Lennon: Why I feel an affinity to Liverpool
Neil Lennon's bond with Liverpool FC was forged by a love for Kenny Dalglish, sustained by Anfield visits and is as strong as ever today due to links with Brendan Rodgers and respect for Steven Gerrard.
Lennon will manage Bolton Wanderers at Anfield this evening as he attempts to steer the Championship outfit he took command of in October last year to a surprise fourth round victory in the FA Cup.
Growing up as a Celtic supporter in County Armagh, Lennon watched from afar as former Bhoys hero Dalglish dazzled supporters on the Spion Kop and thus an appreciation for Liverpool began to cultivate.
After stints at Glenavon and Manchester City, Lennon first visited Anfield as a player with Crewe Alexandra in 1990 before switching to Leicester City, where he enjoyed a further five trips to L4.
From the Foxes, the midfielder travelled north, following in the footsteps of manager Martin O'Neill as Lennon returned to his boyhood club, where he would enjoy a glittering seven-year spell.
Midway through his time in Glasgow, the Northern Irishman tasted success over Liverpool in the UEFA Cup fifth round, as Celtic beat the Reds 2-0 at Anfield in the return leg to secure their progress.
"Steven Gerrard played in both of those games," recalled Lennon, in conversation with Liverpoolfc.com. "We fortunately got over the line at Anfield and played very well.
"But when you talk about presence on the pitch, Stevie had it in abundance. There are so many superlatives that are thrown at Stevie, but he has certainly earned them over the years.
"He probably has the biggest shoulders in football, because he carried Liverpool for a long, long time. It's a shame when you see something so good come to an end. But I'm sure he will want to give his best week in, week out for the remainder of the season.
"I know the word 'legend' is bandied about a lot, but it certainly equates to Stevie. He's one of Liverpool's all-time greats and that's saying something when you think of the team they had back in the 1970s and 1980s.
"The biggest compliment you could pay to Stevie is that he could play for any team, anywhere, at any time. There are so many games you can go over, he dragged Liverpool through so many successes, sometimes on his own, single-handedly."
Lennon saw out his playing days with short stints at Nottingham Forest and Wycombe Wanderers, before returning to Celtic in 2010 as manager, in order to steer the Hoops to three league titles and two Scottish Cups.
He tried his hand at working in the media for a short time in 2014 after departing Parkhead, before the call came from Bolton in October that year - and now, the 43-year-old finds himself back at Anfield once again.
"It's going to be a cracker," said Lennon, looking ahead to today's late kick-off. "Anfield is one of my favourite venues. It holds a lot of happy memories for me as a kid growing up watching Liverpool.
"Kenny Dalglish was my hero and my inspiration growing up. Liverpool is a great club. I feel a sort of affinity to the club. Not just throughout my Leicester career, but during my time at Celtic as well. There was a good relationship between both of the clubs.
"So I'm very excited. Brendan has them playing well again, off the back of what was a phenomenal season last year. So we're under no illusions as to how difficult it's going to be."
Elaborating on the influence of Rodgers, who earlier this week sung his compatriot's praises at a Melwood press conference, Lennon was equally complimentary and keen to point out the Reds' recent resurgence.
"He's done a fantastic job," he said. "I think Brendan gave the supporters their faith back in the club. He gave them real belief, with the things that happened and the football that Liverpool played.
"Slowly but surely, you can see Liverpool starting to get back to the level they were at last season - and that's all down to Brendan. He handles himself really well. He keeps his cool, he never gets flustered and I think he's a real role model for a lot of managers."