Last week Celtic365 highlighted the massive task that Paul Tisdale faces with producing Champions League players from the Celtic Academy included in his remit.
The Football Doctor faces a very tough challenge overhauling an antiquated scouting and recruitment set up at First Team level but reforming an Academy that is failing badly could prove to be his toughest task.
On the day that Tisdale was appointed as Head of Football Operations the Celtic B team beat Gretna 2008 4-0 in a Lowland League match, that level of football seems split between a handful of ambitious clubs, the former seniors like Albion Rovers and Cowedenbeath with the rest of the teams playing it for laughs.
On Saturday Celtic B found themselves facing league leaders Caldedonian Braves, a social media experiment that has been playing in Strathclyde Park since evolving from being the Edu Academy. The Braves have 6,500 members/owners worldwide.
Celtic B lost the match 5-1. Their biggest ever loss in the Lowland League to highlight the extent that standards have crashed and highlighting the extent of the challenge facing Tisdale and whoever else that takes a deep dive into a failing Academy.
Here is how the young Hoops line-up for this afternoon’s away clash against Caledonian Braves 📋⤵️#CALCEL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/aUoCJmiGPp
— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) October 19, 2024
For a good few years it has been obvious that the combination of the St Ninian’s project and graduating into the Lowland League was creating a graveyard for aspiring young players.
Stephen Welsh, Mikey Johnston, Jack Aitchison, Robbie Deas, Daniel Church, Ewan Henderson and Kerr McInroy were the last batch of players to carry any genuine potential.
The better prospects are now being poached to go elsewhere, mainly to English clubs while those that ‘step up’ find their careers stalling with their release inevitable. Many continue playing elsewhere in the Lowland League.
Daniel Kelly and Rocco Vata made it onto the fringes of the first team last season but assessed their options in the summer and decided to take their chances in the Championship with Millwall and Watford rather than hang around at Celtic on the off chance that their career would develop.
In terms of wingers and midfielders Brendan Rodgers isn’t short on options.
New facilities at Barrowfield followed by home matches on the plastic pitch at Airdrie isn’t going to solve any problems, something much deeper is needed which might be where Tisdale can have an impact.
The Celtic website couldn’t even record the score correctly, missing out on the consolation goal.
It was actually 5-1 but hard to call it a consolation. pic.twitter.com/AlNRkuyIim
— Celtic365 (@Celtic_365) October 22, 2024
On Wednesday much the same squad that lost to Caledonian Braves will face Atalanta in the UEFA Youth League, most of them were involved in the competition last season.
Below the current batch things seem little better, back in August the u-18 side lost 2-0 to Morton in the SFA Youth Cup, last season interest in that competition was ended by Montrose.
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