It wasn’t his smartest move but it was understandable of Brendan Rodgers to try and take the heat off Michael Nicholson at the 2024 Celtic AGM.
Facing his only public scrutiny of the year, the CEO really isn’t a people person, passing off nervous jokes and stock deflection answers away from questions that he has little knowledge of.
In June 2023 Nicholson, in his only media appearance since becoming CEO in September 2021 explained that the ambitions of Celtic was to be world class in everything it does. Which presumably includes the disastrous Youth Academy in association with the long running St Ninian’s school project.
The flow of emerging talent has completely dried up, the last batch to show any promise were born in 2000, led by Jack Aitchison, Ewan Henderson, Robbie Deas, Daniel Church and Stephen Welsh. For those that survive through it there is the development desert of the Lowland League. Incredibly Celtic B will be playing at that level for the fifth season running come August.
At the AGM Nicholson was asked what lessons could be learned at youth level from Montrose and Morton (the clubs that knocked Celtic out of the SFA Youth Cup in 2023 and 2024). The national competition for u-18 teams.
With the CEO stumbling into talk about the B team and the Development team Rodgers stepped in and brought up the case of how Chelsea lost to Colchester in an FA Youth Cup tie while he was in charge.
One off results happen, very occasionally in successive seasons. Apparently many of that Chelsea youth team made it at senior level.
Not only did the Celtic u-18s lose out to Morton in the SFA Youth Cup but they managed to lose 15 out of 28 league matches!
And that was with finishing in the bottom half of the 12 club Elite Division with Hibs, Sevco, Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Aberdeen and Queens Park filling the top six places.
There is barely a mention of the Academy on club publications. You can find out the results on the Scottish Football Fixtures website.
Clearly things are badly wrong at Academy/Development level, more worryingly no-one inside the club seems to have noticed it or is driving wholesale changes.
With nothing like the resources of Celtic Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Queens Park and Motherwell produced better results over the entire season. They also produce players that are first team ready, Celtic are producing players ready to remain in the Lowland League.
In the season just finished Francis Turley made an appearance away to St Mirren in the 89th minute, Luke Bonnar came off the bench after 80 minutes at home to Aberdeen with Sean McArdle impressing at home to Hibs and Away to Aberdeen after appearing in the 85th and 81st minutes.
Thirty minutes of first team football across four matches involving three players certainly isn’t a pathway- it creates a vicious circle unless changes are made.
Lennon Miller opted out of the Celtic way to trust Motherwell with his ability and talent.
It is getting harder and harder to sell St Ninians and the Celtic Academy pathway to young players and their parents.
At the 2024 I asked Nicholson what lessons can be learned from Montrose and Morton (the clubs that have defeated Celtic in the SFA Youth Cup over the last two seasons)
Football Scotland reported the reaction, including the trademark sarcasm of the Celtic Chairman.
Michael Nicholson: So if I look at it as a generality, we’re always looking to take forward standards at Celtic right across the board. And as we mentioned, the videos of Brendan spoke about it too., that includes from the academy all the way up. I think what you’re referring to is two results involving a development team of Celtic, the B team, where…
Peter Lawwell: We get the point. Thanks for your questions. Always a pleasure.
Brendan Rodgers: Joe, I’m aware of the history of young players at the club and bringing in Paul Tisdale is a move that would help us fast-track kids. For me, that was my life before I was a manager, I was 15 years in youth development. If you look through my career and history as a coach, you’ll see the number of young players I’ve put into first team level at 16 years of age through to 21s. So I would like to think I’ve got a half-decent idea around youth development.
But it’s also a big focus of mine because I know that the guys that we have here, Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston; these are the guys that create the culture and help create that. So there’s nobody who wants to do that more than me and that’s up to us in football, in strategy, to ensure that we get these players through. The points you’re making absolutely about Montrose and Morton, yeah when you’re playing against a big team that shouldn’t happen but it does.
Sometimes it happens. I was Chelsea youth coach and we lost to Colchester in the Youth Cup and we’d spent a fortune. But a lot of the players that played for Chelsea went on and had really, really good careers and won the Champions League. So it happens. But I certainly get your point from a supporter that we want to see more youth players in the system and that’s something that we’ll hopefully look to do over the coming years.
Q11: Do you think that the St. Ninian’s project and playing in the Lowlands League is advancing the development of young players? It looks a complete disaster.
Brendan Rodgers: It’s something that we would need to have a really closer look at. And I know there’s a lot of great work that goes on there, it did for the likes of Kieran and these guys coming through. But there’s no doubt that youth development, not just here at Celtic, or in Scotland, but across the board, is a real challenge. There is a real challenge now, but especially at a Champions League club. But that’s something that we want to make better.
With every passing season tales of Tierney, Forrest and McGregor are losing credibility.
CASE STUDY
? Celtic FC Academy Player of the Year, sponsored by @NIXON_ltd – Kyle Ure!
