Mentor v apprentice as O'Neill & Lennon face off at Hampden
When pre-match handshakes are exchanged in the Hampden dugouts between Martin O'Neill and Neil Lennon ahead of this weekend's Scottish Cup final, it will be the master facing off against his apprentice. O'Neill has taken charge of more than 1,000 games as a manager, with 389 of those featuring Lennon as a player starting at Leicester City before a trophy-laden spell at Parkhead. Their first meetings in opposing dugouts this weekend will pit two managers against one another who have won a combined 18 trophies when in charge of the club.
They were last involved in a competitive game together in 2005, when Celtic triumphed in that season's Scottish Cup final over Dundee United. Over two decades later, they will go again. "Not only did he do brilliantly as a player, but he did fabulously as a manager, his record is quite extraordinary," O'Neill said.
"I think, yes, there's no question [he is a dangerous manager to face]. "His run this year in the Cup has been terrific, knocking out three top-flight teams as well along the way. "I know he mentioned that the game against Falkirk was a bit attritional in the semi-final, but they found a way to win, stayed through it until they got through on penalty kicks.
" Despite Dunfermline's disappointment at losing out in the Premiership play-off semi-final, O'Neill isn't expecting the Pars to be licking their wounds. He added: "And his efforts for Dunfermline this season, I think, [have been] a bit unlucky. "Certainly, watching the game against Partick Thistle, he had a great chance to go clear in the game, but that didn't happen.
"So, there'll be probably a bit of disappointment from that viewpoint, but he will have the team really up for the game, no question about that. "