Lennon desperate for final say again
It has been a good competition for the Hibs boss, and he hopes that will continue. By Neil Cameron
IT sounds like the beginning of a joke. A Rangers fan and a Celtic fan are sitting together in an Irish television studio when word reaches them that Hibernian’s Scottish Cup hoodoo has been broken. But that’s what happened last May when two rather famous Old Firm names found themselves together as news came in that something remarkable was happening in Glasgow.
“I was in Dublin with Graeme Souness doing the FA Cup [for television] when Hibs won the Scottish Cup,” revealed Neil Lennon, who had no idea then that 11 months on he would be leading the Easter Road side to another Hampden appearance. “We were getting the feed through to us so the banter was going back and forth. Needless to say, Graeme wasn’t impressed. To be fair, he was all right, he was in good form.”
That piece of history is helping with the present. Lennon believes promotion to the Premiership and, on Saturday, a meeting with Aberdeen in a Scottish Cup semi-final has been inspired by what happened on that historic afternoon.
Alan Stubbs’s departure was unwanted; however, the new man felt at the time that his job, certainly in those first few months, would have been more difficult had Rangers won that day.
“I think we have felt the benefit of that feelgood factor, there’s no about that,” Lennon said. “I’m talking in terms of atmosphere around the stadium, the training ground and around the city among the Hibs fans. “The cup win did help me to come into the club. It meant it was easier, smoother for me up to a point. It was a good time to come in. I felt the club was on the way back and our job was to make sure to do it right. “And, to be fair to the players, they have done a great job in defending the trophy up until now. OK, the Bonnyrigg game you pass over but the Hearts tie was a real acid test. We had two of those, and we handled both occasions brilliantly. “Then we despatched Ayr United pretty comfortably, so we have saved a lot of the big performances for the cup again, but they are a big-game team. So I’m hoping for more of the same against the second-best team in the country.”
Lennon is a fan of Aberdeen and their manager Derek McInnes and has been for a while now. The Northern Irishman is proud his Championship side are in the last four along with Celtic, Rangers and their own opponents.
“Aberdeen have broken a record of home wins and had they shown that form last season they might have won the league,” Lennon said. “Every time they were asked the question last year they came up a little bit short. I think Aberdeen have improved this season.
“They have already made a final, they are nine points clear of Rangers, and that’s impressive. They are in a semi-final again so it’s a tall order for us.
“Derek is very impressive. They have been consistent in a lot of the competitions, particularly the league. OK, there was no Rangers for year or two but this season, when a lot of people said they wouldn’t finish second, Aberdeen have been so consistent and not only in their performances, they’ve been winning games, not just drawing.
LENNON has happy memories of the Scottish Cup. He won it four times as a player; on one occasion clinching a treble and another two a double. His first trophy as Celtic manager came in the competition and he was to win it one more time in 2013 – the last time the Scottish Cup went to Parkhead – which brought another double.
“It has been very good to me,” he said. “I love it and I want to get to the final again because those games are very special. They are more special as a manager, more intense and very stressful.
“To go with a different club, one you wouldn’t be accustomed to winning with, would be very, very special indeed. But we have a big 90 minutes, or 120 minutes in front of us. A semi-final is normally a very tense occasion and we will have to start the game well.”
Lennon was reminded that his last game as a Celtic player was in the Scottish Cup final 10 years ago; a forgettable 1-0 win over Dunfermline.
He said: “That’s frightening! I have lost the final as well, against Rangers, to a Pete Lovenkrands goal late on. That was another great final. But this cup is special. As a manager, it was my first trophy, so that makes it special as well. I am really looking forward to it and I’m really pleased that we are in the semi-finals with the three big clubs in the country. To be in that company is very pleasing from my point of view.”
What Lennon has is a group of players who find their best form in the bigger games. This has been the way for three seasons now, their performances in run-of-the-mill matches has been their downfall, so it would be no great shock if Hibs were to make their second successive Scottish Cup final.
“We have played some good teams and last season they beat Aberdeen in the League Cup and in this competition they beat Hearts, Inverness, Dundee United and then Rangers in the final,” Lennon said. “They showed a lot of character to be 2-1 down and come back to win it, having lost the play-off four or five days before. So, yeah, the bigger the occasion, the better they are.”