Jonny Hayes

I think he is changing opinions though and the big thing he has in his favour is he is getting the ball facing forward and driving us up the pitch , sincy for too long has his back to goal and passes back to the full back , I don't know if thats from respect and being doubled up on or he is not finding good positions .

 

I was one of them and I don’t mind admitting when I am wrong, he was superb today and has given us that bit of dig at various stages of the season. We just need a big * that’s willing to throw himself at his balls into the box.

 

Was so unlucky with his strike..

You can tell, he's popular with his teammates..

 

JONNY Hayes is targeting more happy Hampden memories after putting some of his Scottish Cup heartache behind him by playing a starring role in Celtic's semi-final win over Aberdeen yesterday.

The winger scored against his current club when he was an Aberdeen player in the 2016 final but still wound up on the losing side. He then had to sit out of last season’s final after breaking his leg playing for Celtic against Dundee earlier in the campaign.

But now he is hoping to put all of that behind him by playing a major role in Celtic rounding off another treble by lifting the trophy at the national stadium in May.


It’s been tough,” Hayes said. “The broken leg was a major setback, just as I was finding a bit of form and having a run in the team. It came at the worst possible time because not only did I then miss the rest of the season, but I started the following one a couple of weeks behind everyone else as well.

“Then it took me a while to get going but our medical people and sports scientists have been brilliant with me and everyone else at the club. They keep you sharp even when you’re not playing so that – whether you’ve been out for six days or six weeks – you can come straight back in and do a job.

“I was at the final against Motherwell last year with my little boy but I’m looking forward to playing in it this season.

“Football’s a lot more enjoyable when you win games and we knew exactly what was at stake here. Our game plan worked perfectly and it didn’t matter whether we won it with a 90th-minute goal or, as it happened, with a comfortable 3-0 – our job today was to get to the final.”

Hayes has loved being a regular fixture in the Celtic side since the arrival of interim manager Neil Lennon, having been something of a peripheral figure under previous boss Brendan Rodgers.

Since the manager’s come in he’s been very positive with me,” Hayes said. “He gave me the chance to play against Rangers the other week and now he’s fielded me in a semi-final; obviously, I’m grateful for that.


The slight adjustments he’s made have benefited me, that’s for sure. He’s someone who’s been involved with Scottish football for a long time and his personality means that he commands respect – even before I signed for Celtic, any time I met him I had to call him ‘gaffer’!

“We’ve always got on well and the way he wants his teams to play suits me. He’s been happy with what he’s seen from me at training. He didn’t have a special pep talk for me when he arrived, though – it was more about continuity.

“He didn’t want to disrupt anything because Brendan Rodgers had done a fantastic job, so he just wanted everyone to keep doing what we had been doing.

“We have a big squad and everyone wants to play and is good enough to play.”

 

Sounds way too painful mate ha ha .

 

Motm

 

I really like him, don’t get me wrong he won’t be giving Messi and co a run for the Ballon d’Or, but always puts a great shift in.

 

Done well today hopefully he will feature more between now and end of season.

 

Worked his way into the team and fully deserved on the basis of that performance, fantastic today and showed a lot more quality in the final 3rd than previous games. His work rate is second to none.

 

He's *..

 

There was always a good SPL player in there he was just never given a chance. Players who'll get stuck in have been badly missing from our team and hopefully he will be given further chances to prove his worth

 

JH: The boys are enjoying themselves. Winning games is the perfect preparation for our upcoming matches."

JH on Neil Lennon: "The manager has been superb since he's come in. He's really came in and looked to improve the players as much as he can."

JH: "I'm sure whoever is in charge next will know that they've got a great dressing room full of big characters."


JH: "When you see the passion from the manager, you can't help but feel it rubbing off on the players. You can see how much he loves the club and how much he wants to win every game."

 

With the quality of Forrest, Eddy, Rogic, McGregor and KT you need a work horse like Hayes to balance it out. He’s showed as well his crossing can be quality and willing to take on defenders.

A very good squad player to have especially for tough domestic games.

 

A wee goal or two would do him wonders.

 

Most commonly used word in the Hayes thread = Shift.

 

THERE has been a spring in the step of the Celtic players as they’ve got down to work at Lennoxtown this week in preparation for Sunday’s game against Hibernian at Easter Road.

The Scottish Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen has certainly bolstered confidence, and the focus now is on securing the Premiership title, which could happen this weekend if Rangers fail to win against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.

Speaking at the club’s training ground today (Thursday) as he helped to promote the Celtic FC Festival, which will take place this July 26-28 at the SEC Glasgow, Jonny Hayes explained that the cup final has been set to one side and the only talk is of this weekend’s league game.

“Winning games is always the perfect preparation,” the Irishman said. “You enjoy training that little bit more if you’re coming off the back of a victory, but the preparation will stay the same on what the manager wants us to put into effect at the weekend. We’re working on that all week and Hibs have our full focus.

“Every game here is big, regardless of the opposition. It’s always about ourselves and the way we prepare, so it doesn’t really matter who we play or where we play, we know it’s about us.”

Hayes was one of many impressive performers at Hampden last Sunday, helping the Hoops to an impressive 3-0 win over Aberdeen to set up a Scottish Cup final clash with Hearts next month.

And the 31-year-old admitted that he’s enjoying life at Celtic under his fellow countryman, Neil Lennon.

“The manager’s been superb since he’s come in,” he said. “I think a lot of the boys have taken confidence from him. He’s somebody who inspires players. You can see, from the teams he’s managed and the players he’s managed, that he always seems to get the best out of players, and everyone here is thoroughly enjoying themselves since he’s come in.

“There have not been many changes, to be honest. I’ve said it before, but John Kennedy’s played a massive role in taking the club forward and what we’ve been doing for the past couple of years has stayed the same.

“The manager has his input, and we’ve had the best of both worlds – learning from Brendan while he was here and now we’re learning from the gaffer.

“You can see how much he loves the club and how much he wants us to win, and that can only be a positive for us when you have someone that brings that desire into the changing room.”