The Rocco Vata Saga Is Coming To An End With A Celtic Departure Now Certain.

Today we’ve given Bologna permission to talk to Rocco Vata. The question arises; how did this particular player end up so close to the exit without ever having seen regular first team football at our club? If he’s capable of playing in Italy, why not for us?

Something has gone far, far wrong behind the scenes with this kid. Reports that Celtic have not even offered him a new deal seem unbelievable. But if he’s telegraphed his intention to reject whatever we offer, what then? What if he just doesn’t’ want to be here? What should we have done? How should Celtic have handled something like that?

Is Vata good enough to play first team football? We don’t know.

People at Celtic clearly do not think so and nobody should pay a blind bit of notice to his performances in the Lowland League. That’s a ridiculous level to be trying to judge a player at.

It remains one of the stupidest things we’ve done in years and I cannot believe anyone still thinks playing public park football in such a low-quality setting is benefiting our young players in any way, shape or form.

We’re going backwards at a development level. That’s the pure and simple fact, and it comes in part from trying to rear our players in such a depressing environment. Scottish football has provided us with nothing at all to help us in this area, but that’s partly the fault of those at our club who have lacked the imagination to challenge the SFA status quo. Even if you do blame the SFA entirely, our club must have had better options than the Lowland League.

That doesn’t explain the saga of Vata, although his playing regular football in such a place does perhaps give you an insight into how he can still be so far away from the first team level. It is hard to see how any youth player at Celtic can convince the manager that he has what it takes considering that level of opposition. Added to that, of course, is a coaching team that isn’t exactly out of the top drawer, and further proof of the incestuous way we do things.

Vata is one of those players a lot of fans were excited about. But it’s been clear for at least a year now that we were never going to see him become a Celtic Park regular and there is probably right and wrong on both sides of this.

I can understand Celtic not wanting to give a platform to a player who had no interest in committing his long-term future here.

I can understand us not trusting a player who has been playing his football on kick and rush muddy fields for the last two years. But when even a change of manager hasn’t altered his status in the squad, I would suggest that there is more going on here than just Celtic not being willing to give a young guy a chance.

Whatever the explanation, that is the daftest of them and the least likely.

We either don’t rate him or he doesn’t want to stay. Celtic may have shown bad judgement in being willing to let him go, but only time will tell and he’ll need to impress at a much higher level than the one he’s been playing at. But on no account is this someone who “slipped away” or someone we “lost” as though we’ve been careless.

If he was good enough or committed enough to the Celtic cause we’d know it because he’d have played 20 games in the first team squad by now.

That he hasn’t tells you that something has gone wrong somewhere. In a very short time, it will no longer matter what that something was. I cannot claim to be concerned or that we’ll miss someone who had literally no impact on our club.

I am more concerned with the fumbling about we’re doing in the first team. This is small potatoes next to the enormous risk we’re taking with next season’s Champions League.