Neil Lennon

Is Gerrard wearing a zip up under his suit there? Not very staunch.

 

Ah the old Masonic * sippin cup!

 

Thats got to be Sir Walter of Cardigans auld cardigan Robinsons got on !!

 

The nick of that * in the top left, looks like he's gonna sook the * right out of it

 

Come on guys, at last they have a cup to celebrate.

 

A cup o pish.....................

 

NEIL LENNON reckons the first Old Firm game should be shelved until fans are allowed back in.

Lennon knows Celtic facing Rangers at an empty Parkhead could be a reality.


But he’d like to see the SPFL keep the fixture on hold for now — as SunSport revealed on May 24 they were considering — so there is more chance of restrictions being lifted.

Hoops boss Lennon said: “Should the first Old Firm game be pushed back? I think that’s what everyone would want.


Everyone associated with the game would want that and the clubs would want that.



"I’m sure it would suit the TV companies as well.”


Asked if a crowd-less home game against Gers would be a disadvantage to Celts, especially if fans are allowed in by the time they go to Ibrox, Lennon added: “I don’t know.

"If that’s the way it has to be, that’s the way it has to be.


“I do think the authorities will look at it and try and push it back. It’ll give us more of a chance of getting the punters back.”

Lennon watched with interest as the German Bundesliga restarted behind closed doors.

He added: “We have to look at that and say it’s doable. But for the sake of the game we want the public back when it’s safe.

"We’re all hoping this will be a short-term thing.”

 

I really wish everybody from the club would stop using the ‘OF’ term and just call it a Glasgow derby...

I wouldn’t care if it was closed doors or not as long as there was a home and away derby played under = conditions.... although I think it would be more of a disadvantage to the Huns wherever played.

 

That'll be the huns wanting to play games behind closed doors now - just to be the opposite of Celtic.

 

Game shouldn’t be pushed back I don’t think. If the first game was away against them then I would want it played on schedule. But then again it would set them into another rage if it was and would be a laugh.

 

Neil Lennon is thinking back to the night Martin O'Neill and a Domino's pizza box changed his life.

It was on February 14, 1996 and O'Neill, then manager of Championship Leicester, had rocked up at the Manchester home Lennon was renting with a friend. The 24-year-old midfielder was all set to sign for Ron Atkinson's Coventry in the Premier League in the coming days.

Terms were agreed, including wages of £1000 per week and a £100,000 signing-on fee. So O'Neill and his assistant John Robertson had some persuading to do. 'He was this whirlwind of energy and compliments,' remembers the man who recently guided Celtic to their ninth consecutive Scottish Premiership title.


'Martin described the house as a "hovel". That was flattering, really. But he basically sold Leicester to me. I got a brilliant vibe. Me and my mate had been living on pizzas. He picked up a box, wrote down the terms and handed it to me. It was one of those sliding doors moments. I signed for Leicester in the Championship.'



So Lennon the player was not afraid of taking the hard path to the Premier League. We may see him there as a manager someday, too, with his accomplishments in Glasgow not going unnoticed south of the border. This interview isn't a case of the Celtic boss positioning himself in the shop window, mind.

Lennon says clinching a 10th consecutive championship and experiencing a European adventure with Celtic are his top two priorities for next season. But, if and when No 10 is won, who knows? England may beckon for this 48-year-old. Lennon is a courteous and engaging character, the type any football fan could have an enjoyable conversation with (unless you're of a Rangers persuasion, perhaps).

Fortunately, we got him together with his old Celtic team-mate and Sportsmail columnist Chris Sutton instead. Reporter Kieran Gill listened in...


SUTTON: It's now passed 20 years since O'Neill became Celtic manager. He clearly had an influence on you as a coach, starting with that encounter in early 1996.

LENNON: At Leicester, he did amazing things. At Celtic, he changed the landscape of the game. At Aston Villa, top six in the Premier League and a League Cup final. Ten years under Martin was the making of me. I learned a * of a lot about the psychology of the game from him and he's still a port of call for me because he's walked in these shoes.

