Old Firm give their backing to colts plan

OLD FIRM bosses Graeme Murty and Brendan Rodgers have backed plans for sending Celtic and Rangers colts teams into League Two in the wake of stinging criticism of the project by Jim McInally.

The Peterhead manager has accused the Glasgow giants of bullying their way into the division and demeaning the competition in the fourth tier by the proposal to increase the number of teams to 12 with the Under-20 squads from the Old Firm.

McInally has told Celtic’s head of youth Chris McCart he has ‘no time’ for an idea that he believes provides no benefits for lower-league clubs.

Rangers manager Murty, hired as development-squad coach 18 months ago, insists the proposed two-year pilot scheme will protect the integrity of the league and is well worth exploring in the hope of improving more young talents from the top flight for the national team.

Murty said: ‘I perfectly understand his (McInally) position and he’s entitled to his opinion but I firmly believe, if we continue to do the same thing that we’ve always done in this country, we will continue to fail at international level.

‘We will continue to fail our young players. We will continue to fail to give them the best possible opportunity of playing at the highest level.

‘If we do that, then you are going to have a lost generation of players that compete at 16s, 17s and 19s but then don’t compete on the international stage after that.

‘If we want to continue to do that as a nation, then continue on the same path. But we shouldn’t fear trying to be different, to try to change something and give it a go.’

Rodgers agrees that the colt idea, which has long been a feature of the professional game in Germany and Spain, will do more to advance youth development than the current practice of sending out young players on loan.

‘I’m 100 per cent in favour of it,’ he said. ‘Rather than having to loan them out, you keep them together and play under the banner of Celtic.

‘There are always different reasons for players to go out on loan but, ideally, you have it like they do in Spain and Germany where they have their B team in the league, up against men and learning the dirty side of the game. They find out there’s pressure on a game, people watching and there’s a purpose behind it.

‘It’s also about developing coaches. Pep Guardiola is an obvious example, but Luis Enrique was a Barcelona B coach before he went away to Roma then came back.’