Successful recruitment requires several elements:
Player analysis
Development
Opportunity
Recruitment will fail without even one of the above aspects. Celtic should look for metrics to measure, not just on those who remain in the squad, but those who leave.
Look at two player who left last year: Alex Bernabei and Oh Hyeon-gyu. Both have had very productive times since moving on from Celtic. Alex has been a stand-out in the Brazilian league, while this week Genk rejected a €10m opening bid from Feyenoord. Overwhelming evidence suggests that both are more than good enough to succeed in the Scottish Premiership, but whatever talent they had withered in the South Stand on matchdays.
We are not in the business of buying the finished product, Celtic coaches are there to coach talent into better players. And when they achieve this, the player has to be given an opportunity to deliver on the pitch. On leaving Celtic, Alex and Oh were given the opportunity to show their talents and thrived.
Recruitment needs to be aligned with squad requirements. Coaches must be able to improve players (substantial evidence that this happens at Celtic) and the manager needs to make space in the team or the whole exercise is a waste of time. None of this is easy. Failures happen at every stage, but without recording the post-Celtic metric, we have insufficient data to measure how and where we perform well and poorly.
Oh and Alex will not be the last players we look back on and wonder why we did not see the best from them. Maik Nawrocki, Gus Lagerbielke and Tomoki Iwata will follow, Tomoki is already flourishing at Birmingham. I am also worried Yang – who clearly has something about him – will continue to endure long absences from the pitch.
If I was an agent speaking to Celtic about my player, “Opportunity” would be mentioned in every conversation, it is the hard question we have to ask of ourselves. Still, at least we got the best out of Nat Philips and Auston Trusty.
133 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- »
Bernabei had a few issue off park and as some have mentioned sometimes easy to thrive when
you dont have to win every game.
OH i always commented he wants worship if he scores was detached from group when someone else scored not a team player.
Good luck to both but dont think anyone was gutted when they parted.
Iwata has recently said his best strength of winning the ball back wasn’t really needed at Celtic.
Of the 3 i thought he was developing the best but was also oldest.
Burnley 78 – most of that list of sales for profit came in before ML, so you’ve kind of made Maestro’s point for him. Of all the ML signings, we’ve got good service out of AJ, and made a small amount of money on Oh and Bernabei.
Bernabei has done well (on loan at any rate) playing as a wing back. We don’t and haven’t really since MON play wing backs, so he was always a square peg in a round hole for us. The lesson to learn from that one is in the recruitment part of P67’s three things – he might be a good player but it was poor recruitment as he doesn’t work in the set up we play. We need to stop chucking money at “potential” if they aren’t a fit for our way of playing.
Oh has played 867 minutes for Genk (equivalent to around ten full games) across 41 appearances scoring 12 goals. He played 1327 minutes for Celtic (equivalent to c15 full games) across 47 appearances scoring 12 goals.
I’m not sure he’s markedly improved at Genk – he’s only started 6 games for them (3 league and 3 cup). He has improved his goal per minute output but it looks as though he remains what he was – a decent option off the bench.
I suspect that’s what Feyenoord are buying him as and the price reflects their view that he’s shown to be effective at it in a league of a similar standard to the Dutch league. The lesson to learn from that is that his opportunity as a super sub in Belgium adds more value than similar in Scotland.
There are always players who fail/underperform at clubs and go on to be good elsewhere. Look at the others on your list as examples of where we have done things properly. The key lessons from those:
1. recruit in alignment with how the team play – a fast centre back (Starfelt) works better for us that a slow one (Lagerbeike);
2. Recruit players who are of a standard where they will be in and around the first team from the off. Our big sales (MOR, Jota, Eddy, Dembele, VVD, Forster, Wanyama, Kyogo, Frimpong) were all in this position. Ajer and KT are the outliers but they were boys when they started at Celtic. There are no players we’ve signed with a view to being in the team in 18 months or so who have made it and moved on for big money, so let’s stop buying those guys.
3. Recognise and act on the basis that qualifying for the CL makes more of a difference to our bottom line than player trading. Improve the recruitment and development system so that we recruit guys who are first team ready and bring them in during the January window (or at least early in the summer window) so they are ready for the qualifiers, improve them through coaching, give them the CL platform then sell them on when the time is right.
