Scotland v Rep. of Ireland: Lennon remaining neutral as he watches his mentors go head to head

Neil Lennon knows Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan better than anyone.

And he can’t wait to see how his two mentors perform when they go head to head at Celtic Park tomorrow night.

O’Neill signed the midfielder on two occasions, and they spent a combined total of nine years at Leicester City and Celtic.

Strachan made Lennon the Hoops captain when he took over, and offered him his first route into football management when he made him a member of his coaching team.

No-one else in football has spent as much time working with the managers who will try to outfox each other when Scotland entertain the Republic of Ireland in their Euro 2016 qualifying clash.

“It’s fair to say they have both had a massive influence on my career,” said the Bolton manager. “I owe so much to them.

“I spent four years under Martin at Leicester City, and another five years at Celtic with him. We enjoyed so much success together.

“When Martin left, Gordon took over, appointed me captain and I played under him for a further two years. And when he offered me the opportunity to join his coaching staff at Celtic Park in January, 2008, I worked closely with him for the next 18 months. It was a huge learning curve for me.

“So I’m hugely appreciative of everything the pair have done for me, and I feel lucky to have worked with two fantastic managers with such a fantastic knowledge of the game.

“But every bit as important is the way they have both treated me over the years. I consider the two of them great friends, who I will continue to call upon throughout my own managerial career.”

As a manager now himself, Lennon has combined a bit of both bosses into his own make-up, along with his own natural enthusiasm and knowledge of the game.

He’s now won four out of his first six games as Bolton manager after quitting Celtic in the summer.

Lennon admitted: “You take bits and pieces from all the managers you play under. There are many similarities between Martin and Gordon, and also things that they do completely differently.

“Gordon was probably more hands-on when it came to training, but Martin used that to his advantage because when he came into the dressing-room, he instantly had the players hanging on his every word.

“But the one area where you’d have to say they were exactly the same was their hunger for success. They were both extremely driven and wanting to win every single game.

“And when you look at what they achieved at Celtic, it’s no wonder the fans hold them both in very high esteem.”

As someone who enjoyed some of the most special moments in his career at Parkhead both as a player and as a manager Lennon is especially looking forward to returning to the stadium tomorrow night.

With two ex-Celtic managers going up against each other, as well as several former and present Hoops stars on show and in the respective coaching teams, he can’t wait to see the action unfold.

“It’s funny how things work out at times,” laughed Lennon. “This game has just about everything.

“For a start, you have two highly-successful Celtic managers going up against each other, and that doesn’t happen every day for a start. Also, they’ll both be returning to a stadium where they have watched teams lift silverware.

“They’ve also worked beside each other as TV pundits, and were at the World Cup Finals in Brazil together. Now they are managing opposing teams in what you can only describe as a mouth-watering European Championship qualifying clash.”

In terms of the ability of both teams to win this vital encounter, Lennon believes there is nothing between them.

He said: “I think it’s going to be a close game too close to call in fact. I can’t really separate the teams.

“Scotland have made massive strides under Gordon. The improvements in both the results and performance levels have been incredible. The progress has certainly been vast.

“What you see now when you watch Scotland is a group of players who all know exactly what is expected of them, playing with confidence and willing to attack rather than spend the game defending for their lives.

“The Tartan Army are loving what they are seeing, and rightly so. And for me the credit for that as much as the players deserve praise for the way they are playing must go to the manager.

“And the same goes for Martin O’Neill with Ireland. Before he took over, they were struggling a little. So when he arrived, he had to work at getting their confidence levels back up.

“His methods would have been completely different to Giovanni Trapattoni, so it takes time for the players to get used to that.

“But now they are very much in contention for qualifying from this group, and you can see big improvements now under Martin. The draw away to Germany is proof of that.

“It will be played at 100 mph at times, but it’s important the players keep as composed as they possibly can and get the ball down and play. It’s also vital they don’t let the occasion get to them.

“I don’t think there is anything between the teams. It could easily end up a draw.”

So who does Lennon want to emerge victorious?

“I’m planting my backside firmly on the fence,” he laughed. “I’m going to the game, and I’m very much in the neutral camp.”