Fantalk

Northern_Rover · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 2725 Location: Granite City

I get what RZ is saying regarding developing young talent for future sustainability.

However recent experience would suggest that when we do unearth young talent with potential they are out the door to the first decent offer from a bigger club.

Laidlaw, Bates, Tate, Bowie all let go before we got any real return. I'm convinced all of those players would have benefitted with greater time playing for the Rovers but we have or at least had the attitude that we couldn't stand in these players way if a big club came calling. That's not a model for future sustainability.

Let's be honest here we wouldn't be getting 3000+ crowds without a credible title challenge and a probable play off place. I think we have little option but to tap into the current optimism and vibe and give it our best shot at the title or a second place finish and hence a better play off prospect. That means adding players like Ashcroft rather than playing Corr or Masson.

red zebra · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:32 am Post subject:

StarksBarmy · Joined: 03 Apr 2010 Posts: 4020

What NR said^

Youth development sounds all well and good but you need to weigh out the pros and cons… for a club like ours, our size, our location…with current lack of facilities, lack of staff….this ‘youth development’ vision is filled with pit falls and requires a large outlay followed by years of financial backing for possibly little to no reward. We are a club from a small town on the East Coast of Scotland…the player pool of youngsters in Scotland is small as it is before you consider we would be at the back of the queue behind almost everyone else!

Outwith the Premier league, the two clubs with renowned ‘youth development’ in Scotland are Falkirk and Hamilton….two clubs who despite having their own academies and years of experience are currently League One clubs, struggling financially and their 1st teams are hardly full of academy graduates, are they?

I’m more than happy sticking with the idea of getting several young guys in each year from wherever else and hoping they develop in to 1st team players…

badpress139 · Joined: 19 May 2015 Posts: 2614 Location: Glenrothes

The last board went down the route of more or less ending youth development. Craig Easton seemed to be doing well in the role he had. I would like to see similar return, don't think it would massively eat into 1st team playing budget.

StarksBarmy · Joined: 03 Apr 2010 Posts: 4020

Wolfman Jack · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:45 am Post subject:

red zebra · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:19 am Post subject:

Just as an aside chaps, I watched an interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe last night, he is the Ineos guy who has just bought 25% of Man Utd and aims to be the majority shareholder in the future.
He wants Man Utd back at the top of domestic and European football but he was talking about a root and branch review of the clubs structure and operations and he is quite happy to tell fans that it is going to take 3 years before they start to see the team challenging for honours again. It's not about throwing money at the squad (they are restricted by FFP anyway) but about getting the structure right, the best people for each job and giving them the tools and environment that allows them to perform at an optimal level.
I appreciate that things might be on a slightly different scale down Old Trafford way but he talks about walking to success rather than running to failure.
It's worth a watch if you have a spare half an hour and is on iplayer
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TxRover · Joined: 02 Jun 2018 Posts: 3503 Location: North Texas, USA

I think the comment by IM that we were far from the club offering to pay the most of Ashcroft’s contract is enlightening. While I am sad at the near halt in youth player development that has occurred as the successes mounted this season, it is indeed a natural side effect, as is the squad strengthening. The promotion Arbroath looked to be near grasping a couple of years ago is now a possible relegation, and certainly has some roots in a stagnant team.

1) While we don’t have a reserve team, we cannot develop young players on a large scale. What we can do is nourish a couple of young players, but I do feel Masson has been hard done by due to what has happened this season on the pitch. It’s unfortunate, but it is a reality of our current position/structure. We’re not going to become a money spinning player development Club, at least overnight.

2) However, we certainly need to take this opportunity for promotion right now, IF we can do it without blowing the budget. Should we be promoted, we will have opportunities to expand the budget to allow more development.

3) It would surely cause a need to move up some plans (Railway Stand, various redevelopment matters, facilities work, etc.) that would require spending around both the squad and facility, which is likely to handicap some of the development of youth players for a wee while…we had talked of a B team last season and that became not for another year, at least.

4) Doing work now that prepares us for this in a prudent manner is/will payoff either at seasons end or (hopefully, if not now) within a couple of more seasons, and should result in a more sustainable Club. A key to that is what IM said, prudence with spending to achieve goals…both on and off the pitch.

5) The only loanee in that didn’t clearly address a position of need has been Turner…and he was a reaction to the loss of Stanton for an unknown period. Rudden, Brown and Ashcroft are all at positions of need, experienced players at those positions, and pretty necessary…and none of them were rushed, so it’s likely we got decent terms.

Vinnie · Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2024 5:07 pm Post subject:

According to Courier Ashcroft requires an op and out for the season
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Franco · Joined: 10 Oct 2019 Posts: 1195 Location: kirkcaldy

Wretched news, if true.
Who pays for the operatiocn, us ,Dundee .....or the player ? ( Just thinking back to LV. We paid for the ops but, apparently, weren't contractually obliged to do so.)

stan drew rover · Joined: 05 Jun 2017 Posts: 863 Location: Work it out!