IT'S A SPRE COUNTRY

CELTIC have signed three young Scottish lads in the past week and they should be applauded for that.

But I don't think it should stop there. I'd like to see both halves of the Old Firm filling their teams with Scots because that can be only benefit the game and the national team in the long term.

For far too long Celtic and Rangers have relied on expensive foreign imports to the detriment of home-grown talent.

But now financial restrictions have forced them to go back to shopping in the local market.

While fans of other Scottish clubs might complain their best players are being pinched by the Glasgow big guns, it really is the nature of the beast.

The power is with the players these days and if lads like Gary Cal dwell, Mark Wilson, Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd want to run down their contracts in order to win Bosman moves to the Old Firm there is nothing anyone can do about it.

At least Dundee United and Kilmarnock received around £1million between them for selling Wilson and Boyd to Celtic and Rangers respectively, so they were compensated to a significant degree.

I think it was a great bit of business by Gordon Strachan to land the three boys they got last week. Caldwell andWilson are only in their early 20s with their best years ahead of them and Miller is just 26 and ab out to hit his peak.

All three will have a hunger to succeed, as will Boyd at Rangers. His five goals in his first three games show he will be a massive player for Alex McLeish.

I've no doubt other young Scots playing in the SPL could follow those four to the Old Firm and make Celtic and Rangers better teams.

Two are at Aberdeen, Kevin McNaughton and Russell Anderson. McNaughton is like Wilson and Jackie McNamara in that he can play in any number of positions and make it look like it's his natural role.

I saw him play brilliantly at centre-half against Hibs last week with Anderson, another who could easily go to either of the Glasgow clubs.

He has good experience behind him and reads the game well. I'd definitely be looking at him if I was McLeish or Strachan. I know Tony Mowbray won't thank me for saying this but at least another four of his boys could make the move no problem. I'm not surprised Rangers are interested in Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson. They are terrific youngsters but so is right-back Steven Whittaker while Steven Fletcher is emerging as an attacking midfielder who can be truly special.

I love watching Hibs play and Mowbray deserves a medal for what he is doing at Easter Road. There are others around as well. At Hearts Calum Elliot's career is just beginning but what a blossoming talent that boy is.

And at Rugby Park Jim Jefferies will do well to hang on to Steven Naismith, another player who makes things happen when he's in possession.

All these boys have lit up our season so far and there are far more clubs with reasons to be happy than disappointed at the halfway stage.

I know Hearts will be gutted at losing to Killie on Saturday but they'd have bitten your hand off to be sitting second, seven points in front of Rangers and six ahead of Hibs, at this stage if you'd have offered them that scenario at the start of the campaign.

Celtic, for all their troubles in the cup competitions at home and in Europe, will be delighted to be so far in front, while Hibs and Kilmarnock have been rewarded for playing smashing football with third and fifth places respectively.

Obviously Rangers will be disappointed in their domestic form but reaching the last 16 of the Champions League was massive and they are now making a big push to finish second in the SPL and get into the qualifiers again.

Motherwell are scrapping away for a top-six place and continue to do well considering their financial restrictions. And they are also bringing through good young players.

All in all, it augurs well for Scottish football and I haven't even mentioned the club that is the unsung story of the season so far, Inverness Caley Thistle.

They've gone 11 games unbeaten in the SPL - an entire quarter - and have had Craig Brewster snapped up by Dundee United in the process.

But under Charlie Christie they've won three games in a week and I don't really see why they need to look any further for a permanent manager if Charlie wants the post.

I don't know if he'll be prepared to swap what is basically a job for life at the club for the more precarious role of manager. But if Inverness can persuade him to do so, I honestly believe they could go from strength to strength.

United, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Dunfermline and Livingston will be disappointed with their seasons so far. The first two are underachieving dreadfully and must pick up.

The other three, I fear, will be involved in a dogfight until the end of the season. Although they will hate it will make for great excitement for the rest of us and will be another interesting aspect of what has been a fascinating first half of the campaign.

Taken from the Daily Record