Lennon pleads for the chance to secure the quadruple Treble
Neil Lennon has begged for the chance to complete the Treble.
And the Hoops boss has paid tribute to the challenge put up during the campaign by Steven Gerrard’s Rangers.
The Parkhead club picked up their second trophy of 2019-20 six days ago when the Premiership was called and they were confirmed as champions.
They won the Betfred Cup in December with victory over Rangers, and the Irishman expects the Light Blues to make his side fight all the way in the chase for title No. 10.
However, with coronavirus forcing the postponement of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage, one huge issue remains unresolved, and Lennon would welcome the chance to finish the job.
“It would be magic to have the opportunity to play for it. If we can fit that in, then I am all for that,” said the Celtic manager. “The SFA have been saying they do want it completed. I think the four clubs who are involved in the competition would want that as well.
“I think playing it over the course of three or four days – maybe Wednesday and a weekend – would be absolutely fine. “The maximum number of games we would play in that would be two – and that is if we can overcome Aberdeen. So I don’t think it would have a huge bearing on next season.
“If we can do it, great. If not then we just have to accept that and move on to concentrate on the future.”
The SFA’S preference is to play all three ties in front of full houses to generate some much-needed income. But that may not be possible until next year.
Lennon is pragmatic on the question of playing the ties in front of empty grounds.
“At the minute, we’re looking to play any kind of football,” he said. “Until we find a remedy to get fans back in, behind closed doors is going to be a way to play our football.
“I enjoyed watching the Bundesliga last weekend – it was good to see live football back. I watched Cologne against Mainz, for example, and it was a really good game, considering.
“I felt the players in all the games I watched over three days made it a good spectacle. “But the novelty might wear off on that. It is not ideal. But we have to find that balance in terms of the safety of the public and the safety of the players and playing competitive football
“Not having supporters is a huge loss. I understand fans saying their team might not be as strong when games are played.
“We will be ready and prepared for whatever eventuality the SFA come forward with, but all four clubs would have to agree.
It is a measure of the momentum built by Celtic’s long, winning run, that Lennon thinks he wouldn’t have still been in a job had he gone the last 14 months without a trophy, as his Rangers counterpart Steven Gerrard has at Ibrox.
Asked the question on BT Sport last night, he replied, “Probably not, such is the nature of it in Glasgow and the expectation.
“I think there’s been a steady improvement in Rangers. They were really strong in the first half of the season, as we were.
“I think people take that for granted because we were getting pushed and were responding every time.
“Then, in the second half of the season, we responded even better, to the point that the teams around us couldn’t keep up with us.
“That’s something I don’t take lightly as it takes a certain mentality to do that – winning when everyone expects you to win and when everyone is scrutinising every performance.
“These players have been doing that for a long time now. So I need to pay enormous credit for their ruthlessness and mindset.”
The Celtic boss admitted the pressure on them was at its height after Rangers won at Celtic Park last December.
He said: “Rangers played well and competed well, and we felt there was a title challenge on. I said that after the game.
“People were right to talk about a title challenge because it was nip and tuck between the two teams in that first half of the season.
“But we had a steely determination about us. It hurt and we had to stew on things for a week or two.
“That’s a real test of your character as a manager.”