Kieran Tierney

Today's interview
https://streamable.com/xcela



KIERAN Tierney said he never could have imagined he would reach 100 games with his boyhood club as the Hoops star reflected on his remarkable career so far after picking up the Premiership Player of the Month award for October.

The 20-year-old spoke to the media at Lennoxtown today (Thursday) where he discussed how much the Player of the Month Award meant to him.

“This is my first Player of the Month Award so I’m delighted with it,” he said. “I couldn’t do it without the boys. It’s obviously a hard thing to get because you need to perform in every game.

“I need to keep working hard, though, just as I always have. I’m focused going into training every day, focused on trying to impress and then play well at the weekend.”

The 20-year-old defender is set to make his 100th appearance this Saturday as Brendan Rodgers' side take on Ross County in Dingwall. His debut came against Dundee back in April 2015 at Dens Park and since then he has established himself as a first-team regular.

“I don’t think I could have imagined I’d be where I am now,” he said. “It’s totally crazy. I couldn’t have believed I’d be playing with my boyhood club then. And to play 100 games with Celtic is just amazing.

“I want to be playing as much as I can. I know what it’s like to be injured for a few months and it’s a horrible feeling. When all these games are coming thick and fast it’s hard, but you want to be playing in every one of them. That’s what every player wants and at Celtic that’s what you have to do.

“We try not to talk about the unbeaten record too much. Obviously, on the day, the team-talk touched on what we could achieve and how we could go down in history. It was great for us to do that and we’ll be looking to kick on again.”

He added: “The record stood for 100 years so it’s obviously not easy. I think the boys and the management deserve great credit.”

If Celtic are to continue their unbeaten run they will have to overcome Ross County on Saturday in a match which Tierney is expecting to be difficult.

“It’ll be another tough game for us," he said. "They always make it tough for you up there. We’re looking forward to it and hopefully we can go there and play well. We’re confident and we’ll be looking to keep going. We’ve come back fresh and have been training well so we’re ready to go.”

 

BRENDAN Rodgers was delighted to see Kieran Tierney rewarded for the consistency of his performances in the Hoops by being named Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month Award.

The 20-year-old defender is poised to make his 100th appearances for Celtic this weekend, and has returned to training at Lennoxtown this week on the back of captaining Scotland for the first time, in the friendly match at Pittodrie against The Netherlands.

And the Celtic manager praised both the young Celt’s performances and his attitude on a daily basis in training.

“Kieran thoroughly deserves the award,” said the Hoops boss. “He’s been outstanding, and he’s developing very well.

“He’s such low-maintenance. He’s a good boy, but you still know he’s about. He’s not quiet and shrinking in the corner. He’s got great spirit for a young guy. He’s got good banter and he’s good in amongst the group as well, but he’s very focused when he works.

“He comes out clearly every day to train and improve, and he takes that into his game, and how he plays in the games is how he trains every single day, so he’s a joy to manage.

“As a coach, I’ve always liked to work with players who are hungry, players that are coachable, and players that want to learn, and Kieran ticks the boxes in all three of those areas.”

Brendan Rodgers has already entrusted the responsibility of the captaincy to Tierney on two occasions this season – the 5-0 victory over Kilmarnock in the League Cup back in August and the 1-0 league win against Dundee in October.

So the manager wasn’t surprised that the player took on the responsibility of captaining his country with characteristic calmness.

“It really typifies his growth and development really that, at 20 years of age, how he handled himself in that as well,” the Celtic boss said. “I’ve been so impressed with him just in terms of how he’s coped with everything.

“He hasn’t changed, he hasn’t got carried away. He still looks at the simplicity in his life, the basics of his life and he knows he needs to work hard, but he’s a very talented boy who’s a wonderful lad as well. He literally comes in every day to do is very, very best to get better.

“He’s very respectful. I’ve seen him mature as a young man over the 17 months I’ve been here. He’s a wonderful ambassador for Scottish football and he can be around for many years.

“His best position is left-back and if he plays left-back for Scotland that’s where they’ll gain the maximum out of a super talented young player, but what he has is that adaptability to play in different positions.

“He doesn’t waste his time doing stupid things. He comes in here every day to train, to work hard and he’s clearly been brought up with great values and he loves playing for Celtic.”

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/kierantierney1/status/931265080012017664

 

its his maws hoose, he bought the house for his parents, she should buy a new clock.

 

Has anyone made 100 games as young. Christ he could be getting for 1000 by the time he retires.

 

Kieran Tierney might be responsible for some dubious music choices in the Celtic dressing room – an 80s remix blasted out of the Hampden dressing room last season was deemed to be his handiwork – but on the pitch he could hardly be any more in key.

The 20-year collected the Ladbroked Player of the Month award this week, surprisingly the first time he has taken the accolade, to cap a month in which he also captained his country for the first time.

