40 years since an iconic striker youth graduate

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Notwithstanding we had four strikers isolating and that under most circumstances, four strikers would be sufficient, the games against Hibs and Livingston highlighted a long-term problem.  Celtic have been able to produce wingers, defenders and midfielders who have become first choice starters in the first team, but we are unable to produce a striker.

In the last 20 years, Craig Beattie is arguably our most successful striker-graduate from the youth system (gulp), and he moved on having scored 13 goals for the club, the kind of return Leigh Griffiths may have hoped for in a month, a few years back.

Gerry Creaney made his debut 31 years ago and spent a couple of seasons as a regular starter, before eventually playing Premier League football for Manchester City (it was a different world back then, kids), but Gerry was nowhere near a top performer at the club.

It is now over 40 years since the last iconic striker, Charlie Nicholas, came through the youth system to electrify Celtic Park for three seasons.  He returned for a five-year spell later, when he largely stood on the same spot every 90 minutes, before working out some deep therapeutic issues as a media pundit in later years.

40 years and we were unable to produce a striker with the talent of Leigh Griffiths, despite many changes in coaches, systems and first team budgets?  This sounds unlikely.  I suspect the opportunities afforded to the young Leigh at Livingston were denied to hundreds of Celtic youth strikers.

 

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541 Comments

  1. glendalystonsils on

    ADI_DASSLER

     

     

    He’s the commentator on Celtic TV and the one who ‘interviewed’ Peter Lawwell on Dubai .

  2. Look, the real bottom line is our Major shareholder, Mr Desmond is definitely no mug when it comes to business. He is not stupid either. He knows exactly the feeling of our support through various media outlets and blogs and he 100% knows that he must take action. WHY, season ticket renewal that’s why . He wants changes now, and changes will be made, no doubt about that. A new CEO a new manager and back up team now so that improvement in form will get season ticket holders back in droves.

     

    As I say, our Desmond is no mug

     

     

    Stay safe everone

     

     

    SCHUMMI

  3. The fact we are still discussing Dubai, shows we have absolutely no PR set up to speak of.

     

     

    Other teams would have controlled the narrative far better and would be onto bigger and better subjects by now.

     

     

    Add to youth development, signing, coaching and whatever else we need to improve.

     

     

    All very amateur

  4. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB – HAIL, HAIL, WEE OSCAR on 18TH JANUARY 2021 4:55 PM

     

     

    Respect.

     

     

    Freely admit historically to being generally supportive of our board.

     

     

    But my biggest recurring criticism of them is a lack of (even infrequent) public anger.

     

     

    Think it is something to do with a perception of good governance?

     

     

    Keep a civil facade / Don’t lose your cool / Keep your enemies closer etc.

     

     

    But what I don’t see is the other part of that equation …

     

     

    (maybe it’s well hidden by guys cleverer than me OR maybe it just doesn’t exist)

     

     

    …. the stony faced, steely determination to absolutely overcome any blocker or obstacle to success …. AND to bring your people with you in that pursuit !

     

     

    The provenance of the old adage “keeping your powder dry” is well known and it is a good lesson to learn.

     

     

    But, if you are not prepared EVER to use your powder to successfully discharge your weapon?

     

     

    What is the point in keeping it dry?

     

     

    Hail hail

     

     

    Keep The Faith

  5. Hi Bhoys

     

     

    Maybe Lenny’s outburst was easy for him as he has no part in the 5 way agreement or the RES 12 cover up were as PL ?

     

     

    KEEP THE FAITH

  6. If you haven’t watched the whole presser, rather than the 42 second clip, you should seek it out.

     

    It doesn’t do Neil any favours.

     

    He actually says, nobody’s got Covid.

     

    That’s a quote.

     

    He then says it’s ludicrous that you have to isolate, because you’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive.

     

    The interview saddened me.

  7. Defamation

     

     

    Any intentional false communication, either written or spoken, that harms a person’s reputation; decreases the respect, regard, or confidence in which a person is held; or induces disparaging, hostile, or disagreeable opinions or feelings against a person.

     

     

    Defamation may be a criminal or civil charge. It encompasses both written statements, known as libel, and spoken statements, called slander.

     

     

    Well if you really want to have a go at the media take Walker to court……..

  8. squire danaher on

    JIMMYNOTPAUL on 18TH JANUARY 2021 5:37 PM

     

     

    I think Neil Lennon has been failed today by others at the club who have a duty of care towards their employees.

     

     

    I have only seen the 40-second clip.

     

     

    He should not have been put in that position.

  9. SQUIRE DANAHER on 18TH JANUARY 2021 5:40 PM.

     

    I agree with that, 100%.

     

    What’s the point in having a P.R person or a CEO?

     

    The thing is some of Neil’s points were valid, but others came across as moon howling.

     

    It’s his standing in a hedge moment for me.

  10. The suggestion tonight that Scotgov arbitrarily changed the social distance requirement from 2m to 4m while assessing Celtic’s close contacts in Dubai is very concerning.

     

     

    I’ve no idea if this is true.

     

     

    It does, however, explain how our protocols, followed throughout our European travels weren’t enough to prevent 13 players self isolating.

     

     

    If this is true, the club should publicly say so. It won’t change the fact the trip was wrong. It won’t change the fact that Lennon should go, but it should nonetheless be highlighted.

     

     

    We can then ask the question why rules seem to be made up when the club involved is Celtic.

  11. An Dun. 5.50.

     

    I couldn’t agree more.

     

    If that is true and Celtic PLC haven’t challenged it, or made a huge deal of it, then they are cowards.

  12. What is the Stars on

    Schummi.

     

    You are not the first on here to allude to Dermot Desmonds business acumen. Desmond is no mug etc.

