'He wants to win and he doesn’t cut corners' - Kernan delighted with impact of free-spirit Jamie Clarke

There’s never been a fall-out or a row, but the ability of Clarke to live his life in a more free-spirited manner goes against the grain of rural Irish life.

Sat, 22 Oct, 2022 - 07:00

Declan Bogue

GIVEN the context, it was anything but a throwaway line from Neil Lennon at the end of the 2011/12 Scottish League, when he said that a couple of years into the job, he could never consider himself a ‘proper’ Celtic manager until he had won a league.

Such is the weight of expectation that comes with such jobs, it’s an easy comparison to ask of Stephen Kernan. A brilliant, creative hub of the Crossmaglen Rangers attack when they gobbled up county, Ulster and All-Ireland titles, he has taken his club to the last two county finals and lost both to Maghery, and last year Clann Eireann.