When asked at the end of season 2005/06 who will make the grade from the youths, then coach Willie McStay said emphatically “Simon Ferry”!

The young Dundonian was part of the youth double winning team and looked a certainty to progress to the first team.He did just that, making his debut in Poland on Celtic’s pre-season tour.

Unfortunately for Simon a terrible injury meant that his progress ground to a halt, for nearly three years! In fact it wasn’t until last pre-season that Ferry got another run out, playing in the Wembley Cup winning side.

Tony Mowbray then granted Simon a loan spell at Swindon to get some match time under his belt. His time in Wiltshire was a success, culminating in a semi-final play-off appearance.

So much so, that Swindon want to make his move permanent.

But so far this pre-season Simon has featured heavily in manager Neil Lennon’s plans, playing in the States and again at Lincoln on Saturday where he scored in Celtic’s 4-1 win over Chris Sutton’s side.

Does this mean Lenny’s looking to keep Ferry? Or is he just putting him in the shop window?

Personally, I’d give him this season, I’m sure he still has something to offer.

Let’s face it, the prospect of managing our great club isn’t what it used to be.

The diminishing standards of the SPL, with or without the corrupt officials, the likelihood of Champions League football lessening season after season and the pig headed SFA who insist on us playing in hail, rain or snow.

Plus the fact that despite having two of the wealthiest men in business on our board, we don’t have a lot of money to invest in new players.

This is how it is.

Even now the ground is only full on occasions. I know of plenty Hoops fans who pick and choose the games they go to.

All of this makes attracting a ‘top name’ manager difficult, very difficult. Everton manager Davie Moyes said so himself yesterday, although Davie is a Hun who just happened to play for the Hoops!

But do we really ‘need’ someone to come in and dismantle everything again?

Neil Lennon and Willie McStay know more about Celtic than ANY candidate for the managers job. They also know what it takes to win titles. Both won plenty as players.

And if, as some suggest, the new manager has to be Celtic minded, then look no further than the men in charge.

All this makes me think that the new Celtic management team are already in place.

But I’d still bring in Davie Hay as ‘general manager’ to help Lenny along the way.

Agree?

This “Glasgow Fair Monday”(20th July) will see The Bhoys under the management of Neil Lennon visit Albion Rovers to defend the Jock Stein Friendship Cup they won last July under the then stewardship of Willie McStay.

As usual Celtic will send over a team made up of some reserves and some first team players in Neil Lennon’s first competitive match as Celtic Reserve Team Manager. Cliftonhill Stadium Coatbridge will also see the visit of the new Hoops First Team Manager & Coaches to watch the game.

So Bhoys & Ghirls get yourselves along to Coatbridge and cheer the “Young Hoops” onto victory….

Albion Rovers v Celtic….Jock Stein Friendship Cup…Monday 20th July …Kick-Off 3pm…Entrance £5. payable at the gates…

We hope to see lot’s of Bhoys & Ghirls there as Lenny’s Hoops Win The Cup…C’mon The Hoops…

As the contracts of a few Celtic players run down, it has emerged that Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have played their last games in the Hoops

They join already out of contract Bobo Balde, who will have the laptop loyal breaking down his door to serialise his version of life at Celtic Park, with no doubt a full attack on Strachan, Lawwell, Desmond and probably Hoopy!

Add to that Shunsuke Nakamura’s departure to Espanyol.

And the exit door doesn’t shut there.

With Willie McStay already heading for Hungary and Head of Sports Science Gregory Dupont on his way home to Lille, there will also be a few backroom changes.

Which make me wonder whats going to happen to WGS’ ‘projects’?

Remember the much sought after Eastern Europeans, Milan Musan and the two Latvian bhoys? I’m sure there are a few others. Will they be dumped by the new regime?

I hope not.

We need some sort of continuity to keep the club on track.

Over to you Tony!

Only a day after conceding the reserve league title, for the eighth time, at Legoland, The Mint’s vision of domination lies in tatters.

With all the state-of-the-art resources available at Murray Park, Rankers under 19′s expected to sweep Hibs’ young guns away at Hampden last night.

A win for the mini-Huns would have resulted in the Daily Record spinning another five page special on us, but alas, it was not to be.

Simon Starts Off Week Of Misery In Legoland!

Hibs scored with the last kick (well, header) of the game to send the young Orcs home defeated by two goals to one.

Two days, two games……. trophies……nil!

Never mind, at least the mini-Huns coach Billy Kirkwood was abit more gracious in defeat than his reserve counterpart Tommy Wilson was on Tuesday.

Kirkwood gave credit to the Hibs players for playing to the final whistle, thus securing the Youth Cup to go with the league title they won last week.

Unfortunately, the day before Wilson could only moan that Celtic ‘devoted more resources to their reserve team’ and that the reserve Huns had players out on loan, and playing with the Hitler youth.

Talk about bitter....

Well at least that’s one thing they’re getting right at Murray Park!

Congratulations to Willie McStay, Danny McGrain and the Bhoys for clinching the club’s EIGHTH Reserve League title in a row!

Simon Ferry’s goal secured a 1-0 victory at the Bigot Dome yesterday to send the Faithful in the 3,000 crowd home delirious.

But, I have a confession to make. I bought the Daily Record today, with good reason I might add…

Celtic Scorer-Simon Ferry

You see, two years ago this month, at Hampden Park on a sunny evening our young guns capitulated to the young Huns and lost 5-0.

I’m not reminding you as some sort of masochist, it’s just that the following day, the aforementioned paper ran a FIVE page spread on how Murray Park was, at last, the field of dreams that it promised to be.

We were told, in no uncertain terms,  that the £14m initial investment and £1m annual running costs was well worth the money, when you consider the conveyor belt of talent it was producing.

As Joe Friday Would Say…”Just The Facts M’am”

Yes, the facts do belie the mass hysteria of the Laptop Loyal. (As they usually do..)

So, let’s look at the last ten years…

Under-19 League Championships;

Celtic 5…..Rankers….3

Reserve League Championships;

Celtic 8…..Rankers…..1

SPL

Celtic 6….Rankers….3

(This season not included, will soon change that 6 to 7!)

And all this time Celtic had to use Barrowfield!

So, just where is this conveyor belt of talent?

In the first team? Nope, only John Fleck has managed to get a sniff, then Wattie realised that he had the new Lionel Messi on his hands, and dumped him in the reserves.

Any others….well…not really.

So is Murray Park the field of dreams, or is it just a drain on the depleted Hun coffers? I think we all know the answer to that one. (Maybe they should put a bar in it, bring in some money from regulars Bazza and McGregor)

And of course, today’s Daily Record had…a page and a half on Celtic’s EIGHTH title win.

Surprised? Naw, me neither….

Don’t you find it a bit sinister that the Scottish Premier Reserve League is to be disbanded after this season?

At this time Celtic are sitting comfortable, twelve points clear of their nearest rivals, the wee Huns, (not Hearts, Rangers reserves), and going for eight in a row!

Yip, eight league titles in a row.

You’d have thought the press would have made a bit more of a fuss about this sustained success.

Remember when we were treated to a six page spread in the Daily Rag after the Hitler Youth won the League Cup two seasons ago?

Extolling the wisdom of investing in Murray Park, and how the future of Der Hun was secure with the conveyor belt of talent it would produce.

But no, nothing said. It’s as if winning the Reserve League is incidental, unless the MM win it of course.

So the next best step to stop the Hoops is….. disbandon the league.

Well at least well get another trophy to keep for the cabinet, unless they ask for it back that is!