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Reserve League


stuart_adam
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Have it on good authority we will be following St Johnstone by pulling out the reserve league. No real big surprise given the results this season and the struggle to fill a bench most games.

 

Have to say the SPFL have really taken a backwards step by scrapping U21 football for this.

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Last week was diabolical. Only one sub (a very young laddie at that). We were mostly playing bigger clubs with larger squads. Probably should've been playing in the 2nd tier. Tbh I didn't see any difference between the Reserves and the U20s. The former was made up of teams playing their younger players with 2 or 3 older guys. The Under 20s was exactly the same. 

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7 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

Last week was diabolical. Only one sub (a very young laddie at that). We were mostly playing bigger clubs with larger squads. Probably should've been playing in the 2nd tier. Tbh I didn't see any difference between the Reserves and the U20s. The former was made up of teams playing their younger players with 2 or 3 older guys. The Under 20s was exactly the same. 

The theory of this was a good idea if it was a level playing field , bringing young players to play at a higher level , possibly some of the youngsters playing against seasoned pros coming back from injury or not playing in the first team and learning from them.

Think we had only 6 signed up reserve players, the financial impact if we had more players signed up would obviously have impacted the first team squad with less budget within that dept .

There has to be a way to integrate the young players into the first team , because its quite a jump between under 18/20s and the first team.

Possibly if some of the young players were about the first team squad more often that might help to bridge the gap and possibly show them what is required to be a professional football player at that level.

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Scottish football doesn't know where it's going on this.  The argument put forward by some was that young players don't develop playing against seasoned pros (older, stronger etc) so the Reserve League was replaced by the Development League where young players could develop playing against young players (same ages, same physical development etc).  Then the argument did a reverse ferret that young players don't develop playing against their peers and the Reserve League was reintroduced with relaxed rules about playing over-age players. (There's a pattern emerging here.) 

With the possible exception of Aberdeen (mid-table of 18 teams) the Reserve League table broadly reflects the perception of club's budgets (and therefore the ability to run larger squads and the need to keep "seasoned pros" fit).  The Club's young players have shipped 9 goals once this season, 8 twice, 7 once and 5 twice.  In all competitions 24 goals scored in 21 matches, 71 conceded.  There must be a fine judgement to be made between "developing" young players and them being demoralised.  (St Johnstone, incidentally, finished below Thistle.)   

As Pinhead asks, where are players reaching the point where they would have been played in the Reserve League going to play?  Would Penrice and Fitzpatrick have made the step up to the first team if the Development and Reserve Leagues hadn't existed?   I suppose in the end I'm wondering what the point of the Academy is.

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2 minutes ago, a f kincaid said:

Scottish football doesn't know where it's going on this.  The argument put forward by some was that young players don't develop playing against seasoned pros (older, stronger etc) so the Reserve League was replaced by the Development League where young players could develop playing against young players (same ages, same physical development etc).  Then the argument did a reverse ferret that young players don't develop playing against their peers and the Reserve League was reintroduced with relaxed rules about playing over-age players. (There's a pattern emerging here.) 

With the possible exception of Aberdeen (mid-table of 18 teams) the Reserve League table broadly reflects the perception of club's budgets (and therefore the ability to run larger squads and the need to keep "seasoned pros" fit).  The Club's young players have shipped 9 goals once this season, 8 twice, 7 once and 5 twice.  In all competitions 24 goals scored in 21 matches, 71 conceded.  There must be a fine judgement to be made between "developing" young players and them being demoralised.  (St Johnstone, incidentally, finished below Thistle.)   

As Pinhead asks, where are players reaching the point where they would have been played in the Reserve League going to play?  Would Penrice and Fitzpatrick have made the step up to the first team if the Development and Reserve Leagues hadn't existed?   I suppose in the end I'm wondering what the point of the Academy is.

In a few of the reserve league games [notably the excellent 1-1 draw with Motherwell] I managed to recognise 5 of the team, simply because I had seen them play in the senior squad [remember the reserves do not have the names on the back of their shirts] , but the game against Dunfermline, only 8 weeks later, I recognised not one player.

Must be hard for the reserve team coach to build any momentum within the team and I think the final goals for, and goals against is a fair reflection on a team that were basically their only to provide the opposition a game of 'shootie in'. At the Rangers game, I think RFC had 6 or 7 substitutes available [they used 4], If my memory serves we had 1 …. just 1! This just does not sound like we have the organisational capabilities within the club, nor the personnel to provide a good second string team.

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1 hour ago, stuart_adam said:

Club confirmed this at GC's football insight night. No real alternative as a direction though. Pretty disappointed but don't think us and St J will be only clubs pulling out.

I was the same as yourself not unduly suprised that we’ve pulled out of the reserve league but nobody told us tonight what their vision was to get youngsters nearer first team football.

Not really sure what the point of an Academy is if there is no pathway for young players to come through.

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I'm old school, and remember when the first team was playing against another team on a Saturday afternoon, then the reserves of both clubs would play at the other's ground on the same day. It didn't matter who played: youngsters, oldies, even amateurs, as long as they were registered players.

Can somebody tell me: what the hell was wrong with that system?

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6 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I'm old school, and remember when the first team was playing against another team on a Saturday afternoon, then the reserves of both clubs would play at the other's ground on the same day. It didn't matter who played: youngsters, oldies, even amateurs, as long as they were registered players.

Can somebody tell me: what the hell was wrong with that system?

I can remember playing one a side football in the park against my son. We always represented the best 2 football teams in the world, Partick Thistle and Partick Thistle Reserves.

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15 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I'm old school, and remember when the first team was playing against another team on a Saturday afternoon, then the reserves of both clubs would play at the other's ground on the same day. It didn't matter who played: youngsters, oldies, even amateurs, as long as they were registered players.

Can somebody tell me: what the hell was wrong with that system?

I remember going to a reserve game many years ago one Saturday at Firhill when the 1st team was playing away. Beat Rangers 3-0 and Billy Thomson was in goals for Thistle. Think Colin Stein was playing for Rangers.

The difference now is that the 1st team has 7 subs. In those days they had 1. Squad sizes are smaller these days too I reckon.

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On 5/16/2019 at 6:32 AM, Jaggernaut said:

I'm old school, and remember when the first team was playing against another team on a Saturday afternoon, then the reserves of both clubs would play at the other's ground on the same day. It didn't matter who played: youngsters, oldies, even amateurs, as long as they were registered players.

Can somebody tell me: what the hell was wrong with that system?

It coincided with our greatest international period ever. The reserve matches were eventually moved to Monday nights to allow 1st teamers returning from injury, extra games. 

I used to go with my dad and as youngster and saw some cracking players, dalglish springs to mind as he was returning from injury.

Many players over the years have stated that as youngsters coming through the reserves, to play with and against older more experienced players, was such a good learning experience

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