Another day, another series of stories about our players being on the verge of leaving. It’s Kieran Tierney again today, linked with a move to Old Trafford, a story which originated in that world class organ of football
The Manchester Evening News. The “word” is Kieran would “prefer” a move there to going to Arsenal in the summer.
I have a word too. That word is “lies.”
The tenor of these pieces is that Kieran has been in contact with both clubs and would be open to the move, but would prefer working under Mourinho to the chaos at Arsenal. That’s the basic pitch here. Our manager has said none of the players are leaving and the player himself has said how happy he is at Celtic. But they ignore that.
These reports are, in effect, calling our manager a liar and our player a two-faced charlatan who is saying one thing and doing another.
Hey, either that or this is an allegation of tapping, which takes us into altogether different territory.
That would become a matter for the respective football associations to get to the bottom of.
I am sure that’s not the allegation; in fact, there’s no allegation of any description in the piece. It’s flimflam, with some cheese thrown in to make it look substantial, such as the supposed “endorsement” of the deal by Sir Alex Ferguson, who, it seems, isn’t retired after all but running the rule over prospective signings for the current manager.
As if Mourinho would stand for that, or needs it.
Who knows where this nonsense originates?
But it’s spread across the internet, as these things tend to do. Every news outlet is running it as if it’s iron clad, weighted down with facts and quotes and the deal is already signed, sealed and delivered. I must have missed the official announcement of that from Celtic Park, and the player’s farewell message to that effect.
All of this is irritating.
I comfort myself by knowing our player has a strong head on his shoulders and doesn’t let this stuff affect him.
But it is tiresome to have to go over it again and again and again.