I feared the worst after horror tackle
Rodgers calls for Desso pitch to keep his Celts flying as Kieran suffers
KIERAN TIERNEY admits he feared serious injury after an X-rated tackle by Motherwell’s Ryan Bowman.
The Celtic full-back was left bloodied and scarred after the Steelman’s shocking knee-high challenge during the weekend clash at Parkhead.
Tierney, left, who along with Moussa Dembele was being assessed by senior Arsenal scout Brian McDermott during his team’s 2-0 win, has recently returned from three months out with a broken ankle and shoulder trouble.
But after being left in a crumpled heap on the touchline by Bowman’s barrage, the 19-year-old says nightmare thoughts of
KIERAN TIERNEY got a closeup of the rutted Parkhead pitch when he lay crumpled on it after being floored by a nightmare tackle from Motherwell’s Ryan Bowman.
But while the Celtic left-back managed to recover, the surface is beyond repair.
And Tierney has echoed the sentiments of his manager Brendan Rodgers by insisting that improvements made to the park will only enhance performances of the players and keep the Hoops on top of Scottish football.
It wasn’t just 26 sets of studs which battered the pitch at the weekend but there was a severe rebuke from the boss.
Rodgers is not at all enamoured with the state of the playing surface on his own patch, despite seeing his team extend their
CRAIG SWAN
unbeaten domestic record to 31 games by sinking Motherwell in Glasgow’s East End.
Celtic have won every domestic game they’ve played on the turf this season but the boss isn’t happy at the bare and rough nature of the deteriorating park and wants it dug up and replaced by a more modern set-up.
Tierney admitted it’s becoming an issue and said: “We’re coping well with the pitch but it’s not in the best condition it has been. Hopefully it can get better.
“Would it be worth paying the money for a new one? Yeah.
“It helps you play football and move the ball faster. If that happened, there would only be benefits. We just want the best conditions possible
and I’m sure the groundsmen are working hard to do that.”
Rodgers has already discussed the issue with club chiefs and has laid out plans for a state-of-the-art Desso surface to be installed.
Used by the big clubs south of the border, the hybrid mixture of real grass infused with artificial strands prevents a pitch turning bare and bobbly.
Rodgers demands fast football and is adamant his team are being hampered at the moment in the confines of their own home.
He also had similar issues with the state of the Anfield pitch during his time at Liverpool and has outlined his position to the Parkhead hierarchy.
He said: “It’s a concern for me. When we’re trying to entertain supporters and play a level of game, the pitch is vital. But we’ll get it organised, we’ll get it sorted I’m sure. Hopefully the pitch could go down in the summer. That’s what we should do.
“It’s an old pitch here so we need to modernise the field. We go away to some grounds and play better because the pitch is better.
“Our players have to deal with a real difficult pitch.
“Technically they’re having to make sure they take a touch before they get it under control.
“They can’t play first time. This here slows us down. We need a Desso.
“The players did remarkably well, considering the level of the pitch is poor. Some of our football was good on what is a very
difficult field.” Rodgers also
BRENDAN RODGERS
took the view that the surface was the reason for the brutal tackle that left Hoops startlet Tierney face down on it in agony. Bowman clattered him knee high during the second period and the Parkhead boss said: “The challenge was a result of the pitch. The ball pops up and the player makes a challenge on the back of that. “It didn’t look good but I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the player that he didn’t mean it.” It’s not ideal for Celtic but right now they may have to dig pitches up completely to stop the champions and Treble chasers winning matches. Rodgers’ team may not have sparkled on Saturday but they still did the business to extend their stunning sequence for 2016-17. With 31 games played in domestic competition this term, Celtic have won 30 and drawn one. They have won the last 25 matches in domestic competition and will have the title won before the middle of next month barring any stumbles.
Naturally, talk has been turning to invincible tags.
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee said after the game that he could see Celtic going through the rest of the season undefeated.
But Rodgers’ team have 13 league matches and potentially three in the Scottish Cup to negotiate if they are to seal that landmark record and Tierney insists there is no one in the camp looking that far down the line.
He said: “It’s just one game at a time as I always say. We take it day by day and work hard in training. You can’t think about the unbeaten run too much.
“It would just add pressure to your game and that’s the one thing we don’t want just now – extra pressure.
“We’ll just keep doing what we have been doing each week and hopefully we will keep winning every game.
“It’s tough when teams come and sit in against us but we got another three points against Motherwell and another clean sheet so it’s all positive.
“Are teams settling for narrow defeats? I’m not in their dressingroom so I don’t know. “Teams will look at other sides and look at how they shape up against us if they do well. “We just need to deal with every team coming to Celtic Park and adapt if need be.”
We go away to some grounds and play better because their pitch is better