Former Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney has been speaking about the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox on Sunday and also looking back at his own memories of playing in this fixture. It’s a derby that stands above anything he’s subsequently experienced on English and Spanish football.
Non on loan at Real Sociedad in the beautiful Basque country close to the French border and the lovely seaside town of Biarritz, Tierney will be tuning in to the match, presumably via Celtic TV. And with Brendan Rodgers and John Kennedy in charge, he’s confident that the Bhoys can go to Ibrox, even without the backing of the away Celtic support, and get a result.
“It promises to be an incredible match,” KT told Scottish Sun. “I really hope for a Celtic win, but I know how difficult it is going to Ibrox. It will be even tougher without any fans but they have done it before — and I’ve got every faith in them.
“Brendan’s a great manager who has a fantastic derby record. He knows what it takes to win at Ibrox.
I know how important John Kennedy is. He is an amazing coach. I’ve seen it first-hand. He helped me massively — and I know there are numerous other players at Celtic who will say the same. I don’t think the team could have two better people in charge. They will keep the players calm and focused.”
Tierney recalls the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to theRangers at Hampden in April 2016 that opened the door to Rodgers to join the club the next month and go on to win back-back trebles under his guidance before Neil Lennon took over and Celtic’s silverware winning streak ended after an astonishing quadruple treble was achieved. Twelve trophies in a row was some payback for losing a penalty shoot-out.
“These derby games are crazy. The 2016 defeat was a huge moment. From that Brendan came in and in the years after that Celtic won a quadruple Treble. I remember his team-talk before the game against (the)Rangers at Parkhead the next season. He said, ‘Just remember how you felt after the game at Hampden’.
“My favourite win over (the)Rangers was the one that clinched the league. We won 5-0 at Parkhead. To win the title against our biggest rivals was amazing. I’m proud of my record against (the)Rangers. The only thing I didn’t achieve was a goal.”
“This fixture is different. The other derbies I’ve played in are special. But none of them have the same edge as Celtic v (the)Rangers.”
ON CELTIC SHORTS…Kieran Tierney – Enjoying his football in La Liga, loving life in San Sebastián
