NEIL Lennon has been at eight Scottish title-winning parties with Celtic both as a player and a manager and has no particular desire to attend another one – especially with his Hibernian side chasing second spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Brendan Rodgers’s team, who are 13 points clear of Rangers and Aberdeen at the head of the top flight table, can sew up their seventh consecutive league win by beating Hibs at Easter Road tomorrow afternoon.
However, their opponents are, despite only returning to the Premiership this season, just three points behind and can finish runners-up for the first time since 1975 if they continue to perform well in their final five fixtures.
Read more: Graeme Murty has banked 'a decade's worth' of experience in months at Rangers
Lennon has no desire to see his former club beat his team, uncork the champagne and have a party at their opponents' ground. “I’ve had enough of them,” he said. “I’ve had plenty and they are great days but I don’t want one at our expense. They can win it next week.
“When a team is going for the title momentum is with you. But sometimes, because you can almost touch it, there is an anxiousness and they are in a rush to get there. I am sure Brendan will want it done tomorrow and they will want it out of the way and we all know they are going to win it eventually.
“But we have a lot to play for so we. Are not just going to make it a day out for Celtic. But it will help with the atmosphere. Celtic will have a big support and it might feel like an away game at times, but we are going to have to deal with that. It is up to us how we go about it.”
Lennon has taken no offence at the SPFL drawing Hibs to play Celtic in the first post-split fixture even though it has been suggested it has been done to avoid them clinching the league in a game against Rangers at Parkhead.
Read more: Steven Thompson: Rangers have overreacted to 'ten-a-penny' bust-up
“I have no issue with it at all,” he said. “We have to play Celtic at some stage and I am pleased with three home games after the split - I feel we earned that.
“But I’ve had the chance to win the title at Ibrox and there’s nothing they can do about that and I think Celtic have won it at Celtic Park at some stage and there have been cup finals with both teams going for the win so it doesn’t irk me at all.
“There is a health and safety aspect, no matter what we think, that the league has to take into consideration so I don’t think we have been treated as an afterthought, it is just how the fixtures came out and we are looking forward to it.”
Lennon believes that Aberdeen and Rangers will both recover from the disappointing defeats they suffered to Motherwell and Celtic respectively in the Scottish Cup semi-finals last week and knows Hibs will have to play at their best to come second.
“I’m not convinced the semi-finals will have a huge impact on the coming games,” he said. “Aberdeen have been there and done it over a few years. Yes, for a couple of days they will be down about it, but Derek (McInnes) will pick them up. They have been very consistent in the league for the past three or four years.
“Rangers have had a tumultuous week but sometimes you get a bit of strength through adversity and they will come again. I think we need to win four games to finish second but that is a big ask. If we can do that then we will give ourselves a big chance.”
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