CHARLIE NICHOLAS only really once noticed Carlton Cole after the veteran striker moved to Celtic.

“The only time I think I’ve seen Cole other than the Stranraer game was delaying my flight going to London,” said the former Parkhead hero.

“I thought he was slow enough at Stranraer without holding up my flight. He obviously didn’t realise what time it was. I think he was waiting on his number going up before he boarded.

“When it comes up 1689, I’m thinking he’s confused.”

Ouch.

It is fair to say Nicholas has not been impressed by Celtic’s rather odd recent transfer policy regarding the signing of strikers.

Cole and also Colin Kazim Richards, according to the former darling of the Jungle, are just taking up space and preventing young kids from flourishing at the club.

Nicholas said: “I didn’t see any relevance in signing those two.

“I saw them in England but is it different going for a physical centre forward? Listen, physical centre forwards aren’t different – we’ve seen them all our lives.

“And we’ve seen some bad ones who don’t quite make it and people wonder why.

“For me – from my upbringing – Celtic was about the Lions and that’s what our coaches believed in."

Nicholas hopes the club does more selling than buying over the summer.

He said: "I don’t think Stefan Scepovic or Nadir Ciftci will come back – there will be an evaporation of strikers.

“Listen, I’m critical of some situations at Celtic but I’ll also compliment the the things I think are done right. But I think it is time they identified strikers.

“You have to nurture your young strikers coming through.

“I’ve had enough of Cole and Kazim-Richards – they don’t bring anything to the party, they don’t add anything to the fabric of this club.

“I want to see the younger strikers developed and if they’re not good enough then they’re not good enough.

“We’ve had kids like Paul McGowan and others in the past who don’t quit reach the limit.

“But somewhere along the line you’ve got to trust them and see if you can get a little bit more out of them.

At least one kid, Jack Aitchison, made his mark albeit right at the end of the season when he scored a famous Celtic goal on Sunday.

Nicholas wasn’t that older when he first got his chance and hopes there are more strikers to come from the development squads.

He said: “I haven’t seen much of the lad but I know people who have seen him and they say he’s got a chance.

"Now what is a chance? Well, people can go and spend big money on a striker and the boy finds he’s suffocated a little bit.

“But it can take you anywhere, getting that one chance.

“I was 17 and all of a sudden I lost the fear I had, it just went. I embraced it and all I’d say to every kid who comes in here is look at the players beside them and ask questions.

"With all the respect in the world, I will never get too excited about defenders. Kieran Tierney has done brilliantly but it’s striker who score goals and get people off their seats who I want to see.”

Charlie Nicholas was at Celtic Park almost one hundred Celtic fans live out their dreams, when they take to the hallowed Celtic Park turf for the Magners Magnificent Sevens.