SELECT GROUP

Neil Lennon is one of a select band of managers who understand just what it is like to take charge of an Old Firm side.

While it will feel strange to walk out of the tunnel at Celtic Park tomorrow and turn right, as a visitor, an underdog and as the manager of the side that the vast majority of the 60,000 crowd want to see bettered, he will look to his left and be able to identify with the thoughts and emotions running through counterpart Brendan Rodgers’ mind. As oneofthefewmanagersinhistory who understand the pressure and demands piled on the men in charge of the Glasgow sides, Lennon knows the supporters demand nothing less than a victory week after week.

“Being the Celtic manager is like being part of an exclusive club,” he said as he looked back on his four years at the managerial helm ahead of his first trip back there as an opposing boss. “It is a bit like being the president of the United States. There have only been a few of us in the course of the club’s history – I’m number 18 – and it is a very special group to be among. I am very proud of that.”

Since he left, two others have occupied the Parkhead hotseat, with mixed returns. Ronnie Deila lasted less than two years, but Rodgers has swiftly secured a place in the club’s history, winning the treble

“There have only been a few of us in the course of the club’s history – I’mnumber18–andi am very proud of that”

NEIL LENNON