The Youth Set Up

[Jaggy1967]

Once again well done to the lads today

Given the fact that the lads have won today playing what seems a decent Livi team. Does anyone else not feel that we are going in the correct direction with regard to the youngsters ?

I have no idea of the cost implications of bringing a young lad on to 1st team/reserve status.

My concerns with the youth set up is the ability of other clubs to poach them. I am thinking back to the olden days when people like Jim McLean were tying youngsters to 6 & 7 year contracts.

How else can we guarantee we will benefit ?

[Junior]

The best way to retain any youth players is to play the guys who are good enough for the first team more often. Apart from the likelyhood other clubs can throw larger amounts of cash at them you have to look at Hamilton where they have a good recent history of bringing through young players so that then attracts other players into their syttem, It cannot be under estimated how much this cup win can and should do for bringing players into our youth system.

[PaleGreySky]

it does seem to be that we have quite a few who are going to prove useful in the first team.

 

mcgeough, lochhead, campbell, bannigan, burns. all players who looks the part so far.

[Third Lanark]

Great work done by McCall, Gerry and Ian Cameron in getting this youth system up. A very positive acheivement so far from McCalls reign and something he was keen to install from when he was first appointed.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Once again well done to the lads today

Given the fact that the lads have won today playing what seems a decent Livi team. Does anyone else not feel that we are going in the correct direction with regard to the youngsters ?

I have no idea of the cost implications of bringing a young lad on to 1st team/reserve status.

My concerns with the youth set up is the ability of other clubs to poach them. I am thinking back to the olden days when people like Jim McLean were tying youngsters to 6 & 7 year contracts.

How else can we guarantee we will benefit ?

Great post, just a couple of points.

Firstly this was far more than just "a decent Livi team". Secondly if just one player, with one year left on a two year contract goes for say £30K then the whole scheme imo is worthwhile. Not so much even for the financial return but more as it puts us on the map as a serious player in the youth stakes.

Success breeds success. Today we beat the club that's produced the likes of Snodgrass, Halliday, McPake, Griffiths & Dorrans. If just one parent with a kid, who turns out to have the ability of the aforementioned, is influenced enough by today's result to point his/her lad in our direction then our youth policy is well and truly on its way.

[The Earl of Hathaway]

Great post, just a couple of points.

Firstly this was far more than just "a decent Livi team". Secondly if just one player, with one year left on a two year contract goes for say £30K then the whole scheme imo is worthwhile. Not so much even for the financial return but more as it puts us on the map as a serious player in the youth stakes.

Success breeds success. Today we beat the club that's produced the likes of Snodgrass, Halliday, McPake, Griffiths & Dorrans. If just one parent with a kid, who turns out to have the ability of the aforementioned, is influenced enough by today's result to point his/her lad in our direction then our youth policy is well and truly on its way.

Excellent post and puts it all in perspective. After a quite poor (relatively? absolutely?) season by the first team, for our under 19s to pull this out the hat is a fantastic achievement. For all we seem to perceive that it's all financial turmoil, Propco and the Board, this is where it REALLY matters - results on the pitch. As noted above, if we can establish ourselves as a player in the same metaphorical league as Livingston or Hamiton, then any investment is worthwhile...

[Santana]

A boy in my year at school has signed for the U19s for next season. He's very good at scoring goals. That is all.

[Mr Bunny]

Excellent post and puts it all in perspective. After a quite poor (relatively? absolutely?) season by the first team, for our under 19s to pull this out the hat is a fantastic achievement. For all we seem to perceive that it's all financial turmoil, Propco and the Board, this is where it REALLY matters - results on the pitch. As noted above, if we can establish ourselves as a player in the same metaphorical league as Livingston or Hamiton, then any investment is worthwhile...

 

And this is something which the board should not touch - except by making sure good people are appointed to run it when inevitably McCall/Cameron/Gerry move on. I remember at least 3 times in the past we've started up youth systems only to drop them for financial reasons. I don't care how poorly off we are, some kind of youth policy must continue - much poorer clubs than we are/have been can manage it yet we always seemed to drop that first in the past - and if we get windfalls from transfers of youth or other players, some of that money should always go to the youth system.

Edited May 9, 2010 by Mr Bunny

[redandyellowallover]

I remember at least 3 times in the past we've started up youth systems only to drop them for financial reasons.

 

McCall must be spending a good slice of his budget on running this youth set-up.

