Neil Lennon claims past Celtic side would beat current one as he makes Ange Postecoglou prediction

Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has predicted that Ange Postecoglou will preside over another “long period of dominance” for his old club.

Speaking on PLZ, Lennon is convinced that the Australian won’t be enticed away in the short-term from Glasgow, where he is looking to end his second season with a treble that would take his trophy tally to five in two seasons. The Irishman, a treble-winning player and manager at the Parkhead club he served for almost a decade-and-a-half across three stints, believes Postecoglou will be keen to create the legacy that a string of those at the Celtic helm have in this millennium.

Celtic are homing in on an 11th title in 12 years - Lennon manager for five of those - and he can’t see any good reasons for this pre-eminence to be challenged when Postecolgou appears to have found a spiritual home.

“I think he looks happy there,” said the 51-year-old. “There’s always speculation when a manager is doing really well. I think he bats off the speculation. I can’t speak for him and I’m speculating myself, but he looks really happy there and why wouldn’t he be? He’s brought in a lot of good players, he’s got a really attractive brand of football and he’s winning trophies. I think you’re looking at another long period of dominance from Celtic."

Neil Lennon played for Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era before going on to manage the club on two occasions. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

What Lennon doesn’t believe the club’s supporters are being offered up by Postecoglou’s stewardship is the finest modern-day Celtic side and one that eclipses the Martin O’Neill team he played in across the early 2000s – as has been suggested in some quarters. Matching that group, who reached the UEFA Cup final in 2003, isn’t possible for Postecoglou because he doesn’t have hundreds of millions to spend in the transfer market. The booty that would be required to attract the English top flight calibre of player that O’Neill was able to sign in Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Alan Thompson and Lennon himself. To add to a squad already containing Henrik Larsson. A period during which Celtic ended up operating with a wage bill that was the sixth largest in UK football. In contrast to the 25th ranking in the Postecoglou era.

"It’s a pub question and it’s hypothetical and I get it, but remember me Sutty, Alan Thompson and John Hartson were top players in the Premier League and we came this way,” Lennon said. "It wouldn’t happen these days. It’s like Ange going down and buying James Maddison or Ivan Toney for £40-50m. That was the bar that was set. Rangers were bringing in Tugay, Tore Andre Flo, Stefan Klos – a Champions League winner. We had Paul Lambert – Champions League winner. Add [Johan] Mjallby, Henrik [Larsson] – I think we’d be too powerful for them. If we were at our peak and they were at theirs, I think we’d be too powerful for them.”