CaleyD

Robbo's post match press comments indicated that Coll had been practicing penalties in training and was one of the nominated takers.

...and Foran, Munro, Golabeck, Duncan, Sanchez, Odhiambo, Eagle, Cox....and how could you fail to mention LDZ!!!

When I was (actively) working in financial services we had to include the statutory line "Past Performance Is Not Indicative Of Future Results" in all investment reports/recommendations...and it very much applies when talking about football as well. Maybe clubs should start printing it on tickets! Even if we accept that there is some merit in looking back (for the purposes of analysis) then echoing last seasons league performance isn't going to return the desired improvement in end result this season.

Worrying that Robbo's post match comments talk about filling the team with Youth players....when it's blatantly obvious that what's needed are a few more players with a bit of experience and composure. Leaving aside the fact that most of the players he's moved on since getting here have been those with experience and composure, we do have players like Calder and Doran who should be on from the start and who would be more likely to provide what's needed. Just for clarity, I have nothing against playing youngsters, they just don't offer a solution to the problem that has been identified.

I'm still available for taking them ?

Where's the money coming from for all this?

I give credit where it is due....which is why I praised the efforts of the club's Youth Dept. If only the rest were half as effective, we'd be laughing ?

Probably does it because it seems to be working? If it's not broken....and all that!

That's the half time entertainment for the next home game sorted.

Coll looked like the only one willing to step forward.

When is this future you speak of? We've had a succesful Youth setup for as long as I can remember and not too many are making it through to our first team. That's no slight on the youth setup, or even ICTFC, it's indicative of a national system that ploughs money into vanity projects with catchy names instead of doing what's needed to bridge the gap and bring young players through properly. If you think that's going to change any time soon, you're delusional. Robbo has been making lots of noise about using Youth, yet when he has a chance in tournaments such as the North of Scotland Cup, he fills the team with more senior players. Instead he throws a load of youngsters into a senior cup match and then tears them apart publicly when they don't win. I don't see that changing any time soon either!!

My first proper game of the season. Really missing the experienced, calm heads. We should have been coasting, especially with the extra man, but instead we were the ones in panic mode for the last 15 minutes...very bizarre!

Sorted....employ him as a graphic designer and let him play a bit of football in his down time.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722471/PBS_Dependant_Guidance_07-2018.pdf Section 59 - Conditions of Stay

I'm wondering if that press release is just very poorly written. It doesn't actually say he has signed a pro contract, it says "to have the chance to sign". If he is 16 and going in to the youths for now, with a view to that leading to fulfilling some kind of criteria to allow him to sign a pro contract "by the age of 17 yrs old"....then that would make far more sense.

My money would be on County fans on Twitter ?

I think the "Mummy/Daddy is moving for work and taking their child with them so they can play football for a professional club" loophole was closed a long time ago (as it was being abused, particularly south of the border) and that dependents, whatever age, are required to meet the Tier 2 Sportsperson criteria in their own right.

It's been at least 6 months since this last came up, but for the four hundred millionth time....a part of the stadium is built on land reclaimed with rocks, sand and soil. No rubbish was ever tipped into that area. The image below shows how it was before any reclamation was undertaken.

What are you is yogi up to these days? Maybe you he could come in and help?

I may be wrong (it happened once before), but I'm pretty sure getting a work permit for a 17yr old is nigh on impossible. Hopefully I am wrong and he goes on to great things for us ?

Move it to the Rumour Mill then ?

Project Brave requires different things at different levels...the higher the level, the more people you need in different positions full time/part time etc. We were originally shooting for Elite Level, we didn't make Elite Level, but we have put things in place which would have only been required at Elite Level....there was also the option for us to split resource/cost with Ross County on some things, but I believe that hasn't happened. My understanding was that, with the additional funding that comes from the SFA for Project Brave, then being at Progressive Level would have cost clubs already operating at similar level previously (which we were) no more than it had been previously. If that's not the case, then it's because we have brought in personnel (and associated costs) that aren't required by Project Brave at Progressive Level. i.e Cost of our own making. Not saying it's necessarily a bad thing to have done, but it doesn't fit with other decisions/communication. We've performed well at Youth level for as long as I can remember, the problem has always been bridging the gap in bringing these players through to the first team....on that basis, it doesn't make sense not to have entered the Reserve League which fills that gap. We're being told everything is happening to push for promotion and a return to the Premiership....but we're channeling funds away from the first team to bring in staff that aren't compulsory and/or contributing to that aim (and not just additional coaches). As you say, there are significant issues that are being papered over....and, IMO, Project Brave is being used to assist with that. That's no reflection on the staff or the work they are doing. I'm in awe of what our Youth Department has achieved over they years with the resources available. Ok, so we might not have had high numbers coming through to the first team (certainly not since we made it to the Premiership), but just take a look at how many go on to have decent careers at some level in the professional game and we are batting above average.

I'm assuming it was Robbo's decision not to enter the Reserve League (his decision to make and he wouldn't accept being anyone else's decision, and rightly so). On that basis, the need to blood youngsters in these games would be a situation of his own making....so the buck stops there.

I wasn't passing judgment, I was highlighting that the current crop coming through are the product of a system that has been in place for a number of years and not a result of anything that has happened or been in place more recently. As you quite rightly point out, the time to judge the current setup will be in the future, although I suspect a couple more seasons is generous as those coming through for the next 4 to 6 years will still be inherited from the previous system. Some credit has to be given to Robbo for choosing youth players, but let's not forget that it will be largely due to necessity....again, time will tell on whether or not it's a setup that delivers the promised push for a return to the Premiership.

From memory, it has been suggested at previous AGMs that the cost of the clubs Youth Setup was around 10% of turnover....in the last couple of years in the premiership that would have put it at about £350k to £400k. Less than the (rumoured) fee we got for Christie.....a lot less if/when Celtic sell him and there's a kick back from that. As with many things, it's not the what's being done that is cause for concern, its the "how". We got rid of Big Dunc when relegated because we couldn't afford a development coach, but we've now brought in 3 coaches to do the job he was doing. It should be noted that the success with the youths is not a new thing, it is not the result of anything that's been done by the current board or any of the 3 new coaches who were brought in. Those success came from how things were running previously and under the very capable hand of Fiona, Ronnie and the coaches the oversaw (Charlie Christie has always been little more than a public face for PR purposes, with very little hands on coaching). I had limited involvement with Project Brave stuff when at the club, but my understanding was that it would only increase the costs if we wanted to hit Elite Level....which we haven't. Any additional cost is entirely of our own making. I'm not against additional investment in the area, but money could have been spent giving additional support to what was there (and working) instead of creating more jobs for the boys!