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Neil Lennon has already silenced Anfield once as a player – now a string of Northern Irish greats are backing him to do the same as a manager this weekend in the FA Cup.
Lurgan-born Lennon faces good pal and Carnlough native Brendan Rodgers in a game which looks like it will be watched just as closely across the Irish Sea as it will in the pubs and living rooms of Bolton.
Lennon admits Rodgers was a big influence on him during his early managerial days at Parkhead and he has put that learning to good use, enjoying unprecedented success north of the border before transforming Wanderers’ fortunes in the last three months.
And back in his playing days at Celtic, Lennon helped Martin O’Neill’s unfancied side into the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup with a 3-1 aggregate win at Liverpool, whose side also included Emile Heskey.
The Hoops went on to reach the final that year, thwarted only by Jose Mourinho’s Porto late in extra time.
Northern Ireland goal-scoring great David Healy fancies his former international team-mate to take his side back to Merseyside and get a result against the odds once again.
“I think there is a myth surrounding Lenny from his time in Scotland that he is all about passion on the touchline, but he has much more to offer than that. You only have to listen to him to realise how much knowledge he has on football. He talks so much sense,” he said in the Belfast Telegraph.
“People may have thought that being successful in Scottish football wasn’t difficult, but Neil proved himself on the Champions League stage too with clever tactics which led to big, big wins. I believe he’s destined to be a Premier League manager one day.
“And I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he set up his team in such a way that they gained a positive result against Liverpool in the FA Cup.”
Michael Hughes, capped 71 times by Northern Ireland, is another of Lennon’s former associates who senses there could be a cup shock in the air.
The former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder has also predicted Wanderers could yet spring a surprise in the Championship too, and gatecrash the play-offs in the second half of the season.
“I have been following Bolton closely because another of my old pals Dougie Freedman was the previous manager before Neil and I was interested to see if he would make many changes,” he said.
“He actually hasn’t changed it around too much. Bolton have good players and I think what Neil has done is come in and galvanise them.
“They are on a good run of form and I wouldn’t bet against Neil going on and leading Bolton into the play-offs this season, even though he took over when they were in the relegation zone.
“The same thing happened to us at Crystal Palace years ago when Iain Dowie became manager. We made it into the play-offs and then won promotion to the Premier League. The work-rate we put in was ridiculous but it was worth it.
“The Liverpool game is an ideal opportunity for Neil to say to his players that they can go to Anfield and give it a real go. I would think they’ll enter that match with confidence. It is going to be a stiff test for Liverpool.”
Gerry Armstrong, the former Northern Ireland World Cup hero, now television pundit, has also been impressed with the start Lennon has made at Wanderers.
“He had a job offer in the Middle East and could have made a lot of money going over there, but he thought about his career in British football and went to Bolton, who have really improved under him,” he said.
“When Neil was doing his coaching badges with the Irish FA, I gave a talk about my experiences in football. I remember thinking at that time that as a coach he would be well organised and really professional and that’s how it has worked out.
“He did well at Celtic and now he is making people sit up and take notice of him at Bolton.”
Hughes, who played at Manchester City with Lennon in his early days, believes the Whites boss is looking more content with life after a change of pace from the Celtic dugout.
“I look at Neil today and when I see him on television he appears a happy man,” he said. “He got out of the goldfish bowl in Glasgow and it seems a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he feels better within himself. There is a lot to be said for that.”
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Lurgan-born Lennon faces good pal and Carnlough native Brendan Rodgers in a game which looks like it will be watched just as closely across the Irish Sea as it will in the pubs and living rooms of Bolton.
Lennon admits Rodgers was a big influence on him during his early managerial days at Parkhead and he has put that learning to good use, enjoying unprecedented success north of the border before transforming Wanderers’ fortunes in the last three months.
And back in his playing days at Celtic, Lennon helped Martin O’Neill’s unfancied side into the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup with a 3-1 aggregate win at Liverpool, whose side also included Emile Heskey.
The Hoops went on to reach the final that year, thwarted only by Jose Mourinho’s Porto late in extra time.
Northern Ireland goal-scoring great David Healy fancies his former international team-mate to take his side back to Merseyside and get a result against the odds once again.
“I think there is a myth surrounding Lenny from his time in Scotland that he is all about passion on the touchline, but he has much more to offer than that. You only have to listen to him to realise how much knowledge he has on football. He talks so much sense,” he said in the Belfast Telegraph.
“People may have thought that being successful in Scottish football wasn’t difficult, but Neil proved himself on the Champions League stage too with clever tactics which led to big, big wins. I believe he’s destined to be a Premier League manager one day.
“And I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he set up his team in such a way that they gained a positive result against Liverpool in the FA Cup.”
Michael Hughes, capped 71 times by Northern Ireland, is another of Lennon’s former associates who senses there could be a cup shock in the air.
The former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder has also predicted Wanderers could yet spring a surprise in the Championship too, and gatecrash the play-offs in the second half of the season.
“I have been following Bolton closely because another of my old pals Dougie Freedman was the previous manager before Neil and I was interested to see if he would make many changes,” he said.
“He actually hasn’t changed it around too much. Bolton have good players and I think what Neil has done is come in and galvanise them.
“They are on a good run of form and I wouldn’t bet against Neil going on and leading Bolton into the play-offs this season, even though he took over when they were in the relegation zone.
“The same thing happened to us at Crystal Palace years ago when Iain Dowie became manager. We made it into the play-offs and then won promotion to the Premier League. The work-rate we put in was ridiculous but it was worth it.
“The Liverpool game is an ideal opportunity for Neil to say to his players that they can go to Anfield and give it a real go. I would think they’ll enter that match with confidence. It is going to be a stiff test for Liverpool.”
Gerry Armstrong, the former Northern Ireland World Cup hero, now television pundit, has also been impressed with the start Lennon has made at Wanderers.
“He had a job offer in the Middle East and could have made a lot of money going over there, but he thought about his career in British football and went to Bolton, who have really improved under him,” he said.
“When Neil was doing his coaching badges with the Irish FA, I gave a talk about my experiences in football. I remember thinking at that time that as a coach he would be well organised and really professional and that’s how it has worked out.
“He did well at Celtic and now he is making people sit up and take notice of him at Bolton.”
Hughes, who played at Manchester City with Lennon in his early days, believes the Whites boss is looking more content with life after a change of pace from the Celtic dugout.
“I look at Neil today and when I see him on television he appears a happy man,” he said. “He got out of the goldfish bowl in Glasgow and it seems a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he feels better within himself. There is a lot to be said for that.”
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