IT'S not too much of a stretch to suggest Kieran Tierney is the best left-back at Celtic since the man who lived a goalline clearance from his home, none other than Tommy Gemmell, was in his pomp.
What is it with the Motherwell area and that football club? The amount of players to genuinely grace the Hoops from that part of Lanarkshire is a ridiculous number. It’s nice to see some traditions being kept up.
They never met, which is a shame, because young Tierney would surely have been favourite of big Tam, given his liking for attacking down the left wing, his love of a tackle and the fact he’s a local lad done extremely good.
Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown cautiously eyes up invincibles season
Friday will be the Celtic supporters last chance to say goodbye to another Lion, it’s beyond sad to think there are only seven still with us, but football carries on and, in the current left-back, those who will pay tribute to a great player cans see this 19-year-old is something special. Not just in the way he plays but also by how he conducts himself.
“Tommy was a great full-back and is a legend at this club,” said Tierney. “Tommy was from around my area too, he grew up just across the bridge from where I’m from. Everybody around my area is sad about his death.
“It’s not just Celtic fans, it’s Scottish football fans overall, and that just shows how much of a legend he was. Unfortunately I never got the chance to meet him but I know what he was all about. I know how important he is to this club and he’ll be a hero here forever.
"I grew up listening to my dad and others in my family talking about Tommy Gemmell and it meant a lot to me as he was a left-back. It’s such a sad loss. He was just such a great player when you think about what he did for the club and the goals he scored as a full-back. It’s amazing. I think about he scored in the big games as a full-back and it’s something which is just very, very special.”
Tierney hadn’t known Gemmell has got 63 goals for Celtic “if I got 63 shots from left back I’d be happy” but there is little Celtic history which has escaped someone who was given his first season ticket at the age of four. However, he is careful not to talk up making history.
Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown cautiously eyes up invincibles season
Nobody mentions the Treble, or if they do it is to dismiss the notion preferring instead to concentrate on the next match, which just so happens to be Rangers. The invincible season, while spoken about among supporters, is not for public discussion from those in the dressing room.
However, it can’t be ignored that on the 50th anniversary of Lisbon, Celtic could win everything and go through the domestic season unbeaten.
“That team is what this club is all about,” said Tierney. “This year is very important given it’s the 50th anniversary. I’ve said it before but what they’ve done will live on forever. Even in 100 years, or 200, years they’ll always be there for what they did because it’ll never be done again.
“They deserve everything they get. They’re top class people and when I see any of them around the stadium or the training ground you feel motivated even just by speaking to them for a couple of minutes. You always feel better after it.”
Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown cautiously eyes up invincibles season
Everyone at Celtic would feel better if they win on Sunday. That would be four wins out of four from the Glasgow derby as Tierney described the game - you won’t catch him saying Old Firm – with two still to go.
“I don’t know if nervous would be the word, probably excited more than anything,” said Tierney when asked how he felt about the upcoming game.
“I think everybody does get a little bit of pre-match nerves but that’s good, it’s not a bad thing, as you want those nerves in games like this.
“I was probably more nervous as a fan. I remember going to all the games and you are just dead excited. That is the word every Celtic fan would use for these games."
When you hear about bookies offering the longest ever odds on a Rangers win in this fixture, and some from the blue side of the divide admitting a narrow defeat would do for them, you do wonder if there was even the slightest chance of Celtic taking a win for granted.
Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown cautiously eyes up invincibles season
“We’re in a good position, obviously, but it’s not easy,” said Tierney. “We’ve worked hard to get where we are and we still need to keep working hard, there’s nothing won yet, there are still games to go.
“So we’re just looking to train hard every day and do what we do on the pitch.”
That will be a no then.
Kieran Tierney helped to launch Celtic’s new matchday prize draw worth £25,000 to the winner of a golden ticket on Sunday
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