Killie wide man Thomas tipping Taylor to roar at Celtic and help fill Tierney void
DOM THOMAS would be amazed if Greg Taylor ever picked up a loud hailer to serenade the Celtic support. While he would never describe his former friend and ex-Kilmarnock team-mate as a big noise, he expects Taylor to make a decent fist of replacing Kieran Tierney in the affections of the Parkhead faithful.
The injury sustained by Boli Bolingoli in Thursday’s Europa League tussle with Rennes, means left-back Taylor is in line to make his first Celtic appearance three weeks after his deadline day transfer from Rugby Park.
While Taylor’s first task is to try and persuade Neil Lennon that he is worthy of regular selection ahead of Bolingoli, Thomas reckons the 21-year has the talent and the temperament to quietly prove himself a worthy successor to Tierney, now a £25million player following his transfer to Arsenal.
‘Greg is a good pal of mine and I’ve spoken to him since he went to Celtic. I was delighted for him, it’s a great move for him and his family. I hope he does really well there — just not against us. Kieran was a big fans’ favourite at Celtic but Greg is a bit quieter. He does his talking on the pitch.
‘Obviously, Kieran went to Arsenal for a lot more money but Greg can fill that left-back place no bother.
‘Boli Bolingoli has also been doing well and it will be up to the Celtic manager to decide, but Greg could step in and I am sure he can go and achieve whatever he wants.’
While Thomas hopes the combination of squad rotation and travel fatigue might give Killie a heightened chance of causing an upset this afternoon, he knows it would be pointless to single out the potential debutant for special treatment. Depending how Angelo Alessio sets up, he could even ask Thomas to go head to head with his old pal.
‘I know Greg and how he plays a bit better than other players, but if I’m up against him I would treat it like every other game.
‘Technically, Greg is very good on the ball and confident. He’s not the tallest but he will give you 100 per cent at all times.
‘A lot of teams tried to go aerial against him but he always dealt with that. He gave everything but he’s also very good in possession. I think that’s why he got his move.
‘He popped in to Rugby Park to say thanks to all the boys after moving. He was well liked around the place and is still held in high regard by everyone.’
While Taylor (below) will be unable to avoid comparisons with Tierney over the coming months, Thomas also sees parallels with Scotland captain Andy Robertson, who overcame rejection early in his career to progress to the status of Champions League winner with Liverpool.
While Robertson was released by Celtic for being too slight, Taylor suffered a similar let-down at Rangers, only to forge his career in Ayrshire.
With both Tierney and Robertson out injured, Taylor was handed a first Scotland cap by his former Killie boss Steve Clarke in June.
His calm performance against the team that sits first in the FIFA world rankings helped persuade Celtic to thrash out a deal ahead of the transfer deadline.
‘You look at Andy’s story and I hope it’s the same for Greg,’ continued Thomas. ‘He is tough and getting a knock earlier in his career was never going to stop him.
‘Hopefully it’s plain sailing for him now. There will be ups and downs, but I wish him all the best.
‘He is a good boy with good family behind him. I don’t see it being a problem for him to go and play for Celtic.
As much as Thomas, 23, wants his friend to succeed, he has his own interests to take care of today.
Alessio’s reign may have commenced in humiliation fashion thanks to a Europa League defeat to Connah’s Quay Nomads, but the Italian’s work has started to reap gains, with the team now on a four-game unbeaten run kicked off by Thomas’s matchwinning goal in a Betfred Cup tie against Hamilton. The signs are that the league leaders may need to work hard for any gains this afternoon. ‘Celtic could be a bit tired coming off the back of the Rennes game and we will look at that,’ said Thomas. ‘They have a big enough squad to cope and can change their entire team, but we will go there and play our normal
game.’