The Celtic Academy has come in for some criticism over the years.
For too long the club have pumped millions into youth development with not much return in seeing many of the talented youngsters progress into the Celtic first-team.
Kieran Tierney is the only real recent success story Celtic can point towards to justify the expense of the Academy.
Although, I suppose, a case could be made for Bosun Lawal being labelled a Celtic academy ‘success’ after being sold for £3m.
But Celtic fans want to players progress into the first team and when quizzed at the last AGM about the lack of quality coming through, Michael Nicholson’s response wasn’t the best.
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson appeared clueless when asked about youth development at Lonnextown
Joe McHugh has a tendency to ask difficult questions the Celtic board don’t like.
And recalling the last Celtic AGM, he tells how Nicholson clammed up when he asked the CEO clammed up clueless about the youth issue at the club.
McHugh told The Trinity Tims [20m 45s]. “I think we’re very close to signing Isaac English from Morton. Good luck to the boy 17year-old he’s doing better than our 17 year olds at our academy clearly.
“And if he’s going to Queen’s Park and being challenging in around the squad in the championship that’s fantastic. And on that I did a piece last night at the AGM in November I asked Michael Nicholson about what lessons can be learned from Montrose and Morton.
“And he gave his usual sort of blank look of, ‘Can somebody help me here.’ So in 2023 Montrose knocked Celtic out of the SFA Youth Cup at the second round. In 2024, it was Morton.
“On Isaac English I checked out Morton who won the second tier of the under 18 league in the and the elite tier of the under 18 league.
“And Celtic played 28 matches and they lost 15 of them. So it wasn’t just to Morton that they lost in the Youth Cup and when I put that question at the AGM Nicholson batted it away.”
Celtic’s Academy record is less than impressive
The Celtic board need to get a grip of the player development, or lack of, as it is becoming a bit of an embarrassment.
Watching quality youngsters leave the club for next to nothing is a disgrace and questions should be asked.
And if they are being allowed to leave because they are not good enough, then even further questions should be asked of the coaches.
As McHugh states, Celtic’s mantra at youth level of ‘results don’t matter’ is certainly not helping.
Because how can the youngsters move from an environment where there is no pressure to win to the Celtic first-team where the demands are that winning is all that matters and thrive doesn’t make sense.
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