Celtic chairman Ian Bankier compares current side to LIsbon Lions
Brendan Rodgers' current Celtic side have a "whiff" of the Lisbon Lions about them, according to chairman Ian Bankier.
Brendan Rodgers' current Celtic side have a "whiff" of the Lisbon Lions about them, according to chairman Ian Bankier.
On May 25, 1967, Jock Stein's Hoops became the first British side to capture the European Cup with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in Portugal's capital city.
The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Eva Bolander, hosted a civic reception at the City Chambers to mark the 50th anniversary of the achievement and Celtic representatives, including members of the Lisbon Lions, were in attendance.
Bankier drew favourable comparisons with Rodgers' side - who are unbeaten domestically since the start of the season and on the brink of a treble - and Stein's all-conquering team, recognised as the greatest to come out of Celtic Park.
"When you look at this team you get a kind of whiff of Lions about them," he said. "There is a togetherness which everybody notices and there is a confidence.
"The way the goalkeeper (Craig Gordon) participates in back passes, almost playing around with the opposition. There is real confidence there so there is a definite synergy there."
Bankier admits that Rodgers has more than matched the expectation of the Celtic board since taking over from Norwegian boss Ronny Deila last season.
The Northern Irishman guided the club into the Champions League, albeit they failed to get out of their group, and his side won 34 and drew four of their 38 Ladbrokes Premiership matches to clinch a sixth successive title.
And with the Betfred Cup already in the bag, Celtic will complete the clean sweep of honours in Scotland with a win over Aberdeen in Saturday's William Hill Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
"We are honest enough to say he has exceeded expectation," says Bankier. "He is a magnificent and interesting individual.
"The thing that has impressed me most of all is his work ethic, his attention to detail and that of his staff, and that instils into the team.
"You can see the difference between last season and this season and the way the same players play the game and it is all down to Brendan."
Bankier confirmed that the former Swansea and Liverpool boss will have money available to bolster his squad in the summer but expects only "some tinkering".
"There is money within the constraint of our self-sustaining model," he said. "Qualification for Europe a second time makes that money significantly better.
"It is very much Brendan's department as to what he wants and whether he is going to let anyone go. I don't expect wholesale revolution but I do expect some tinkering."