 

It's good to see that, unlike a lot of managers in the past, he's got the conviction to stick with it and not disband it in order to fund 2 or 3 journeyman pros that would get us 2 or 3 places up in the league table.

 

The youth set up could prove to be invaluable to us in the years to come.

[Mr Bunny]

McCall must be spending a good slice of his budget on running this youth set-up.

 

It's good to see that, unlike a lot of managers in the past, he's got the conviction to stick with it and not disband it in order to fund 2 or 3 journeyman pros that would get us 2 or 3 places up in the league table.

 

The youth set up could prove to be invaluable to us in the years to come.

 

If he's having to spend a lot it will be because he's had to start from scratch with nothing in place. It should, if it continues to progress as it has, start to pay for itself - provided of course some of any money we get from selling on young players goes to the youth squad.

 

Even if we don't get a big sale soon, we ought to save a wee bit of cash since if any young lad breaks into the first team, he won't require a big signing on fee or as big a wage as would be required by an established player. Of course if he continued to progress quickly we'd have to sign him on a good contract but that would be OK as he'd then be saleable.

 

Also as he will have come through the ranks we will know for certain about his abilities, character and fitness - which could also be a saving when you consider the number of guys we've wasted a wage on because they were injury-prone, not triers etc.

Edited May 10, 2010 by Mr Bunny

[Paulo]

Setting up a decent youth system and hoping to sell on a player a season is the only way the club will survive, and possibly progress, in the long term (save the knight in shining armour turning up at the door).

This season's efforts have shown we're moving in the right direction in that regard, but I can't help but feel that the board will, at some point, put considerable pressure on McCall to disband it due to the cost, before we see any real benefit.

[uberteeb]

All looks very promising, what I would say is we should be seeing more of them in the first team, if they are good enough they are old enough etc,.

 

Does anyone know any details of this MacBeth 40k transfer to Bolton, do you think they will loan him back to us? I was quite looking forward to him establishing himself as a proper player for us next season.

[redandyellowallover]

I can't help but feel that the board will, at some point, put considerable pressure on McCall to disband it due to the cost, before we see any real benefit.

 

But surely the cost of running the youth system is irrelevent to the board as the point i was trying to make is that McCall must be using his playing budget to fund it.

 

Meaning essentially that it's his decision and not the board's as to whether it continues or not. It's no skin off the board's nose whether or not he continues as they're not giving him any extra money to run it.

 

We're seeing the board continually cut his budget, and McCall is making savings by having player coaches, no assistant manager and a smaller first team squad. That suggests to me that he's putting a lot of faith in the youth set up to provide him with a steady stream of players that can take the club forward.

[Guest grahamgibsonlickedmyaero]

credit must go to ian mccall and ian cameron.

 

further credit should also go to the BOARD for allowing this venture to go ahead. Since arthur and archibald there has been nobody coming through, so the board allowing money to be put into this was credible and a worthy risk taken. In an era, where maybe there have been poor decisions made at different points, its also important to recognise where the correct calls were made, and this is an example.

[uberteeb]

credit must go to ian mccall and ian cameron.

 

further credit should also go to the BOARD for allowing this venture to go ahead. Since arthur and archibald there has been nobody coming through, so the board allowing money to be put into this was credible and a worthy risk taken. In an era, where maybe there have been poor decisions made at different points, its also important to recognise where the correct calls were made, and this is an example.

 

Credit must go to you for havign the best username in the history of the internet

[kevin energy]

Can you imagine what kind of players we would have or sold if we would have kept John Mclaughlin under the Gerry and Dereks Youth system

[Paulo]

But surely the cost of running the youth system is irrelevent to the board as the point i was trying to make is that McCall must be using his playing budget to fund it.

 

Meaning essentially that it's his decision and not the board's as to whether it continues or not. It's no skin off the board's nose whether or not he continues as they're not giving him any extra money to run it.

 

 

On the surface of it, you're right. But I've no doubt that the board will be aware of just how much of the playing budget is being spent on the youth system, and it'll just take one to suggest that they may even be able to save this cash, for it to come under scrutiny.

[Paulo]

Can you imagine what kind of players we would have or sold if we would have kept John Mclaughlin under the Gerry and Dereks Youth system

 

Yes. 3 legged super human, half android goal machines with laser vision. And Martin Lauchlan.

[Jaggy1967]

Good stuff seeing the youngsters in the evening times tonight. Ross McGeough, Ryan Skully and 'touched by the devil owen coyle' Ryan McBeth.