IF CELTIC ARE SERIOUS ABOUT IMPROVING THE PATHWAY FOR YOUNG PLAYERS, IT’S TIME TO SCRAP THE B-TEAM
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 26 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Sometimes, you just need to hold your hands up and admit that an experiment hasn't worked.
Celtic’s dalliance with having a “B” Team playing in the Lowland League, Scottish football’s 5th tier, will have to run for one more year. That much has been contractually agreed. Beyond that though, it’s time to scrap it.
The B Team hasn't worked in terms of bringing through players good enough for Celtic’s first team. Yes, we can criticize the manager for not giving youth a chance, but if Brendan Rodgers has looked at what we have and decided they aren't good enough then that’s that.
The Reserve League Isn't Coming Back, So Celtic Need to Look for Alternatives
I think I’ve been fairly vocal and consistent in my view that the reserve league should never have been scrapped. It was a way for young players to face opposition of an equivalent, and in many cases better level, and it was also a way to give our fringe players actual, ongoing game time.
From a personally nostalgic point of view, I also remember with great affection the day I was at Celtic Park in 1994, along with about 10,000 other fans to watch Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 in the reserve league courtesy of a Chris Hay hat-trick.
This wasn't a bunch of unknowns either. The Rangers (Requiescat in Pace) team that day included the likes of Oleg Kuznetsov, Fraser Wishart, Ian Durant and Craig Moore. Youngsters like Hay rose to the challenge of playing against first team, international level players such as these.
It’s a far cry from today when, let’s be honest, if we watched a B Team Glasgow Derby, most of us would struggle to name any of the players on either side.
Now, that game in 1994 was an exceptional case, since Celtic fans were locked out of Ibrox that day, but it showed that when the timing is right, and the prices are appropriate, these can still draw a crowd.
However, as I said those days aren't coming back unless Celtic are willing to finance it for the rest of the league as well. We could do that, but we shouldn't have to.
Something needs to change though. We can’t keep expecting young players to make the leap for the 5th tier to the first tier of Scottish professional football in an instant.
So, what are the alternatives?
One idea would be to form a reserve team, but rather than have them compete in any formal league, just organize a series of friendlies and bounce games throughout the year.
With Europe now just an hour or two away on a plane, this could even be expanded to incorporate games against reserve teams from the likes of Spain, Italy, France and Germany. Of course the obvious option of our next door neighbours in England is also a likely destination.
It’s not unusual to see a “Celtic XI” turn out for friendly matches and testimonial games, usually consisting of mainly youth players with perhaps 3 or 4 first team squad members too. Why not just expand this beyond pre-season?
The simpler solution, though of course the SPFL will claim it is anything but, is just to allow Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, indeed any top flight team that wants to enter a B-Team to enter League 2 and work their way up as far as The Championship.
We can debate about the standard of football on show, but there's no denying that the Scottish Championship is one of the most competitive and unpredictable leagues around at the moment.
Honestly, can you think of any other 10-team league in Europe where, in any given season, probably 7 or 8 of those teams will start the campaign thinkng they have a realistic shot at promotion?
This is the kind of competition our young players need.
And I don't want to hear the likes of Neil Doncaster or anyone at the SFA tell me it's unfair on the non-league teams to let Celtic B and other similar sides straight into League 2.
After all, they had no problem admitting a completely new club into that same division in 2012.
The solutions are there, but Celtic need to start being more aggressive in their pursuit of these solutions.
We shouldn't accept being told to play in the Lowland League if we want to have a B Team. Our youngsters deserve better, and they need a bigger challenge if they are ever to have any hope of someday emulating the likes of Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Kieran Tierney.