LENNON BELIEVES SCOTTISH GAME IS ON THE UP
Manchester. There is nothing second-rate about the second seeds in Group C. This will be a very cosmopolitan Battle of Britain.
‘That is good as well, so there is not a lot of travelling,’ said Tierney. ‘We’ve had a lot of that in qualifying.
‘City will be a good trip. Patrick Roberts gets to go back to his old team. He actually mentioned that to me. He wanted to get them. So that will be a great occasion.
‘It’s going to be tough. But we’re not going to just make up the numbers as we have qualified in our own right as well. If we do the right work on the training field then you never know what can happen.
‘It’s great for everyone. For a lot of the Scottish boys, it’s going to be the first time in the Champions League and that’s great for Scottish football. If we get picked for the national side then we can take these experiences onto that stage.
‘It will give us something else. These are six massive games. We won’t always be the favourites, so it’s great for the club and a learning curve for the players.’ FOR Neil Lennon, Celtic’s return to the Champions League proper is merely the latest green shoot of recovery for the Scottish game. When the former Parkhead boss looks around, he sees Rangers in the top flight after the Ibrox club’s financial collapse, taking their place alongside a competitive Hearts and Aberdeen. His own team, Hibernian, meanwhile, are currently basking in the golden glow of their first Scottish Cup final win since 1902. As the last manager to take a Scottish team to the group stage, Lennon recalls the priceless recognition and respect bestowed upon the Scottish game courtesy of a member club dining at the top table with the continent’s elite. The rest of the Premiership clubs may bank just £200,000 each to Celtic’s guaranteed windfall of at least £22million, but the value to the SPFL as a whole in terms of prestige is immeasurable after years of doom and gloom. And the 45-year-old’s conclusion is that Scottish football is finally emerging back out of the darkness. ‘I do think the game is on the up again,’ said Lennon. ‘The game has not been in a great place recently but it’s starting to turn again. ‘That’s to do with the Old Firm being back. Hearts are up there, Aberdeen are strong again and there’s a buoyancy about the place here after winning the Scottish Cup
following a long wait. But Celtic being in the Champions League adds that bit more razzmatazz to the whole thing. ‘It is great for Celtic and the development of their players and the manager and his personal development, and it’s exciting for the supporters as well. ‘It also gives the Scottish game a boost and all the clubs get a cut of the money. ‘Now Celtic will be in the position to spend and possibly attract a high calibre of player to the club. The carrot is the fact that Celtic are now a Champions League team again. ‘Yes, the fact that Celtic have the Champions League money could create a bigger gap domestically but that is the way of the world. ‘But I think all the clubs will benefit from it. Rangers will grow over the next few years. They are still behind Celtic at the minute. ‘Will Rangers ever get to challenging Celtic? They probably will eventually. Even if Celtic had not reached the group stage, they are still the big club and this has only strengthened them.’ Watching Celtic’s win over Hapoel Be’er Sheva on Tuesday brought back memories for Lennon of his own fraught Champions League play-offs as manager at Parkhead. A win over Helsingborgs in 2012 was fairly comfortable, 4-0 on aggregate, while overcoming a 2-0 deficit to beat Shakhter Karagandy 3-2 on aggregate 12 months later was thrilling. For Lennon, both occasions ranked above facing Rangers in terms of on-the-job stress. ‘The nerves surrounding the Champions League play-off round is worse than any Old Firm game because of the amount of money that is at stake,’ said Lennon, whose side host Morton in the Championship tomorrow. ‘It sets up your whole season. You can recover from an Old Firm loss as you know you have another three to play. In terms of Champions League qualification, you can’t recover. ‘Celtic will be the fourth seed and the underdog in their group and if they outperform other teams it is a huge bonus.’