Youth/Development Team Thread

WHEN Brendan Rodgers’ side secured their passage to the UEFA Champions League group stages, it was a cause for particular celebration in the Celtic Youth Academy.

For it ensured a Celtic Under-19 side would participate in the group phase of the UEFA Youth League, facing the same opponents as the first-team.

The young Hoops had already sealed their spot in the domestic champions’ path of the competition, having won the U17 league title, but now they will be guaranteed six games against some of the best young talent on the continent in the form of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Anderlecht.

Speaking exclusively to the official website, Professional Academy Manager, Tommy McIntyre revealed why being part of the innovative competition was so beneficial for the Bhoys.

He said: “First and foremost it’s fantastic for the club but the knock-on for us in terms of our U19s is that we also get the opportunity to play the same games and teams as the first team and mirror that preparation, which goes a long way towards the experience the young players gain but also that education.

“It’s really difficult to mirror the occasion in any other form. It’s unique and is the cream of European youth football. The standard is incredibly high and the organisation from UEFA is second to none, while the attention to detail is phenomenal.

“I don’t think you can replicate that unless you are in amongst it and certainly in my experience, it’s always been a really worthwhile tournament for us.

“It’s a really difficult tournament and in terms of stretching the young players, it certainly does that. It’s also good gauge for us as, in the past, we have played in games where players for the opposition team have played for the first team but also been involved in the UEFA youth games.

“In terms of how we gauge it, we really just want to be looking to develop the young players and this is the top of the table in terms of youth football and development.

“We also get a number of players who represent national youth teams on top of that so again that goes a long way towards their education.

“The whole European experience is totally different from the domestic game. The Champions League is recognised worldwide. By far it’s one of the best tournaments and to be part of that competition at youth level is it unique, not only for the players, but it’s also valuable experience for the coaching staff.”

And as the start of the group phase draws closer, confidence will be high amongst the young Celts - who now also have former Celtic star Shaun Maloney in the dugout - after they started their league campaign with an impressive 4-0 victory away to Falkirk on Tuesday.

McIntyre said: “I was really pleased at the way the pre-season went and we now have a new addition to the coaching team in Shaun, and even his experience at being involved in the game at the highest level has been great for the coaching staff and also the players at the club.

“We went into the game against Falkirk with a really young side, but we knew it would be a good challenge and it was a really fantastic performance.

“We did well against a relatively experienced Falkirk side and it was a good start for us but we want to continue that and keep that momentum going. Again, it’s good for them to get that experience, particularly with a lot of them coming up from the U17s into the Development Squad.”

Details of the Anderlecht matches have still to be finalised. The confirmed games are:

Date Kick-off Venue

Tue, September 12 5pm Celtic v Paris Saint-Germain The YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium


Wed, September 27 2pm Anderlecht v Celtic Van Roy Stadium, Denderleeuw


Wed, October 18 3pm Bayern Munich v Celtic FC Bayern Campus


Tue, October 31 5pm Celtic v Bayern Munich The YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium


Wed, November 22 2pm Paris Saint-Germain v Celtic Stade Georges-Lefevre



Tue, December 5 2pm Celtic v Anderlecht The YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium

http://www.celticfc.net/news/13144

 

No anderlecht?

 

Fixture time to be announced.

 

I know this is a bit random but what the * is Joe Thomson doing these days?

I remember him and Hendo making an appearance together a few years ago, and thought he had moved on until he signed a contract extension last summer (I actually think it was the first or second but of business under Rodgers). He's also been listed in the first team on the official website for a few seasons now.

Why is he still at Celtic? He's gotta be 21 by now, never had a sniff at the bench.

 

Gone to Livingston on loan.

 

CM: "These games are of the highest standard and we will play against some of the top talents in Europe at under-19s level."

CM: "It's a major part of young players' development, it gives them the elite football and the elite test which is need at that stage."

CM: "We want to develop Champions League players & this tournament replicates that with the travel, culture and different playing styles."

CM: "We now have a management team who want to develop from within, to give these young players opportunities and that’s crucial."

CM: "The manager demonstrated his philosophy right away & created a pattern running all the way through the academy to the first-team."

