Why Celtic Would Benefit From Sending Our Young Strikers Down To Fleetwood.

There is a certain inevitability about a rash of stories linking ex-Celtic players and our youth footballers to a Fleetwood.

Why shouldn’t there be? Scott Brown is down there now and it would be smart to give this guy as good a beginning to his career as possible. If he is successful, the talk about a return to Celtic one day will go into overdrive.

Fleetwood play in League One.

That’s why I think the club would be a fine proving ground for some of our young players.

It’s a high enough level that they will benefit from it. There are enough technically proficient players in the league that they will grow as footballers. I think that the strikers would benefit more than any other players.

Owen Moffat, Rocco Vata and Johnny Kenny are all excellent youth prospects. But these guys need games at a high enough level that we can learn what they are really all about, and Fleetwood are perfect for that. It is an ideal scenario.

How good is League One? Well, last season we signed one of our best players from a team there; Matt O’Riley from MK Dons.

In terms of strikers, I remember a lot of doubts being expressed when we signed Gary Hooper, who was in League One when we bought him.

It’s Hooper I thought about over and over again last week when the idea that Brown might take some of our young players down there on loan was mooted.

If our strikers can score regularly at that level, they are good enough to come home and stake their claim. They might not be guaranteed starters or anything, but they’d be in the squad and they’d be pushing for recognition. That’s how I see it.

If they excel at that level, then they are ready.

Scott will know who the best prospects are, but unless he wants rely on an ageing Joe Garner (oh yes, him) he must want forwards … and we have a few who need competitive games at a level they can learn it and under a manager that they trust and respect.

This is a perfect scenario. We should be exploring it.

Thanks to the readers who pointed out my mistake with Matt O’Riley’s club. I’m ever grateful to you all for keeping me straight. Especially on a hangover day.