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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Macjay
no problem here
Brth, do you think the prosecution will pull off a win versus the man behind the man who shat the huns down the pan?
Good luck with the sleepover btw.
HH
I meant BMCUWP thanks!
That DD is a slacker :)
Lets make America white again!
white=great
bloody ipad!
WHAT IS THE STARS on 5TH OCTOBER 2016 12:30 AM
Macjay
no problem here
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Cheers , WITS.
MARGARET MCGILL on 5TH OCTOBER 2016 12:32 AM
Lets make America white again!
MARGARET MCGILL on 5TH OCTOBER 2016 12:33 AM
white=great
bloody ipad!
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Trumpomania hits C.Q.N.
Maggie doll.
ha ha ya mad wan.
ACGR
The whole thing doesn’t amount to a hill of beans but can’t comment on it until the show trial is over for a variety of legal reasons.
Cheers re the sleepout. There are a few weeks to go yet and some more funds to be raised before the close of play.
In between I have to have surgery on my knee so I can be transformed into some sort of Olympic athlete.
MACJAY
No,mate. Your previous on here makes it difficult to discern that as a joke,your lovely family notwithstanding.
As I said,my previous with you is enough to make you a man welcome in my company any time. You won’t be the first person to stop arguing with me just to get the beers in.
hasnt whytes trial been postponed?
ACGR
Apparently,a nubbin is something small,or underdeveloped.
Why,what were you thinking of?
If not it will be. Betcha!
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 5th October 2016 12:43 am
3rd Rangers?
MAGS
http://www.continentcontinent.cc/index.php/continent/article/viewArticle/91
As concepts go…
M McGill
If CW walks free?
Much fun will be had in my community.
Oor hero is innocent. Sir David Murray is guilty.
Football visionaries or what? eh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 5th October 2016 12:48 am
I have bookmarked that. Obviously needs some digestion. Get back to you
Thought for tonight…(inspired our very own darlin of Glasgow bus cowboys)
Nellie the elephant pack her trunk and said goodbye to the circus
Off she went with a trumpety trump trump trump trump
Now Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and trundled out off the jungle
Off she went with a trumpety trump trump trump trump
I think its fair to say that Nellie may not have got on with Hillary…nor would she have been universally accepted when she arrived in the Jungle
If I was Hillary, I would adopt this as my campaign song.
Hail Hail
Matt
DD there is no way Murray will go to jail as he should. CW has the scoop on SDM and that will be his defense. Hence the ad infinitum delays. Watch.
Bobby.
This was a joke.
I responded, I thought , in kind.
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WHAT IS THE STARS on 4TH OCTOBER 2016 11:41 PM
Macjay
Dont tell me you are turning into a lily livered liberal,with this immigrants are welcome stuff !!
anyone watched the asterix years and wondered why david murray is not on trial and why fuckers like craig whyte are???
CLUNKS on 5TH OCTOBER 2016 1:04 AM
anyone watched the asterix years and wondered why david murray is not on trial and why fuckers like craig whyte are???
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The establishment ( often Masonic ) protects its own.
That`s its function.
Murray down would probably take a lot with him.
I’ve always been interested in the overlap between Scottish football and quantum mechanics.
As for quantum mechanics, weel the only event that I can think of to surpass the mystery and delightful unravelling of the most beguiling emptional entanglement in the history of mankind was of course my marital night.
Anyway that’s for another time as the words to describe it would need an alphabet of 56 letters. So back to quantum mechanics and football”…..”What can I say about ?”
Well let’s start with the basic ingredients of a classical, and scientific education introduction.
Maths, Physics, Chemistry;
Once you have learned all there is to know about what makes them tick, gives them importance and how they apply to the world we see around us there is only one other minor step to be taken, one minuscule gap to be leaped.
Quantum Mechanics
Take everything from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, Newton’s laws, Einstein’s thought experiments, atomic behaviour and periodic behaviour of the elements and just before you take that step across the narrow fissure in your path….throw the whole bloody lot away, because none of it is of any good at all.
After all we’ve got Quantum Mechanics where the world is a ….ach never mind for the moment. It will become clear when you’ve had a look at ….
Scottish Football ….
and its soul that glows with the amazed utterance of “What the **** is this all about?”
Once you have mastered that, then trust me Quantum Mechanics is a piece of cake.
Hail Hail
Matt
Bobm, yer knob……….:_)
Matt Stewart on 5th October 2016 1:17 am
I see what you mean.
Spherical Harmonics+Laguerre polynomials+Legendre polynomila + spin = electron flying around a proton in its ground state.
Spherical Hunmonics+Lager Polly Hunials+Cheating bassas+ spin= MSM flying around CW’s arse.
Gotcha!
Brth, good luck with the surgery. Will it take more suegery to srparate you from that acgr dram? I like to know all my botles end up in their rightfull place and this one has been in limbo for months. Get it auctioned as there,s another on the way soon. My next botling, a Glenfarclas 12. More to follow but bottle No. 1 is already mine and pledged to a cqn cause.
Get the finger oot big chap, yer falling behind
HH
Almore. Just had Melbourne Mick on the phone.He’s getting all excited about your son Marc coming down the Peninsula. I don’t think he’s ever met anyone with a degree.Knowing Mick he’ll be away getting elocution lessons. I believe Marc is coming on the 16th oct which is the Mornington festival .We have a band called Captain Spalding playing in our pub. Tommy Spalding is an old pal of mine originally from Castlemilk and a good Celtic man.He doesn’t do much Rheb stuff but it is always a great day. We will try our best to make Marc welcome and recognise his wonderful achievement. Keep Well. Paddy. PS i might even get Mick to buy a round.
Mags,
Great try and superficially comforting. But sadly ….”Naw” and “Aye” and “Maybe” all at the same time.
Hail Hail
Matt
Matt Stewart on 5th October 2016 1:32 am
There’s nae quantum computing yet my friend. Its all digital.
Aye or naw? :)
Mags
Ah but there is….or at least the theory is there, albeit on the premis of Strings and their infinite variation in vibration frequency.
Hail Hail
Matt
Speaking of the 4th dimension and quantum mechanics maybe SDM just has a bigger vision board than the rest of scotland and in particular the rest of the ex rangers owners.
maybe he didnt have succulent lamb but a succulent vibration.
That must be it, it must be a masonic energy/vibration whose quantum flux discombobulates natural reality.
Thoughts?
Borgo67 Voguepunter Bmcw DD Thank you .Wits about Canamalar we will see Babasonicos71 never heard that before but Thanks. Matt Stewart what have you done is that me a moonlight poster.HH
Matt Stewart on 5th October 2016 1:37 am
oh yeah that 26 dimensional stuff. Penrose says thats all crap. :)
Fashion, Faith and Fantasy.
Or did Wee Fergus cause SDM to self sabotage??
I must be gone now.
My work is complete…getting Raymond Shannon to post on here.
Wait till TD comes back on…it’ll be like Sharkeys versus the Brazen.
Hail Hail
Matt
GB take note.
Stict Liability in Scotland in a jam.
Eating biscuits.
Eating biscuits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7kUDkK70qQ
A song for those who despise robbers and thieves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rbh1_c-8Ug
and jam lovers