CM: "He wanted that connection with all the youth coaches that would allow them to come and chap his door and talk to him."

CM: "With the young players, we're looking at their diet and academic education so we can try and create a more well-rounded young person"

CM: "If academy players don’t work hard, they'll be found out. The manger believes in hard work, he’s not carried away with just talent."


CHRIS McCart believes that Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston have highlighted the opportunities that are available to young academy players who work hard and insists that the UEFA Youth League is a vital path towards reaching the first-team.

With the UEFA Youth League kicking off on next week Celtic’s Head of Youth, Chris McCart, spoke to the media ahead of the Celtic development squad’s first fixture against Paris Saint-Germain.

“There’s nothing better for the young players than the opportunity to go in and play against the very best,” said McCart. “These games are of the highest standard and we’ll play against some of the top talents in Europe at under-19 level. Teams take it very seriously and UEFA sees it as a major part of the development of young players, helping to bridge that gap and give them elite football and the test which is need at that stage.

“Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston have shown there are opportunities for young players at the club. Tony got experience last year in the UEFA Youth League and the manager put him on this year in the qualifier against Astana which showed the faith he has in him.”

The first team’s qualification for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League means the Celtic Development squad enters the UEFA Youth League via the ‘Champions Path' which places them in an identical group to that of the first-team. And the young Hoops will face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, a matter of hours before the first-teams play at Paradise.

McCart said the tournament was crucial to the continued development of the young Hoops players and believes that if they continue to show Brendan Rodgers the right work ethic, they could soon feature in the first team.

“Our main purpose is to develop Champions League players and this tournament replicates this with the travel and the culture and the different playing style. They’ll want to prove themselves and the experience that Anthony Ralston, Calvin Miller, Michael Johnston had last season in this tournament afforded them the opportunity to go and play in the first team this year.

“We now have a management team now who want to give these young players opportunities and that’s crucial. Ultimately, the best Academy manager is our first-team manager because he puts a lot of work in and is now starting to promote the ones he thinks are ready and willing to put them in at vital times.

“If Academy players don’t work hard or they cut corners, then they will be found out. We have a manger who believes in the fundamentals of hard work first and foremost. He’s not carried away with just talent, he likes players to have good values and be fit, but also be able to do the pressing side of the game and the hard work side as well as having the talent."

 

Conor Hazard new 4 year deal.

 

CELTIC are delighted to announce that Irish goalkeeper Conor Hazard has signed a new four-year deal with the club.

The 19-year-old put pen to paper in Paradise this morning alongside Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell,

His proud family also watched on - parents Pauline and Gary and younger brother Jack, a fellow shot-stopper who is on the books of Glenavon.

Hazard’s latest new deal is testament to his excellent progress since joining the Celtic Youth Academy just over three years ago from Cliftonville.

Having consistently impressed for the Development Squad, he made his top-team bow earlier this summer in the pre-season friendly win over Linz.

And since the current campaign got underway, he has moved up the pecking order to become the current third-choice keeper for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, Hazard said: “It feels amazing and it’s a great honour for me. It’s a boyhood dream come true and it still has to sink in.

“It feels unreal and it’s special to have my family over to see me signing.

"They have obviously been with me from the beginning. My Mum and Dad drove me everywhere and there has always been that football competition between my brother and I in the back garden.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do without all the coaches I have worked with. I have had great help from Colin Meldrum and Stevie Woods who have really developed me over the past three years and hopefully there is more to come.

Hazard’s long-term ambition is to become Celtic’s No.1 and the talented teenager knows he in the perfect environment to fulfil his undoubted potential.

“I have four years now to work as hard as I can to get it done,” said the keeper.

“Craig (Gordon) and Dorus (de Vries) have helped me a lot along the way and I'm learning from them every day, along with Stevie Woods. It’s a great achievement but now I need to try and push on and do it.”

“The gaffer has shown he is bringing through young players and it’s a great opportunity for us all and it’s up to us to take it and prove we can do it.”

 

Nice build up with the youngster's on BT at 5..

We may take a tanking in this group though with Ralston, Miller and Ajer in the first team squad's..

