Celtic players’ participation in the World Cup ended yesterday as Efe Ambrose’ Nigeria were eventually overpowered by France. Baring injury, Efe will be in Champions League duty in Iceland two weeks from today, which leaves the player little scope to rest weary limbs for the season ahead.
The fitness management of Efe and Emilio Izaguirre throughout the season will need to take a different path from the rest of the squad. The search for cover for both players should be a priority.
It’s a pity for Dundee United, and for Scottish football, that Ryan Gauld seems on the verge of leaving for Sporting Lisbon at only 18-years-old. United have seen enough to know they have a genuine talent on their hands, but the player’s glory years all lie ahead of him.
United will continue to lose genuine teenage talent until they, along with other aspiring Scottish clubs, get a change of environment. If the Scottish Premiership folded into the English Football League structure Ryan Gould would remain in Tayside for years to come.
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I think the amount of posts on here today talking about our own youths not progressing and being part of the first team squad is part of the reason the board have apppinted Ronny and John. Both believe in the Youth player being promoted to the first team ranks and developing them. I can see this being our strategy going forward. It may not produce the results on the field every single week but if you are to have these Bhoys in the team you have to give them game time.
Gauld who was mentioned early by many as he has a trip to Portugal to look at what Sporting have to offer is the real deal. His form has dipped toward the end of the season as expected. He plays in the Premiership in Scotland and at 18 he is going to struggle with a full season at the pace and agressive nature of our game but if conditioned and coached properly will be much better for the experience next season.
I would expect he will stay at Dundee United for now but he will never be cheaper than the price quoted today at €3m. I personally think he would be a great signing for us.
Bringing a quality youth in allows others to come in alongside him. James Forrest is still young and at 19 he was thrust into the first team and hasn;t looked out of place but you can see the damage he has done himself through injuries and trying to play on with them. At 18 Gauld looks better than Forrest was at that age. He also has 2 years under his belt with the first team squad and first team matches. I will be very interested to see how much Forrest is injured under our new regime. I also hope he doesn;t play when not 100% fit as it has done the Bhoy no good in the long run.
LB
Hi BADA
Watched a documentary last week about how to fix a football match
One of the games they called into question was Scotland v Nigeria
The incident was the Nigerian goalkeeper throwing the ball into his own net
Fortunately the ref gave a foul
HH
Hamiltontim…..
Overall, if you think back on this blog, it has changed quite a bit.
Yes, there are posters who are insightful and thoughtful in relation to the business/politics end of Celtic. Auldheid for example.
Without having done the math on this, my sense is that the volume of negative postings has increased. Maybe it depends on when I logon.
However, I can say this, I visit less often and stay logged on for much less time.
Part of this is due to the nature of the blog….it is a stream of whatever topics and conversations people decide to have. If it was organized in ‘threads’, one could more easily skip the posts of less interest.
Just my 2 cents…….
HT
I wanted McCarthy too but recognise that Hamilton wanted a hefty fee for an untried player. However I will also have touted several other prospects who turned out to be poorer than I thought.
Most people, at the time of James McCarthy leaving to go to Wigan, did not think we had definitely missed out on the next best thing. They thought he was a good punt or a good prospect but nothing more. As I said there were more James McFadden fans than there were of Jams McCarthy.
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
Youth development is a risky business. Spending 2 or 3 million pounds on other teams’ prospects is even more risky.
I remember seeing players that I thought would certainly make it…..only to see them fade away.
One thing that ‘smaller’ clubs have over us, is the willingness and ability to gave more games to 18 year olds.
I am a bit disappointed that we didn’t use the last 2 or 3 years to push young players.
Mwd & HT,
Both weren’t teens.
Just goes to show you though, there isn’t many.
hamiltontim
13:45 on 1 July, 2014 proudbhoy Apparently the KKK flag has now been removed.Now they just need to deal with the increasing racist attacks and the burning of tricolours on bonfires
………………..
HT,
Or the placing of statues of Our Lady on them..
weeron
14:28 on 1 July, 2014
I’m a relative newbie in comparison to many of the posters on here so it wouldn’t be fair or accurate if I was to say that negativity has increased or not since CQN’s inception.
Since I’ve been posting, however, I don’t really think that negativity has increased, there’s always been those who’ve felt a need to highlight issues they take exception to.
What has most definitely increased is the level of personal abuse with many forgetting that most of what is posted isn’t factual but opinion, even Paul67 comes into that category.
I know what you’re saying about the ‘threads’ idea but I find the scrolling finger to be equally effective :-)
weeron
The negativity on here took a huge spike after the FTT and LNS results, hardly surprising considering the euphoria beforehand .
Still think this blog is great although it’s been a while since we had a scoop on here.
GM
Sorry you’re right Charlie was 21 when the bright lights of London schmoozed him south.
It’s a good question BSR posed, I’m struggling to think of anyone if we’re sticking to teenagers.
HAMILTON TIM
Of course,negativity has increased since you arrived on the scene.
I logged on,ffs!
Btw,mailed you something from one of our Belfast Brigade. Lovely wee photie of three flags outside Sandy Row huns club.
And one of them is the KKK flag.
SFTB
I’d have taken McCarthy in a heartbeat but always had reservations about McFadden, I’ve never been convinced by his work ethic or his ability to do the special things he does on a regular enough basis.
Opinions eh…..
HT,
Aye. Teenagers is a bit too specific.
Mind you, how many teenage Europeans move here and make an impact?
Ok. I’ve moved the goal posts a bit ;)
If taking other teams youths is a risky strategy how is Jackie Mcnamara getting so much success out of it?
Maybe because he picks the right players and his coaching team work hard with them.
