Neil Lennon has previewed facing his old Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill, in the Scottish Cup final.
In a classic Hollywood script, it’s the master vs the apprentice at Hampden on May 23rd, when Celtic face Dunfermline at Hampden.
Lennon has done a tremendous job to get the Pars to this stage, beating three Scottish Premiership sides on the road to the final hurdle.
But what will it be like for him facing O’Neill, a man he played under for nine years?
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Neil Lennon: Dunfermline vs Celtic will be Martin O’Neill against himself
Speaking on Premier Sports, Lennon said: “Obviously, [we’re] playing against my team, you know? My manager. It’s incredible.
“This could be Martin’s last game professionally as a manager, and I’m walking out for the first time against him!
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“He’s not been on the phone, so maybe the mind games have started already, but what a privilege that’s going to be.”
On whether there will be chat between the managers before the final, Lennon said: “There probably will, I’m sure. I mean, I’ve known the guy for 30 years.
“I don’t know [if I really know him], he’s a bit of a genius, you know? But it’s fantastic. There’s so much around it.
“But you can’t take anything away from what the players have got to do against the top team in the country.”
On whether he will still call O’Neill ‘gaffer’ at the final, Lennon said: “Of course, yeah, that will never change.
“Basically, it’s him managing against him. Because I’ve picked up everything — he’s the biggest influence on my career, the way I approach the game, the mindset, training, all the programmes that we do.
“It’s stuff that I learned from Martin. Obviously, he did it from Clough as well. So it’s a generational thing.
“But I admire him so much, he’s probably the guy I admire most in football. And to see him back at 73, managing Celtic, is incredible.”
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Neil Lennon’s Scottish Cup finals with Celtic
Lennon secured four Scottish Cup titles playing for Celtic, subsequently matching that tally as manager.
He boasts an unbeaten record in Scottish Cup finals. After narrowly missing out on the league, he claimed the 2011 trophy by defeating Motherwell 3-0, then bested Hibs in the final during the club’s 125th anniversary year in 2013.
Peter Lawwell notably gave him the full-time role in the showers once Odsonne Edouard’s late goal clinched the Treble Treble in 2019.
The next term was halted by Covid, pushing the final to December, where the Hoops won on penalties against a then-second-tier Hearts team.
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