KIERAN TIERNEY has opened up on the abuse that he received from some sections of the Celtic support following his £25m move to Arsenal last summer. Speaking to Open Goal’s Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast, Tierney spoke about how he couldn’t believe some of the abuse that he was receiving about the proposed move.
The left-back made over 170 appearances for Celtic, winning five league titles and three League Cups and Scottish Cups during his time whilst enjoying hero status with supporters as being ‘one of us’. This ruffled a few feathers when he accepted a life changing move to Arsenal – resulting in abuse on social media from some people. Tierney opened up about it and how it affected him.
“It was just sad the way it ended. People turning and all that. Some people make it out to be what it’s not and it’s not that at all.
“Weeks before when Arsenal had bid people were like that ‘you’re a rat if you go, you’re terrible, you’re never a Celtic fan. I’m like ‘this is breaking my heart reading this’ and as soon as this gets announced it’s going to blow up.
“And the worst thing I did when it got announced was go on Twitter. Thousands of tweets, threats and all sorts. When I went home two days later after signing, there was spray paint on the walls, ‘Judas’ outside my bit.”
Tierney is a product of Celtic’s Academy and a lifelong supporter but his sale is also part of the club’s business plan. Produce and sell top talent and reinvest – whether they always do this is debatable but Tierney was a top servant and is welcome back anytime.
“I was on the flight near enough greeting to my agent like ‘what’s happening here? I’m getting it stinking. This is going to be my family’s life forever, me known as what these people are making me out to be.’
“They don’t know half of it, they just assume everything and they don’t know.”
The sad reality is that there is a section of society that believe that abuse can be dished out on social media when people hide behind profiles with zero repercussion.
