WATCHING Neil Lennon’s press conference yesterday (if you haven’t watched it yet you find it at the end of this article) he was asked a question from the media. The usual who’s on the sick and who’s on the mend ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s clash with Aberdeen.
The answer at first was welcoming. Kieran Tierney is training and is in line for selection.
It’s quite a turnaround for a player we were told recently is going to have to go under the knife for a double hernia operation. Except that was what we were told today. Not what we’ve been told previously.
In fact the club have seemed quite cagey up to now as to the extent of the injury (or injuries). So much so that when we were told he’d be unlikely to play again this season it wasn’t a massive surprise, almost a relief a long drawn out process had a diagnosis and and end to it.
He’s missed a lot of the season after all and we’ve never heard anyone from the club say, or the player himself state that he’s been injury free. Not a word of it since Early December, even when he returned to the side last week in February it seemed to be a case of let’s wait and see.
Suddenly now however he’s popped down the road to see a specialist and it’s just a fairly routine procedure after all.
Up to now we’ve had rumour and conjecture aplenty revolving around hip, pelvis and groin problems and I don’t remember anyone saying it was a double hernia until now.
In fact such an operation is so run of the mill it can be concluded from operation to training in the space of 4 weeks. Also would such an operation really require the advice of a London specialist rather than a diagnosis from our own club doctor?
Maybe I’m being overly analytical of nothing at at all, due to the value Kieran brings to the side. He’s a vital component to how we play and although we do have some form of cover in Izaguirre, it’s a massive loss to the side when Kieran isn’t bombing up and down that touchline especially at the business end of the season.
You see this is my issue, why we don’t have him for the business end of the season.
We went to Ibrox on 29 December and Kieran was on the bench but effectively he was posted missing then. We were told he was resting and hoping said rest would cure the difficulty.
He’d been missing basically since the start of December. Izaguirre played at the time, 8 December a 5-1 win at home to Kilmarnock.
Kieran did return in the midweek. He played against Salzburg in a 2-1 home defeat but struggled in the game. He was missing again in the 2-0 away defeat at Hibs, and questions begin.
Brendan Rodgers advised “Kieran has had a hip issue which was feeling sore after the other night.” Rodgers admitted to Celtic TV. That’s where the hip rumours began.
We don’t see Kieran Tierney as he ‘rests’ through 3-0 home wins against Motherwell and Dundee, a 4-3 Boxing Day victory at Pittodrie, then the horrible 1-0 defeat at Ibrox.
At this point we hit the winter break, we are warm weather training and football is shut down from 29 December until 19 January.
At this juncture if it was only a hernia operation and only likely to take 4 weeks from incision to training ground, it’s the perfect opportunity to have that specialist see it, diagnose it, do it and offer the advice on recovery to Celtic’s medical team.
You see when we come back we have 4 home games starting with the Scottish Cup against Airdrie, which was never likely to be a challenge then 3 home league games. St Mirren (4-0) Hamilton (3-0) and St Johnstone a tougher game but one we could still have got away with, and we did we won 2-0. Benefit of hindsight I know.
That would have given almost the whole of December to ascertain the problem, the winter break to have the operation and be back training by the end of January, within a couple of weeks he could have been match fit. Ready for that business end of things.
Tierney didn’t play in any of these games anyway as he was resting that ‘hip’ injury that Rodgers told us about or God knows what it is by now.
In fact Tierney doesn’t return to the side until a 4-1 home win against Motherwell on 24 February.
So did the rest clear up the hip injury? Is this double hernia a new injury? What about the Pelvic injury rumours? The papers even reported his 10 week lay off as a Groin problem, calf injuries mentioned too. How many injuries has he had?
A lot of awkward silences with journalists filling in the gaps? Possibly but this plays on the minds of supporters (well OK this one).
Has the whole situation been just that the injury has been mis-managed? Perhaps the player simply wanted to avoid the op and we are where we are because it was simple uncertainty on everyone’s part. It’s all guess work, but I have niggling doubts and I doubt I’m the only one.
My real worry/paranoia, is there is a long term concern here, the club are seeking further advice and perhaps it’s something we should be worried about. My own mind rambling perhaps.
Is it an injury that in truth will need to be ‘managed’ long term, that an operation isn’t the answer?
Is it that there isn’t an operation that can solve it, or one that should be avoided and visited as a last resort as it will mean a lengthy time out and recuperation will be lengthy with no guarantees of it being successful? See without clarification the mind fills in the gaps and I’m a bit obsessive like that.
Or indeed did the rest from Salzburg in December to Motherwell on 24 February clear it up and the double hernia is an unlucky second injury and I’m suffering with delusions, paranoia or at least unnecessary concern? Possibly.
To take the reports now on face value, Kieran still requires a double hernia op. He will need an operation on that, that at least has now been confirmed.
So why on earth are we moving from out for the season, to ready for selection?
Why is Kieran now feeling better about it an able to manage it when a couple of weeks ago his season was over?
Are we taking proper care of Kieran Tierney here? Are we giving the player too much of a say, should we be protecting him from himself? Ahhhh!
We need 1 point from 3 games to win the league. We’ll get that with or without Kieran Tierney so why risk it?
Is it the player himself who want to play to have a chance of selection for the Scottish Cup Final to be part of that historic Treble Treble?
If so we need to get a hold of this situation and start managing it. We need to protect him from himself and one of our most valuable assets for an early start to to next season where we can ill afford to risk time without him.
Hearts in the Cup final could well be a historic moment, but is it worth gambling on the career of arguably our prize asset? I don’t believe it is. It’s far too risky. I want him fit and playing for the next 10 years not playing Russian roulette with a Cup final against a team we should be dealing with, with or without him.
Even if all the rest of my paranoid ramblings and worries are just that, there really is no point in risking him now, at Ibrox or even in the Scottish Cup final.
Get the operation for the double hernia done and get Kieran Tierney away from the decision please.
If we do it this week or next he could start pre-season and be good to go.
Risk further aggravation or fresh injury as he attempts to ‘manage’ it and we could start the qualifiers without him and the start of the 9 without him.
That to me is much more concerning than missing a Celtic legend for what is one game.
I’m going for a lie down.
Niall J
Here’s Neil Lennon’s media conference from yesterday as promised above…