From last blog:
spikeysauldman on 25th June 2025 9:44 am
kev jungle
if you’re gonna post lies/stats, provide dummy sources to give the impression you’re not just a lying dotard
%
If anything I said was lies you would be one of the first hundred wee hurty word victims rushing on with evidence to prove what I said was lies.
Say what you disagree with or how will I know what you are getting at?
Put up or shut up.
Don’t care what Bernabei does in Brazil, he was crap for us. Rotten.
Oh was just okay.
Yang had his chance to shine at Hampden. He was worse than a man down. Literally. And not for the first time.
If you want the huns to win the league but make the Plc more money to store in the bank build your team around these types of players.
Nat Phillips was a donkey and Trusty has underwhelmed but is a much better player than Yang or Bernabei.
I agree we should be locating our recruitment at a sweet spot where players are coming from cost effective leagues (ie not England) and with room for development. The Swedish winger being a good example.
However, if our academy isn’t able to supply us with the completely undeveloped potential of the likes of Bernabei and Yang I would scrap it completely and add the savings to the huge pile of cash the plc already has in the bank.
Start playing with 2 strikers with all players within shooting distance required to shoot on sight.
Wingers are too easily marked oot the game in a tippy-tappy team.
Play with a flat back 4 that nobody has space to run behind.
Get rid of 40,000 seats. Playing in an 60,000 all seated family section turns rebels into conformist sheep.
uefa rules.
clubs must have an academy structure to allow for the development of youth players. for the future of the game.
the solidarity payouts for no European partipants must be spent on youth and womens development.
Afternoon all.
so you cannot qualify for european competition without an academy
Scottish football isn’t for everyone….
Glass ceiling for Falkirk then.
Point stands. Why not give these lads a shot rather than the likes of Bernabei or Yang.
the Celtic support wont tolerate losses if youths are being blended in
mccardle will be next for the treatment
Saint Stivs on 25th June 2025 1:42 pm
chat gtp and ai responses at the top of each google search is even more boring and often more inaccurate that the real thing
=========================
“the real thing” ??????
falkirk have reestablished their academy
sure i read it was critical for spfl participation.
Hughie Maxwell never really got a chance at Celtic….
.
quantum people use facts to justify an opinion .
often completely misrepresenting the fact .
ai/chatgpt is now doing the same
https://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/2025/05/20/
Give Paul67 the manager’s job. He makes it difficult to support this site.
fact – falkirk are reopening academy teams.
reason. – uefa solidarity payments finances it
So the only benefit of the academy is it satisfies uefa requirements. Let’s pare it back to the absolute minimum.
Good to see Falkirk’s optimism. Must fancy euro qualification.
you are missing the point .
teams who qualify for europe get the normal participation payouts as per the published values per round and competition played in. one of the categories of payout can only be spent on the development of youth and womens games
the rest of the league clubs in the spfl get something called the Solidarity payout. administered by the sfa
i think over 6 million was paid out last season. again for youth and womans games development.
Saint Stivs on 25th June 2025 2:39 pm
fact – falkirk are reopening academy teams.
reason. – uefa solidarity payments finances
=================
Sorry Saint Stivs I really couldnt resist it. CHATGBT read your 2 posts above and replied
“”Aye, Saint Stivs — folk have been twisting facts for years, now AI’s just learned the same bad habits. But you’re right on Falkirk. They’re not reopening the academy out of romance — it’s because UEFA’s handing out solidarity money, and the rules say it has to be spent on youth or women’s football. So if they want the cash, they need the kids.”
falkirk say quite simply they couldnt afford to run youth set up while in the championship but can do now they are back in spfl.
they might get relegated and stop it again
or they might develop a player who becomes the next andy robertson
quantum that was funny
when google gets stuck on something it asks me …
HIGGLE why is AI shite ?
Yang’s last opportunity to impress was given to him on the big expansive pitch at Hampden.
My heart still hurts at his inability to provide a decent pass to a Celtic shirt , and my head still thumps at his over hit crosses.
The Celtic shirt didn’t shrink to fit Oh or Bernabei, and it won’t shrink to fit Yang.
TT
on a grander scale.
barrowfield redevelopment was not just chance
uefa fsr is going to make Celtic plc spend real money on physical structures.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6445705/2025/06/25/nottingham-forest-city-ground-plans/
TinyTim on 25th June 2025 2:56 pm
Great point re Yang . If ever there was an opportunity to make a big statemant , the cup final was it . The stage was set for a hero but he played as if it was all too much for him . The jersey does not shrink to fit overwhelmed players .
