Teenage kicks

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So how do you feel about playing a couple of teenagers, Filip Twardzik and debutant Jackson Irvine, in central midfield, but dropping a couple of SPL points?  Good, I hope.  Welcome to the world of player development.

For a decade or more Celtic produced prodigious youth teams but watched as Dundee United, Hibs, Hearts even Hamilton Accies graduated more effective adult players.  Key to this is perhaps ensuring that players are tested at a higher level at key times in their development.  In short, if you have not played regular first team football by the time you are 22 there is a good chance you will not fulfil your potential.

There is cost to this development, you’re not going to win all the time, especially when the two teenage central midfielders are surrounded by other young players: Adam Matthews, 20, Tony Watt, 18 and James Forrest, 21.  Half time substitute, Victor Wanyama, is still only 21.

I’m looking forward to seeing more teenage kicks in the coming months.

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  1. hen1rik

     

     

    13:40 on 2 September, 2012

     

    The Sevco boys are out in force today.

     

    Phil tells the truth about death threats and they’re all up in arms.

     

     

    Just ask Neil Lennon, Trish Goodman, Paddy McCourt, Niall McGinn, Paul McBride and the SFA about death threats from the scum I’m sure they’ll tell you how bad they are, they just can’t handle the truth.

     

     

    A wee suggestion for the Sevco boys, why don’t we allow you all to threaten people and we will allow you to cheat every year and you don’t need to abide by the rules and we will also allow you to keep the trophies you won by cheating, how’s that Sevco you happy with that.

     

     

    Oh before i sign off what about all the Celtic fans just kidding on you are the same club that’s a good idea eh.

  2. Auld Neil Lennon heid on

    Valley Exile (Not in Administration)

     

     

    He came off with an injury, a dead leg that had been bothering him previously.

  3. ROW Z - Let Celtic Flourish by the Cleansing of the 'den! on

    Estadio

     

     

    I done a half marathon and then a full marathon on the same day in the 80s.

     

     

    Then they went and changed it ti snickers!

     

     

    HH

  4. The real winners of the demise of RFC(IA) will be those who were in the CFC U-19 squad last season. They will be given chances that their predecessors were never given due entirely to the change in the dynamic of the SPL for the next couple of seasons. For once dropping points in August/September is not reported as a death-blow to championship ambitions.

  5. !!Bada Bing!!

     

    13:43 on

     

    2 September, 2012

     

    undertonescsc

     

     

    You’ve got a good memory …….for an ole geezer.

  6. eddieinkirkmichael on

    I’m actually loving it that Neil is going with the youth in these SPL games before and after Euro games. With Servco likely to be out the equation for a couple of years it allows us to dip into the second string and see how they handle the pressure.

     

     

    We may drop a few points along the way but surely it’s a good thing for us as a club to be able to develope our youth in competitive games. I mean no disrespect to our fellow SPL teams when I say that I still believe we will win the league regardless of whether we play our 1st 11 or a mixture of 1st teamers and 1 or 2 from the youths in SPL games.

     

     

    We have a bright future and hopefully some of these young players will be pushing for regular starting places in the seasons to come. I’m very excited for the future of this young squad.

  7. Valley exile

     

     

    Do you honestly believe that Vic was uninjured when subbed?

     

     

    Do you believe that Neil Lennon would have used another youngster when we had a slender 1:0 lead?

     

     

    Do you mean to imply that you would have kept an injured Vic on the field against his own wishes?

  8. The Battered Bunnet on

    from last thread…

     

     

    …Row Z raises a good point.

     

     

    For clarity, the Scottish Football Association was formed in 1873 by agreement of 7 football clubs to the following motion: “The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of The Football Association”.

     

     

    Among other interesting points of note, only one of the original subscribers to the association remains an active football club.

     

     

    30 years later, in 1903, The Scottish Football Association incorporated as a company limited by guarantee, with a formal Memorandum and Articles of Association.

     

     

    The SFA presents itself as the 2nd oldest football association in the world, having been founded in 1873.

     

     

    Were the SFA Ltd to be dissolved, perhaps following some financial calamity or another, it would no longer exist.

     

     

    Equally, it is foreeseeable that Scottish football clubs formerly members of the SFA, would form a new association to govern their game, and doubtless call it something like The Scottish Football Association Ltd.

     

     

    It would be entirely feasible and in order for the Liquidators of old SFA to sell the intellectual property rights owned by the old association, including any and all brand names, copyrights and so on, to the new association, thus the new association could properly use the crest, moto and other properties of the old association should it so wish.

     

     

    The legitimacy of this new assciation to govern the game would be demonstrated by the unanimous subscription of its member clubs, and ultimately its membership of FIFA. (The old associaiton’s membership of FIFA and the International Football Board would end on, or prior to, dissolution)

     

     

    For all intents and purposes, despite having the same members as the old association, calling itself something very similar to the old association, and indeed using the crest and colours of the old association, the new association would be…. a new association, with a new constitution, new legal personality, and new legal relationships, the old association having been dissolved.

  9. Paul

     

     

    The way the league is panning out, teams will drop points all over the shop.

     

     

    I don’t think that the league will be wrapped up by the turn of the year, it never was going to be, and I am glad we are blooding in a few of the kids.

     

     

    We are in the fortunate position this year and maybes the next couple of years to bring on the kids, and still manage to concentrate on euro football.

     

     

    Delighted with our new signing.

     

     

    Levante will be taking legal action they said if we sign him, interesting few weeks ahead.

  10. I decided to go back to my original display name as Neil Lennon is now clearly auld enough in the heid to need my display of support.

     

     

    It has been very pleasing to see his growth as a person through his trials.

  11. If not for Euro adventures imminent & Bent F.C. begone we would have put out a much more experienced team yesterday.

     

    But all of you who have commented on it :yes, youth development is heartening to see. No doubt about it.

     

    HH!

  12. The Battered Bunnet on

    Incidentally, Tony Hamilton tweeting that Lassad Nouioui has signed on for 2 years subject to international clearance.

  13. ROW Z - Let Celtic Flourish by the Cleansing of the 'den! on

    TBB

     

     

    yip

     

     

    Just think instead of asking their CEO about SEVCO we should ask him about his own organisation so that that can be applied to SEVCO appropriately and DEFINITIVELY

     

     

    HH

  14. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Afternoon Championees!

     

     

    Afternoon Table Toppers!!

     

     

    Afternoon C L Contenders!!

     

     

    Do we see any problems out there? I see none!!!

     

     

    HaiL HaiL

  15. Why would Lenny take off a player who wasn’t injured?

     

     

    The suggestion that Wanyama wasn’t struggling is a strange one.

  16. I’ve mentioned this a few times over the last 9 months.

     

     

    This season is our best chance in 30 years to finally convert some potential stars into real players. Too often our need to win every game has forced our managers into a conservative selection even when the alternative offers a stunning Return on investment.

     

     

    Yesterday we dropped 2 points, and didn’t play very well at time. We also played 3 central midfielders who were 21 and under. These young players will grow from every game, and this is both needed for their development and for us to adequately assess them.

     

     

    For years we’ve seen a number of flash in the pans who have been hailed as the next best thing ( Mark Burchill, Craig Beattie, Stephen McManus, Liam Miller, Colin Healy etc etc); while a great number of young players who we have offered contracts to have decided against joining our ranks to go to clubs where they can ply their trade and improve.

     

     

    To quote the great Sun Tzu, “you become a better warrior by killing a better foe”.

     

     

    The same is true in football.

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