KIERAN BUILDING STELLAR CAREER
KT’s staying grounded as he bids to cement status
KIERAN TIERNEY reckons he’d be a bricklayer if he wasn’t building an impressive career with Celtic and Scotland.
Parkhead’s terrific teenager is fast becoming a hero of the fans but he’s as modest as he is talented.
Some 19-year-olds are swanning around driving sports cars and carrying designer man bags.
Tierney’s still happy to lug supermarket bags and gets redfaced at the prospect of people taking his picture in Tesco.
The full-back is so grounded he could have cement in his boots – which could in fact have been the case had he not gone on to star against the likes of Manchester City in the Champions League.
Tierney, who has three caps, said: “I want to remember my roots – my best friends when I was five years old are still my best friends now.
“I have a good group of people around me and that definitely helps. After games we don’t talk too much about football, just normal life stuff. ‘What time are you going on the PlayStation?’ Things like that.
“It is no different from what it would be if I had a normal job. My pals are doing apprenticeships. They get up earlier than me and get home at 5pm or 6pm.
“That is another reason why I need to realise how lucky I am. If football hadn’t worked for me I think I would have been a brickie.
“I did construction at school. I wasn’t mad smart, just normal. I think I would have gone to college then on to an apprenticeship.
“Everyone says you always need to stick in at school for the back-up plan. When you are younger you never really think about it because it’s just football, football, football. But the older you get the more you realise you do need something.
“What the Lisbon Lions achieved was brilliant and for them to have had to go out and get jobs just shows you. Times have changed but they are all so down to earth for what they achieved. It’s amazing to speak to them and be around them.” Tierney is no Lisbon Lion but as far as his generation of Celtic supporters go the youngster who has grown
up in Muirhouse is a bona fide hero. Not that he’ll get used to the attention as he added: “There are people who want to speak with you but there is no one being bad.
“They are happy for you and congratulate you. That’s going to happen when you are from my area and you are a Celtic fan. It’s good, I don’t mind it at all.
“I don’t think about it too much. Sometimes when you’re in Tesco you get people coming up and taking pictures of you.
“Sometimes you can see people sneaking a picture but you just need to make sure you do not have a mouthful of food.”
Any family would be proud to have a child with Tierney’s attitude. Dad Michael is always in the crowd, including at Tynecastle on Sunday as Celtic wrapped up six in a row with a 5-0 win over Hearts.
He took his son to watch games when he had barely started school and now he’s in the first team.
Tierney said: “I saw my mum and dad at the start of the game when I went out for the warm-up. You couldn’t miss my dad in his big green T-shirt.
“I know my dad is so proud, him and my mum. All my family are always there, my friends as well. Knowing they are all there is a great support. I don’t know if my dad has words for it all. Obviously you
want it to happen when you are young but it is difficult. I am lucky enough to be where I am just now. One of my dad’s quotes was to treat every game, every training session, like a cup final – give 100 per cent.
“My dad drilled that into me when I was young and I take it to this day. I don’t want to lose a minute on the pitch. I just want to give my all – all the time.
“I work on all my weaknesses and stuff I can improve upon. My right foot, my heading, I work with John Kennedy every day on these things.
“My dad told me how proud he was after he had a few beers on Sunday night – we had that chat then. It was a great day with the convincing way we won it. It means the same to me as it does to all the fans who were at the game.
“The league is really important for everyone and winning it is brilliant. It’s my second time and I feel really lucky.
“He does tell me how proud I make the family. You kind of know that anyway with them all being Celtic fans.
“It’s great knowing I can make them proud because I wouldn’t be where I am just now without them all. My dad always says, ‘I’ll be your driver, I’ll be your driver !’
“He’s hopeless. I will always be my own driver.”