SUTTON: O'Neill and Robertson in turn learned from Brian Clough and Peter Taylor at Nottingham Forest.

LENNON: They would have been very, very similar, the way they'd sell the club and their ideas. There was nothing corporate about them. It was about emotion. It was psychological. It was about getting the best out of you. When I played under Martin, I'd run through brick walls for him. His man-management was second to none.

SUTTON: He didn't mind dishing out the hairdryer treatment, towards me or you.

LENNON: He ripped into me a few times! When I was sent off on occasion, he made me realise it wasn't about being the token hard man, because you were only letting yourself and your team-mates down. Very rarely over our 10 years together did we fall out but the majority of the time he was right to pull me up, either for a lack of professionalism or lack or respect.

SUTTON: Is it fair to say you've mellowed as a manager?

LENNON: I'm not as reactive as I was. I take more time to analyse things. I speak to the players the way they want to be spoken to. They're a different breed now. It's very rare you lose your temper. You get frustrated - that's natural. But there's no question that I'm more pensive when dealing with certain situations, like player predicaments or form. The game has evolved. It's different to our era. You have to adapt. You never know if you're cut out for management but I knew this was what I wanted to do. I remember talking to Mark McGhee (the former striker turned coach) towards the end of my career. I said: "Mark, I don't know if I'm ready." He told me: "You can never know if you're ready. Test yourself."


Lennon is speaking to Sportsmail from Celtic's training ground, though the signal is not always the best. 'Remind me to convince the club to get you better WiFi,' jokes Sutton. Lennon replaced Brendan Rodgers midway through the 2018-19 season when a Treble Treble was on the line. To secure it, Celtic had to win the Scottish Premiership, League Cup and Scottish Cup. Anything less than perfection would be considered a failure.





LENNON: There was huge scrutiny on myself. You don't want to be the one to break up the dominant run and I felt that. It's a goldfish bowl up here in Glasgow. When Brendan left for Leicester, it was the end of February. There was huge pressure.

SUTTON: You got there in the end and Celtic extended your contract.

LENNON: Then our priority became to win the nine. That's a magical number up here because both teams had done it before.

GILL: Celtic between 1966 and 1974, under Jock Stein. Rangers between 1989 and 1997.

LENNON: We're disappointed it was curtailed at a time when we were so dominant and playing such great football. But it was a magnificent achievement by the club, the players, everyone who has contributed to this over the decade.

SUTTON: You made history, Lenny, and a 10th title would be even more historic. Say you secure that, is there a part of you which might think you've achieved all you can at Celtic?

LENNON: You can't get too far ahead of yourself. The 10 is at the forefront of all of our motivation, and Europe is a big carrot as well. Can we negotiate the Champions League qualifying rounds, get into the group stages and have a real go at that? Where I am this time next year, I don't know. I'm sure I'll still have plenty of fire in the belly, no matter what the outcome of next season is.






SUTTON: Is there a part of you which wants to manage in the Premier League?

LENNON: I love Celtic and we've got huge motivation going into next season. We've got the opportunity to win a 10th title in a row. When you're younger, you look ahead, and that's a mistake. I want to take this team on. It is something which would appeal but I don't know when and if that scenario will ever occur. A lot of managers in Europe would love the opportunity to manage in the Premier League. But I'm already at one of the best clubs in Europe. I'm happy with what I've got at the minute and I want more. I want to get better.

SUTTON: When Premier League jobs come up down south, or even Championship jobs, I don't see your name linked. Doesn't that make you feel under-appreciated?

LENNON: That's a loaded question! I'm not here to put myself out there to attract other clubs. I'm here to make Celtic and myself better. Sometimes the Scottish game gets a little downplayed but in last year's Champions League final, we had Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama.

SUTTON: Steven Gerrard gets linked with jobs.

LENNON: It doesn't bother me. Steven's done a very good job at Rangers and he's got a great profile. I just go about getting on with things here... Sometimes, speculation can be very unsettling for a manager. It can make you take your eye off the ball. I'm quite happy, really happy, with what I'm doing at Celtic. If there's speculation surrounding me, it's not welcome at the moment.




