CELTIC are going to have to produce their best form of a turbulent season if they are to lift their fifth successive title.
That’s the verdict of former Hoops boss Neil Lennon, who won five flags in his two stints in the Parkhead hot seat.
The Northern Irishman, now in charge of Dunfermline, reckons Martin O’Neill’s men will have to rise to the challenge as they currently sit third in the Premiership table – five points behind Hearts and two adrift of Rangers – with just seven games to go.
Lennon said: “Celtic are going to have to dig in.
“They’ve never kicked on all season. They’ve been digging out results without playing well.
SMILES BETTER…Neil Lennon with the 2020 Premiership silverware.
“The thing they’ve got to their advantage if they’ve got Rangers and Hearts at home after the split.”
There is the intriguing possibility of O’Neill and Lennon going head to head in the Scottish Cup showpiece showdown at Hampden on Saturday May 23 as the final curtain drops on a topsy-turvy campaign.
The Hoops are due to face Premier Sports League Cup conquerors St Mirren in the semi-final on Sunday April 19, just a day after the Fifers face Falkirk in their last-four clash.
At the moment, though, Lennon is concentrating in getting the East End Park outfit into promotion play-off places.
The ex-Celt has also been linked with the manager’s vacancy at the Paisley club after Stephen Robinson’s recent move to Aberdeen.
Addressing speculation, Lennon, speaking on the Not Another Football Podcast, continued: “I am happy where I am at the minute. We are in two competitions still which is great for us.
“I am not going to get distracted by speculation. It’s nice to be involved with that sort of conversation.
THE CUP THAT CHEERS…Martin O’Neill celebrates Celtic’s 3-0 Scottish Cup Final win over Hibs with Neil Lennon, flanked by Ramon Vega and Alan Thompson. Now the Hoops legends could meet in this season’s showpiece encounter at Hampden in May.
“Ultimately, I don’t want to be coaching in the Championship for too long as I want to be in the Premiership. I do think if I can get Dunfermline up we have a right good team to play in the Premiership. I think they can handle it.
“When we’re good, we’re very good. Yeah, we’ve been inconsistent, which is fine because it’s a relatively new team with a lot of young players.”
Lennon added: “They like the big games. They’ve handled the big occasions quite well. They’ve found a bit of consistency in the last five to six weeks, but, yeah, the semi-final will take care of itself.
“It’s about the league, really, and the Championship is such an unpredictable league. You can’t put a bet on it.”
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