Celtic Football Club

Academy :: Boys :: Under 11s

U11s :: The Players

Aidyn Green	Scott Glassford	Adam Montgomery	Aidan Kelly	Azeem Abdulai	Christopher McQueen
Dean Quinn	Ewan Otoo	Finn McRobb	Kyle Fleming	Max McGregor	Michael McFarlane
Owen Moffat	Rhys Armstrong	Sam Denham	Scott Cusick	Shaun Joyce

Aidyn Green is capable of making some wonderful saves and is responding to the excellent coaching of Colin Meldrum. His distribution is gradually improving and he reacts well when dealing with distribution of the ball. Aidyn has the added advantage of being comfortable with the ball at his feet.

Scott Glassford is showing signs of improvement all the time under the first class tutelage of Colin Meldrum, our goalkeeping coach. He now shows more urgency in his play and is better equipped to start a counter-attack quickly with speedy distribution. Scott also reacts much better if he is called upon to deal with rebounds and loose balls in the penalty area.

Adam Montgomery has great pace, self-belief and technique – he makes things happen. Coaches should always ask themselves if a player simply participates in a match or does he impact on a match. There is no doubt that Adam is an impact player – when he gets the ball we expect him to be creative such is his effectiveness during games. The mixture of speed, confidence and technical ability make Adam one of our most creative and effective players. It is worth noting also that he possesses a terrific shot and he scores more than his fair share of goals.

Aidan Kelly possess great pace and has the ability to deliver wonderful crosses from the wide areas. He has a number of attributes that will hopefully serve him well over the coming seasons. The pace, mentioned earlier, is a wonderful asset to possess and Aidan uses this to good effect during matches. He often leaves opponents in his wake to deliver high quality crosses but can equally work hard defensively and again his pace serves him well for this duty. Technically, Aidan is getting better and better and he also possesses a truly powerful shot for such a young lad.

Azeem Abdulai has the honour of being the first player to join Celtic from the Jimmy Johnstone Academy and has recently made an impact in matches with a mixture of creativity and industry. He joined the squad later than the rest of the kids and although he took a while to adapt, Azeem is now beginning to flourish in the Celtic environment. His fitness levels are improving and he is much more competitive in matches. He is technically good, physically strong and loves to shoot at goal.

Christopher McQueen defends very well and has the awareness to protect the goal if the keeper is drawn to the ball. I have lost count of goal-line clearances he has made this season during matches or in 'bounce' games at coaching. Christopher is also comfortable with the ball at his feet and his distribution from the back is of a high standard. He is also a player who is well on the way to correcting any obvious flaw in his 'weaker' foot. Christopher can pass or shoot to a high standard with either foot.

Dean Quinn's movement for an U11 is exceptional. In addition, he has the ability to disguise his intentions and his decision-making is of the highest quality. 'Deano' has a lovely style of play and is able to identify and utilise space even at this early stage of his career. He has a lovely first touch and is willing and able to receive the ball in tight situations, even if it means taking a knock in the process. He plays the No 10 role to a very high standard as he is seldom drawn to the ball and the timing of his runs is excellent.

Ewan Otoo has been a delight of late – his technical ability has been matched with new found confidence and hard work. Ewan has developed into an impact player with Celtic. He now plays as though he knows he can change a game. It is no coincidence that his fine recent form matches a much-improved work rate during matches. Ewan is very comfortable running with the ball at pace and has a wonderful left foot. He is a creative player but recently he has developed into a goal scorer too.

Finn McRobb is the best I have witnessed aerially at this level and his link play and finishing are also of the highest standard. He really does tick a number of very important boxes for such a young player. Finn is technically good on the ground and aerially, he is genuinely two-footed and has a physique which will serve him well in the role of striker in the years ahead. Already he has scored some memorable goals for Celtic and demonstrated an ability to play the No 9 role to a high standard by also showing maturity in his link play.

Kyle Fleming is a kid who deserves to make it – his work rate away from Barrowfield is exemplary. He no longer has a 'weaker' foot as he worked so hard to correct any flaw he had. Kyle now passes, shoots, tackles or runs with the ball with any foot, without hesitation and to a very high standard. I have seldom seen a youngster so focused on developing his game. Kyle is technically very good and, in addition, is very competitive in the challenge – regardless of the age or size of his opponent. His decision-making is remarkable for such a young player.

Max McGregor possesses a wonderful mixture of athleticism, technique and commitment. This wee guy's Sports Science results in the past have been incredible for such a young kid. The exciting thing is, he can also play football to a very high standard. Not a bad combination. Max is very competitive and when he wins possession, his distribution is very good. He can pass with either foot and his shooting technique is excellent. As previously highlighted, Max's athleticism is very impressive which enables him to often finish matches as he starts them ... full of running.

Mikey McFarlane is blessed with wonderful pace and is one of the best I have seen at delivering the ball from wide areas when running with the ball. He has the ability to destroy teams when he is in the mood. The pace he possesses makes him unplayable at times. Often players with such a talent, fail to utilise it as control can let them down at times. Mikey, however, is also technically gifted and this enables him to keep the ball under control while running at speed and to be able then to cross the ball with quality and precision.

Owen Moffat. At times the wee guy is unplayable – a terrific burst of pace allied to wonderful technique. Owen has the wonderful ability to run with the ball using both feet and is therefore able to chance angles and direction instantly. His footwork is of the highest quality and he is blessed with pace too – all important attributes in the modern game. He tends to play in pockets of space and then turn and run at the opposition, often creating goal-scoring chances in the process. Owen also deserves praise for his composure in front of goal as highlighted by his terrific tally of goals to date.

Rhys Armstrong is best described as an U11 version of Paddy McCourt. He goes one way and the opponent (and those watching) go the other. Seldom have I seen a youngster who is able to wrong-foot opponents so frequently. Rhys has a natural gift to go by players but also a talent to get on the ball too. It is easy to overlook that ability is required before a player gets the ball – he has to be able to find space in order to receive possession. Rhys does this supremely well and then he is invariably creative when he does have the ball at his feet. His decision making is of a high standard and although his goal scoring record is exceptional, he must have more assists than goals.

Sam Denham is possibly the toughest defender I have seen at this level. He genuinely has no fear when he goes into the tackle and frequently throws himself in front of shots such is his determination. His positional play, however, is also of the highest standard and because of this he tends to intercept a lot of opposition passes. Sam can, of course, play with the ball at his feet too and he is very adept at driving forward with the ball.

Scott Cusick is a kid who has the talent to play in a number of positions – and to a high standard. When he first joined, I think it is fair to say that Scot lacked self-belief and this was reflected in his performance at times. I am glad to report that the 'new' Scott Cusick has been a revelation for the team for quite some time. He really is Mr Consistency, regardless of the role we give him. Scott is two-footed and has a game intelligence that should be beyond someone so young. The timing of his forward runs is also a feature of his game.

Shaun Joyce has a great mixture of aggression and technical ability ... and he likes a wee shot at goal now and again. Shaun does enjoy a wee tussle now and then on the pitch and he invariable emerges the victor. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet and as soon as he sees the goal, you just know he is going to demonstrate his shooting ability. Shaun is the type of youngster who would enjoy going to a tough environment and gladly accept any challenge thrown at him.