No one needs to explain the history of Celtic to Neil Lennon.
The hoops manager narrated a documentary on Brother Walfrid and knows the club’s footballing and historical traditions better than most.
Although he wasn’t born when the Lisbon Lions scrawled their names all over the club’s history Lenny has had over a decade in the company of John Clark.
Billy McNeill’s partner in the 67 side first appeared for Celtic over 50 years ago but this afternoon’s Dublin Super Cup clash will bring the memories flooding back.
It may not be ‘in the heat of Lisbon’ at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon but when the blue and black stripes emerge from the tunnel alongside the hoops it won’t require Bertie Auld to stir up a chant amongst the Celtic support.
“For older fans this will be a pretty nostalgic game,” Lennon admitted. “The game in 67 was the greatest day in the club’s history.
“The 67 team are great individuals and will always be iconic figures at the club. I played in a team that did well in Europe and know what it means to the supporters to have success and we want to get back on the big stage.
“Playing against Inter will be a special occasion in a great tournament. I think that Celtic coming to Dublin, Celtic coming to Ireland is pretty special and we’ll be looking for a big crowd and I think that it will be a special day for John Clark.
“ He was a player and is now a very important part of the backroom staff. Having him around all the time is great because he’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding the club and the game. It’s invaluable.
“We’ve got a huge fan base in Ireland that make a lot of sacrifices to come and see us. It’s nice that they don’t have to travel too far for this game- hopefully the sun will be out and there will be a big crowd.”
Lennon played his part in a few memorable European campaigns and has played in more Champions League matches than any other Celt.
Creating some history of his own as a manager is his target with Europe one area that he is looking to improve on.
Last season’s European exits against Braga and Utrecht cast a shadow over his managerial ability even though domestically there wasn’t much that he could be faulted over.
On Friday Celtic enter the final qualifying round for the Europa League with Lennon hoping to combine progress with domestic success.
“You can’t run before you walk,” the Celtic boss explained. “ I want to get through the Europa League qualifier and develop the players on the European level as well. The priority is the championship- there’s no doubt about that because it will open a few more doors for us- but while we’re in the Europa League we want to take the opportunity to go further.
“We feel that Europe is important, not just to the club but to the players and the backroom staff including myself. We have a qualifier on August 18 and we dearly want to get through that to at least have European football through to December.
“As a player I was lucky enough to have some decent runs in the Champions League and obviously we got to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. There is no better club to be at than when we are on a run like that and we’d like to bring those days back to the club as quickly as possible.
“We feel that we have the nucleus and the talent of a good young squad, playing Inter Milan will be good to see where we are against a top club.”
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Not expecting a win v inter but its certainly the kind of tournaments you want the club involved in.