Saint Stivs on 25th June 2025 2:54 pm
quantum that was funny
when google gets stuck on something it asks me …
HIGGLE why is AI shite ?
============
I did , it replied
“Haha, Saint Stivs — maybe Higgle’s just the Gaelic for ‘debug’. AI’s no shite, it’s just been trained on too much Sevco PR and not enough Celtic Quick News!”
Timo Weah going to Nottingham Forest seemingly
Good afternoon all.
Logging in getting difficult again…
When are Celtic back in for pre season training?
Successful recruitment requires several elements:
Player analysis
Development
Opportunity
Recruitment will fail without even one of the above aspects.
——–
First 19 words of Paul’s latest.
I’ve read it four times now
(the full article that is)
Happy to accept you are trying to teach rather than preach here Pablo.
Also happy to accept (without evidence) your assertion that these three elements are essential to successful recruitment.
A cynic might say “Oh yeah? Says who?”
If this is part of our getting better by learning I’m all for it.
If this is the agreed process and requires the manager to invest in it – I think that is reasonable.
Here comes the “but”
Analytics is clearly close to your heart, Paul.
You routinely cite others doing it better. Fair enough.
Here’s the problem, IMHO …
The clubs doing this demonstrably better than Celtic?
Don’t win much.
The common trajectory is progression from “nobodies” to “somebodies” but not necessarily “contenders”.
Short term performance dips (individuals and the group) as part of that developmental journey are deemed acceptable. Titles aren’t on the line.
They wouldn’t be accepted at Celtic. (Perhaps they should be)
We demand the manager wins trophies. Always.
Paul67
The ‘recruitment metric’ could only improve after somebody went ga ga in the summer of 2023.
The good news just keeps on coming……..
Luis Palma with an absolutely huge goal for Honduras against Curaçao last night
A thunderous added-time winner from the @CelticFC winger sealed his country’s place in the knockout stage of the Gold Cup
things were that bad i began to believe keef jackson and the smsm matra of a 20 million transfer budget, but then i asked AI.
If i can , whay cant the average bear ?
—————-
In essence, while owning shares in a football club is an investment, it’s separate from the process of buying and selling players. The money raised from share issues is used for the overall business operations of the club, not for specific player transfers.
By Celtic Football Club
Share
25 Jun 2025, 4:02 pm
Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce that Shaun Maloney has been appointed as the club’s new Professional Player Pathway Manager, with the aim of developing the progression of players at the club.
Shaun will work closely with Paul Tisdale, our Head of Football Operations, Men’s First Team Manager, Brendan Rodgers, Chris McCart, our Head of Academy and the club’s B Team and Academy Coaches and, in this hugely important role, he will work to ensure the effective development of players to play for Celtic.
Through the maintenance of strong relationships with clubs across leagues, both domestically and internationally, the role will also manage loan opportunities which support player pathway and development opportunities.
Shaun himself came through the ranks at Celtic before making more than 200 first team appearances and winning 5 League titles and 3 League Cups with the Club.
He has also played for Aston Villa and Wigan in the English Premier League as well as having spells in the English Championship and the MLS. Following the end of Shaun’s playing career, he held management positions at Wigan Athletic and Hibernian FC.
Shaun said: “It is a huge honour to be given this opportunity to return to Celtic, in a role which I am really passionate about.
“My aim will be to work really closely between our Academy and the First Team and create the very best opportunities for success, which will ultimately be represented by more and more players reaching our first team environment.
“I have been fortunate enough to follow this same pathway and I am now excited about ensuring many more young players can take this same journey.”
Paul Tisdale, Celtic’s Head of Football Operations added: “I am delighted that we have been able to bring Shaun back to the club in this role.
“Shaun will be tasked with developing the internal and external processes necessary to ensure we optimise the talents of our young players.
“Through his experience and knowledge, we believe Shaun will add significant value to the role”.
Welcoming Shaun back to Celtic, Manager, Brendan Rodgers said: “I am really pleased to welcome Shaun to this post. He is someone I believe will make a great contribution to the club in this area.
“He is an intelligent guy who knows what it takes to be a successful Celtic player and I think his experience will be invaluable in this role.
“He has all the credentials to be really successful in positively developing our younger players.”