NEIL LENNON has revealed that he keeps in touch with former manager Brendan Rodgers and that the two Irishmen talk or text each other at least once a week.
“I speak to Brendan Rodgers every week. We text each other every week, anyway,” Lenny said to the Media, as reported by Scottish Sun.
“He’s doing great things at Leicester, but he still keeps an eye on things here. We’re in touch a lot. We’ve both been complimentary to each other. I’m delighted for Brendan and I think he’s pretty pleased for me.
“You have to remember a lot of the structure was in place when I took over. We’ve added bits and pieces to it and tried to kick on.”
December has become a crazy month in Scottish football ever since the emergence of the winter break effectively pushed the January fixtures forward a month. And of course only Scottish football officials could also schedule a cup final for the final month of the year. The League Cup Final in December has been a happy hunting ground for Celtic so we cannot complain and the fixture list does build up the excitement and then gives everyone a rest.
A win today will give us another Beautiful Sunday in Paradise and will ensure that it’s a blue, blue Monday and a miserable New Year for the visitors and their hordes watching on TV.
“It’s maybe a shame this game is positioned at the end of it all. (The) Rangers have had eight games, we’ve had nine.
“The players are running on fumes sometimes, yet both teams seem to find a way to win. In the main they have won well,” Lenny said, diplomatically avoiding any mention of the official’s failure to flag Morelos offside when scoring the only goal of the game at Ibrox on Thursday against Kilmarnock.
“It’s rest and recovery and a bit of analytical work. It’s not like we don’t know how (the) Rangers play or their players. We see them on TV and we’ve played them twice already.
“I don’t think there will be huge amounts of changes tactically. You don’t really have the time. Every now and again either manager might spring a wee surprise, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
“It’s really impressive consistency from both teams. They are winning games and in the main they are winning well.
“It may boil down to the games against each other. I can’t predict that because you never know what might happen in the second half of the season.
“We’re at home and that gives us a big advantage. Our form at Celtic Park has been spectacular this season.”
Celtic are the ONLY side in the Scottish Premiership undefeated at home and better still the only one who have a 100% hime record domestically. Only the freak result against Cluj spoils that with even the likes of Lazio, Rennes and Cluj the second time around all losing in Paradise this season.
The Rangers are however the only side who have yet to lose away from home in the league this season. It’s time to end that record and give us all another Beautiful Sunday.
A BIG factor today will be the inclusion of a fit again Odsonne Edouard in the Celtic starting eleven. He was badly missed at Hampden in the first hour and made all the difference when he came off the bench only half fit in the cup final, winning the free-kick that led to the winner from fellow Frenchman Christopher Jullien and then setting up Mikey Johnston – who yesterday signed a new five year deal at the club – with a great chance to double Celtic’s lead.
“Edouard being back is a big plus. He’s a pretty good player! Sometimes you are only as good as your centre-forward and he’s one of the best around.
“Over the piece, O** F*** goals are sometimes the benchmark of your Celtic career. His record is as good as anyone’s.
He’s been in spectacular form all season, whether it’s link-up play, physicality, pace or volume of goals.
“But we’re getting goals from all over the place which pleases me. I’ve also got a keeper bang in form. He’s been pivotal to this run. It’s the sum of all parts.
“We’ll be a different animal from the cup final when we had to go with Lewis Morgan, who’s a winger, up front. Lewis did well, but we have a top of the range centre-forward starting this game which will make a huge difference to the whole team.”
ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR…
A Celtic win today will signal the beginning of the end of the big Steven Gerrard Gamble
