Celtic fans have had plenty of thinking time recently, the SPFL season was over in January, the club has been managerless since February with virtual silence on the hunt for a new manager as this doomed season gets ever closer to the next.
A massive turnover of players is anticipated in the summer but one aspect missing is a crop of young players looking to take their chance.
Over the last decade only Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor have come through the ranks, James Forrest was just ahead of that timeline.
First there was the collapse of the Reserve League. Attempts at u-19, u-20, Development League (u-21) just highlighted how clueless the authorities in Scotland are about developing young players.
Clubs such as Motherwell and St Johnstone haven’t really had problems, whenever a player gets towards the required standard they get pinched in for first team experience. They sink or swim. At Celtic a large element of luck is required to get that chance, a little more to take advantage of it.
For a variety of reasons players aren’t coming through at Celtic but are making it elsewhere at a decent level. Declan Gallagher and Stephen O’Donnell helped Scotland reach the European Championship Finals through the back door, at Hampden today Marcus Fraser and Jamie McCart were at the core of St Mirren and St Johnstone’s plans. Yesterday Jackson Irvine helped Hibs to the Scottish Cup Final.
Over at Starks Park Ewan Henderson and Kerr McInroy ended their stay at Dunfermline with defeat to Raith Rovers in the Premiership Play Off, Regan Hendry has been a big influence on Raith’s season.
It will be more of a task for the Director of Football than the manager but Celtic need to re-establish a realistic pathway into the first team, there has been increasing signs recently that the better prospects just don’t see it.
Karamoko Dembele will likely leave next month, that will put the issue in focus but there are many other examples across the game of players for whom it just didn’t work out for.
Shaun Maloney was the last striker to come through the ranks but was more of an advanced Number 10 than a striker.
The list isn’t 100% but there hasn’t been much of a return on Mo Bangura, Teemu Pukki, Stefan Scepovic, Nadir Ciftci, Holmbert Fridjonsson, Carlton Cole, Colin Kazim-Richards, Lassad, Miku, Vakoun Bayo and Patryk Klimala.
Saw a youth final on TV abiut 4 years ago when Henderson and Mikey Johnston ran amok with a Man Yoo youth team. The lack of progress with both these boys is appalling. https://t.co/scyoqIuj4t
— St.Anthony (@Stephen4_2) May 9, 2021
No a popular opinion – but BR hid a multitude of sins at a very critical time for the club!
Hope we can get an equally talented development coach in again at which is another crossroads period!!
— Kevin O`Neill (@K_ONE11) May 9, 2021
Celtic or players fault ? That’s the question, or just not good enough
— Ray Eddie (@Homerbhoy) May 9, 2021
This guy should still be at Celtic, cannot understand why some of the young talent is not being given a first team chance, why play the questionable loanees ahead of the home grown talent is unfathomable!
— Duntocherman (@achill_jim) May 9, 2021
Henderson should be a regular the now but Lennon chooses to play brown mcgregor every single week even when the results were bad
— lawman (@Jimmilaw) May 9, 2021
Agree & it won’t change with new incumbent. Such is the thirst for SPFL glory & easier entry to £CL, we’ll be filled with buys & “quality” loans, so youth will have little/no chance, which flies in face of #CelticFC we hail & sing about – “67”, a decade build on home grown youth
— Mo (@50sEKBOY) May 9, 2021
Agree & it won’t change with new incumbent. Such is the thirst for SPFL glory & easier entry to £CL, we’ll be filled with buys & “quality” loans, so youth will have little/no chance, which flies in face of #CelticFC we hail & sing about – “67”, a decade build on home grown youth
— Mo (@50sEKBOY) May 9, 2021
They should be first team regulars by now along with Welsh. We need to seriously get out there from our shell and look at what the likes of Dortmund do…..
— Pedro Mcsherry (@mcsherrypedro) May 9, 2021
We moan we dont have players coming through but hardly any get a chance. We would rather waste money on foreign duds. Look at the money we have squandered on forwards. Scepovic, balde, bangura. Watt was better than all of them
— scott thomson (@scottybhoy) May 9, 2021
The problem might be that fans want more new signings and first teamers retained. How many times have we extended contracts and not got much from holding on to players who could have been sold.
And a lot of promising young players don’t get a chance. Last centre forward ?— GSM (@GSMC03) May 9, 2021
CLICK HERE for details of Celtic 3-1 Manchester United, 2018 Milk Cup Final for u-19’s, scoers Ewan Henderson (2) and Thomas Coffey.