Craig Beattie has opened up on the brutal sink or swim environment he was plunged into as a youngster at Celtic.
The former Hoops striker graduated to the first team in 2003 during an era when the likes of Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson and Neil Lennon ruled the roost.
Beattie insists he's on friendly terms with many of Martin O'Neill 's stars years later, but claimed they were especially tough on young players back in the day - an environment he believes was the making of him.
He says the culture shock proved too much for many a Hoops hopeful as the senior figures set an incredibly high standard on the training pitch.
"It didn't bother me, but it was make or break," Beattie told Open Goal .
"There are probably thousands of players who went in there and absolutely crumbled.
"Lads ask me about it now and say 'what's Lenny like? what's Thommo like? what's Sutty like?'
"And now I would say: 'Absolutely spot on'. They'll never pass you at events, charity do's, absolutely brilliant.
"But back then? Absolute p***ks.
"You could be on that training ground - and we only trained for half an hour, three 10 minute games - and be the best player on the park for 29 minutes.
"But you could give the ball away once and get absolutely berated. Literally, strips torn off you.
"For me that was all part of the character building, you had to stand up to that.
"I've got Thommo shouting at me because I've given the ball away and I've got big Bobo (Balde) kicking lumps out of me.
"He was the nicest guy in the world but he was just so awkward and clumsy. He would never hurt you intentionally but he'd be all over your toes.
"He was strong as an ox, obviously. It was good learning, you're not going to come up against much bigger or stronger than that on a weekend.
"If you're up against that every day it stands you in good stead for matches."
Training sessions often proved fiercely competitive under O'Neill's watch, especially when the senior stars were pitted against the youngsters on a Friday.
Beattie described a harsh training ritual where one player would be forced to wear a yellow bib to mark them out as the worst performer over a session.
He added: "They were feisty. That was on a Friday - three five minute games, two touch, one touch and all in.
"They got naughty at times, and we used to vote for the yellow bib.
"Basically, everybody has to vote for a player in the losing team to take the the yellow bib for the worst player.
"The game could be such good quality that you could miss one chance and end up wearing this bib.
"You could score a goal but the game would maybe end 2-1 and you would get this yellow bib.
"It became quite naughty at times. The young lads were so up for it and we would beat them quite regularly.
"We were that up for and there were times we would win and they would hate us voting for them.
"(Would any of the main men get picked?) Of course they would. Once our boys grew a set it would be like 'get on him, why are we not voting for him?'
"They would have a proper bite, they wouldn't like it. Thommo wasn't happy getting it one day, he thought the boys stitched him up."
