THE Celtic squad will train at Lennoxtown as usual this morning before heading into Glasgow city centre to attend the funeral of Billy McNeill and pay their respects to the legendary Parkhead captain along with thousands of other wellwishers.
“I want everyone to be there,” said Neil Lennon yesterday as he looked ahead to what promises to be a solemn and emotional occasion. “I think that is the right thing to do.”
Yet, interim manager Lennon understands the best opportunity for his players to honour McNeill – and the great’s former team mate Stevie Chalmers, who tragically passed away earlier this week, as well - will come in a Ladbrokes Premiership match against Aberdeen at Pittodrie tomorrow afternoon.
A draw or a victory in the north-east will secure their eighth consecutive Scottish title, continue their dominance of the game in this country and edge them a step closer to an unprecedented third successive treble.
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Chalmers and McNeill both became accustomed to winning games and lifting trophies and even, on a couple of memorable occasions, helping the Parkhead club to complete clean sweeps of domestic silverware during their illustrious playing days. They would doubtless approve.
Lennon is confident the side he has taken charge of can close out another successful campaign and give the Celtic family a welcome lift after a harrowing period. “They have been very, very good at that,” he said. “They have played the big games really well when their mentality has been under a lot of scrutiny. We are looking for more of the same between now and then end of the season.”
The death of Chalmers, the player who scored the winner against Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup final in Lisbon, just a week after McNeill, the man who lifted the trophy in the Estadio Nacional, has been traumatic for everyone associated with the Parkhead club.
“It has been a very difficult couple of weeks,” added Lennon. “With the football side of things going on, it has been difficult to take it all in.
“We have lost Stevie too. I knew him very well. He was good company. He was very gentle. He was always immaculate and well-presented when you saw him.
“He was a great player, too. I have watched a lot of footage of him over the years. He scored the goal. He is a big loss, not just to the club but to the (Lisbon) Lions. They were a band of brothers who did something really special.
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“We talk about the Lions all the time. I think a lot of the players research it. I don’t think it does anybody any harm to read about it. They were the first British team to win the European Cup and we are very proud of that. It seems a million miles away from where we are.”
The Northern Irishman, though, would certainly be more than prepared to at least try and emulate the epic achievement if, as he is hoping, he is asked to continue as Celtic manager after the William Hill Scottish Cup final later this month.
He famously led the East End outfit into the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier club competition during his first spell in the dugout after a famous home win over Barcelona in the group stages.
The way that Ajax have performed in the Champions League during the 2018/19 campaign has made him believe that anything is possible.
The Dutch club lead English rivals Spurs 1-0 after the first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday night and are, after overcoming defending champions Real Madrid and Juventus in their previous two ties, fancied to progress.
“You always aspire,” said Lennon. “People are talking about Ajax now and what they have achieved this season with a far smaller budget than the bigger clubs so nothing is impossible.
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“You keep trying to emulate what they (the Lions) did. That is the benchmark for any Celtic team and any Celtic manager. At the minute, it is a long way off. You just keep striving.
“When I first took over I didn’t think we would get into the last 16 of the Champions League. But it is possible to do it. Maybe the next one who gets there can take it on to the quarters. You just never know. It is just all about getting the right group at the right time and the right recruitment as well.”
Lennon continued: “They have spent money, but not at the same level as the teams they have beaten. They have had a bit of a go.
“But don’t forget this academy has been working for 30, 40 years. It’s not like an overnight success. It’s been world-famous since the 1980s and 1990s.”
Lennon feels that Celtic have a youth system that can, like Ajax, produce players who are capable of performing at the highest level on the continent.
“We’ve got three in (Callum) McGregor, (James) Forrest and (Kieran) Tierney, arguably our best players,” he said. “We are very proud of that. If you get the recruitment right and sprinkle it with a bit of stardust then you never know. We have to aspire to that.”
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