Imagine for a moment that instead of turning out for Celtic’s under-20s at Cappielow last night, the same 13-year-old Messi-anic talent, Karamoko Dembele, made his debut for Morton’s under-20 side. With all the scouts in Scotland and beyond watching his ever move, what chance Morton fans would be in a position to watch the lad grace their first team for anything more than a fleeting moment?
Celtic, among many others, would be all over the situation. His advisers would ensure that when he approaches his 16th birthday his career options were as open as possible – that’s if he’s still part of Morton’s development setup by that stage.
It’s easy to see Morton’s place in the food-chain. They would be totally incapable of offering a young player anything remotely like the compensation the likes of Celtic would. Self-awareness regarding the food-chain position is less common.
A few years back I watched a preseason game at a lower league club with a scout who worked for Manchester City, as well as a few lesser lights. When the subject got around to Celtic’s then equally Messi-anic prodigy, Islam Feruz, there was little the scout didn’t know about the player.
He could quote every stat and report ever written on Islam, but he didn’t make comfortable listening. “The boy will never play for Celtic”, was his verdict. “All the big English clubs want him and one of them will offer so much money, he’ll not refuse. Celtic can’t come close to offering the same.” I had plenty of hope that he would be wrong but as Islam’s 16th birthday approached, Chelsea outbid all others to transform his bank balance beyond all recognition. His subsequent demise is a footnote in the tale of player development.
Clubs cannot offer a professional contract until a young player turns 16. It does the developing club no good whatsoever to have a prodigy, evident to the world, before this age. Once he’s 16, he can be offered a professional contract, and the club can secure a subsequent transfer fee. If he leaves before this, the most the club will earn is a modest training compensation fee. Even if the parent club manages to secure the player on a contract, it’s likely to be something like Martin Odegaard’s at Strømsgodset – due to expire while the boy is still a boy, limiting game time and transfer fees accordingly.
Will Karamoko Dembele make it? If he does, will he be the exception to the rule that takes Teenage Kickers into the financial stratosphere before they are ready? Let’s hope it’s yes on both counts, but consider me skeptical for the next three years until we find out. On both counts. Until then we we can enjoy watching a great talent come through the ranks, but nothing more significant.
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quonno on 4th October 2016 3:24 pm
Thought a quick witted reporter would have asked him if he enjoyed a bit of July effigy burning.
______________________________________________
A quick witted reporter is an oxymoron I think!
FAC the Act
KTF
VFR800A8 on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 3:32 PM
quonno on 4th October 2016 3:24 pm
Thought a quick witted reporter would have asked him if he enjoyed a bit of July effigy burning.
______________________________________________
A quick witted reporter is an oxymoron I think!
FAC the Act
KTF
Not so.
They are quick witted enough to avoid asking the relevant questions.
Is someone who’s useless with stock cubes an oxomoron?
QUONNO , 3:24 PM
Good to see Mr Lenaghan’s name again. You couldn’t escape it once upon a time, sprayed on every wall and bus in North Belfast in the late 70s, when he and his fellow Shankill Young Tartan members went out on their evening Fenian hunt. They used to get buses down to the Lower Ormeau as well for a night’s entertainment before they drifted off to the YCV and their bars to drink with the Shankill Butchers.
One of his graffiti cohorts ended up dead, dumped in a skip after he had stepped out of line with their new pals.
MIKEINTORONTO
Top three
Jaffa Cakes
Kitkats
Chocolate Digestives.
All preferably plain chocolate
No imposters,no ‘generic’ substitutes.
There’s only one Peter Freuchen
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ytb8GRJg8#
BOBBY / MIT…
Milk choc digestives
Jaffas
Gingernuts
Best biccy advert
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1hcMOIjA6F4#
mike in toronto on 4th October 2016 3:50 am
Mac jay I have no problem holding people accountable. And I realize it is easier to fire one underperforming coach than eleven underperforming play
*Mike my 2nd favourite sport is American football particularly the college level and of course Notre Dame is number 1 in my eyes, how can you no like a team that has tricolours in the stands and priests on the touchline and disnae get castigated for it but is in fact loved by most.
This year they have again the super DeShone Kizer at quarterback but their early seasons scores have been a bit iffy. Losing 47-50 in the opener to Texas in what was a terrific attacking game, winning 39-10 against Nevada and then losing 36-28 and 38-35 to deadly rivals Michigan and Duke respectively.