Celtic's last outing before the season's curtailment saw them beat St Mirren 5-0 in front of 58,998 fans on March 7. They were then confirmed champions on points per game on May 18. 'Fully deserved,' says Lennon. Celtic's players have now returned for training ahead of the start of the new season. But during the downtime, Lennon has got his competitive football fix by taking in the Bundesliga, and he will watch the Premier League.

LENNON: There's that main ingredient missing - the supporters. But I've enjoyed the games. They've shown it can be done. Sometimes you look on a little enviously because you want to be back working. You want to be taking part in games, in whatever shape or form that may be.

SUTTON: Celtic were crowned champions on points per game. But you're suggesting you're envious that other leagues get to play on?

LENNON: I'd love to have the players and the games back. We'll be looking on with a little bit of envy.

SUTTON: I can understand why you would have rather won it inside of a stadium, together and ideally in front of fans, than by text or a phone call. If the Premier League season has to be halted a second time because of coronavirus then, like Celtic, Liverpool will probably be crowned champions on PPG, too. Would that be the right call?

LENNON: You cannot deny Liverpool the title. They've been the best team in the country by a considerable distance. But the Premier League seem confident. They've got the resources and the will to do it.

SUTTON: Either way, we should see Van Dijk lifting that trophy soon enough. Talk to me about him. You signed him for Celtic in 2013 - for £2.6million! What did you think of him initially?




LENNON: He was Rio Ferdinand in the making. He had all of those attributes - he was quick, composed, brilliant in the air in both boxes. Everything you're seeing now, at Premier League and European level, that's what I saw. I couldn't believe there was no English interest. I also couldn't believe he was at Celtic for two seasons! I thought he might have gone after the first.

SUTTON: Are you envious of the English riches? Imagine if you kept hold of these players!

LENNON: It would be nice to be able to compete with them. I wouldn't say 'envious'. I like finding players under the radar. Van Dijk is the standout example. He goes for £12m to Southampton, then £75m to Liverpool, and now he's probably the best centre half in the world. We take pride in that. We take pride in Kieran Tierney going to Arsenal for £25m. There is a lot of untapped natural talent here. Ideally you'd love to hold on to these players because then we'd have a strong chance of achieving something in Europe.

SUTTON: There was a debate about Celtic becoming part of the Premier League, then they'd get the TV money and might stand a chance of holding on to these big names.

LENNON: This is an age-old debate. Celtic in England would be massive. Every home game we get 59,000, so it would be one of the best-supported clubs. With the TV money and revenue coming in, they would be a very powerful force in England. But we're a million miles away from that. It was a policy put in front of Premier League chairmen years ago and every one of them voted against it.

SUTTON: They're obviously running scared! Lenny, thanks for taking the time to talk. Congratulations on the ninth title again. Have you even had time to reflect on that achievement amid all this?

LENNON: Given what's happening, we've had plenty of time to do that! To be here as a manager sitting on nine in a row, it's a fantastic feeling. It means everything to me. But now we want the 10.

 

You're a dirty wee pervert @Notorious

 

If the games are pushed back, it will actually show the power we Both have over the rest of the clubs in Scotland. This shouldn’t be the case, we’re all in the same league so shouldn’t get any preferential treatment.

 

NEIL Lennon was delighted to be back at Paradise today (Friday) and he, like everyone else, is hoping that when competitive football does resume at the start of August, it won’t be too long before supporters are also back at Celtic Park.

From the games he’s watched on TV from Germany and England, fans are ‘the missing ingredient’ that leave matches devoid of the excitement normally associated with football.

It is one of the many things that professional clubs are having to adjust to, and the Celtic manager is also acutely aware of the financial difficulties that the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown are causing to the game on an ongoing basis.

“It’s imperative that we try and get the sport, particularly in this country, up and running again, and the club and some of the staff behind the scenes are at the forefront of that,” Neil Lennon said.