This afternoon in Dingwall the defender will make his 100th senior appearance for Celtic, a remarkable achievement given the fact he is barely out of his teens.

To put the landmark in context, it was put to Tierney that Hoops legend Danny McGrain, who went on to make 679 appearances for Celtic, was two-and-a-half years older than Tierney when he made his debut for the club.

“That’s mad,” he grinned.

To be fair to Tierney, much of his life seems mad these days.

Invited backstage this week by singer Jake Bugg, whom the youngster has been a fan of his since childhood, was a further indication of the status he has given the manner in which he has risen to prominence at Celtic.

And yet despite the bright lights and the off-field allure of what comes with his recently discovered celebratory status in Glasgow, Tierney retains a boy-next-door manner about him.

Childhood pals and haunts remain a key feature of his life away from Celtic with the usual exploits of playstation contests and dinners out with mates keeping him grounded.

“My parents and my sister have always been there for me and every time I’ve been injured and come out of hospital my friend Jamie has come round to stay with me, keep me company and take my mind off it,” he said.

“We’ve been pals since nursery school, which is why he’s in so many photographs with me. I’ve had the same friends since the very start and I think that’s important.

“Obviously, I’ll meet new people along the way but I’m conscious of keeping a core of my old friends.

“Things have happened so fast.

“It’s everything I have always wanted, to play with Celtic and be known. It is what I have always worked for.

“The first couple of times people ask you for pictures outside you are buzzing. But other than that, things have gone so fast.

“I’ve not really been told I don’t have to pay for meals or the like. I would like some freebies! But no, nothing is for free in life. I have worked that one out.”

There is one down side of being a footballer when everyone else is at their work.

“I’m texting my pals at half three or four o’clock asking if anyone is ready for Call of Duty,” laughed Tierney. “But they are all working until five! I am home earlier than them. I can go for a wee nap before they come home.”

Front row seats and tickets to the big events are just one of the perks of Tierney’s job and he has enjoyed sharing the love with those around him.

“I’ve followed Jake Bugg for years and he is a big football fan,” said Tierney who repsented the singer with a signed Celtic top. “He said I was doing well and we’ve kept in contact for the last year or so, he’s a big Notts County fan so he grateful for what Callum McGregor did when he went down there.

“I did ask him [to come to Celtic Park]. I said to him that it is an unbelievable place because everyone knows the atmosphere. He asked for a signed top and we gave him that, so hopefully he is a Celtic fan now.

“Honestly, he was brilliant. So down to earth. It was the first time I had met him, having spoken to him a few times. He was brilliant with me and my friends.

“My mates are all buzzing for front row seats, free seats, free tickets. It’s brilliant for them and anything I can do for my family is great, it’s changed everybody’s life and making everyone around me proud is the best thing.

“My dad talks about football all the time but with my friends it’s different, we speak about norm al stuff, what you are doing, what you are up to, here you are going for food, what you’ve got on the playstation. Stuff like that takes your mind away from football.

“You need that, you need a wee thing to get away from it and when I’m with my friends I do that.”

For Tierney, tomorrow’s game might mark a century of appearances but he is taking nothing for granted.

“This time last year I was going around with a plaster on my leg and wearing a shoulder brace for two months,” he said.

“So now, when we have a busy schedule of games - like the one coming up – you don’t moan; you just want to be available to play in all of them.”

 

To put the landmark in context, it was put to Tierney that Hoops legend Danny McGrain, who went on to make 679 appearances for Celtic, was two-and-a-half years older than Tierney when he made his debut for the club.


Wow!
Wonder what figure of Celtic apps KT will finally reach?

 

Ballbhoy to Captain

7 Academy

10 Coached by Naka

12 Ballbhoy

14 St Ninian’s HS Partnership

17 Debut

18 Scotland Debut

19 Invincible Treble

20 100 First Team games

9 Scotland Caps

Captained Club & Country
https://mobile.twitter.com/CelticGoals/status/931865975741452288/video/1

 

Kieran enjoyed the goal today

 

Gardyne is fairly quick whenever I've seen him but KT was lightening against him and the right back Fraser..

 

100 appearances and was injured for quite a while last year!!

 

Brendan on KT


He never has a bad game. He’s at least 7 or 8 out of 10 every time he plays. He then goes into 9 and 10 out of 10 sometimes."

 

Brendan Rodgers also spoke about Kieran Tierney’s form as the 20-year-old full-back made his 100th appearance in the Hoops.

“He never has a bad game,” the manager said. “He’s at least seven or eight-out-of-10 every time he plays. He then goes into nine and 10-out-of-10 sometimes. He’s so full of enthusiasm and he’s a wonderful young talent. He always concentrates and he’s developing very well so I couldn’t be happier for him.”

 

Kieran speaking with Celtic TV
https://mobile.twitter.com/celticfc/status/931961466965540864/video/1

 

I just knew he would be in the dressing room teaching them the Lustig song.

 

Would you expect anything less.