EFE AMBROSE insists Neil Lennon can inspire Hibs to victory over old club Celtic – with just one look from the dugout.
The Easter Road outfit, with former Celts in Ambrose, manager Lennon, striker Anthony Stokes and midfielder Dylan McGeouch, will become the latest to try to put an end to the Hoops’ domestic dominance on Sunday.
It would be a victory to savour for the capital side, who pushed the champions extremely close in their 2-2 draw at Parkhead in September.
However, Ambrose believes a fear of failure will motivate Hibs as much as thoughts of going down in the history books as the team to defeat the ‘invincibles’.
The Nigeria internationalist said: “Records are meant to be broken and if we break their run on Sunday, well, we will deserve it because I know it will not be easy. We can’t just walk on the pitch, we will have to earn it.
“We will have to work hard for it and run for it because playing against Celtic, in the kind of form they are in and where they are in the league, despite their form in Europe, which everyone knows is not good enough, they are still Celtic.
“We have played them twice and hopefully we have learned from our mistakes in those games and we will work hard to see if we can correct those mistakes.
“If we can do that then we can take Celtic to the line and give them a good game on Sunday.”
Ambrose, who turned last season’s loan spell from Celtic into a permanent deal in the summer, played under Lennon at Parkhead for two years and is revelling in the Hibs boss’s strict managerial style.
THINK TWICE
The 29-year-old defender added: “When you play under Lennon you have to be at your best in every game, at training, discipline wise, everything. He does not tolerate nonsense.
“When you are training, you are training and when you are playing, you play at your best.
“Because, when the team is not doing well, you look at the bench and at his face and think of seeing it again in the dressing room, and you think twice about what are you going to face!
“That’s the mentality for every game – to win every game – and that’s what he is trying to put in to the team. It’s his style of playing and managing and he won’t change; he is still Neil Lennon.
“That helps me, the squad, everybody, because we know in every game we play we have to be at our best. If not you have him to contend with.”
