaving. Brendan should take a lot of credit for this by the way.
"It was very difficult personally from a managerial point of view. I’m so happy we got over the line and I’m so happy we’re in the Cup Final.
"We’re on the cusp of doing something remarkable but we’ve still got some hard work to do."
