Why Cannot Scottish Football Put Its Trust In Scottish Footballers?

THE 1950s and 1960s were a simpler age for fans of Scottish fitba. Uncle Rupert wasn't trying hard to brainwash us into believing that the English Premiership was the only true football league; European campaigns were an exotic adventure; and we still believed Scottish football could compete at world level.

I refuse to believe this can never happen again

We were also certain the domestic Scottish League was a good competition, rather than a glorified pub league. Of course, we knew it wasn't perfect, but, we were largely content with our lot.

On 19 October, 1957, Celtic beat Rangers 7-1 to win the 1957-58 Scottish League Cup final, in front of over 82,000 fans, at a sun-dappled Hampden. That victory has since entered Celtic folk lore, but, what the Celtic Family did not know, as they danced with joy, was, the win would be their side's last taste of silverware for nearly eight years, encompassing competition for 23 domestic prizes, before they defeated Dunfermline to win the 1965 Scottish Cup final.

It is interesting to review the teams on that October day. Celtic lined-up: Dick Beattie; John Donnelly, Sean Fallon; Willie Fernie, Bobby Evans, Bertie Peacock; Charlie Tully, Bobby Collins, Billy McPhail, Sammy Wilson, Neil Mochan.

The Rangers team read: George Niven; Bobby Shearer, Eric Caldow; Ian McColl, John Valentine, Harold Davis; Alex Scott, Billy Simpson, Max Murray, Sammy Baird, Johnny Hubbard.

The Celtic side included seven full internationalists – Fernie, Evans, Collins and Mochan were Scotland caps, Peacock and Tully were Northern Ireland caps, and Fallon was a Republic of Ireland cap. In addition, Beattie was a Scotland Under-23 cap.

Rangers' Caldow, McColl, Scott and Baird were full Scotland caps; Simpson was a Northern Ireland internationalist; Shearer would go on to win full Scotland caps, Murray was an Under-23 cap; Hubbard had played for a South African representative side and Niven was a Scottish League cap, who was injured at least thrice and unable to play for Scotland after being selected.

So, on the day, it might be argued, Celtic had the more-honoured side.

The Old Firm would not go head-to-head again in a domestic cup final for seven seasons, covering 14 cup climaxes, until they met in the 1964-65 League Cup Final, on 24 October, 1964, when Rangers won 2-1. The teams that day were:

Celtic: John Fallon; Ian Young, Tommy Gemmell; John Clark, John Cushley, Jim Kennedy; Jimmy Johnstone, Bobby Murdoch, Stevie Chalmers, John Divers, John Hughes.

Rangers lined-up: Billy Ritchie; Davie Provan, Eric Caldow; John Greig, Ronnie McKinnon, Wilson Wood; Ralph Brand, Jimmy Millar, Jim Forrest, Jim Baxter, Willie Johnston.

Only Eric Caldow had survived from the 1957 game. However, it should be noted, all 11 of the Celtic team had come through the ranks, being signed from youth or junior football and developed at Celtic Park. Of the Rangers XI, all bar Millar and Baxter, bought respectively from Dunfermline Athletic and Raith Rovers had been home-bred and come through the ranks at the club.

Of the Celtic team, only Kennedy was a full internationalist, but Gemmell, Clark, Johnstone, Murdoch and Chalmers would go on to immortality as “Lisbon Lions” and they, along with Hughes would win full caps.

Rangers' Ritchie, Provan, Caldow, Greig, Brand, Millar and Baxter were already full caps, while McKinnon, Forrest and Johnston would go on to win full caps.

So, in 1957 the victorious Celtic team had been the more-mature unit. For the majority of that team, 7-1 was virtually a last hurrah in the hoops.

In 1964, the losing Celtic team was the less-experienced squad, however, as we now know, they were on the cusp of greatness. Four months on from losing to Rangers, Celtic would make the crucial move in swinging the balance of football power across the city – when they recalled Jock Stein as manager.

Losing that 1964 game was in some ways the last straw for the Celtic fans. They had become, if not accepting of failure, fed-up waiting for the glory days to return. Many were unhappy with the lack of trophies, but, others were confident the club's youngsters – the Kelly Kids, would come through and bring back the great days.

As we now know, while some of those Kelly Kids, such as Fallon, Young, Cushley and Divers failed to “train-on” to become full caps – Sir Robert Kelly's belief in home-grown talent finally paid off, not least in Lisbon on that unforgettable night in May, 1967.

Nine of the Lions were home-grown, only Ronnie Simpson and Willie Wallace having to be bought. (I know Bertie Auld was also bought, but, in his case, he was bought back from Birmingham City – he learned his football at Celtic). And, never forget, every single Lion was born within an hour of Celtic Park.

So, what's this got to do with the price of bread, you ask?

Fast forward to this week, and the two clubs' adventures in the Europa League. The Rangers' team which beat Braga was: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Edmundson, Barisic; Hagi, Jack, Davis, Arfield; Kamberi, Kent. Substitutes: Foderingham, Ojo, Halliday, Aribo, Kamara, Katic, Stewart.

The Celtic team which lost to FC Copenhagen was: Forster; Jullien, Ajer, Simunovic, Taylor; Forrest, Brown, Rogic, McGregor; Elyounoussi, Edouard. Substitutes: Bain, Frimpong, Bitton, Hayes, Bayo, Bolingoli-Mbombo, Griffiths.

Of the Rangers squad, only Allan McGregor came through the ranks, but, he left the club and had to be brought back; while Greg Stewart was allowed to depart their Academy aged 13, before eventually being bought back. Every other player was bought-in. Of the Celtic squad, James Forrest and Callum McGregor came through the ranks, every other player was bought in.

Of the 18 Rangers players stripped for the game in Braga, only McGregor, Jack, Halliday and Stewart are Scottish, while only Taylor, Forrest, McGregor, Bain and Griffiths of the 18 Celtic players stripped at Celtic Park are Scottish.

Thirty-six players stripped for the two games, and only nine – or 25%, are Scottish, this is a dreadful example of the two premier clubs in Scotland's attitude to young player development – and an even-bigger indictment of the Scottish Football Association's failure to follow one of their prime responsibilities, and promote Scottish football and footballers.

Received wisdom these days seem to be that the days when 11 Scots could win the European Cup and a further 11 could win the Cup-Winner's Cup are in the past, and in the past they must remain. Well, Scottish clubs have won one European Cup and two Cup-Winner's Cups, by fielding all-Scottish sides – we have won nothing by importing non-Scots – just saying like.

Buying-in cheap foreign imports, and increasingly today expensive, probably woefully over-priced foreign imports, hasn't worked. Let's get back to believing in talented, hard-working, home-grown Scopttish players and give it a go.