Lennon hails 'fine friend and player'
The Hoops boss formed a formidable partnership with the Bulgarian during Martin O'Neill's highly-successful reign.
Sports Writer
I've spend the last 14 years of my working life on the sports desk, covering Motherwell and Kilmarnock to begin with before stepping up to the Old Firm and Scotland. As a football fan, it really is the ideal job.
I've spend the last 14 years of my working life on the sports desk, covering Motherwell and Kilmarnock to begin with before stepping up to the Old Firm and Scotland. As a football fan, it really is the ideal job.
The Hoops boss formed a formidable partnership with the Bulgarian during Martin O'Neill's highly-successful reign.
Neil Lennon's side were eventually eliminated from the competition after Juventus won 5-0 on aggregate over the SPL champions to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
The Parkhead manager's stature has grown with every season he has been at the helm and he has taken great personal satisfaction at watching the team he has assembled with a limited budget punch above their weight by reaching the last 16 of the competition.
The damage inflicted during the first leg at Parkhead, where Italian champions Juventus recorded a 3-0 win, all but rendered this second leg meaningless in terms of trying to reach the quarter- finals.
"I would say that it was a great experience for all the lads," he said. "We're a young team with a lot of talent, and that's an experience we'll learn from.
The SPL champions were eliminated from the competition after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Juventus last night as a place in the quarter-finals proved one step too far for the Parkhead club as they went out of the tournament on the back of a 5-0 aggregate scoreline.
The Greek, Celtic's most prolific frontman in Europe this season with five goals, three coming in the group stage, will be handed a key role by manager Neil Lennon.
Hoops boss Neil Lennon has promised to send out an attacking team here in Turin against the Italian champions after losing the first leg 3-0.
When the Welshman travelled north of the border in 2011 on a Bosman from Championship club Cardiff City, his arrival perhaps didn't spark as much excitement among the Parkhead punters as some of Neil Lennon's other acquisitions.
The Celtic manager was left incensed by the performance of Spanish whistler Alberto Mallenco in the first leg as he allowed the Italian defenders to clearly man-handle the Hoops players at corners and free-kicks during their first-leg 3-0 defeat.
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