GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 20: Celtic B team parade the Glasgow Cup and Youth Cup during a cinch Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 20, 2023, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic’s u-18 side lost 5-1 at home to St Mirren last night at Lennoxtown, the latest example of an Academy that has completely lost its way in its remit to produce first team players.
Callum McGregor will make his 500th appearance tomorrow at Motherwell but since his debut in Ronny Deila’s opening match in charge only Kieran Tierney has come through to make a serious impact on the first team.
The blind faith in the partnership with St Ninian’s School in Kirkintilloch has failed to produce players of the required standard, that scheme started in 2010.
Allied to playing in the Lowland League it has become impossible for players to defy the system to become first team contenders.
The last promising batch was the 2000 intake which include Jack Aitchison, Kerr McInroy, Ewan Henderson, Stephen Welsh, Robbie Deas and Daniel Church. For a variety of reasons including filling the first team squad with players such as Yousouf Mulumbu, Ismaila Soro, Diego Laxalt and Patryk Klimala they found the door to the first team firmly closed.
More recently Rocco Vata was confronted by Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma just as he  seemed ready for some extended first team involvement.
Summing things up, at the 2024 AGM Michael Nicholson was unable to name the last Academy player to emerge through the system to start a competitive match. The answer is Owen Moffat, away to St Mirren in December 2021, his last appearance for Celtic.
FIVE of the best! Goals from Theo McCormick, Thomas Falconer, Luke Douglas and 2 from Josh Farquhar completed a 5-1 victory for the U18s last night against Celtic. Magnificent stuff from the young team ??? pic.twitter.com/MFSMTSHIzy
— St Mirren FC Youth Academy (@StMirrenAcad) February 1, 2025
Friday November 8, Kilmarnock 3-0 Celtic
Friday November 15, Celtic 0-0 Motherwell
Friday November 29, Sevco 4-0 Celtic
Friday December 6, Celtic 2-1 Hearts
Friday December 13, Dundee United 2-3 Celtic
Monday January 13, Hamilton 1-6 St Mirren
Friday January 17, Celtic 0-2 Hamilton Accies
Friday January 31, Celtic 1-5 St Mirren
Celtic were knocked out of the SFA Youth Cup in their first match at home to Morton. Asked about the lessons to be learned from the Morton and Montrose Academies (Montrose beat Celtic last season) Nicholson failed to see the connection.
Part of Paul Tisdale’s remit is to produce Champions League level players from the Academy, if he can achieve that from any of the current u-18 players he will be worth every penny of his salary.
Results like those above from the u-18s must be demoralising for players as they realise that their Celtic dreams are coming to an end, they are inferior to their peers at other Scottish clubs. Where they will be next season is anyone’s guess.
The reality is that the entire system of failure needs to be binned, that has been the case for at least six or seven years.
Radical action is required, not the sort of activity that Celtic are known for where everything is safety first with fresh thinking frowned upon.
CLICK HERE for results from the U-19 league.
Picture by Getty Images
Too much of the old boys network is leading to decay at the club.
Something is rotten in the state of Celtic.
The initials are PTL and I believe the ‘T’ is for toxic. In fact I know it is.