Lennon wary of threat posed by familiar foes in Hibs ranks
Celtic manager looks back fondly at his time at Easter Road but expects tough test
Neil Lennon has praised Hibs for helping “reinvigorate” him as a manager as Celtic prepare to host the Easter Road side tomorrow afternoon.
Al t h o u g h t h e r e wa s a n abrupt end t o his s pell i n charge, Lennon looks back on his time at Hibs with a great deal of affection. It is where he re- discovered his love for football after a trying spell with the financially- stricken Bolton Wanderers.
He has since returned to his beloved Celtic and steered the club to nine- in- a- row last season. It is hard to imagine he would have been handed the chance to achieve this – nor have the opportunity to secure the unprecedented ten- in- arow success this season – if he had not proved his managerial worth again at Hibs, when he came close to leading the side to a second- placed finish in the Premiership in 2017- 18. Lennon seems well aware of the significant place Hibs occupies in his own personal history.
Si milarl y, he was good for them. Lennon led the team to two cup semi- finals during his two- and- a- half- year stay after replacing Alan Stubbs.
His other notable contributions include handing defender Ryan Porteous his full debut against Rangers in February 2018 and helping develop Martin Boyle into an international- class winger. Both are set to feature against the champions tomorrow.
“I loved my time at Hibs,” said Lennon. “I had a brilliant time. I had a brilliant group of players and good people in the background. It’s a great club with a great support. I had a couple of fantastic years with getting promotion and then getting into Europe. There were a couple of semi- finals too and we played with a real sort of swagger and freedom.
“I really did enjoy myself there, enjoyed it immensely. My time there reinvigorated me as a manager. The first time I went in I felt Stubbsy had l eft me a ver y good squad. They’d not long won the Scottish Cup. I just looked at the players and felt we had a chance. They kicked on and everything we asked of them they did very well.
“It was difficult to maintain the standards set in those first few years. But I had a brilliant time at the club.”
Lennon left in still slightly mysterious circumstances on the first day of Februar y last year. However, few could argue about his positive impact at the club, where he was handed a supremely difficult task. Stubbs’ last act as manager was to bring the Scottish Cup to the club for the first in 114 years. Lennon did all he could and won the Championship title before turning Hibs into such an impressive top- flight force the following season.
Hibs stuttered during the 2018- 19 campaign, their inconsistent form eventually leading to Lennon’s departure, and they were similarly slow out of the starting blocks under Paul Heckingbottom last season.
Now under Jack Ross, Lennon has been impressed with their attacking ver ve – and their willingness to take the game to the opposition, as shown in the 2- 2 draw with Rangers last weekend. Lennon has been well warned.
“Hibs have got that in them and I was impressed with how they approached the Rangers game,” he said. “They’ve got some really good players.
“Hibs got a great result at the weekend and they’ve made a great start to the season.
“They’ve got a ver y strong mentality about them – so, yes, it will be a tough match for us and a big game in terms of the championship.
“But we’ll be prepared for it. We know the threat Hibs pose and we know their style of play. It’s got the ingredients of a very good game.
“I know a lot of the players there and Jack’s got them playing really well.
“Boyle I know very well, he’s a big threat. ( Kevin) Nisbet and ( Christian) Doidge are playing really well. And Porteous and ( Paul) Hanlon offer a good blend of youth and experience at the back. So, the team complements itself very well at the minute.
“It’s obviously still very early in the season – but they’ve made a great start and we’re very wary of Hibs. Any team that takes points off ourselves ( last season) and Rangers has to be respected. We need to keep an eye on them.”
L e n n o n i s p a r t i c u l a r l y proud at the way Porteous has responded to serious injury as well as criticisms of his allaction style. Rangers manager Steven Gerrard was the latest to question the Hibs defender’s methods after last week’s draw. Porteous and Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos tangled on numerus occasions.
“Ryan’s had a few injuries, so he needs a run of games,” said Lennon. “At his age I think he’s got real good leadership qualities.
“He’s aggressive in the air and is a really good defender. It’s not surprising you’ve seen him do so well. I think he’s got a great temperament for the game.”
Celtic will also need to plot a way past Ofir Marciano, the goalkeeper Lennon signed for Hibs and who denied Rangers last weekend with a particularly memorable double save from Scott Arfield.
“Ofir can be among the best in the country when he’s playing well,” Lennon acknowledged. “Since I’ve been back at Celtic, and played against Hibs, he’s pulled off some outstanding saves.
“He’s capable of that. He was superb for me over the time I was at Hibs.”
“I loved my time at Hibs. I had a brilliant group of players and good people in the background. It’s a great club with a great support”
NEIL LENNON