I know nothing about Matthew Knox; I’ve heard a lot of talk about him being some kind of wonder kid but I ask myself if that’s true what he’s still doing at Livingston?
Surely they wouldn’t be that hard to deal with if he had the talent some say?
A couple of hundred grand would seal the deal.
Nobody, anywhere, is talking about offering £10 million for him.
But the papers are talking about clubs offering that for Kieran Tierney.
Although only a couple of years older than Knox, he’s miles in front of him in terms of quality, so far in fact that the two might as well be playing different sports. Kieran is the Real Deal. I’m not sure what Knox is yet and nobody else can say that they do either.
Kieran has been playing at a much higher level; that, of course, will make a difference. Matthew Knox isn’t there yet, but all talk suggests he will be.
But so valued are his views – those of a 17 year old – that The Daily Rangers was offering them today, as advice to our young left back.
And what advice is that?
Leave Celtic. Now.
For Manchester United, if they offer.
But to England, certainly, even if your career stalls and you have to warm the bench.
I don’t know what the Hell he thinks he’s doing offering career advice to our young left back, when Kieran is so far in front of him. I do understand why The Daily Rangers, which I spoke about on this site yesterday, is up to by publishing it. They’re playing their usual game. No such pressure to quit Scotland is being put on Sevco’s up and coming youth players, but then nobody’s terribly interested in paying big money (or indeed any money) for them either.
Since offering unsolicited advice is all the rage these days let me offer some; these people should shut it and let both players focus on their careers.
He’s still young enough to become a very decent player, but by his own admission he’s already has his head turned by nonsense about a big money move to England, so he’s got a lot of maturing to do if he’s going to make it. That’s not unusual for someone his age, but perhaps that’s why the big offer hasn’t been forthcoming yet … it takes more than talent to make a professional footballer. Someone who gets gushy about the Manchester United training complex and the opportunity to sit on the bench for their under 23’s isn’t ready yet.
Kieran might well have been born ready. At Knox’s age he was already in the Celtic first team squad. Now he’s a Champions League player. It’s not for nothing that speculation surrounds him, but it’s another example of how far he is ahead of Knox – and how little he needs advice – that his own head hasn’t been turned at all. He recently described playing for the Hoops as “living the dream” and expressed his gratitude to the club for supporting him during his injury.
He knows where his priorities are and what he can achieve here.
Knox is a Celtic fan, from a family of them, so he’s clearly not someone who’s trying to unsettle Kieran.
He is clearly young and naïve at the moment, and that’s what screams from this article which has been framed in such a way that a more seasoned pro would have known it was a put up job and chosen his words more carefully. He needs to get smart about that stuff, and fast.
The bottom line is that a kid who’s done nothing of note in his career thus far has no advice to offer to someone in Kieran’s position.
(If indeed he did. See amendment.)
The Record gets points for trying though.
It’s another case of them blatantly trying to disrupt the mood at Celtic Park, but as with Moussa they’ve run into a brick wall because the player in question is perfectly happy being part of the Brendan Rodgers revolution and everyone at the club is focussed on doing the job for the rest of the season.
All this would be more understandable if an actual bid had been made for the player, but as with big Dembele this all appears to be talk at the moment, and all of it in the press. Celtic’s stance on this is pretty clear; that people should man up or shut up. Clubs are welcome to submit offers – and the bigger the better – for any player at any team. It’s a slippery, untrustworthy club that tries to do its business through the media first, before a concrete bid is submitted.
Clubs in England play these kind of games. Clubs in Scotland too. Sevco has become notorious for it, in that arrogant manner they have. But nobody plays them better than the hacks; it’s just that this time the moronic element at The Daily Record and their sister website Glasgow Live (people need to remember that’s who that site is run by) are backing a loser here.
Kieran is committed to Celtic.
All these people can keep their advice and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
AMENDMENT: As the writer of this piece, I want to say right now that I’ve been told that this article is based on a fundamentally shaky premise … that you can believe a SINGLE WORD that the Daily Record writes about ANYTHING … even if it’s using what appear to be direct quotes. If, as I’ve been told tonight, these aren’t direct quotes at all but somebody’s great idea to put words in the mouth of a 17 year old kid, making trouble for him and for Celtic both … then my next article on this is going to be pretty heavy.
This now contains a NUMBER of amendments, including the title, as I’m no longer convinced he DID say what he’s alleged to have.