Lennon might rue day he let Gordon leave
WHEN Craig Gordon sunk to his knees on the Hampden turf in 2017, it became one of the iconic images of Celtic’s march to a treble Treble.
For Scotland’s champions, however, there is a nagging fear he could return to Hampden in Hearts colours and deprive them of another clean sweep.
Ex-Celtic and Tynecastle star Steven Pressley stood shoulder to shoulder with Gordon in 2006 as one of the so-called Riccarton Three. Studying the goalkeeping options facing Neil Lennon now, ‘Elvis’ believes his former Jambos team-mate should still be the Parkhead One.
Gordon lost his Celtic placeace after Fraser Forster returnedd to Glasgow on loan. When Lennonon renewed his pursuit of thee Southampton star last summer, the Scotland international rejected a new contract and returned to Hearts in search of guaranteed first-team football.
From boasting two top keepers last season, Celtic now struggle to field one. Vasilis Barkas is yet to yield a return on his £5million purchase,se, prompting the recent selectionion of the in experienced Conornor Hazard.
While Pressley understands why his old club decided to let Gordon leave, he believes the failure to sign a proven replacement could cost them.
‘Whenever you play against your previous club there is always an added edge to your performance,’ he told Sportsmail.
‘Craig did really well at Celtic. You could argue that he was harshly treated because he lost his place without doing too much wrong.
‘He was at that stage of his career where he really had to be playing first-team football. Neil understood the situation because he has been there himself and made the decision to let him go.
‘The unfortunate thing for Celtic is they have not, as yet, found a suitable replacement. In hindsight, they are probably ruing the fact they let Craig go. It’s not the letting him go so much, because you can understand why. It’s the fact the recruitment part has let them down.
‘In Bark as, Neil has found himself with a keeper who is nowhere near the calibre of Craig Gordon, or has still to prove it.
‘I’m sure Neil was very hopeful of getting Forster back, but it didn’t happen. And at this stage it doesn’t look like Celtic have a suitable replacement.’
It’s just one of the areas giving Lennon a selection headache for the final.
The first back-to-back wins since October have eased the pressure caused by poor league results and early exits f rom Europe and the Betfred Cup.
But victories over Lille and Kilmarnock only heightened demands from fans for Lennon to stick with David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro despite the manager’s reluctance to discard players like 35-year- old captain Scott Brown.
Lennon’s own relationship with Gordon Strachan survived the trauma of being substituted in his final appearance for Celtic in the 2007 Scottish Cup final.
And Pressley suspects his bond with Brown is strong enough to withstand the omission of his captain from Sunday’s final.
‘When you have situations like this, it’s all about relationships,’ said Pressley.
‘I go back to the 2007 Scottish Cup final I played in when Neil started the game then went off after an hour or so.
‘Neil and Gordon are very close friends. And what that shows i s that, i f you have built a relationship up with a player, then of course the player is going to be disappointed — but the decision will be understood and respected.
‘I think that is the key factor with Scott Brown this Sunday.
‘It looks like Neil has a strong relationship with Scott based on loyalty, trust and professionalism.
‘And while it’s never an easy decision to leave a player of that stature out, it’s a decision he could make and still have Scott very much on side.
‘ There has been no bigger supporter of Scott than myself.
‘But I know myself that there does come a stage in your career when you begin to think of things from the perspective of a coach.
‘So, although you are never happy being l ef t out, you understand the decisions that little bit better than you did when you were 22 or 23.
‘But the crucial part of this whole thing is the relationship between manager and player.
‘And I believe that, one, Scott is professional enough to understand any decision like that. And, two, they have a strong enough relationship for that decision to be made if Neil decides to make it.’
Brown — like so many — is approaching a crossroads in his Parkhead career.
Hopes of ten in a row have faded
When you face your old club there is always an edge to your performance
after Rangers opened up a 13-point lead at the summit of the Premiership.
At 35, the captain has struggled to maintain the standards set during years of domestic dominance.
‘Scott is very much an edge player,’ added Pressley. ‘I think the other thing that has had a big effect on him this year is the absence of supporters from the stadium.
‘Scott is a performer, he can influence games through actions taken on the park which, in turn, influence supporters and get a reaction.
‘He can change a game through a tactical foul which gets the supporters off their feet and with the team again.
‘All these decisions he makes can have an effect on the game — but they are not having an effect now. It’s not the same football at the moment. Scott needs the energy, the intensity and pressure that the crowd bring.
‘There is not the pressure or intensity there normally is now. It’s just not real football.’