15 Oct 2019 11:03:02
Plenty of media talk about a new director of football and a chief scout. I do support this but it's high time we see our academy system passing on real talent to the first team.

1.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 11:37:21
Im no expert on this as my memory is no the best so how many players over the last 30 years with our academy made it to the 1st team and cemented a spot and was Rangers class. Obviously BF, who else?

2.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:21:48
People seem to see the academy as a factory of producing world class footballers. However, most youth players won't even make the first team bench, never mind play regularly in a team challenging for silverware. This is not a failing of our academy, but rather based on the quality of player we have and the percentage that actually have the ability. Better young players will always go down south eventually.

3.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:24:50
Charlie Miller, Charlie Adam, Alan Hutton, Allan McGregor, Ross Mcrory, Chris Burke all these guys played regularly at the time and Allan McGregor still cemented in the 1st 11 even on his 2nd stint at the club and I have no doubt Billy Gilmore would have as well if he'd stayed.

4.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:25:18
Adam made the grade for a few seasons as did Burke and Smith. They all played their part in title winning sides. Hutton was brilliant and earned close to 10m price tag. allan McGregor another through the youth system.

5.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:25:23
I'm sure I read that the new chief scout wanted is a guy from hibs, can't remember his name. Hibs haven't exactly been producing talent. Time will tell I suppose. 👍.

6.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:57:23
7 in 30 years = 1 player every 4 or 5 years. So as far as I can see with Mcrorie we have used our statistical quota up so why would we expect our youth system to produce more when it couldn't over the last 30 years where I would argue more kids were playing and the talent pool was probably bigger, answers on a post card. For interest is there anybody who can tell me the exact figure for our youth over the last 30 years who made it to 1st team football regularly.

7.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 12:58:12
If we can't find and produce young players to play in our first team then of course its a failing in our academy, we are the biggest club in scotland and should have no problem getting the best talent in scotland. If that's the case then we need better scouts and coaches. John mcginn was 5 mile along the road in paisley, andy robertson was along the road at queens park. Of course its a failing on our part. 👍.

8.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 14:02:33
You seem to have plenty of criticism Coldo, but with no actual solution for our own youth set-up. You think Scotland is churning out wonder kids like a pie factory? It is not, we are only 5 million people and players develop at different rates. Andy Robertson has shown in the national side that he is only at the level he is because of players around him at club level and i'm not sure McGinn 'went to the right school' for you guys' tastes either - these are only two players we missed out on, there have been many others. However this can be dependent on age, location and whole heap of diferentials that you have no concept of. You are commonly on here saying 'Ojo is pish' etc, yet he's a promising talent at one of the biggest clubs in the world, so you clearly have no idea about youth development.

9.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 14:06:35
Billy Gilmo. oh no wait a minute.

10.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 14:26:55
Tam Calderwood, how do you know they weren't approached? 2 huge Tims!

11.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 14:27:47
TJBB

Ian Durrant, but that's about it. What disturbs me is I keep hearing bout success of youth, U21, U23 and slightly older, some who could do a job. But who are constantly overlooked by crap purchases like Grezda and others.

12.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 15:17:31
I gave you a solution seeker, better coaches and scouts👍. And ojo is pish👍.

13.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 15:25:52
Andy robertson is only playing at the level he is because of his team mates? So your saying andy roberston isn't good enough on his own merit to play at that level. Souness that's just absolute pish talk and proves you are clueless. 👍.

14.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 16:33:00
He's no better than Tierney, Coldo - get it round ye.

15.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 16:34:41
Coldo - honest question: why do you love Celtic so much?

16.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 16:38:00
Didn't post on this thred coldo 👍.

17.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 16:51:48
Ed, an extract, below, from a piece I found to give some perspective on how difficult it is in today's set up to make it as a pro from an academy. Reading it and on reflection we shouldn't be surprised the youth set up isn't a conveyor belt of talent. Its then of no surprise its why we end up picking up players at 28 yrs+ that have left at 16-21 and developed elsewhere and then came back. The ones that are the real deal leave have a career and come back in their last year. Maybe that's why we do okay at Sco U16,18 and 21 but that's where it ends as most of these players will bench warm or play for small clubs/ reserves and won't continue to develop at senior level into men.

