Caz
2nd May 2007, 10:09 AM
Former Rangers defender Arthur Numan believes departing Celtic captain Neil Lennon will be a loss to Old Firm matches.
Lennon will play his last Glasgow derby on Saturday after announcing his Celtic exit last week.
The 35-year-old lifelong Hoops supporter has been a hate figure for some Rangers fans and has twice been sent off in Old Firm games.
The former Northern Ireland international had death threats daubed on the street outside his Glasgow home and the Rangers Supporters' Trust once hired a lip-reader to support their claims that Lennon had shouted sectarian abuse at Ibrox.
But Numan - who did not know at the time that his final derby in 2003 would be his last - feels Old Firm games need committed characters like Lennon.
The Dutchman said: "It's going to be a special moment for Neil. He has been a fantastic servant to Celtic.
"A lot of Rangers supporters never liked him but that is more to do with the kind of player he is.
"He is a winner and he does everything on the pitch to get a result.
"You need that kind of player, Neil Lennon playing for Celtic, Barry Ferguson playing for Rangers.
"They are quite similar, they are winners and it is always better to have them in your team than play against them."
Numan does not subscribe to the theory that the Ibrox game has little meaning after Celtic clinched the Bank of Scotland Premier League title.
"Every Old Firm game is a special game, you are always up for it," the former PSV Eindhoven star said.
"If you play at home to Celtic there is always pride and the players realise they need only one point to get second place.
"And maybe for next year they want to show Celtic they are strong enough to compete for the title.
"Rangers didn't win a trophy again this year and it's about time they started winning trophies again.
"It is so important to come second and have the chance to qualify for the Champions League.
"Not only for the players to test themselves against the best teams, but it is also very important financially for the club because otherwise the gap between Rangers and the top teams becomes bigger and bigger."
Numan has joined the growing band of admirers of fellow full-back Alan Hutton.
The former Holland player said: "He struggled in the first few weeks of the season, that is normal as a young player, one moment you have a good game and another week you struggle.
"But recently he has done extremely well. He plays with confidence, he plays on the overlap, he is putting some crosses in.
"I think he has been one of the most consistent players after December."
Lennon will play his last Glasgow derby on Saturday after announcing his Celtic exit last week.
The 35-year-old lifelong Hoops supporter has been a hate figure for some Rangers fans and has twice been sent off in Old Firm games.
The former Northern Ireland international had death threats daubed on the street outside his Glasgow home and the Rangers Supporters' Trust once hired a lip-reader to support their claims that Lennon had shouted sectarian abuse at Ibrox.
But Numan - who did not know at the time that his final derby in 2003 would be his last - feels Old Firm games need committed characters like Lennon.
The Dutchman said: "It's going to be a special moment for Neil. He has been a fantastic servant to Celtic.
"A lot of Rangers supporters never liked him but that is more to do with the kind of player he is.
"He is a winner and he does everything on the pitch to get a result.
"You need that kind of player, Neil Lennon playing for Celtic, Barry Ferguson playing for Rangers.
"They are quite similar, they are winners and it is always better to have them in your team than play against them."
Numan does not subscribe to the theory that the Ibrox game has little meaning after Celtic clinched the Bank of Scotland Premier League title.
"Every Old Firm game is a special game, you are always up for it," the former PSV Eindhoven star said.
"If you play at home to Celtic there is always pride and the players realise they need only one point to get second place.
"And maybe for next year they want to show Celtic they are strong enough to compete for the title.
"Rangers didn't win a trophy again this year and it's about time they started winning trophies again.
"It is so important to come second and have the chance to qualify for the Champions League.
"Not only for the players to test themselves against the best teams, but it is also very important financially for the club because otherwise the gap between Rangers and the top teams becomes bigger and bigger."
Numan has joined the growing band of admirers of fellow full-back Alan Hutton.
The former Holland player said: "He struggled in the first few weeks of the season, that is normal as a young player, one moment you have a good game and another week you struggle.
"But recently he has done extremely well. He plays with confidence, he plays on the overlap, he is putting some crosses in.
"I think he has been one of the most consistent players after December."