The Sorcerer vs The Apprentice – O’Neill and Lennon reunite for Celtic v Dunfermline at Hampden 25 Years On in Cup Final Fairytale

It’s yet another sub plot in a season littered with them, a season like no other for Celtic really.

This feels like the perfect way to round it all off.

The stars have a funny way of choosing when to align, Saturday is a prime example.

When the Celtic Manager chased Neil Lennon’s signature back in 2000, few could imagine the incredible impact, headlines – and of course – trophies that would follow.

In fact, it would be remiss to not point out many Celtic fans had reservations at the outlay Celtic were willing to pay for the then 29 year old from Leicester, let alone whether how he would fit into our team alongside Champions League winning Club Captain Paul Lambert.

Of course the Manager had no such worries, he had been his midfield lynchpin for years under a massively overachieving Leicester City side of the late 90’s.

Initially rebuffed in Martin O’Neill’s first summer at the club, the fee then was being quoted around £8m – the sort of price Celtic rarely are willing to outlay on a first team player in the present day.

O’Neill and Lennon lifted their first trophy a few months later – at Hampden – defeating Kilmarnock 3-0. Seeing both with silverware would become something we all became accustomed to going forward.

O’Neill won 3 out of his 5 League title campaigns in his first spell, agonisingly losing the League Championship on the final day in 2003 and 2005.

Lennon was made Captain when O’Neill departed and bagged another 2 League titles before departing for Nottingham Forest in 2007 as an absolute hero of the club.

They would both return though, with itches not quite scratched fully, with that same unrivalled winning mentality and provided further success to Celtic in management.

Lennon over 2 spells in the 2010’s in early 2020’s. O’Neill, remarkably, this season – 2025/26 – finishing as League Champion with a Double on the horizon tomorrow.

I loved Lennon as a player, the only player’s name I had on the back of a Celtic shirt once.

O’Neill remains my favourite Celtic Manager of my lifetime.

To say seeing the two go head to head is surreal, would be an understatement.

But I love it, it just adds to the fairytale element of being a Celtic fan.

O’Neill has shown, the Midas touch is ever lasting, or so it would seem. After the Wilfried Nancy debacle – could anyone see really that THIS Celtic side could go on and snatch the League title?

From subbuteo on the side, to serial winning with pride.

I was one of the rare voices who had a feeling we would still go on and win it even after Tannadice, when I featured on the Trinity Tims Podcast I pointed to O’Neills 15 domestic wins from 19 in his 2 spells as boss this season as Title winning form.

He won ALL of his next 7 League games.

I don’t and won’t get much right – so I am chuffed I kept the faith on this one!

There’s so much more to the success both have had other than just a winning mentality too, my eyes may have been lying to me but did O’Neill revert to his old school 2000/01 3-5-2 formation towards the end against Hearts?

I think he did!!

We will have our work cut out make no bones about it.

Dunfermline are rejuvenated under Lenny, defeating 3 Premiership teams en route to the Scottish Cup Final, as well as qualifying for the Championship playoffs where Partick Thistle narrowly edged them out.

If they can hold on to our former captain and manager, I am in no doubt we will be playing them 4 times a season in no time.

This truly is the Sorcerer vs The Apprentice, as their careers dovetail once again.

Just as there was some hesitancy in signing a 29 year old from Leicester in 2000, there was the same anxious feeling towards bringing a 6 years retired 73 year old as Manager in 2026.

Both smashed those doubts to smithereens.

Roll on the next (notice I didn’t say last – you just never know!) Chapter between 2 icons of Celtic this Saturday in the Scottish Cup Final.

Also I will say this on every article – Keep Your Eyes on the Board.

Editors note:

I’d like to welcome Russell or “Bhoycie” from the Bhoycie Bus, as most of you know him, to Read Celtic as our latest author. He joins Aodhán and myself on the site, as we look to grow the Read Celtic brand with quality writing and insights. We wish him all the best in his future journey with Read Celtic!

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