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HE helped bring a cool £25million into his club by finding young stars.

So George Cairns was bemused when he didn’t even get an interview for the role of SFA academy chief.

The Sun

George Cairns became synonymous with Hamilton’s successful youth policy[/caption]

Kenny Ramsay

Campbell Money left his role with the SFA – and tipped George Cairns to go for it[/caption]

The Sun

But Hampden bigwigs looked elsewhere[/caption]

The 55-year-old was recommended for the Club Academy Scotland Programme Manager post — overseeing clubs’ academy systems — by the man who vacated it, Campbell Money.

But the SFA appointed David Sheldon to the post instead.

Now Cairns, whose time at Hamilton Accies saw future stars like Lewis Ferguson, James McArthur and James McCarthy graduate to international football, is moving to a job in mental health support.

He revealed: “I left Hamilton about six months ago, when the new board took over.

“I had been part of Ronnie MacDonald’s team and I felt loyal to them.

“Good luck to the new owner, Seref Zengin. He asked me a few times to stay, but I thought it was the right time to make a break.

“It was a tough decision because I’d been 19 years at Hamilton and it was seven days a week and 16-hour days.

“But over the years I estimated we helped bring in between £20m and £25m to the club.

“I have to admit I was a bit surprised I didn’t even get an interview for the SFA job when Campbell Money left.

“Campbell did a fantastic job and told me to apply. But the SFA went for someone else.

“It wasn’t just me. Bill Hendry at Dunfermline didn’t get an interview either. Between us we had 55 years on the academy side.

“At any academy, you’re judged on the players that come through and I think we did OK on that front.

“For Hamilton Accies to have produced a player, Lewis Ferguson, who’s not only playing in Serie A but has been voted the best midfielder in that division and captained his side to the Champions League for the first time, is a phenomenal feat.

“Immediately before I left, we moved on four players — Josh McDonald to Leeds, Cormac Daly to Nottingham Forest, Gabe Forsyth to Norwich City and Ryan One to Sheffield United.”

Cairns knows the stat showing that the Premiership’s top three clubs — Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers — hadn’t given a single minute to a Scot under 21 this season is a damning one.

National team manager Steve Clarke admits clubs must find a way to give young players opportunities.

And Cairns said: “If they’re good enough, they should play.

“At Hamilton, we played them in the Premiership. In 2017, the CIES Football Observatory did a survey of the top 100 clubs who had academy graduates playing first-team football.

“Hamilton were the only British club in it, ahead of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. That was an enormous vindication of what we did.

“But we could only do that because it was what Ronnie, Allan Maitland and Les Gray supported us in doing.”

Cairns is about to start working for counselling body Liber8 and launch his own company.

He said: “Can I help kids if they have problems? Can I educate the parents and tell them the pitfalls? It’s something I’ve always been interested in. Mental health is so important.”

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

WAYNE ROONEY and wife Coleen go head-to-head on TV tonight in a bid to conquer their jungles.

While Coleen stars on ITV’s I’m a Celeb in the Aussie outback, 10,000 miles away Rooney can edge Plymouth away from the Championship drop zone by beating Watford live on Sky Sports. 

The legendary Manchester United striker, 39,  is also facing a number of hazards himself as Pilgrims boss.

Argyle are geographically an outpost, have one of the league’s smallest budgets  and their main ambition this season is simply to survive.

Yet Rooney is winning over hearts and minds in the city with his down-to-earth, man-of-the-people approach.

Whether it is singing karaoke with fans, dining out in the city, or visiting boozers for a few pints, he has immersed himself in Devon life.

A club source told SunSport: “Wayne has really bought into Plymouth.

“He’s not come down to be a boss who hides away in his apartment — but wants to  feel completely connected to the fans and everything going on.”

Due to Plymouth’s remote location in the south-west of England, Rooney has introduced starting some away journeys two days before matches.

He likes to stop off halfway to games on Thursday to train before continuing the journey on Friday ahead of a Saturday fixture.

This has not led to a win on the road yet but Home Park is becoming a mini fortress with just one league defeat.

The ex-England star still takes part in training himself — and has left   players open-mouthed with his skills.

Rooney often likes talking to his stars and staff about movies, holidays, family life, food and is always sharing little anecdotes away from the game.

While we get to see Coleen up close in the jungle, Roo is now making  a behind-the-scenes  documentary about managing Plymouth.

It has not yet been decided which platform it will be screened on.

But the Argyle gaffer said: “It’s going to be great for the club. We have cameras everywhere from a club point of view anyway, so it’s not anything new.

“They won’t be here every single day and minute. It will give good insight for the fans.”

Rooney‘s ex-United team-mate and best pal Tom Cleverley — with whom he won the Premier League in 2013 — is Watford boss.

He serves a touchline ban tonight but hit out at critics who reckon Rooney underachieved as gaffer at Derby, DC United and Birmingham.

Cleverley, 35, said: “We’ll catch up before and after as friends. He was one of the best players I’ve seen  and I’m happy to see us both trying to work our magic as coaches.

“It’s harsh to say he underachieved.”

MAURA HIGGINS has reacted to the I’m A Celeb camp after the former Love Island star flew out to Australia.

Two new latecomers to this year’s series made their debut at the end of Wednesday’s episode, and within an instant of entering the camp, former Love Islander Maura was already fuming over the living conditions.

Maura Higgins and Reverand Richard Coles were seen last night in a lavish hotel, with them heading straight to Snake Rock tonight before being given a secret mission.

Snake Rock has been transformed into the Jungle Junkyard, with the pair having been given a two-ring hob.

But although the camp has a hob, the junkyard also contains overgrown greenery, rusty corrugated metal, and of course, zero luxury.

And it’s safe to say that Maura is less than impressed by the living conditions she is faced with after leaving an opulent hotel, with the reality star firing expletives in a huge rant.

‘THIS CAMP SUCKS’

“It’s not liveable, we have nothing, this camp sucks,” she fumed after seeing the camp for the first time.

She then added, “I’m going to ask Richard to say a prayer for us tonight because I’m gonna need one.”

Then, Maura added, “We’ve definitely got the sh*t camp, so thanks for that. Jesus Christ. I tell you I saw this on a movie, there’s a trick to doing this.

“Guys this is not livable, this is not livable. This camp sucks.”

Meanwhile, Reverend Coles, compared his new abode to some bins, admitting, how he once “fell asleep by some bins outside Amnesia night club in Ibiza”.

Speaking about his bin stint, Rev Coles said, “I don’t remember much about it, but it’s that level.”

NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS

But not everything is as it seems, and they are encouraged to take a look around. 

Then, the Jungle Junkyard car came down to reveal a luxurious double bed so that the pair could sleep in luxury.

Also revealed to the duo was a container reveals a hidden large sofa and a cargo box that opened with a large bathtub with bubbles, bath salts, and hot water.

A red chest then opened to reveal a gas cooker and a hidden fridge door opens, stocked with fruit smoothies and a fruit platter. 

Ant and Dec then explained to the pair that over the next few days, Maura and Rev Coles will have to complete a series of missions in order to win food.

And to be successful overall, they were told that they had to convince the celebs in the main camp that they were roughing it in the Jungle Junkyard.

“I’m a great liar,” Maura boasted, while Richard weighed in with: “I’m gonna learn fast!”

Comcast is currently pursuing a spin-off of its cable properties, including MSNBC and CNBC.

Ramallah, Nov 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Palestinian politicians hailed the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, concerning alleged war crimes...

The post Palestinians welcome ICC decision against Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant appeared first on Social News XYZ.

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