I know from long experience that there is one thing our fans love above almost everything else: seeing a new generation of great young Celtic players emerging from the Academy. One of the most frustrating aspects of recent years has been how few of these players we’ve seen coming through.
Last night, someone sent me an article from a website I wouldn’t normally entertain. It was about Daniel Cummings, our youth striker, and his performances in the Celtic B team. I read it with a fair amount of surprise; I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
The piece, which appeared on Football FanCast, compared Cummings’ scoring record to that of Rocco Vata. I know many people rated Vata highly and were disappointed to see him leave for Watford, despite Rodgers offering him a pathway to first-team football. What the article does, though, is put Vata’s goals into perspective.
Vata scored 23 goals in 34 B team matches, an impressive tally for a young striker. But as good as that record is, Cummings has surpassed it. In 19 B team games last season, he netted 12 times. A fluke? Hardly. In seven Lowland League games this season, he’s already added another 10 goals, giving him a total of 22 goals in 26 appearances. He was also the star of our recent Youth Champions League game against Slovan Bratislava.
As the writer points out, Cummings has almost as many goals as Vata in far fewer games, and he’s a year younger. We may well have an even better player on our hands, and that is music to our ears. This is exactly what fans want – a breakthrough talent who can score goals. It’s the one thing missing from Celtic’s upward trajectory in recent seasons.
And there’s more to it than just that. One of the most lamented aspects of the club has been the lack of an outstanding striker coming through the Academy. We used to produce such players regularly. I’d love to think we might have another one in the B team right now, capable of making the step up.
Vata had a lot of hype surrounding him, and those who watched him regularly told me it was justified. Even when I wasn’t overly concerned about his departure, people assured me that if he got his chance, he’d excel. There’s been a buzz about him for a long time. By contrast, there hasn’t been as much noise about Cummings – but based on these numbers, there should be.
If these stats reflect his potential, we’ll all be hearing about him soon enough. We’ll be talking about what he could do for us if given the opportunity.
If Rodgers was intent on promoting Vata, as we know he was, then he surely has his eye on Cummings, especially as he’s mentioned wanting to promote from within and find a third-choice striker from the Academy.
There’s still a gap in the squad for a 3rd striker so opportunity knocks for this lad. With the amount of games we’ve got coming up he might find himself given a chance. There’s no rush mind you, but something to keep an eye on. Good luck to him.
It would be great if he could find a pathway to the first team, but there’s something structurally wrong when young players leave Celtic for Watford? Is it just for the money, James?
Hope he eventually makes it…
The Scummy’s won’t like it one little bit –
Their Cummings hero was that Halloween Horror movie Jason…
As long as he’s his own fella and not like his surname’s namesake he will hopefully be fine…
Good luck and best wishes going forward young Daniel !
It’s a major source of frustration for me. As a club we don’t give youth players enough chances and over the last decade have brought in youth as “gems and projects”, pushing our own down the pecking order. I’m hoping this shift in policy where we bring in more quality and less quantity improves this. Also as fans we are so quick to turn on young players. There are still fans who want Shved to come back whole decent youngsters wouldn’t get the time of day. I’m certain Rodgers will bring the cream of our youngsters through
Fingers crossed that we have / are nurturing another gem, because it’s been a while.
As for the louder noises surrounding young Vata, you can put that down to lazy journalism. It’s so easy to generate interest / clicks when you can tie your story to a former star, while having to go out and ferret out an angle on which to hang your story?
That’s getting close to doing some work. Even the story which has emerged is tied to Vata. Famous father – tick.
Snubbing Celtic – tick.
What’s not to like (from their point of view) about such stories?
Another set of great articles, over the past week James.
It has to be hoped that our manager’s ever widening influence at Celtic Park will be instrumental in delivering a new crop of ‘Quality Street Kids,’ that will enhance our first team for many years to come!
There can be nothing more exciting or refreshing as a fan, to see superb young players make the breakthrough. We have to return to the days of providing a continuing conveyor belt of hugely talented, homegrown players. That is a must !
Going back to last Sunday’s cup win over Falkirk, it is very clear from comments on here & social media, that Palma did not take his chance at all. I’ve also heard & read some really harsh post match comments re Welsh, Ralston, Trusty & Valle, which I don’t think are fully merited.
Our manager has acknowledged he made too many changes, and he will now be fully cognisant for future games, that require a fresh approach.
There are still a minority in our fanbase, that have the outlook and (im)patience that you’d normally attribute to a Sevco fan!!!!
Which leads me onto Taylor and getting his new contract sorted. That should now be a priority, in addition to the continued search for a quality left back.
Your articles on Sevco, their board and our fawning ‘media,’ just merely clarify that they are all a match, made in Hell.
From Murray’s arrogant declarations about spending more ( money that they never had ,) than us, and ultimately liquidating them …to the present board of the Phoenix club that seem to pay homage, at the Murray altar of debt and financial mayhem.
The chaos continues as the servile board & smsm continue to feed half truths ( or full lies,) to their delusional support.
When will any of them ever wake up!!!
Well done for continually highlighting these charlatans and the drivel they spout ! HH
Would love him to make it at Celtic but he will probably be raided by some English club for 3 times his wages I saw Ben Doak play for Middlesbrough on the telly and he was very poor however Liverpool paid him the money. I’ve not heard of Vata since his move.
I sincerely hope he doesn’t join the legions of up and coming Celtic wonderkids who were given too much publicity too early and crashed and burned before ever making any real impact in football.
And to top it of he’s a coatbrig bhoy HH??
Maybe all of the lads in the B Team squad are good, the supply was the key, and it was just Vata/Cummings pulling the trigger?
Maybe it’s not just the strikers that should be getting more game time in the first team, particularly in domestic Cup games or ‘easier’ League games?
We might be making more money when we sell them on or saving more in transfer fees if more come through, freeing up more money for even better acquisitions when we want/need them, thus having a better chance of doing well in Europe?
Personally, I’d accept the trade off of an occasional cup loss due to fielding less experienced players, for a better future in Europe. Just a personal opinion though…
I’d trade an odd cup as well Yorkshire Bhoy…
But only when we get well ahead in The Pathological Survival Lies…
Yeah – Me and you and the supporters of ever other Scottish club know that’s its Celtic 118 v Sevco 3 in the trophy stakes…
I’m not sure if you live in Yorkshire (Top County to visit by the way) or Scotland but on these shores they won’t accept that (The Sevco Hun Hoards nor The Scummy’s in The Scummy Scottish Football Media) so we need to be well ahead in The aforementioned fictional Pathological Lies before we start sacrificing any silverware for sure…
Again like yourself – Just ma humble opinion !
I hate to break it to you, but he won’t make the grade as a Celtic Striker. He’s overweight and thats the feedback he has been given by the management. Respectfully anyone can score when the balls on a plate for you. He needs to work on his fitness and pace as both are lacking. Don’t shoot the messenger on the feedback, My best mates dad is a scout at the club.