Lots of points scored but more so lots shifted, so the outcome was the defensive coordinator, whose son is on the roster as a quarterback incidentally, was relieved of his duties.
That’s just the way it goes and as Head Coach Brian Kelly said “that’s probably the one area that I feel better about today, we did what I wanted today in terms of coaching, there are things that I want to get better at defensively, there’s no question, but that’s the least of my concerns after today.”
First game with the “new” coordinator the “Irish” blew the orange out of the water 50-33.
There is no sentiment in modern sport, unfortunately we Celtic supporters embrace with open arms anyone who joins our club always hoping, and quite rightly too, for the best
I really really hoped that Ronny would have been a success and for the most part he was, 2 titles and 1 cup prove that.
More than Jimmy McStay, Liam Brady, Lou Macari, Josef Venglos, John Barnes and Mogga, in fact he won more trophies than the late lamented Tommy Burns (I know different circumstances), even the much criticised Kenny won a trophy in his caretaker role.
Personally, I believe that the job came too early for twist and turns and he also stayed too long, 1 cup and 2 humiliations in the lion’s den was enough for me. He should have been allowed to go and hone his craft elsewhere before taking the position up, but as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I also believe that if he hadn’t went tae that other Paradise in the sky he would have managed the club again, and Lenny, who replaced him when he took ill, would just have been another former player.
WWW(GBWO) on 4th October 2016 1:07 pm
Tinytim,you might try this
https://adblockplus.org/
Good call for Tiny Tim, WWW(GBWO). I have just installed the Android version of Adblock Browser on my Samsung GalaxyNote4, and it works like a charm! Those ****ing annoying ads are now no more. Like TinyTim I was so frustrated by the poor experience of the p*** poor CQN experienceon my mobile, the device I use the most, that I simply gave up and only looked in on CQN occasionally when accessing my home desktop or work laptop. Kind of defeats the purpose of Ads if you alienate the potential buyer to the extent that you no longer access the site! (For some Ads, the whole screen would be taken up with no exit possible other than closing the tab or the browser.)
The only word of caution I would say is why does Adblock Browser need all those permissions???
Yours in Celtic,
TB&F.
Btw,80th anniversary of The Battle of Cable Street. Fascism effectively jackbooted out of the UK
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/04/danish-nationalists-refugee-spray-battle-cable-street
TONTINETIM
Re TB,history proves the wisdom of your words. But at the time our options were limited
I’m struggling to think of any at the time,tbh.
Worth the consideration that the new manager really had to be someone who the fans bought into right away. We had taken too many blows from too many false dawns previously.
Tommy must be our unluckiest manager ever. But he gave us back the football we all grew up with.
I’ll always be grateful for that…
Re Adblock Browser
I’ve just read the ‘Permissions’ description on the Adblock Browser FAQ’s page, and the follow-on link to the Firefox Permissions description. (Adblock Browser is based on Firefox). Much happier now! :-)
TRUTH_BEAUTY_AND_FREEDOM
Diz this meen ye’ll be postin’ mair often then?
:-(
ONLY KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE GOOD THE BAD. THE UGLY
Jock Stein. Frankenstein. Colin Stein
The Huns had Dave smith and Alex Smith …..smiths crisps tasty and nice……but we had THE GOLDEN WONDER
Jimmy Johnstone.Memories from the 60s going to the game on the double decker from Benny’s Bar,Gorbals x.
The Ghosts of Cable Street – The Men They Couldn’t Hang. Great lyrics (some poetic licence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKv5gjOzTA
HH
BGFC
BHOYJOEBELFAST
My Dad dug out a programme today,Nov 59.
Apart from TOHG having one of his earliest starts,we also had John Colrain up front.
I hadn’t heard of him before,so I googled.
20 goals in 44 league games. Why would we let him go,he was only about 21?
Glentoran legend eventually,btw.
Tontine ….
I am not a big US football fan, but, like you, I have always had a soft spot for ND …
When I was looking at schools for my doctorate, I was interested in St. Johns (I knew some people there), Georgetown, the Gregorian (I studied with Father Fuchs, and he wanted me to go there) … and Notre Dame ( see a pattern there!) …. Funny enough, It was the last one that caused a bit of grief…
Some of my more liberal pals said it was so conservative, it turned out more CIA ops than any post secondary institute in America (I dont know if that is true, but I remember that being said)…. my more conservative pals, were irate that it had become a’ bastion of communism’ under Fr. Hesburgh!
