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WHERE Martin O’Neill went as a manager, Neil Lennon usually followed. Against Ferencvaros in Glasgow tonight, a chance finally comes to take the lead.
Lennon’s 54th European game as manager of Celtic comes against the Hungarians and represents a personal landmark. Surpassing O’Neill, the mentor who took him to Glasgow as a £6million midfielder 20 years ago, is a first. It also takes him a little closer to Jock Stein, Jim McLean and Walter Smith – the only men to manage more games in Europe with Scottish clubs.
In two decades of UEFA competition as a Celtic player and manager, Lennon has witnessed highs and lows and he hopes to see a few more yet. A Champions League second-round qualifier with the champions of Hungary is part of the journey and not the final destination.
‘It’s been wonderful and I’m looking forward to, hopefully, more games this year,’ the 49year-old reflected.
‘We’ve had some great highs with a few sore ones along the way, too. But it’s a great challenge as a coach to try and get the best out of the players when you come up against some of the best coaches, players and teams.
‘So I, hopefully, have many more ahead of me. But this is one of the most important ones because it’s the next one.
‘Going past Martin is nice too because I generally don’t beat him at anything, really. It’s a nice milestone to have talked about.
‘Being alongside him in any capacity, really, is great. But that’s not at the forefront of my mind going into this game. Hopefully, I can celebrate it afterwards with a proper result.’
It’s hard to celebrate alongside friends in an empty stadium. In an era of state-sponsored super clubs, Celtic in Europe is as much about the atmosphere off the pitch these days as it is about triumph on it. In the age of Covid19, even that has gone.
The SPFL will learn today if Celtic’s home league game with Motherwell on Sunday can be played before 700 or so supporters as a test event for the return of fans to grounds.
For tonight, at least, there will be none at Celtic Park at all. Home advantage, such as it is, is diluted.
For that reason, European nights are very different to those
Lennon has overseen in the past and the oddness of that – as much as Ferencvaros – is something he and his team have to overcome.
‘We try and keep it the same as possible, but you don’t hear the noise and you don’t hear the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle you’d normally have surrounding a game of this magnitude or any other game.
‘So it is a little quieter and you have to go through the proper protocols. We’re riding in two different buses with staff and players. Getting a temperature check, you have your own little UEFA passport to show you are negative.’
Celtic drew with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and relied on a late strike from Albian Ajeti to come out on top at Dundee United on Saturday. Flowing at times, unconvincing at others, their home form is better.
The season started with a 5-1 win over Hamilton, while they thrashed KR Reykjavik 6-0 in the first qualifying round. Even so, there is an expectation that tonight’s visitors will prove tougher to beat than either.
‘We know that Ferencvaros are a very good side having negotiated their last tie very comfortably,’ said Lennon.
‘They have a good set-up and structure to their team with good athleticism. So this is a step up for us in comparison to Reykjavik. But it’s a game we’re looking forward to. They’re a stronger team than we’d hope to get at this stage, this is tough.’
CELTIC v FERENCVAROS:
Kick-off: 7.45 Celtic Park, LIVE: Premier Sports 1