Treble shot can revive Lennon’s Celtic reign
MORAVCIK SURE HAMPDEN VICTORY WILL BOOST RECOVERY
FOR Lubo Moravcik, t he ugly scenes that erupted around Celtic Park back in February 2000 made for the l owest point of his career.
A shock Scottish Cup exit at home to Inverness Caley Thistle triggered such fan fury that it soon spelled the end for John Barnes as manager at Parkhead.
Twenty years on, the l i ttle Slovak sees similar rage directed at his former team-mate Neil Lennon and his players in the wake of another Highland upset, this time at home to Ross County in the Betfred Cup.
But with Celtic currently on the back of two consecutive wins, Moravcik has urged an emotional fanbase to unite behind their side as they aim to beat Hearts in the Scottish Cup final on Sunday and complete an historic quadruple Treble.
‘That night against Inverness in 2000 was probably the toughest game of my career — and it was a similar situation to what’s happened recently at Celtic,’ the 55-year-old recalled.
‘For one of the goals there was a deflection off me and it was a hard night for everyone.
‘ I’d never had that kind of experience before in my life, i ncl uding e v e r y t hi ng t hat happened after the game.
‘The fans stayed outside the stadium because they were not happy with the result. It was not a good situation. Nobody was happy that evening.
‘The Celtic fans are possibly the best in football. But they can also be among the most emotional supporters after defeats or disappointments.
‘The team is very important to Celtic fans — whether things are good or bad. They always show their emotions. They can be angry, they can be extremely happy or sad. But I understand it because I appreciate how proud the Celtic fans are of the team and how much they want the players to do well.
‘ For t hem, Celtic is very important in their lives. Maybe it’s not quite as deep a feeling for fans of other clubs.
‘Am I surprised that they are protesting when they are one game away from another Treble? I think the fans are probably happy again now because Celtic have won their last two games.
‘ The r eaction before was because they were unhappy with results and performances.
‘But the day after we lost to Inverness the sun came out again. In these situations, you have to lift yourself and forget the disappointment as soon as possible.
‘After the recent victories, I hope the fans can forgive and forget. Sunday is a big chance to win. If Celtic win the Scottish Cup and secure another Treble then it will be fantastic.’
Recalling how a season fell apart in 180 minutes back in 2000, Moravcik detects the opposite in Celtic’s recent victories over Lille and Kilmarnock.
‘It is possible for the confidence to come back in the space of two games,’ he argued.
‘In 2000, the original Scottish Cup tie against Inverness was postponed, so we played Hearts in the league and we led 2-0 but lost 3-2.
‘Then we played the rearranged game against Inverness and we lost again.
‘If we had played Inverness when it was planned I think we would have won the match. But then we lost to Hearts and that set us back. That all happened in two games.
‘Right now, Celtic look mentally back after winning two games. They also have a full week to prepare for the cup final, which is important.
‘With a lot of games having been played, the guys have the chance to prepare properly and be physically strong for Sunday.’
Asked whether Lennon should keep captain Scott Brown on the bench, Mora v c i k is non-committal.
‘ I have a l ot of respect for Brown,’ he s t ated. ‘ He is important. If Lenny thinks he’s going to win the game with Brown he will start him.
‘But you couldn’t imagine Celtic without Henrik Larsson and Celtic played on without Henrik Larsson. Nobody is irreplaceable.’
As a friend of Lennon, Moravcik admits he is biased in backing the under- fire Celtic manager to remain in his post. But he knows from sharing a dressing room with his fellow midfielder for two years that the Northern Irishman has the character to cope with the huge pressure that comes with being 13 points behind Rangers in the Premiership.
‘ It’s difficult to judge when somebody is your friend,’ he said. ‘I cross my fingers for Neil that the final will be a success and then he can go and win the next three games in the league.
‘Win them all and it’s good preparation for the crucial game at Rangers on January 2.
‘Celtic are not in Europe now and the target has to be to win the league title. But I am not scared for Lenny because I know he has a strong character.
‘He was a natural leader in the dressing room. He was a hard-working player who never wanted to get beaten.’
And should Lennon get Celtic firing on all cylinders again, Moravcik believes Rangers are there to be caught.
He said: ‘The last time I saw Rangers play in Europe I didn’t think they were a top team. Okay, they are a team in top form. They win their league games easily, and they have qualified for the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
‘ But i n my time they had players like Lorenzo Amoruso, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Jorg Albertz.
‘At the moment, Rangers are similar to Celtic, but they are in better form.’
Lubo Moravcik was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.