Just a thought.
LB
Hamiltontim….
I was a very early lurker. Back then, the only 2 posters were Paul and Neganon…….
And scrolling doesn’t work for. No patience……:)
If we are looking for a central defender Kostas Manalos is the one,a star in the making.
Bada Bing – I believe he was being courted by/had discussions with West Ham 5 months ago. So, was he thinking about it? or just fancied hearing what they had to say? Either way, DD made it known to NL that he expected a treble this year without THEM in the league. It all went downhill from there.
Incidentally, I don’t expect RD to have had the same demands put on him – 2 objectives, CL and the league.
LiviBhoy….
Taking other teams youths is risky because it comes with an added price tag. 3 million in Gauld’s case.
For what it is worth (nothing, I know….:)……
I liked wee Dylan. Quick feet, comfortable in tight spaces. However, he was played wide, which worked against him, as he doesn’t have the pace needed for that position. Also, after returning from the injury he suffered against Real Madrid, he hardly got a sniff, despite sitting on the bench most weeks.
Of all the recent ‘prospects’, I like Liam Henderson and Jackson Irvine.
Kiss of death……
Tri R
But as you well know the local politicians will claim that incidents like the one you mentioned are isolated incidents.
GM
Lubo.
He was seventeen sixteen when he came to us :-)
BMCUW
I’ve replied, I ain’t convinced.
What is the flag of the ole KKK?
In case I ever get drunk and decide to get an ole tattoo.
weeron
Price tags can be a problem but the payment would be around £2m and there can be add ons for his success. You would be looking at £1m up front. Another £1m over possibly the next 2 years and maybe some add ons to do with appearances and Scotland caps etc.
It’s not that much of a risk.
The major issue is that if we have not scouted him or even spoke to the lad and he goes off to be a superstar elsewhere it will be a huge miss for our club.
What I have seen of the lad he will be a great player. He a great attitude and plays a defence splitting pass like a veteran at 18. Not sure you can teach that?
I hope we have better players on our books I really do. I like the look of Henderson myself and would like Irvine and McGregor to get some more game time. I’m afraid I don;t see young McGeouch making it but hope I am wrong there he has talent but just doesn;t seem to get a chance. That horror injury against Real Madrid has affected him I think. Hopefully he can shine in pre-season and prove me wrong.
LB
Tojo,
I find it hard to believe ‘a treble or else’ threat was issued.
To suggest a treble should be won in the absence of Der hun is made ludicrous by the fact it was rarely them who prevented us winning it.
Tojo- ta for reply
DBBIA
Nae idea, though the one in Belfast, which has thankfully now been removed, clearly has the words Ku Klux Klan on the bottom of it.
HT,
Ha! Nitra quick news apoplectic with rage about the one that got away ;)
Livi Bhoy
“f taking other teams youths is a risky strategy how is Jackie McNamara getting so much success out of it?”
Not sure I understand your argument- maybe we need to define terms.
Which other team’s youths did Jackie take? At Thistle, he used a cast off player from Celtic and one from Motherwell but the success he achieved was to lead a team to a lower league position than these two clubs. At United, he inherited the youths developed by Ian Cathro and he led United to 6th and 4th(1 point ahead of ICT) in the SPFL, positions many would think of as failures for that club.
He has not brought in vast sums of money for either club yet in transfers . Johnny Russell has made a good start but Goodwillie was a relative failure. No one has bought Thistle players.
The easiest explanation as to why there have been so many (inconsistent) youth players in the United team is that it is an easier standard to break into and they cannot afford to pay too many senior pros.
The Bhoys in Austria.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=778901922149715&id=133829389990308
Paul67
I do not understand why The Better Together mob do not prove their argument by promising that if there is a United Kingdom after referendum day they will promise to end the anti Scottish football cartel that is the English FA and Leagues.
I cannot understand why the Yes brigade do not ask why if we are Better Together is Scottish football not allowed to enjoy the benefits BT say flow from being in the UK.
The only chance of a UK league is through external forces like politics and Europe competition law in respect of cartels.
The latter has always been there but there will not be a better opportunity for using politics to prise open the English football door than we have now – but we are told football should not become a political football in the Independence debate.
I say bollox to that as this is one issue where BT and Yesmen can put action where there mouth is and argue the merits of staying independent as Scottish football now is (and good luck with that one) or folding into a UK league.
Don’t give me the crap that English clubs won’t agree, of course they won’t, but if Westminster can see the advantage to them of forcing the issue for UK football, then we stand a chance of changing an unfair set up.
Pictures on Twitter now emerging which show a second KKK flag being removed this time by the police.
https://twitter.com/ladfleg/status/483957423750012928
DBBIA,
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/racists-fly-ku-klux-klan-flag-in-east-belfast-30397555.html
I might be in the minority but for me McNamara’s achievements at DU are a bit overrated thus far.
I’m hearing one silly Billy turned up with a KOK flag and was promptly beaten up.
MWD says AYE. BritNat prats.
Bada,
I agree.
Decent job, but the praise is OTT.
Geordie Munro
14:57 on
1 July, 2014
Tojo,
I find it hard to believe ‘a treble or else’ threat was issued.
To suggest a treble should be won in the absence of Der hun is made ludicrous by the fact it was rarely them who prevented us winning it.
==============
In the context of DD being unhappy about Neil speaking to an English club, I could believe it and can see how the situation deteriorated to the point he left with no new club to go to.
HH
BB
Yep I’d agree.
Bada,
I agree and I think sftb was flirting with that notion too.
Like HT, I like to gauge a player in how they do against us. Very few youngsters ticking any boxes for me in that regard.