Source: Telegraph
Stoke City's Liam Lawrence 'would walk all way to Glasgow' to join Celtic
The Republic of Ireland midfielder underlined his eagerness to move north by claiming he would be willing to make the 205-mile journey from the Potteries to Parkhead on foot. [LNB]Stoke have already turned down a £1.5 million bid for the 28-year-old, claiming that they value the player at £2 million. That, plus the fact that Neil Lennon has yet to be confirmed as Celtic's new manager, has left Lawrence in limbo. [LNB] Related ArticlesTrapattoni turns down CelticNeil Lennon should manage Celtic, says BrownSFA to scrap referee veto on red card appealsRelief as Walter Smith stays at RangersCampbell set for Celtic moveTrapattoni linked with Celtic role"Celtic is a massive club, one of the biggest in Britain," he said. "It doesn't need selling to me as soon as I was made aware of their interest then I became very interested. [LNB]"A lot depends on that. I don't think anything will be done until his situation is resolved. If I get the chance to go there and the two clubs agree the fee then I'll walk up there, I want to go that badly. [LNB]"We'll just have to wait and see if the clubs can agree something. I asked Keano Robbie Keane about Celtic when I was away with Ireland last week. [LNB]"He told me about the amazing support and the fantastic training facilities, so it's somewhere that every player wants to play. [LNB]"As soon as the manager's position is made clear, I would have thought they'd get nearer to a fee. Obviously, after that it's down to us and to Celtic." [LNB]Lawrence is keen to experience the unique intensity of Old Firm matches at Parkhead and Ibrox, although he'd prefer to feature alongside his Irish team-mate, Aiden McGeady, currently coveted by Spartak Moscow. [LNB]"That would be amazing," said Lawrence. "I love big games and something like that I'd thrive on it, you know. Those are the sort of games every player wants to play in. And if Aiden stays then all the better. [LNB]"I'm just waiting to see what happens with the manager and then waiting to see if they can agree a fee. If we can get that sorted it'll just be a case of me coming up and talking. [LNB]"There's talk in the papers about [Jimmy] Bullard, [Joe] Ledley and myself coming, so there's a lot of experience there. [LNB]"I think Celtic need to do well next season. There's a lot of pressure on them and they need to win something and if I get the chance to come up there then I'll certainly be trying my best to do that. [LNB]"I've got a lot of experience and I'm doing well at international level. I'm good at set-pieces and getting balls into the box for the forwards. I'm quite a tidy player but I'll leave that for the fans up there to decide if I get there." [LNB]Former St Mirren and Ayr United winger Junior Mendes played alongside Lawrence for 18 months with Mansfield Town and warned his prospective team-mates that he has a bit of a temper. [LNB]"Liam was only 21 at the time I went there but he already had a really great attitude," he said. [LNB]"He would always stay behind and do extra work in the gym and he never slacked off at training. He also demanded a lot of his team-mates, which is unusual in a young player. [LNB]"Liam had a great delivery and he wanted to take all our set-pieces. In fact, if truth be told he wanted to take absolutely everything; corners, free-kicks, throw-ins, the lot. [LNB]"We didn't mind that because he was a good player and a well-liked individual. Anyway, it was easier to just let him get on with it because he would throw a tantrum if you didn't let him do it. [LNB]"There would be times when I wanted to take a free-kick but he'd just make more noise in the changing room afterwards so he always got to take the next one. [LNB]"Liam's just one of those types, he's a winner all the way and it was worth putting up with his temper because of the end result, which was usually quality. One thing's for sure if he does sign for Celtic then he'll definitely want to take all the penalties."[LNB]Should Celtic decide to appoint Lennon only on the condition that the managerial ingénue works alongside a more experienced mentor then, according to the club's former playmaker, John Collins, that arrangement can only work with the Irishman's consent. [LNB]"I always think that it's a good thing to have someone above you but that's got to be Neil's choice," said Collins. "I think that if Neil meets the person and agrees with the choice then fine but if someone is forced upon him it could cause conflict."[LNB]Hearts have confirmed the signing of former Kilmarnock striker Kevin Kyle on a two-year deal. [LNB]The 28-year-old striker passed a medical and will join up again with manager Jim Jefferies, who brought him to Kilmarnock in January last year. [LNB]Kyle, whose previous clubs include Sunderland and Coventry, said: "I'm very happy. I had offers elsewhere but my family has to come first at the end of the day. [LNB]"Hearts is a good club to go to and I can't wait to get started.'' [LNB]
