Celtic boss Neil Lennon fears that Old Firm sectarianism is here to stay

Neil Lennon fears the Old Firm derby may never be entirely free of sectarianism.

The Celtic manager spoke out ahead of the visit of Rangers to Celtic Park today, his first involvement in the fixture for seven years.

Asked if the singing of banned songs can be stamped out, the Irishman said: “I don’t know if that day will ever come.

“It’s a facet of the game. The rivalry is always going to be there and that element of it has been going on for more than 100 years.

“Why would I think it would change over the next 100 years?

“It’s got to come from the home, first and foremost.”

Yet while agreeing it was a depressing thought, Lennon was bullish about the overall attractiveness of the derby, even suggesting the limiting of away supporters to an absolute minimum could be revisited.

The move to restrict visiting Old Firm fans was sparked by Rangers, and their great rivals went tit-for-tat for the first meeting at Celtic Park back in September.

“It’s just a dark side of what’s a brilliant fixture,” said Lennon.

“I’d like to think it (the lack of away fans) would be an advantage for us here. I think it has been in both games so far this season.

“Whether it is what people would perceive to be a good idea or not, I don’t know.

“I enjoyed us having a big away support at Ibrox, and I’m sure the Rangers players say the same about Celtic Park.

“It diminishes it a little bit.

“Maybe the powers-that-be will look at it again, and change it.

“But it’s my first Old Firm derby since 2012. I’m just trying to concentrate on winning the game.”

The Celtic manager believes today could be another big one for Odsonne Edouard, scorer of late winners at Tynecastle and Dens Park recently, plus three goals against Rangers in the last two derbies of last season.

“Odsonne’s a maverick. He has really good skills at times, even if physically he could do a little more,” said Lennon.

“But I’ve been really pleased with his contribution.

“He’s come up with some really important goals, and that’s always a good thing to have, that ability to rise to this occasion.

“You need your big players in the big games, and at big moments.

“I mean, I played with Henrik Larsson, and he scored THE goals in THE games. Chris Sutton did his bit as well.

“It’s a good knack to have, and the timing of Odsonne’s goals under me have been pretty good so far – although I wouldn’t mind if they were scored a bit earlier!

“I don’t care when they come, as long as they do.

“I’m pleased for him because he’s a quiet boy, and he’s working very hard at his game at the minute.

“He’s an asset and he’s certainly done that for me in two of our four games so far.

“He has experienced the derby on a few occasions. He knows what it feels like to score against Rangers.

“And these are the games people remember. These are the games where you write your name in the annals of the club, so hopefully he has plenty more to write.

“Can he score more? That may come, and his all-round play might get better as well. But we’re talking about a player who’s nowhere near his peak yet.

“He has 18 goals already this season, which is a healthy return, and in the modern game – the way prices are going everywhere else – then £9-million, £10-million? It’s not a lot of money.

“It is for us, obviously, but we’re hoping to get that back over the years with what he produces for us.”

The Hoops have concerns about the fitness of Kieran Tierney, who had a reaction in training on Friday.

In contention for places are Tom Rogic, Olivier Ntcham, and Filip Benkovic, all of whom have been back in training for the last two weeks.

“I’ll be guided by the medical team,” said Lennon. “I’ll get their advice and we’ll go with that.”