“Celtic, as a club, are not immune to the financial damage that it’s done to, not only the sporting arena but also the social and cultural as well. So we have to cut our cloth accordingly. It’s not going to be easy.

“Financially, it’s certainly had an impact on the club, no question of that. The longer it goes on the more it eats away and we’re not immune to the financial crisis which has befell everyone.”

The 2020/21 Scottish football season is due to get underway at the start of August, while the Hoops face a series of Champions League qualifiers in the same month.

And while the manager and his squad are looking forward to the resumption of competitive football, they want the fans back in the stadiums are soon as possible too.

The safety of supporters will always be the number one priority for everyone at Celtic, but the Irishman is looking forward to when the fans will be able to cheer on the team from the stands.

“In an ideal world, we’d love to get crowds back into the stadium sooner rather than later,” said Neil Lennon. “Everything’s moving in the right direction and we’re trying to stay as positive as possible on that.

“We’d love to be playing in front of supporters. Watching the games, whether that be in Germany or England, it’s just not the same but understandably, it’s good to see football back, not as we know it, but in some sort of shape or form.

“Ideally, though, going forward we want crowds in. It’s important for a club like us to have that support and there’s a huge motivation going into this season.”

 

Celtic have kicked off contract talks with loan stars Mohamed Elyounoussi and Fraser Forster – while the door remains open for Craig Gordon to sign a new deal.


Neil Lennon’s squad resumed training at Lennonxtown this week and manager Neil Lennon has kick-started his plans for next term.



The Hoops boss admitted he’s desperate to keep hold of Southampton duo Elyounoussi and Forster – who reported for duty with Celts despite coming to the end of their short term deals.

Gordon remains in limbo after rejecting his initial offer of a new contract amid interest from Hearts and St Mirren but Lennon also wants the keeper back on board for next term.

When asked about Elyounoussi and Forster, the Celtic gaffer said: “We’d really like to have both of them back for next season.



But it won’t be just down to us as they are not our players. You have the strange fragmented time with transfers, with the English league not finishing until the end of July.



We might have to be patient but talks are ongoing at the minute.

They both made great contributions last year and they are top quality players. I was really impressed with Moi up until his season got curtailed by a foot injury.

“He’s come back looking strong and hungry. It’ll need to be thrashed out between both clubs but it’s been encouraging to hear what they have both been saying about the club.”

Lennon won’t rule out Gordon sticking around as well. The 37-year-old is assessing his options after turning down the extended deal on the table.


He said: “There’s no movement yet but talks are ongoing. The door is always open. I’d like to keep him, he’s a top professional and he handled himself really well last season.

“Craig is absolute quality and we don’t know what will happen with Fraser as well. We’ll hopefully know more over the next few weeks.”

Lennon is also closing in on appointing a new coach after Damien Duff’s departure earlier this month.

He said: “We’re hoping to have someone in place next week. We’ve identified three of four options but I can’t say anything yet.


He said: “I was absolutely delighted with Odsonne last season. He really kicked on with his round game and his contribution in terms of goals.

“I was delighted for him on a personal level to win the Football Writers Player of the Year.

“He was absolutely thrilled and it’s probably the accolade to win in the Scottish game. It was great to hear how he is tunnel visioned in terms of what he wants to achieve here next season.

“We’ll do all we can to keep him happy for as long as possible.



I don’t think the markets will really open up until the English league finishes and we’ll get some kind of benchmark in terms of transfer fees and wages.

“There are a lot of big deals to be done. It might just be a question of being patient and seeing what is available.

“You’d obviously like to do your business early but the window could be open until October. We can’t put a prediction of what will happen during these times.


Will there be bids for Odsonne? I don’t know. There’s been no bids for anyone at the minute, which is pleasing because I want to maintain the continuity.



“It’s the same with Kris Ajer. There’s been talk but nothing has come in.

“You want these guys to be part of something really special if we can achieve what we are setting out to do this season.”

 

Gordon can get tae *.