TONY Watt has been saying all the right things since checking in to Tynecastle, one of Robbie Neilson’s summer purchases, well, borrowings.
Watt, still just 22, will spend this coming term in Scotland, on-loan from Charlton Athletic, a state the ex-Celtic player has become used to in recent times.
READ MORE: Kolo Toure enthused by new challenge at "great club" Celtic
Having first been rented out to Lierse during his Parkhead days, as a Charlton employee, he has more recently been a hired hand at Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers, before making the switch back north for 16/17.
Watt may have been frustrated with his lot. Unfortunately, he may have frustrated a few managers and coaches over the last few years as well, nearly all referencing his ‘attitude’ more than his ability. Sad that.
Because it all looked so bright for him when, as an 18-year-old, he famously netted the winner for Celtic against Barcelona in the Champions League. There was only one way his career was going, wasn’t there? Or not as it proved.
READ MORE: Kolo Toure enthused by new challenge at "great club" Celtic
Scoring crucial goals for your team in Europe is no guarantee of future greatness at that club. Ask Gary McSwegan, a scorer versus Marseille for Rangers during the 92/93 season who found himself sold that summer. Or Ross McCormack, this time against Porto in 2005, to grab a draw for Alex McLeish’s Rangers, again in the Champions League.
For the former his next step was Notts County, for the latter, Motherwell, although he has been the subject of a few breath-taking moves, both in terms of the money involved and that they happened in the first place.
Being a good young ‘un is fine, but isn’t a given that better – or even similar – will follow.
READ MORE: Kolo Toure enthused by new challenge at "great club" Celtic
Watt still has a chance. But unless he turns it around on Gorgie, he could be yet another to have had it and lost it far too young. The same can’t be said for some of Scotland’s other new faces.
There is an interesting, and highly amusing, face-off developing amongst fans of the Old Firm clubs presently.
Avid readers (or are they watchers?) of the Twittersphere will have noticed a cooling of hostilities between supporters of Celtic and Rangers, especially when faced by new arrivals during the summer months, and in particular, when it came to those purchases nearing their use-by date.
Clint Hill and Joey Barton checking in to Ibrox had many a follower of the great game consulting the interweb to view their respective ages, and, whether they had tried to skip school holidays or leap years to stretch their careers by a few seasons.
Yes, one or two questioned how their hiring might aid the Rangers youth policy. But, in fair, they were mostly of a light blue hue. There were some of the Celtic faithful keen to wind up their arch rivals, but, in the most it was all terribly subdued. Why?
Because at the same time as Rangers were unveiling yesterday’s men tomorrow, the muttering coming out of Celtic was that they too may seek out one or two of a more mature nature.
So any flak directed towards Mark Warburton, Rangers or the newish arrivals, would almost certainly be returned, with interest, in the direction of London Road. Their wariness was justified.
This week, who should arrive to pen the dotted line but Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure, he formerly of Arsenal and Manchester City, latterly of Liverpool, a man with an impressive CV, and, a birth certificate that may be slightly creased.
Time will tell. But the inference that would normally surface, namely that Toure wasn’t so much a classic vintage, but past it, or that he was just here for the money, or topping up his pension, never came to very much.
Actually, that’s not strictly true. Once Celtic supporter forgot to read – or delete – from his timeline, his stinging criticism of Toure when the Ivorian was a possible Gers target, but then praised him and his experience to the hilt when he became a Celt. Who’d have thought?
Toure is 35, and hardly geriatric. He will do Brendan Rodgers a turn, and who knows what he might do over the next season or two, even three or four. He may even reach the same legendary status as Davie Weir...
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