Referee Willie Collum must be strong says Celtic manager Neil Lennon
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has admitted that referee Willie Collum will have to be 'strong' ahead of the Old Firm game at Parkhead on Sunday, 24 October.
Collum will referee his first Celtic versus Rangers match, and Lennon is unsure whether he will be able to cope with the pressure.
"I would say that refereeing an Old Firm game at any time is difficult, but when it is your first one, he might be a wee bit extra nervous."
Celtic and Rangers have both had perfect starts to the season. Both of the Old firm teams have won all their games, and Rangers are only topping the table due to their superior goal difference.
As a result, Lennon feels that the match has taken on more importance, but the manager denies putting extra pressure on Collum.
"We are not putting any extra pressure on him, from our point of view. We don't want to do that. I just hope he has a strong game."
But the former Celtic player admitted that the intensity, noise and pressure would not be what Collum was used to.
"Nothing prepares you for an Old Firm game, [this is] definitely a special game in the calendar and there is just a wee bit more riding on this one because of the start both teams have made."
Lennon stated that a number of decisions went against his side in the Old Firm the previous season, and that he was hoping that a repeat could be avoided.
"We felt aggrieved at some of the decisions that went against us last year, so we hope that he has a good game and makes the right decisions."
Collum will have a tough day’s work ahead of him as he tries to control a game that is currently one of the most heated rivalries in world football.
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