Congratulations once again, Kyle! ?#CelticPOTY?| #CelticFC?? https://t.co/LJA4NrcFq3 pic.twitter.com/ViJTIPEIiD
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 4, 2025
Kyle Ure was born on 14 January 2006, he captained Celtic to the SFA Youth Cup in May 2023 in a 6-5 epic win at Hampden. Since then he has had two seasons in the Lowland League plus two campaigns totally 13 matches in the UEFA Youth League.
Lennon Miller was born on 25 August 2006, he has captained Motherwell in a cup semi-final, earned a full Scotland cap and has played in 76 first team matches.
Miller is a rarity, an exception ahead of his time but it is hard to come to any conclusion other than Ure has wasted two critical years in his career.
Rather than playing against new-born clubs like Caledonian Braves and Cumbernauld Colts, or up against the worst ever Cowdenbeath or Albion Rovers he should have been playing real football in the SPFL.
Either at League One or Championship level. Turning 19 in January if he is to have any sort of senior career he should have spent last season in the Championship.
Anyone expecting Ure or any of his team-mates ever making a mark in the Celtic first team are in for crushing disappointment, Miller has a chance, a better chance than anyone currently involved in the Celtic Academy.
The issues of the Academy aren’t in the remit of the First Team Manager, the CEO should be all over it in order to bring it up to the world class standards that he aims for.
Lawwell “….always a pleasure”.
Bitter, patronising and insulting.
The demise of The Youth Structure within the Club is on his 20+years ‘watch’.
Total Failure.
Back to the rule of at least 2 academy players on bench on match days is needed,not ideal but at least it’s something,our game is far too cut throat,we the fans demand success at Celtic so pressure straight away,I believe it’s a cultural issue in Scotland,grass roots and has been for years,look at France,PSG,young French men playing for CL champions,the mentality in Scotland is all wrong,I’ve seen loads of young talent being told,youre not big enough,also,the ability is knocked out of them as soon as they turn senior,if you’re an athlete and can kick a ball you have a chance,can go on and on about what is wrong from Hampden down
If they truly cared about improving the yoofs, why not have one of the non-majority shareholders such as Chris Trainer buy a diddy team and loan/sell with first refusal clauses the youngsters to them? Fill that club’s squad with them, competitive fitba guaranteed, take them back if they look like they’ll make it. I’m sure there’s all sorts of legal ways to fund the club indirectly to pay for it. Better that than this Lowland League pish which is frankly an embarrassment.
It’s a long running failure that needs addressed immediately.
This should not come under the remit of the CEO as he has no football background, once more it should come as the remit of a separate FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT , who put in the organisation from the academy all the way up to the first team.
This link with Queens Park could help at least 3 of the kids, and the FOOTBALL DEPT should then look for other clubs (Both Estoril and Boavista here in Portugal are managed by Scottish managers… Boavista for example having just been relegated and in financial problems would probably jump at the chance of 3 of our talented youngsters, who would gain much better experience than playing Civil Service Strollers or whoever in the Lowland league) .
The remit of the CEO should in my opinion set the budget for the independant FOOTBALL DEPT (Director of Football , Management Team , Analysis team, Scouting and Transfer team) .
And please can we stop handing out important roles for ex players because they are “Good Cellic Men” and apart from that have nothing else on their CV?! (You have no idea how difficult it was when refering to the FOOTBALL DEPT to not use the words “Separate Entity” or “Culture” didnt want it to sound too Sevco ??)
Editor: We don’t have young players in the Academy ready to play in the Scottish Championship, unlikely that they could help a side in the Portuguese Second Division.
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Joe, I think Bonnar or Turley could possibly do well … But again until we start taking the development of young players properly, then we will always be having this conversation unfortunately.
Editor: Both got a few minutes of first team football last season, less than 15 combined, other than that it was Cumbernauls Colts, Cowdebeath and Stirling Uni, huge leap required…
Unfortunately it was revealed today that Boavista will NOT be playing in the Second division … not even Professional football because as I commented earlier they are in grave financial problems, and couldn´t give the guarantees that the Portuguese league demanded.
So there future is now completely up in the air … Huge problem they have is that the stadium holds 30,000 (it was renovated and increased for the Euro 2004) but they are lucky if they get a tenth of that, we have noticed various problems including lack of power in the sockets and the light in the bathrooms for example (sometimes I have to use the light on my mobile when moving around) … For a club with the history that it has it is a huge tragedy. BUT to be honest Portugal built or renovated 10 stadiums (which is more than UEFA usually demand) and of those … Aveiro, Leiria, Coimbra and Algarve as well as Boavista now ,are practically unused and falling into disrepair .. Porto, Benfica, Sporting, Braga, Guimarães are still in use and still in good condition.
And obviously all are still a higher category (even the ones falling apart) than either Ibrox or indeed Celtic Park (due to internal coach facilities among other important criteria)
Should just say to Kyle – Ure making the wrong decision !!!