THE BIG TAME
Lennon: Capital battles will never be as bonkers as Old Firm clashes
NEIL LENNON admits Easter Road will be crackling when Hibs and Hearts play their first Friday night derby.
And the game has been cranked up a notch with his side out for revenge after the war of words between him and Craig Levein following the Scottish Cup clash at Tynecastle in January.
But while the Northern Irishman knows the game means everything to fans in Edinburgh he says it’s tame in comparison to what will take place at the other side of the M8 on Sunday.
Lennon spent a decade in the thick of Old Firm combat as both player and manager, with some heated battles, including his infamous touchline bust-up with Ally McCoist that resulted in a government summit.
That is why he is taking the build-up to tomorrow’s game in his stride despite plenty riding on it.
Reminded he had said the “gloves are off” as he attempted to play things down yesterday, he smiled and said: “Well you know me. I’m just biding my time.
“It’s not as intense as the Old Firm. It’s just the scale of it. The game at Ibrox could define the title so there is so much more resting on those games.
“The magnitude of the game is greater. I enjoy these a lot more than I enjoyed the Glasgow one. The build-up isn’t as intense or as fraught.
“In my experience in Glasgow, year in year out the teams were swinging for the title and for the first time in a long while we have that again on Sunday.
“The build-up, the media attention is different from Glasgow and obviously we’re not going for the title.
“I certainly enjoy these derbies more as they’re a lot tamer than the Glasgow one yet still to be savoured and enjoyed.
“But relatively speaking this is just as important, for our supporters, our players and the city. And it is important we bounce back from defeat the last time and rectify that.
“The result is still the same. You want to win it and you know what it means to the support. There is still pressure.”
Asked if he’ll share a drink with Levein after the match, Lennon said: “I don’t know. It will all depend on how the game goes and how each individual is feeling. I can’t imagine there will be any fighting or arguing or bickering. We’ll leave that to others.
“We’ll have a beer or a glass of wine and we’ll either drown sorrows or enjoy the win but very rarely do you talk about the game.
“If there are any flashpoints you try to ignore them. We’ll just have a chat.”