KIERAN TIERNEY s ready to go into battle as Celtic prepare to play catch-up following five months of turbulence on and off the pitch this season.
The Scotland international defender welcomed back Martin O’Neill for his second stint as Hoops interim manager with a 4-0 triumph over Dundee United at Parkhead on Saturday.
Coincidentally, that was the same scoreline as the Irishman’s first comeback game at the same venue in late October when he inspired the faltering champions, who had lost back-to-back league outings against Dundee and Hearts which led to Brendan Rodgers’ abrupt exit, to a 4-0 success over Falkirk.
FRENCH FARCE…Kieran Tierney looks on as Wilfried Nancy attempts to show him something on his tactics board while rival gaffer Derek McInnes takes note during Celtic’s 2-1 loss to Hearts.
Tierney and his team-mates square up to John McGlynn’s impressive team again at Falkirk Stadium tomorrow night and the experienced left-back acknowledged the Hoops have “not been good enough” as they trail leaders Hearts by six points in their quest for a fifth consecutive title.
After dropping TWELVE points in six Premiership matches under the wretched Wilfried Nancy, Tierney, preparing for a bumpy ride, said: “It’s a challenge that every football player loves and one where you want to come out on top at the end of the season.
“We just need to focus on us, getting back to winning and doing what we know we can.
“If you play at Celtic, you’ve got a competitive nature, you want to win and you know you have to win.
“That’s what’s bringing us along and motivating us because we know we’ve not been good enough up ’til now and that’s what we want to change.”
The champions are usually in pole position at this stage of the campaign and Tierney, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “It’s slightly different, but, at the end of the day at Celtic you need to win.
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE…Kieran Tierney’s fighting talk before Falkirk clash.
“So, whether you’re top by six or behind by six, you need to win, so mentality-wise, it’s just that way.
“We must win, we must perform well and give the fans something to cheer about.
“I think you saw that as well at the weekend, that the place also felt like a better atmosphere.”
Newly-promoted Falkirk have earned a top-six place and Tierney added: “They’ve been great, we’ve played them a couple of times this season, so we know a lot about them.
“We’ve done a lot of analysis work, a lot of video work, so we know they can play.
“We know they can also go direct, so it’s a team you need to be prepared to work hard against.”
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