Champions League revenue can make Celtic contenders for European title, says Lennon

Chief Sports Writer

Saturday 14 April 2012

NEIL LENNON has stated his managerial ambition is to win the Champions League and he believes that it could be achieved at Celtic.

Neil Lennon has his sights set beyond the Scottish Cup

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Hugh MacDonald

Lennon, speaking before tomorrow's William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden, said he was keen to talk to Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, as he seeks to improve as a coach.

The Celtic manager was candid when asked about his aims, following a first league title as coach. "My ambition is to win the Champions League. Here, anywhere, that's my ambition," he said. "I never really reached those heights as a player and I may not reach those heights as a manager, but that's my ambition. You must keep a vision and try to do everything you can to achieve it."He added: "Is it possible to win it here? Definitely. It might not be possible to do it in a year or two years' time, but if we can consistently get in the Champions League and gain the revenue from that, then we can build a team that could challenge."Lennon was asked what he would say to those who would ridicule the idea of a Scottish team reaching such heights. "It's an ambition, that's all," he said. "I'm not saying, 'I think we are going to win the Champions League'. I'm not saying we are going to do this or do that. But we have to have ambitions for it, otherwise, what's the point?"He has learned the positive approach from Martin O'Neill, his manager at Celtic and Leicester City. "He believed we could win the league to start off with, then he believed we could make inroads into Europe. We did that. We got to a final, which was a great achievement," said Lennon of reaching the final of the 2003 UEFA Cup."Brian Clough took Nottingham Forest to two European Cup finals with – if you'd have asked him – a team of rags, tags and bobtails. But he was just sheer brilliance. And these are your inspirations, the people you look to. Theirs are the books you read when you want to get their mindset."People like Alex Ferguson, probably the greatest manager of all time. You look at him and you think, 'I'll probably never be as good as him but how does he do it?' You try to study it, to research it and on the odd occasion maybe have five minutes with him."Praising David Moyes, the Everton manager, he said: "It would be folly for me not to speak to those guys and try to pick bits and pieces off them."Lennon has not yet visited Manchester United's training ground at Carrington, but said: "I would like to do that at some stage. It's important for my development. You cannot stand still in this job and there are things I need to learn about – European formations, the culture of the game in different countries. But the bottom line is that it's down to players. If we get our recruitment right we'll have a good chance."I'm not the oracle. I don't have all the answers," he said. "I'm not a Mourinho – but I want to be a Mourinho. I want to be a Guardiola, I want to be a Clough, I want to be an O'Neill. That's my ambition."

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Champions League revenue can make Celtic contenders for European title, says Lennon

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