Extract:

Academies of their very essence are a good idea. Get the best players, give them the best coaches in the best potential environment.

The problem is that the ills of senior football – greed, opportunism, the stockpiling of talent unnecessarily for commercial gain – are seeping down into junior football.

That's what's happening in the academies of the major clubs where boys are going in, they're sucked into the system. They're taken over by the dream.

But, realistically, all they would do is sit there and wait for a chance that will never come.

The statistics are really sobering. Out of all the boys who enter an academy at the age of 9, less than half of 1% make it. Or a make a living from the game either.

The most damning statistic of all is only 180 of the 1.5 million players who are playing organised youth football in England at any one time will make it as a Premier League pro.

That's a success rate of 0.012%.

Pretty much the sort of chances of you being hit by a meteorite on your way home.

18.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 16:59:39
The real slim shady indeed lol Caldo you do make some great points at times but you ruin it by attacking your own.

19.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 17:03:09
Robertson is by far better than tierney. Apologies seeker, typo🤦‍♂️👍.

20.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 17:39:35
I think you'll find C that the people that get attacked are those who post opinions that are not formed through blue specs. You are accused of being a tim or negative for posting the obvious. Unless your opinion is nothing but red white and blue and everything is great then you are negative or a tim. You completely shot your own argument down earlier on another thread when you told me that ojo is worth 4mil which is almost 50% of what we paid for kent. I mean I don't rate ojo but his 5 year contract is worth more than 4mil. Yet you think he is better than kent but worth 50% less👏🤔. Then you have souness telling me I know nothing but he claims that andy robertson is only at the level he is because of his team mates. This is the same robertson that has played the last two champs league finals winning one and holding his own in the prem at the top. He then plays the tim card because has nothing else and knows he is talking pish about robertson. I'm supposed to listen to you two, Turn it up 👍.

21.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 17:41:16
I don't get the downer on trying to have an academy? Would you rather we shut it down altogether?

22.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 18:19:59
Caldo, go and find anything where I have ever said Ojo was better than Kent and post it. Kent is far better than Ojo. Where you getting this? You are good at putting words in people's mouths. Go quote anything I have ever said regarding Ojo being better than Kent. I look forward to this!

23.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 18:21:48
You actually talk so much pish on here. You are embarrassing yourself. Go and give yourself peace!

24.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 18:30:11
Btw had to double check this since you are adamant a shot myself down. Ojo signed a 5 year contract with Liverpool worth 10,000 per week. You do the math on that. Worth more than 4 million? You are a good laugh I will give you that son!

25.) 15 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 20:23:38
Souness, that is the worst thing I have ever read on here AR is only good because of the players around him.

He is a left back it’s not as if you can control a game from left back and he has to cover for the CH as they are that bad all the time for Scotland .

26.) 16 Oct 2019
15 Oct 2019 23:42:53
Actually, Ojo is on £360k a year at Liverpool and will have four years left on his contract, which is less than £1.5million. Don't let's get hysterical, lads, and it also shows why we will not be paying £2m for Hickey or any other 'teen sensation'.

27.) 16 Oct 2019
16 Oct 2019 10:14:26
C were you not telling me that ojo stats are better than kents thus why ojo is better than kent? Did you not tell me that liverpool gave ojo a 5 year deal to up his value? - to what 4mil? Why would liverpool give a player 5 year contract to up a players value to 4mil, that doesn't make sense. It amazes me how people know players wages. If anyone is a good laugh its your fantasy stories about how gerrard regrets not playing for us. 👍.

28.) 16 Oct 2019
16 Oct 2019 13:44:47
Ojo has better stats than Kent. It's not opinion it's fact. I have never once suggested Ojo is better like you said. You claim Ojos contract is worth more than the 4 million I guessed as a minimum Liverpool would want. I probably called that wrong. They will demand about the same as Kent. He was coming to the end of a contract which is why I said they offered a new one to increase his value. What is so hard to understand about that? I don't know why I even bother replying to you. You are missing a village!