Eventually, I said screw it and went to law school instead (less political than grad school, by a mile!)
One of my best pals told me a great story about being offered a teaching job at ND … if you like ND football, remind me later, and I will tell you …
Tommy Burns…. agree that he would have been better served had he come to Celtic as manager at a different time … but, to be fair to him, he would have had a much better record had he not been cheated…. and, regardless of his record, he is still my favourite Celt ever. I’m not saying he was our best player, but for me, he best represented what Celtic is and should be about ….
Afternoon all.
Been busy so haven’t really had the chance to push this and I’m also aware that BRTH has been addressing it. If you’re able to spare a couple of quid, it would be greatly appreciated.
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/helendunese1#.V7n_9q3rwpU.facebook
Happy birthday to my size 22. She,s getting ready to go out for champagne and dinner in a wee resuraunt in Corvera village and has slipped into her sexiest lacey numbers. Looks like a bomb,s gone off in a doylie factory.
xxx Mrs acgr
I know this goes against the expertise of the sudden proliferation of youth prospect gurus who have appeared on here today to cast aspersions on our club’s handling of the prodigious tlaent that is Karamoke Dembele –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr9AicDp5Uo
– but…
Maybe, just maybe, Celtic knew what they were doing with young Dembele last night?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 4:58 PM
That is the month I was born……..
…… I know, that doesn’t look possible ;)
Happy Birthday, Mrs ACGR,
I will honour the occasion by dining on Dumfries`s finest tonight!
JJ
Bobby, Brian ‘Biff’ Connor ran the John Colraine Celtic Supporters bus out of Heraghty’s which omly went to European away games.
Biff was a reserve player for us in the early sixties.
I’m sorry I never got a chat with you last Saturday. It was really good even though I was there for a short time.
As an aside , my pals and I referred to Biff as the man they can’t hang as he did not look like he had a neck.
BMCUWP
John Colrain managed Glentoran and was much admired by the glens fans.One game I remember was the one
all draw with the old team.
See the semifinal tickets are on sale, I’m back in the South stand, hoping for a better result!
MWD and Tiny Tim:
I use iPad no problems with accessing site, I use Safari.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lennybhoy
All good on iPuddle but nae gid on iBone
MWD
The size 22 is a lucky lass !!!!
Hoopy bday to the braw lady….
Braw.
SANDMAN
There were some cynical oul’ bassas all choking for a drink on Good Friday in Dublin. Difficult to impress,I would reckon.
To a man,we were. He’s a fabulous player. Couldnae believe he was only 13.
MOONBEAMSWD ‘STAND UP ON 15 FOR THE GB’ on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 5:45 PM
That’s because your phone could get a gig on the Antiques Roadshow!
FAC the Act
KTF
Birthday wishes to Mrs. ACGR.
HAPPY HOOOOOOPY BIRTHDAY to
Mrs ACGR!!!!!!
He loves you really. Too macho-Glesca to admit it in public…
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 5:35 PM
Yep, just got mine for the South Stand Upper. H3.
FAC the Act
KTF
MOONBEAMSWD ‘STAND UP ON 15 FOR THE GB’ on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 5:45 PM
Ditto for me and I use a 5SE, so your not missing out on anything by not upgrading…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
VRF
And I refuse to upgrade because society says I should or because Apple is trying to IOS me into it. It calls, texts, plays my tunes, does the net thing CQN mad add apart. I’ll live with it until it’s Rangersed.
:-)
MWD
MOONBEAMSWD ‘STAND UP ON 15 FOR THE GB’ on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 5:45 PM
I was in the middle of something when I bumped into you the other week or I would have stopped to catch up but I know you knew that.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
DALLASDALLAS
Ffs,missed another stalwart!
Sorry about that,next time. Not been in Heraghty’s too often,my Dad’s mate was never far away from it though.
I’m sure there’s loads of stuff like that in our loft somewhere-unless my Mum binned it. My sister found a photo of all sixteen players who played for us in Europe in 66-67 a few years back.
With all their signatures on the back!
My recall is they are facsimiles,but I must ask her about it.