SO, Celtic have successfully cleared their opening European hurdle and now move on, from Iceland to Azerbaijan. As I said the last time I mentioned this season's European campaign, their continued involvement should not have been questioned, but, sadly, there always will be a but where the current Celtic back line is concerned.
The ease with which the Icelanders cut through to score their sixth minute goal was concerning, but, the manner in which Celtic re-grouped and took control made it evident, they would prevail - which they did with some style.
Things will be a lot harder in Baku, not least because of the long flight to get there, but, I hope and believe, Celtic could well make it to the Champions League proper this season.
The fact the victorious Celtic side in Iceland contained a majority of Scottish players was another cause for celebration. The fact that none of the six Scots concerned - Craig Gordon, Charlie Mulgrew, Scott Brown, Leigh Griffiths, an the two Dundee United "steals", Armstrong and Mackay-Steven came through the Celtic ranks (ok Mulgrew partially) is another reminder of how poor is Scottish football's development system.
Until we get this right, we will never again see Scotland competing at the top level in both international and continental competition.
CONTINENTAL competition, of course, remains a distant dream for the Rangers Tribute Act, condemned as they are to another season, at least, in the SPFL Championship.
Not being able to beat Burnley in their pre-season friendly is, not unexpectedly being seized upon by the Celtic family's wilder elements as proof that the RTA is in trouble still. If there is one thing I have learned in five decades of sports scribbling, it is to largely ignore pre-season matches - these are football's equivalent of theatrical provincial tours - a chance to get the mistakes out of the system before the big opening.
If Hibs put the RTA to the sword when they officially kick-off the new senior season, at Easter Road, at lunch time on Saturday, then, there will be cause for concern. But, given, even back in the days of Greig, McKinnon and Baxter, Willie Henderson and Millar, Brand and Wilson, Rangers were notoriously slow starters, if the new-look RTA struggles to gel in July and August, it will all be forgotten if they are back in the top-flight by May.
It will take a week,maybe even a month or two, for the squad to get going.
ONE or two of my regular readers will, by this far down this post, be convinced I have, like the rest of the Scottish football media, an unhealthy obsession with covering the Bigot Brothers, to the detriment of the rest of Scottish football.
There was a wonderful example of this in this morning's papers, concerning a company called Spohrt, which was started in 2013 by former footballer Roddy Manley.
Roddy's company offers careers advice for young footballers, who have prhaps realised at 18 or 19, that they are not going to make it as full-time footballers, but, who have - and this happens far-too-often - put all their eggs in the football basket, only to see them break.
Fair play to Roddy, for noticing the need for such a safety net, but, no marks to football in general for not having put up such a safety net within the game.
And, even fewer marks to the msm. Spohrt is a tale which needed telling, but, what appeared in today's paper?
Well ok, Roddy got his picture in, along with his company's name, but, according to whichever paper you read, the words were all about Paul Lambert's belief that Scotland would soon be back playing in the finals of the big international tournaments, or another John Brown call to arms to Ra Peepul, to get behind the "Real Rangers Men" who are now running the RTA.
Boring, boring, boring - but, hey, that's how Scottish football is covered, just as it always has been. Ayebeenism, the eternal curse of Scottish football.
The ease with which the Icelanders cut through to score their sixth minute goal was concerning, but, the manner in which Celtic re-grouped and took control made it evident, they would prevail - which they did with some style.
Things will be a lot harder in Baku, not least because of the long flight to get there, but, I hope and believe, Celtic could well make it to the Champions League proper this season.
The fact the victorious Celtic side in Iceland contained a majority of Scottish players was another cause for celebration. The fact that none of the six Scots concerned - Craig Gordon, Charlie Mulgrew, Scott Brown, Leigh Griffiths, an the two Dundee United "steals", Armstrong and Mackay-Steven came through the Celtic ranks (ok Mulgrew partially) is another reminder of how poor is Scottish football's development system.
Until we get this right, we will never again see Scotland competing at the top level in both international and continental competition.
CONTINENTAL competition, of course, remains a distant dream for the Rangers Tribute Act, condemned as they are to another season, at least, in the SPFL Championship.
Not being able to beat Burnley in their pre-season friendly is, not unexpectedly being seized upon by the Celtic family's wilder elements as proof that the RTA is in trouble still. If there is one thing I have learned in five decades of sports scribbling, it is to largely ignore pre-season matches - these are football's equivalent of theatrical provincial tours - a chance to get the mistakes out of the system before the big opening.
If Hibs put the RTA to the sword when they officially kick-off the new senior season, at Easter Road, at lunch time on Saturday, then, there will be cause for concern. But, given, even back in the days of Greig, McKinnon and Baxter, Willie Henderson and Millar, Brand and Wilson, Rangers were notoriously slow starters, if the new-look RTA struggles to gel in July and August, it will all be forgotten if they are back in the top-flight by May.
It will take a week,maybe even a month or two, for the squad to get going.
ONE or two of my regular readers will, by this far down this post, be convinced I have, like the rest of the Scottish football media, an unhealthy obsession with covering the Bigot Brothers, to the detriment of the rest of Scottish football.
There was a wonderful example of this in this morning's papers, concerning a company called Spohrt, which was started in 2013 by former footballer Roddy Manley.
Roddy's company offers careers advice for young footballers, who have prhaps realised at 18 or 19, that they are not going to make it as full-time footballers, but, who have - and this happens far-too-often - put all their eggs in the football basket, only to see them break.
Fair play to Roddy, for noticing the need for such a safety net, but, no marks to football in general for not having put up such a safety net within the game.
And, even fewer marks to the msm. Spohrt is a tale which needed telling, but, what appeared in today's paper?
Well ok, Roddy got his picture in, along with his company's name, but, according to whichever paper you read, the words were all about Paul Lambert's belief that Scotland would soon be back playing in the finals of the big international tournaments, or another John Brown call to arms to Ra Peepul, to get behind the "Real Rangers Men" who are now running the RTA.
Boring, boring, boring - but, hey, that's how Scottish football is covered, just as it always has been. Ayebeenism, the eternal curse of Scottish football.
I fail to see how Scots football youth development is failing if the six players you mentioned are successful. Surely you mean Celtics youth development fails as they steal players from hearts, Hibs, Dundee Utd and anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteSomething the OF have always done, usually with their lackeys aid.
Whether the players are developed correctly is worth questioning but most clubs bring through their own, then lose them.