     

    I mean he must be very clever, he’s got loadsa money !!!.

     

    However this is not necessarily true

     

    Money begets Money, often the cream of society are like cream..Rich and Thick.

     

    Having influential politically connected friends who might or might not whisper in your ear when a lucrative opportunity is about to present itself helps also.

     

    Maybe Mr Desmond is a brilliant entrepreneur, maybe he is just someone who was in the right place at the right time.

     

    Either way I certainly wouldn’t like to be depending on him to come up with some remarkable entrepreneurial vision to help CFC.

  13. I can’t find the press conference on club media so unless its my poor searching skills, that suggests PL etc are not happy with content and will carefully edit it or bin it. It feels like a Roy Keane MUTV moment here.

  14. If that statement is true Paul

     

    The Clubs legal team need to expose the detail

     

    And challenge the Goverment to deny or accept

     

    Expose the corruption at Goverment level

     

    And ask why Celtic are being used to deflect attention from the Govt performance

     

     

    I have no allegiance to any political party, let’s throw a challenge out

  15. JIMMYNOT @ 5.37

     

     

    The club left SMSM and Covid issues up to Neil Lennon long before his tenure started to falter.

     

     

    They are perfectly happy to hide behind him and told everyone to get on with it, after Ross County.

  16. The Battered Bunnet on

    This chat about Scot Gov changing the definition of close contact can be easily cleared up by the club in a jiffy by releasing the assessment made by PHS during their contact tracing investigation.

     

     

    I suspect that they won’t do that. It better serves the club atm to encourage a sense of grievance than to expose their own shortcomings.

     

     

    I’d put Lenny’s comments today down to acute frustration coupled to a continuation of the chronic poor judgement that has afflicted us for months.

  17. squire danaher on

    AN DÚN on 18TH JANUARY 2021 5:50 PM

     

     

    JIMMYNOTPAUL on 18TH JANUARY 2021 5:53 PM

     

     

     

    Absolutely Kaaarect

     

     

    If there is any truth whatsoever in such allegations – get it in the public domain.

     

     

    But, unless and until Celtic PLC come out with definitive proof then it’s all just deflection and noise.

  18. ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 18TH JANUARY 2021 4:53 PM

     

    So the huns have a party & the host isnt there. Fuckin nonsense. They think we are stupid.

     

    ===============================

     

     

    Err, we are stupid.

     

     

    We know they are treated differently in every walk of life.

     

     

    But we do nothing but moan about it on football blogs.

     

     

    Jeezo I had a horrible vision there that Lawwell and other board members actually had balls when I know they are all ********* pussy’s.

     

     

    Silly me.

  19. squire danaher on

    TBB

     

     

    I suspect that they won’t do that. It better serves the club atm to encourage a sense of grievance than to expose their own shortcomings.

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    Nail

     

    On

     

    Head

  20. Once again Lenny taking the flak,where is Bankier or DD.

     

    The law we adhered to upon return was only written if I recall correctly by Michael Mathison ,after we returned,and was declared non applicable to us by Govt.before this decision was overturned.

     

    That in itself should have prompted the question who and why initiated change.

     

     

    9 years worth of pent up resentment being applied to us right now with Covid providing an additional opportunity.

     

     

    Of course the time to have contested honesty of media and officials was when we were on top,now it seems reactionary although correct.

  21. THE BATTERED BUNNET on 18TH JANUARY 2021 2:47 PM

     

     

    SFTB – I didn’t suggest big Rambo. As for Stevie, notwithstanding 3 years with the juniors and a stint with the RAF, he signed for us when he was 22 years old which rather stretches the definition of youth.

     

     

    *shortly after leaving the army Stevie spent 6 months in Belvedere Hospital after contracting tuberculosis meningitis, at one point he was given 3 weeks to live.

     

     

    He found a saviour in Peter McKenzie, who pioneered the treatment of draining spinal fluid. Dr McKenzie later told Stevie he was the first of his patients to get out alive and presented the case as a “triumph of modern medicine” during conferences in North America.

     

     

    After rediscovering his fitness by road running and chasing after buses, Stevie played for Ashfield and won Scotland Juniors honours in January 1959.

     

     

    Weeks later he joined Celtic despite receiving bigger financial offers from elsewhere. And we are the recipients of the tenacity of a true Celtic legend.

  22. Soon to be seen under the presser –

     

    The views seen here do not necessarily reflect the views of Celtic Football Club, Any Directors of Celtic Football Club, Any employees of Celtic Football Club, Anyone whose name begins with P or Pe or Pet or Mr Lawells dog ” Ranger “,or anyone remotely connected with the area and surrounds of Celtic Park. Mr Lennon’s statement is not factual. We have no intention of producing any evidence to the contrary. Any of the organisations mentioned here are purely fictitious and any similarity to any existing persons , living or involved with Sevco, is purely coincidental.

  23. WHAT IS THE STARS on 18TH JANUARY 2021 5:55 PM

     

     

    Desmond and his business acumen.

     

     

    WITS, you just wrote what i was penning but in a more erudite manner so i deleted mine.

     

     

    The only points i would add:

     

     

    – multiple tribunals implicated him in the dodgy connections in government

     

    – his mate Denis O’Brien used to have Celtic shares and he has even more tribunal findings

     

    – he did a monster deal on London City Airport which took balls and a bit of luck has set him up to be fair to him

     

    – he has had several failures in some of his subsequent ventures

     

    – spend a record amount on a mansion on Shrewsbury Road just to knock it down and build another mansion and servants quarters. Knows how to waste money

     

    – he has said that his sons support Celtic. As they grew up in D4, this is quite strange but i hope it is true. As you know, the Dublin Celtic crew have many backgrounds

     

     

    Hail Hail