Lubomir Moravcik is one of those players that I am proud to have said that I have seen playing for Celtic. Although the multi-talented Slovakian did not join the Club until his 33rd year he was a revelation in the Hoops and will undoubtedly be remembered long into the future. Indeed could it be that Lubo becomes this generations jimmy Johnstone or Patsy Gallacher?
Now enjoying his retirement from Football Lubo has spoken on the need for Clubs like Celtic to cast their scouting net a little bit further and considerably deeper if we are to find the gems of the future. This is an often voiced opinion that is backed up by the fact that whenever we hear of a future superstar it is usually when we have signed them as a prospect from another club, but rarely do we discover these players at source.
"Less than 10 years ago Celtic were paying out £6million for players. But the days are over of buying in quality like Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton and John Hartson.
"So there has to be investment in developing top players of your own.
"Celtic do put a fair amount of their budget into their youth academy but there is more they can do.
"There is no perfect solution. Nothing can be 100 per cent. But maybe the strategic planning has to be looked at.
"It's not what the first-team manager would want but I would take money out of the top-team salary budget to use as an investment for scouting in Europe.
"In my opinion it would be better to spend an extra £500,000 or £1m a year to bring through your own kids rather than give it to a player to come to Celtic who is only a squad player in the Premiership. Is there not more satisfaction in producing your own? Finding entertainers, stars who excite the supporters?
"Recruiting players doesn't necessarily mean signing a 16-year-old kid out of school.
"There are guys playing at a lower league level in countries all over Europe - in France, Slovakia, Czech Republic and other countries.
"To get these players you need a proper structure abroad.
As Lubo quite rightly pointed out there is potential to be found but what is in it for our former hero? Read on.
"You need one guy to oversee Europe, delegating the work and with scouts and contacts working for him. The players are out there - you just need to find them or be told about them.
"Would I be interested in something like that for Celtic? Of course I would.
"Another thing that Celtic would have in their favour is that kids may well prefer to go to them rather than the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.
"Kids and their parents would know they would get a better chance to play first-team football at Celtic than in the Premiership because those clubs can spend £50m every year on transfers.
"I don't have all the answers, I only have some ideas. Maybe my ideas are good, maybe some people will think not. But I believe in them."
Moravcik was quick to point out the reasons why he would be involved in this other than personal gain - a love of Celtic and the pride he felt playing for the Club. However the cynic in me reads this like a line out of the eighties drama “The boys from the Black Stuff”, with the character Yosser Hughes asking “Gies a job”
That being said though, my love of this wonderful footballer has not been deterred by this request, indeed it makes a lot of sense for Celtic to be approaching this situation in this manner.
"It was a pleasure to play for Celtic and to have had the career in football I enjoyed.
"But I'm old now. Unfortunately my time in the dressing-room has gone.
"I hope the players of tomorrow at Celtic can taste the pleasure I had in Glasgow.
"However, they must work hard and be able to cope mentally with the pressure. It's not all about being good with the ball at your feet.
"You have to be a strong character to be successful at Celtic. That is so important."
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt