Lennon reunion for what could be O’Neill swansongImage source, SNSImage caption, Neil Lennon and Martin O’Neill shared a joke on live TV after Celtic’s semi-final win at Hampden on SundayByKheredine IdessaneBBC Sport Scotland Senior ReporterPublished28 minutes ago”Well done, boss.”The way Neil Lennon greeted his former manager in the main stand at Hampden after Celtic’s progression to the Scottish Cup final just goes to show that old habits really do die hard.It is more than 20 years since he was under his charge and yet he still refers to Martin O’Neill as “boss” or “gaffer”. The last time the pair were in competitive action together was also at the national stadium, with Lennon at the heart of a Celtic midfield that helped O’Neill end his first spell in charge with a third Scottish Cup triumph.That was May 2005. Soon, professional, on-field acquaintances will be renewed.In just over a month – and for the first time in their careers – they will be in opposing technical areas as Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic attempt one final giant-killing act against O’Neill’s double-chasing Celtic. Both men have legendary status in Glasgow’s East End for their trophy-laden spells at Parkhead. Lennon’s mission may sit slightly uneasily: to make sure his old manager’s farewell doesn’t end with a fairytale storyline, although both men are famously ferocious competitors.”He’s been fantastic for me, both at Leicester and at Celtic,” O’Neill told BBC Scotland.”His record in management is really terrific. What a job he’s doing at Dunfermline to get to the final. But there will be no old pals’ act. I’m just pleased that we’re in the final with him.”I might not be here without him – O’NeillSo where and when did this decades-spanning, and still flourishing, relationship begin? According to O’Neill, in Lennon’s flat when the then Crewe Alexandra midfielder was just 24. It was 1996 and the former Wycombe Wanderers and Norwich City boss was determined to sign his fellow Northern Irishman for his new-look Leicester City side. So determined, O’Neill likes to recall, that he and his assistant, the late John Robertson, went to Lennon’s apartment and refused to leave until he agreed to come to Filbert Street. Legend has it that the management duo even stayed the night to make sure they had a firm agreement. Lennon signed for the Foxes in February. By the summer, he and O’Neill had secured City promotion to England’s top flight. Those were heady days for Leicester as the pair won two League Cups and reached another final, with the side more than holding their own in the top half of the Premier League.”He’s been a big part of my managerial life,” O’Neill, who is in his second interim spell at Celtic this season, mentioned. “He’s done great and it’s no surprise. I think he’s a top-class manager. His record both as a player and manager at Celtic is quite extraordinary.”I’ve got the utmost regard for him. Had I not signed him for Leicester, I might not be sitting here.”Image source, SNSImage caption, Neil Lennon and Martin O’Neill won the Scottish Cup three times together from 2000-2005Friends reunited – ‘a hell of a story’Once installed at Celtic in 2000, O’Neill’s vow on his first day was to “try to bring some success back to the football club”, which had finished more than 20 points behind Rangers the previous season. Part of his masterplan, of course, involved Lennon. The problem was that Leicester did not want to sell. O’Neill first tried to tempt him north in the summer. He did not arrive until December after handing in a transfer request, with Celtic having to part with nearly £6m to get the deal over the line. The likes of Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, Paul Lambert and Lubo Moravcik were already there. With Lennon added to the mix, the treble was won and the trend was set for a millennium in which Celtic have been Scottish champions 19 times. Under O’Neill, Lennon won three of his five titles as a player and played in the 2003 Uefa Cup final. He then steered Celtic to the league title a further five times as manager. A relationship, and a friendship, forged at Leicester helped Celtic carve out the most successful spell in the club’s domestic history. With Lennon in no doubt about the significance of the upcoming clash on 23 May.”It’s emotional,” he mentioned. “It could possibly be Martin’s last game as a manager and for me and him to go head to head; I’ve never done it before. It’s a hell of a story.”The story that started 30 years ago in a dingy flat from which Lennon joked “you had to wipe your feet on the way out” will have its next remarkable chapter at Hampden Park in a Scottish Cup final. Dunfermline last won the famous old trophy in 1968, three years before Lennon was born. The Pars’ last final was in 2007 – against Celtic. The Glasgow side won 1-0 in Lennon’s last game for the club as a player. O’Neill would no doubt sign up for the same outcome right now. The long friendship will be suspended for the afternoon and the technical areas and touchline will be watched just as eagerly as the action on Hampden’s hallowed turf.Related topicsScottish Cup
