Ben Gannon-Doak

is something to behold because this team's coming together really well.

Ganon Doak got on and very happy to see him on the left and Hyann on the right.

That's what I wanted about three weeks ago and Bournemouth are just on top of their game.

No one played poorly at all.

Milan didn't know how to hit them.

I mean, you know Milan are not that Milan, but they were like, wow, what's going on here? Bournemouth was all over them, you know? Ben Doak and that.

Come on, bend

down.

I know we've had players that have gone on loan to an Austrian club, for example.

So, how can we use those if you take it as a five year project say and by the way you used the example of Ben Doak sorry Ben Garland Oak Ben was in the first team at 16 so if you are good enough you're going to play and I know you won't mind me saying it but because a close friend Darnody used to say when we worked together he'd say regularly a thing he would always get across to the players or ask them is what is currently stopping you getting into our first team because the answer isn't age so you can't say I've just signed I'm 16 or I'm 17 that's the reason I'm not in that's not the case if you're good enough you'll play so there must be a reason why you're not in our first team so constantly doing that self analysis or needs analysis if you like will hopefully identify areas that you need to improve upon now I think one way that we can do that as I say is through exposing players to first team football and whether that's a League 2 club where for a centre-half who is just going to be for 90 minutes put under the cosh having to defend your box coming up against big strong physical strikers that you won't get at Celtics Academy but then you've also got that cooperation agreement where if you are struggling a little bit and you're missing out in game time then you can play with the 19s so I think there's ways round about it and I think if we were to offer that as a potential alternative to okay we can't give you the rich we can't match the sometimes astronomical wages that you're getting offered down south but if we can show you a path to enhance your development to give you first team exposure that's going to stand you in potentially better stead to chap on our first team door and being around that environment so it's such a It's such a difficult one and there's so many different opinions on it and I do understand it and I actually just think, I said this in my interview with Matthew, I'm actually just glad that the conversation's happening now because for so long it's ex-pros coming out and saying the place is Scottish football's in the doldrums and we're not producing talent we're not doing this at least like Sigmo Horn and the guys at SFA at least they're bringing something to the table now now is it definitely going to work we don't know but you need to at least be open minded to invest in it and try and then this is going to evolve over the next five to ten years anyway that's the nature of these things so at least the conversation is happening at least there are there are proposals being put forward now I know a lot of them are mandating clubs that you're voting to basically say you need to play a player I think incentivising is probably the best way personally but do you know what they're probably at the stage where they go maybe they need to be mandated maybe that is actually the way to go to actually force this issue because there is a lack of under 21s in our teams so it's interesting I'm really looking forward to seeing how it plays out and I said that I'm optimistic about it because at least there is a conversation now and at least it's back in the public eye and folk are talking about it it's just can we be open minded enough to accept that not everything is going to work But we need to address something.

As you say, sometimes in environments like this, sometimes it needs to be the big stick rather than the carrot.

Works better.

The kind of precociousness that you've referred to there has always been there.

I think we've wanted him to be a bit more physical and kind of adapt to the man's game almost because when you're a kid, We saw the same with Ben Doak, by the way, when he was at Liverpool.

The fearlessness should come.

It's about being mature with it.

Aye.

Ben Gannon soaked.

Aye.

Ian Slush, Liverpool.

We sort of had a discussion in the Dean Court social, didn't we? About kind of who we think we should bring in and this, that and the other.

First reaction from yourself was that you were surprised that Gannon Doak hadn't kept his place in the side.

But other than that, what was your initial thoughts on the start in 11?

To be honest, I think Befode Diakete didn't do anything wrong on Thursday night.

Yeah.

Uh, but other than that, um, Ben Doak, I also noticed that, you know, with his small little sub appearance, ghosted quite well.

Maybe he's a potential streamium just because of how thin Bournemouth's squad is and, you know, with their European fixture run, um, picking up right now, uh, up until the next international break, I think they might have to rely on, uh, some of these second-string guys.

Because listen, three points after six games, uh, Marco Rose is under a lot of pressure at the moment.