Here We Go Again…

Neil Lennon is looking forward to Flag Day at Paradise, and is aiming for his side to kick off the new league campaign with a win

- Paul Cuddihy

NEIL Lennon has experienced plenty of Flag Days at Celtic Park during his years as player and manager. He has savoured each one as much as the next, and that will be the same again this Saturday when the league flag is unfurled before the champions kick off their defence of the title with a home game against St Johnstone.

The occasion is an official recognition of the team’s achievement in securing last season’s Premiership title – the eighth in a row for the Hoops – and to make the day even more poignant, the Guests of Honour will be Liz McNeill and Sadie Chalmers, the wives of Celtic legends, Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers, both of whom sadly passed away earlier this year.

“It’s always a great occasion and it’s something that the players and the fans really look forward to,” the Celtic manager told the Celtic View. “I’m looking forward to it myself. It’s another day, particularly that moment, which will be full of emotion. It’s a great gesture by the club to invite Liz and Sadie to unfurl the flag and it’ll be great to see them both there.

“At the same time, it’s important that we start the season well and try and get a good platform there, allied to what we’re doing in Europe.

“Momentum is important, and regardless of the changes we intend to make in Estonia, we want to win the game to set us up nicely going into Saturday.

“St Johnstone have got a really good structure, a good defensive structure, and Tommy Wright is one of those managers that people keep writing off but he keeps bouncing back, and after a while, people sort of get him now and realise that he’s very good at what he does, and on a pretty tight budget.