Darren O’Day, new job

He’s got a new role hoping to bring players from academy to first team, something needs doing as we lose too much talent for lack of opportunities



Darren O'Dea lands new Celtic role as part of restructuring that will see him work alongside Brendan Rodgers
Celtic B team head coach Darren O'Dea has been promoted to the position of Professional Player Pathway Manager.

The highly-rated Irishman will move into the new role and be entrusted with developing the progression of young players at the club. The former Hoopsdefender, 37, will work closely with Brendan Rodgers and the Parkheadclub's academy coaches to help bridge the route between youth and first-team football.
O'Dea - who came through the ranks at Parkhead in 2006 - will also manage loan opportunities which support the player pathway and development opportunities. He said: “I am really looking forward to giving everything to this exciting new opportunity. Having been being fortunate enough to be part of a Celtic first-team environment in my career I am passionate about working to give other young players this same opportunity.

In this new role, I will be working between our Academy structure and the first-team environment to ensure that we do all we can to provide the very best pathway and levels of support to allow our young players to reach their full potential and to ultimately deliver at first-team level."

https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/darren-odea-lands-new-celtic-29029749

 

No sure on O'Dea's credentials but 100% a positive thing having a clear pathway..

Problem is some of these boys won't get much game time, need loans or will be swallowed up in the lowland league..

 

It's good to see we have gone for someone with a proven track record for a role like this and not just taken the lazy route of handing it to someone already at the club that has no experience of it...

Hopefully he does a good job, I'm just sick to the back teeth of jobs going to ex players because they are ex players and not people with actual experience, that already know best practices and pitfalls, which could speed up the badly needed process of improving the acadmey system.

 

So good he's got another thread


Only real legends have 3 threads on here

 

Right, where's that Jose gif "if I speak, I am in big trouble"


Sent from my M2012K11AG using Tapatalk

 

Most pointless job if all time if the first team manger doesn't play the boys.

 

Good news if he's then replaced, otherwise it's just a rebranding.

Always felt like we don't have enough coaching staff at the club, especially players who were once attackers

 

Ajax system always has ex players in it
That will be one of the arguments to it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It's a role I felt needed filled for a number of years. Just a bit underwhelmed we've filled it with him

 

Who knows what he can or cannot do. At least the role that needed to be created now exists, give him a chance

 

Friend of friend chinese whisper stuff but mates wee brother is pally with a lot of the team he was training when he first got the coaching role, and they were raving about how much he improved them compared to before him. Not sure who was coaching before.


Anytime he does the analysis on Celtic TV as well, I think he’s very astute. And importantly, he drills in mentality needed to make it at us.

His full career at Celtic, while not a long one all the way through his career, it was the mentality he brought that got him there rather than ability. But if you look at some of his highlights, scoring in a cup final, 90 minutes in San Siro to eventual CL champions keeping a clean sheet.

And he left when he knew he’d went as far as possible to not sit in the background when he had that option, for the team he loves. I’ve always liked O’Dea for the attitude he showed, but what I’ve heard of him now, think he’s got a coaching career in him more than his playing. Happy with this.

 

As much as I just went on about how happy I am with him from everything I’ve heard, this is something I desperately want. It’s lucky he seems to be a gem, the last there was Maloney that was the same who quickly moved on.

And I’d add Kennedy in.

3 examples in how many years is that though? Nepotism generally doesn’t produce consistent results, sometimes we will get lucky.

on that point, Stephen McManus from again friends of friends chinese whisper stuff, shouldn’t be here. And I * love Big Mick.