U-19,s

[Alex MacLeod]

Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie. Report

[Oddquine]

Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie. Report

Humped seems a bit hard.

Given that Airdrie plays regularly in the SFL U-19 league......and ICT's team was a one-off team of under 19s, 2nd year u-17s and 1st year u-17s I thought they did as well as could be expected...........after all the u-17s played on the Saturday as well (and beat St Mirren 4-3).

Appears that the first half was better for ICT than the second. Some tired ICT legs.......or an Airdrie half time "talk" that Butcher could take a lesson from if he is looking for a good effect?

[DornochJAGGIE]

My mate was playing against Airdrie

[Oddquine]

My mate was playing against Airdrie

Was he? You know what the team was?

The ICT site doesn't bother with Youth Team info.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Oddquine

[caleyboy]

Our club have gone backwards in the last 6 months. There is an adequate U19 league in which most SFL teams play, including Ross County and we have to field a team full of U17's in the National Cup competition. It's about time our BoD sorts this out and give our future some attention!

Edited November 12, 2009 by caleyboy

[Wilsononourwing]

After we got relegated the U19 squad was disbanded for financial reasons. So we do not have u19's squad per

se. Obviously we have those that are in the first team sqaud and then we have a u17 squad made up of 15 and 16 year olds.

[Alex MacLeod]

Our club have gone backwards in the last 6 months. There is an adequate U19 league in which most SFL teams play, including Ross County and we have to field a team full of U17's in the National Cup competition. It's about time our BoD sorts this out and give our future some attention!

Caleyboy, I can understand your frustration in this but, sadly, the board took the decision to withdray our U-19 squad from any league committments due to the added financial burden. They did, however, retain a few of the players and they did enter a team in the Youth Cup. Team had to be supplemented with some much younger players. That's the state of things at the club. We dont have the magic 5000+ fanbase to sustain what we'd like so we have to be selective in our spending.

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

[DornochCaley]

My mate was playing against Airdrie

Was he? You know what the team was?

The ICT site doesn't bother with Youth Team info.

It would have been Tom Smith. Hes 17 in January or something but very good. He can play pretty much anywhere expect goals and CB. Im sure we could ask him what the team was.

Edited November 12, 2009 by DornochCaley

[Oddquine]

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

[hiltoncaley]

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

[hiltoncaley]

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

what has happened to last years crop sutherland,morrison,park,ross only ross been mentioned in any squad of late, the rest train all week with no game to play at the end of it,how can that be good for there development

at there age they need to be playing

[bauhaus]

I went down to Airdrie to watch them. Crowd of maybe 250 watched an entertaining game, that as the game went on Airdrie dominated in the second half. However ICT played that well in the first half they SHOULD have been out of sight. Two old Diamonds sitting behind me said in the second half as they went 4-2 up, they could not have seen that coming after 45 minutes. Re the second half, our defence visibly tired and because of this Airdrie seemed to get a lift, and after a reasonably quick equaliser we were very much on the back foot. 3 or 4 of the 17s also played with the flu and headcolds which couldnt have helped.

Regards the current 17s, there are a few good players. all of the 16 year olds are probably good enough to be kept on. I can think of 4. But its all down to budgets. Do we want to pay more to get the first team better in wages, or do we go for a very young cheaper team that comes through the system.

To be honest if you look over the years the Highlands has not got the best track records in producing good first team, premier league level players. With a few exceptions Duncan Shearer, Barry Wilson, McGinlays, Pat Nevin, Grant Munro etc. So which would yopu choose as Manager, or DoF, or Chairman. Not an easy choice. Most clubs will only normally keep 2 or 3 of their 17s, fishing a lot of their 19s from bigger clubs releasing the perceived better players that get released.

Current 17s are one of the best squads ICT have had. Some very good players.

[Wilsononourwing]

I went down to Airdrie to watch them. Crowd of maybe 250 watched an entertaining game, that as the game went on Airdrie dominated in the second half. However ICT played that well in the first half they SHOULD have been out of sight. Two old Diamonds sitting behind me said in the second half as they went 4-2 up, they could not have seen that coming after 45 minutes. Re the second half, our defence visibly tired and because of this Airdrie seemed to get a lift, and after a reasonably quick equaliser we were very much on the back foot. 3 or 4 of the 17s also played with the flu and headcolds which couldnt have helped.

Regards the current 17s, there are a few good players. all of the 16 year olds are probably good enough to be kept on. I can think of 4. But its all down to budgets. Do we want to pay more to get the first team better in wages, or do we go for a very young cheaper team that comes through the system.

To be honest if you look over the years the Highlands has not got the best track records in producing good first team, premier league level players. With a few exceptions Duncan Shearer, Barry Wilson, McGinlays, Pat Nevin, Grant Munro etc. So which would yopu choose as Manager, or DoF, or Chairman. Not an easy choice. Most clubs will only normally keep 2 or 3 of their 17s, fishing a lot of their 19s from bigger clubs releasing the perceived better players that get released.

Current 17s are one of the best squads ICT have had. Some very good players.

What is also encouraging is we have two very promising squads at U13 and U14 level. Indeed the U13's with only a third of the season gone are the most successful U13 squad in the history of ICT youth development.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

Great post and the final question asks it all - But yet again it is all about experienced management.

[Oddquine]

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

Great post and the final question asks it all - But yet again it is all about experienced management.

By that, I assume you mean club management as opposed to team management. If so, I totally agree.

[Caley Stan]

To be honest if you look over the years the Highlands has not got the best track records in producing good first team, premier league level players. With a few exceptions Duncan Shearer, Barry Wilson, McGinlays, Pat Nevin, Grant Munro etc.

This is a wikipedia wind-up that's gone too far. Pat Nevin is 100% weedgie - i'd be surprised if he's even set foot in the Highlands.

Barry Wilson is a Fifer although i think he deserved that status of 'honorary Highlander'.

On topic, i think it's a real shame that we haven't kept an U-19 team. The cutting costs argument doesn't really wash as nearly every other team in the First Division has one. I think this is yet another example of short-term thinking from the ICT board.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Caley Stan

[TopSix]

To be honest if you look over the years the Highlands has not got the best track records in producing good first team, premier league level players. With a few exceptions Duncan Shearer, Barry Wilson, McGinlays, Pat Nevin, Grant Munro etc.

This is a wikipedia wind-up that's gone too far. Pat Nevin is 100% weedgie - i'd be surprised if he's even set foot in the Highlands.

Barry Wilson is a Fifer although i think he deserved that status of 'honorary Highlander'.

On topic, i think it's a real shame that we haven't kept an U-19 team. The cutting costs argument doesn't really wash as nearly every other team in the First Division has one. I think this is yet another example of short-term thinking from the ICT board.

Short term thinking from the board?! Never!