Hopefully Benyu get's a game with them and be good to see Johnston and Aitchison progressing..

 

TOMMY McIntyre says there is a heightened sense of anticipation as Celtic’s young guns begin another European adventure later today in the UEFA Youth League against Paris Saint-Germain.

For the past six years, the Celtic Youth Academy have been at the vanguard of cross-border youth football competition on the continent, participating in the NextGen Series which was the forerunner to the UEFA Youth League

They will also take part in the English Premier League International Cup in the coming campaign for the fourth successive year, a tournament which see the Hoops youngsters go head-to-head with their best contemporaries down south and a select group of European opponents.

While playing the cream of the continent is not a new phenomenon for Celtic’s young players or the Academy coaching staff, it doesn’t mean their excitement or enthusiasm has dipped as they look forward to locking horns with PSG at the YOUR Radio 103 FM Stadium, the home of Dumbarton FC (KO: 5pm).

And while facing the talented Parisians – UEFA Youth League semi-finalists last season – will be a tough start for a relatively inexperienced Celtic side at this level, it’s a challenge they are all relishing, according to McIntyre.

“It’s an unbelievable competition to be involved in,” said the Professional Academy Manager. “We have a relatively young side so it will be a big test for us.

“We have been fortunate enough that we have been involved in programmes for years. We pioneered playing against the cream of Europe in top quality competitions before the UEFA Youth League, such as the NextGen Series.

“As long as I remember in my time at the club, we have always had top-level competition outside the domestic competition. There is the EPL International Cup in which we play against strong teams from England and elsewhere, which also gives us a healthy ground for our young players to develop.

“We are a wee bit in the dark as it’s only the first game but once all the teams have played, we will get all that information on them. But it’s a really exciting game for us to take and it gives us a showcase against top-quality opposition.

“They will probably be older than us but we are really happy about the emergence of one or two young players from the Academy into the first team and it gives the other young players an opportunity to come in and show they can they grow within the Development Squad, and that’s a clear indication of how vibrant the Academy is within Celtic.”

Since the draw was made, McIntyre and the rest of the backroom staff at the Academy have done their homework on PSG.

But Celtic don’t need to look far for a reminder of the types of talented individuals that have graduated from the French side’s renowned youth set-up in the form of Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard.

“They have a B-squad league and an U19 league so we have managed to glean as much information as we can,” said McIntyre. “They have a big pool of players and as you would expect they are full of internationalists, and they have a very good reputation in terms of developing players so they will be a really strong side.

“French football is on the rise and you can see the players who are distributed throughout the top leagues in the world, including the ones who have come here. That’s testament to the players they are developing.

“We have done a little bit of homework and I watched their games last year against Salzburg and an U19 game league game against Lens, and they were big and physical, well-organised and had good pace about them. They are beatable, and Salzburg beat them in the semi-final of the UEFA Youth League last season, which underlines it will be a tough game.”

And McIntyre reckons that the expertise and experience of Shaun Maloney – a former UEFA Champions League player for the Bhoys - on the coaching staff could prove invaluable to the young Hoops.

“We have a new addition to the coaching staff in Shaun Maloney, who brings a wealth of playing experience and is now cutting his teeth in coaching,” said the coach.

“He has settled in really well and he has been a masterstroke for us. Again, he will bring something different to the table, having experienced Champions League games. For the younger players, he will be able to impart his knowledge on to them, as they will be nervous, so that will be a great benefit for us."

 

Big test for the young hoops today

 

@Notorious is this on TV or Celtic TV at all?

 

Looking to see if being about the 1st team Would be helped Calvin Miller and hopefully Johnstone puts on a show

 

BT Sport 5PM.

 

Should be a good game.

 

Be interesting to see how McInroy copes in the centre against a physical team.

 

We are big odds for this one. Might have a wee punt on the youngsters

 

Good that he's got Hill beside him..

Decent team. Looking forward to seeing how Henderson and him do stepping up..

Miller and Johnston down the left should cause them problem's..

Had a wee look on soccerway last night and they are all tight game's with them and a goal in it at best usually this year..