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With Jos Hooiveld signing for Southampton after looking not only steady and reliable at the back in the south coast club’s rise back toward England’s premier division, but indeed already scoring three times this season, each of which coming in one goal victories. Should Celtic have bucked current trends and had the Dutchman as a fixture in their starting eleven when his loan deal ran out?

In the past this was common place, and with the abolition of reserve team football it seems strange that this does not happen more often in current times, particularly in Scotland. However, realistically, of the ten players loaned out from Celtic's senior side this season, Jos would be the only case to argue that the loan deal could have in any way given him a chance of making inroads into furthering his career at Celtic.

Celtic is certainly not the only club whose players have suffered a reduced impact while out on loan from their clubs. In the past, certainly in the UK loans had been mostly used to allow young players with enough potential to suggest they could ‘make it’ but not enough experience to be relied upon, to go out and gain that experience to come back to their parent clubs ready to show them they were worthy of a first team place. This was a great way for clubs to see what their young talents were made of, not only a test of their ability, but of their fight, determination and character. Often dropping to third and forth tier of the league set-up, were they prepared for when the going got tough in a boggy marsh that was a sad excuse for a football pitch in front of a handful of unimpressed ‘supporters’; understandably this acid test made and broke many footballers careers. There are still some contemporary managers, Including Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, and Harry Redknapp who hold this method in high regard, be it for youth development in terms of getting games and adding missing parts to their game, or purely to show their mettle before they deserve a shot at the big time.

Harry Redknapp, throughout his career has favoured loaning out his most promising academy graduates, and previously has said.

“What you’re looking for when you loan them out, you’re looking for them to make a real impact wherever they go. And when you get them back you think, ‘Stick him in the team.’ That’s what you want. It’s a different kind of football, but you want to see them, ankle-deep in mud, doesn’t bother them, just getting on with it. You have to adjust.”

Other managers like Arsene Wenger, who is not as old fashioned in the ‘ankle deep in mud’, throwing tackles about stuff, but is keen on first team exposure at any level, still likes to see his lads loaned out. With top clubs like Wenger’s Arsenal taking all the talent when they are barely in high school- there is a uneven distribution of good young players, not only hindering lower league clubs who in the past would have been able to blood good young players and sell them on, but the good young players are now on the books of huge top level squad importing talent earlier and earlier, giving their youth teams even greater competition to break into the senior set up and a lower chance of young players ever making that full progression.

Players can be loaned out – and be seen as a complete success by the club they’ve gone to – yet on return to their parent club there is still no real place for them. A great example of this is young Scott Sinclair making short term moves from Chelsea, and in particular achieving great impact and success at Swansea.

Looking closer to home, both Paul McGowan and Graham Carey impressed on their loan jaunts, but in truth, were never going to be given a chance after showing up well in Greenock, Paisley, and Huddersfield. In recent years, only Liam Miller can I remember that has gone out for first team experience elsewhere then returned to a run in the Celtic team off the back of that.

Given the impact of football’s current financial climate it is not overly surprising that players are often dealt with in such a short term mindset by clubs. Clubs like Celtic want high earners who aren’t likely to make first team impact off wage bill, guys like Rasmussen, Juarez, and indeed Hooiveld who don’t break into the starting eleven with any regularity will likely be moved on if acceptable offers come in willing to pay their wages for 6 months or a year, with no real thought of how the club can use them, or will value them afterwards.

And with smaller clubs not having money, loan singings are a good non-committal was of bulking up squad numbers with decent quality, without serious long term gamble in terms of transfer fee’s and contracts needed to be weighed up. While this might seem good for players looking for experience a rung or two down the football ladder, with money tight and pressure on managers for success never been greater - young players are often overlooked in favour of older pro's regardless of the potential ability even if they have been brought in from clubs of far greater stature. Josh Thompson, who certainly didn’t let himself down in the 15 or so games he had as he filled in for Celtic as a 19 year old, has gone to Peterborough and Rochdale, but been kept out the side as managers who although they saw enough ability in him to bring him in, wont even risk him at that level. These guys know a 30 year old cart horse who has bags of 3rd Division experience won’t be seen as a gamble that could potentially cost them or their reputation. The greater the pressure, the less gambles a manager will take, at any level. This surely doesn’t bode well for young players looking for loan moves to boost their career, but may well help the bigger name players who just haven’t settled at clubs who cant necessarily afford to keep paying their wages if they aren’t impacting the first team (like Robbie Keane going to Celtic from Tottenham a couple of year back, as opposed to Man City seemingly in no rush to ship Tevez off).

Often the younger players are sent out on loan to teams in need of inexpensive but able squad members, and keep there interest dangling over the potential prospect of coming back trusted for the first team. The danger of the loaning system for talented young players today is when the development process goes out the window, and the reason for loaning the player out becomes solely as a means to keep him happy.

David Bentley the former Arsenal youngster parted company with Arsenal after two loan periods to two different clubs. Frazier Campbell and Ben Foster were shipped out of Manchester United after multiple extensive loan periods. Chelsea have sold off talents like Israeli Ben Sahar after multiple loan periods. Sometimes while these youngsters see the opportunity for first team football elsewhere as a short-term solution, in the long term it may prove better for them to stay at their clubs and try to compete there for a first team place. Ashley Cole’s break into the Arsenal first team came as a result with an injury to Sylvinho. Jack Wilshere’s break into the Arsenal first team last season came as a result of injuries to Aaron Ramsey and Fabregas. When you are loaned out as a young player, it may become a case of out-of-sight out-of-mind, you are not considered by the manager anymore, and players are brought in to fulfil your position.

Currently Chelsea have 2 young talents playing for the England U21′s who are no strangers to the loaning process. Jack Cork and Ryan Bertrand have been on loan to 6 and 5 different clubs respectively. Scott Sinclair, who cut ties with the club earlier this year, had also been shipped out to 6 different clubs on loan before he finally moved on.

This type of loaning is not loaning as a finishing school. There is in fact evidence that multiple loans can prove to be the ‘kiss of death’ to talented youngster’s chances of making it at their ‘parent clubs’. Shared ownership of players, which is prevalent in Serie A, is non-existent in England. In Italy, big clubs maintain ties with talented youngsters by surrendering the player’s registration to play to the smaller club, whilst keeping (usually) 50% ownership of the players. This gives incentive to the smaller club to play the youngster, as an increase in his market value will benefit the smaller club. English clubs maintain ties with their young players by repeatedly sending them out on loan, as they are not yet ready for the first team, but its debateable whether there is real hope for them to still be a useful asset for there parent club.

Signings like Juarez, Rasmussen, and Hooiveld, who don’t settle into team with good form, but unable to move on, are easier to be loaned out, being kept off wage bill, and pick up first team football, and given a slim chance of being able to be moved on for a reasonable transfer fee at some point, but realistically aren’t going to return to Celtic Park and become part of the furniture.


The others like Cillian Sheridan, Milan Misun, Graham Carey, Paul McGowan, now Niall McGinn amongst others are loaned out to keep them happy and taken by lower teams, desperate for bodies (while Celtic picking up the majority of the wage), and hoping on the off chance, that whenever they are used, they can show flashes of the ability (that while not coming anywhere close to holding down a first team spot at Celtic) that got them their contract at the Parkhead club in the first place. In truth this now tends to be just a part of a slow decline before the player ends up released and spiralling down the leagues.


All in all, doing the admirable thing; going in search of first team games outwith Celtic is unlikely to be seen by the promising youngsters in the ProGen series who’ve played Barca and won against Man City, as a good advert for a long term career at Parkhead.