LENNON: BEWARE THE GREEKS’ DARK ARTS:
Lennon warns Hibees to beware underhand tactics from Asteras
NEIL LENNON is determined Hibs won’t be outsmarted in Edinburgh tonight – no matter what their Greek opponents get up to.
The Easter Road boss is wary of the dark arts he believes their Euro opponents will employ to try to take a first-leg lead home to Tripoli next week.
Lennon will attempt to guide Hibs to victory over the Greek Superleague side and warned against dirty tricks from an Asteras Tripolis outfit well drilled on being streetsmart.
He said: “From my own experience playing against some Greek sides in the past, particularly away from home, they are cute. They can do the dark side of the game quite well.
“We are honest. If you look at the World Cup, VAR has been brought in and it was very beneficial because there were so many more penalties given that would not have been given in normal circumstances. All of a sudden the holding, the biting, whatever you want to call it, has stopped so maybe it is a positive for us.
“We just have to take the ref out of it. I know from my own experiences as a player and manager continental refs see the game a bit differently to the way we do.”
Lennon has had his players poring over the pros and cons of this evening’s opposition and he believes the biggest threat will come from within and a lack of experience of operating at this level.
He said: “We’ll try to play our own style and the senior players manage the game. We’ve shown the players what Asteras are like technically and how they set up, they’re a good counter-attacking team and we have to be wary of that.
“You can’t give players the experience, they’ve got to go out and get a feel for it themselves.
“The away trip will be another experience for them but you just try to give them snippets of information and hopefully they’ll see the picture when they’re out there.
“That’s the biggest challenge, it’s difficult to replicate what they’re going to experience just by showing them reams of footage. You don’t want to overdo it, you want to concentrate on how you’re going to play as well.
“But they’re a good side, they’re streetwise, their second half of the season in the Greek league was very impressive.
“They have some very good individual players but they’re beatable, there’s no question about that. We’ve got good players as well. We don’t want to overegg the analysis but this game is there for us.
“The players have earned the right to be in this competition and we want to progress.”
Meanwhile, Hibs defender Darren McGregor believes it’s time for Scottish football to enjoy the knock-on and not the knock-out effects of European football.
As Rangers and Aberdeen also put their own continental ambitions on the line, McGregor is convinced this can be the season when Scotland United put down a marker. He said: “Of course I want all our clubs to do well, it all has a domino effect. The financial rewards as well can have a positive effect on the club and on the playing budget and the staffing costs.
“It all goes hand in hand and winning these games is vital not just to us but to the club and the financial situation.
“It is great for the Scottish game and it can open up other corridors, with extra spaces in the European competitions if we are doing well, so it benefits everybody.
“The fans love it, it’s great for Scottish football to have so many teams progressing. It puts a good spotlight on the Scottish game as well and increases the likelihood of getting better players from other European countries. It’s a huge positive.”
McGregor is adamant it’s all about the future for his club as they aim to use the backing of their fans to build a lead to take to Tripoli in a week’s time and start delivering Euro results befitting a club of their stature.
He said: “A full house at Easter road is always a benefit. The fans, since the Scottish Cup Final a few years ago, have been tremendous. Since I’ve been here they have definitely pulled us through games.
“You only need to look at the other teams in Europe, playing in European competition and the crowds they pull compared to us. In that sense it does show we are a big club and averaging between 18-20,000 per week in the league. That is great for Scottish football.”
A 12-5 first-round aggregate win over Faroese minnows Runavik was nothing more than a dress rehearsal.
But McGregor is convinced this can be a night that will be another successful step of what can become a lucrative European adventure.
He said: “We have a good opportunity here. It is a good draw and it is a team that is a similar calibre to ourselves and similar preparation.
“It is difficult because there are so many teams in Europe and so much money as well. But we need to do our own thing and try to progress and if we do the by-product will be that we put ourselves on the map.”
McGregor also knows tonight’s clash will be an exercise in patience against a side who know their way around European competition.
He added: “I’ve seen players who do go down easier than in the Scottish game, especially from my position and the way I play. I’ve maybe had to taper off a bit but football is football. The pace can sometimes change but the quality is still there.”