Exclusive: Brendan Keyes talks Celtic, Ange, Kyogo and more

Has there been anything that has surprised you this season till now?

Probably how little Liam Scales has played since coming in. I follow Shamrock Rovers closely and he is a very good player. And when he did make his debut for Celtic, he did look very impressive. So it has surprised me how little he has played, especially with all of the injuries that the team have had this season.

Having lived in America for decades, you have had the chance to see the Celtic-Rangers rivalry from a very different perspective. How are things different there?

It’s still pretty much a huge rivalry here as well. Obviously, not the size of the crowd but you have to consider I am 5000 miles away in Texas. In Houston, where I live, there is a Celtic fan club and a Rangers fan club and on Derby day, you’d probably think you were in Glasgow.

A difference between the two fan clubs that I have noticed though is the fact that a lot of different kinds of people are part of the Celtic fan club while the Rangers fan club mostly comprises of Scottish people. That probably shows the global appeal of Celtic as a football club.

You yourself are the owner of a semi-profession team, Celtic FC America. As we know, the pandemic has had a huge impact on football teams at all levels. How have things worked out for Celtic FC America?

It has been quite difficult to be honest, especially for semi-professional teams like us. We are not playing at the moment.

We were one of the most successful teams around here and had built up a solid fanbase through the years. Let’s see if we can come back to the pitch in the future. For the time being, I am just coaching one-on-one in Houston.

Do you miss running a football team and everything that comes with it?

Oh definitely. I miss everything about it, the preparation, the travelling, checking into hotels before matches and of course, the experience of playing in front of crowds. Nothing can really replace those things and hopefully I’ll get to experience them again some time in the future.

We would like to thank Brendan for giving us the time and wish him the best of luck for the future.