Upcoming Stars

[Rival]

I was beginning to wonder, with a lot of our u20 players turning 18, will there be any promotions to the first team just wondering with Laing, Whyte and Mathieson this year, will there be any more?

[caleydawson]

well most of under 20's will stay in under 20's since we have basically a full squad for next season. some might even be released 

[Rival]

I was wondering about whyte considering hes 19 and hasnt played at senior level yet despite being in the first team squad

[caleydawson]

depending on his contract he might be released or just keep going out on loan 

[TopSix]

I've only watched Kyle Whyte once and that was in the Munro / Tokely testimonial. I thought he was impressive in that match.

[Rival]

Laing has been impressive of what ive seen but he barely ever makes the bench

[Oddquine]

Laing has been impressive of what ive seen but he barely ever makes the bench

 

Has nobody but me noticed that the home grown under-20 players are not perceived as nearly as good as under-20 loanees and signings from English teams?

 

Much more sensible, it seems, in the Butcher mindset, to improve English loanees than to improve our own young players...after all an improved loanee will possibly get an English team more money. when they move on...so we might get more of them to improve.....while we, in the meantime, dunt our own kids with no improvement....or return to our coffers.

[Oddquine]

depending on his contract he might be released or just keep going out on loan 

 

When has Whyte ever been out on loan?

[+DoofersDad]

Laing has been impressive of what ive seen but he barely ever makes the bench

 

Has nobody but me noticed that the home grown under-20 players are not perceived as nearly as good as under-20 loanees and signings from English teams?

 

Much more sensible, it seems, in the Butcher mindset, to improve English loanees than to improve our own young players...after all an improved loanee will possibly get an English team more money. when they move on...so we might get more of them to improve.....while we, in the meantime, dunt our own kids with no improvement....or return to our coffers.

I think everybody but you has noticed that today we have acheived a top 6 finish for the first time in the club's history.  Butcher must be doing something right don't you think?

[Oddquine]

 

Laing has been impressive of what ive seen but he barely ever makes the bench

 

Has nobody but me noticed that the home grown under-20 players are not perceived as nearly as good as under-20 loanees and signings from English teams?

 

Much more sensible, it seems, in the Butcher mindset, to improve English loanees than to improve our own young players...after all an improved loanee will possibly get an English team more money. when they move on...so we might get more of them to improve.....while we, in the meantime, dunt our own kids with no improvement....or return to our coffers.

I think everybody but you has noticed that today we have acheived a top 6 finish for the first time in the club's history.  Butcher must be doing something right don't you think?

I noticed the top six....but to me that isn't the be-all and end-all of football. It is nice, to be sure....but not essential to my support...if I was only going to get enthused when my team is winning/doing well, I'd not be a Scotland supporter...would I?

 

You will, I am sure, excuse me if I wonder if he couldn't have done pretty much as well with the home-grown under-20 players he had already signed on sweeties rather than signing players from English clubs, on undoubtedly bigger wages. That is something we will never know, of course,,,but if the home-grown under-20s are so crap...why are we paying wages to youth coaches who appear to be completely incompetent when the players they deem decent rarely/never get their bums on a first team bench..and if they do, rarely get their bums off it and onto the pitch.....while laddies from elsewhere arrive today and play tomorrow?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

The bottom line could be that they simply are not good enuff for the SPL. Some of the loanees have had first team experience with their clubs. But TB does appear to have the habit of freezing some out when they actually look useful - the main one being Pepper.

[bdu98196]

Has Pepper not signed a new deal though? Obviously TB sees enough in him to warrent keeping him at the club. I do agree I'd like to see more of Pepper play, but when you consider the loanees this year - Roberts, Taylor have been the only ones to really feature - while we have given more appearances to Ross & Sutherland than either of these guys. Its not like the team is built of loan players and perhaps the young players just arent good enough?

 

Are we now saying that there are fans who would rather we loose and play in SFL1 with a team of local young players than have the balance we built this season and compete in the SPL at the upper end?

[old caley girl]

Has Pepper not signed a new deal though? Obviously TB sees enough in him to warrent keeping him at the club. I do agree I'd like to see more of Pepper play, but when you consider the loanees this year - Roberts, Taylor have been the only ones to really feature - while we have given more appearances to Ross & Sutherland than either of these guys. Its not like the team is built of loan players and perhaps the young players just arent good enough?

 

Are we now saying that there are fans who would rather we loose and play in SFL1 with a team of local young players than have the balance we built this season and compete in the SPL at the upper end?

Well I wouldnt. Personally I go want to see a successful first team achieving as much as they can. I spend a lot of money home and away and I like watching attractive football like this season. I would support the team whatever division they were in but surely we are in business as a first team first and foremost.

It would be nice if we could bring through our own young players but if the talent isnt there then it isnt there. I watch the U20 s sometimes and although I take no pleasure in saying it I dont think we have players of Meekings, Taylor or Devine coming through our ranks at the moment.

 

I also think most of our supporters really couldnt care if the players came from timbuctoo at present.

[Alex MacLeod]

I look at our first team squad list and I see a few players that have come through our youth system. These are players who have been deemed suitable for first team. They train with first team and they fight for positions like any other player. I have no doubt some will even feature more regular in the future. They are still very young and still have a lot to learn though. Much of that learning is happening by playing in U-20 league each week. We must have an U-20 team as part of our acceptance into SPL and those players are starting in that league. Do people think they should play U-20 and senior or should we weaken our U-20 team to allow those players more exposure at senior level?

Much of the problem just now stems from the SPL scrapping the reserve / U-21 league. Most teams couldnt keep players on and now there is a shortage. A few of our U-20's are barely our of nappies but are still doing a reasonable job in that league. This is not solely an ICT problem.

I dont get to see any youth games but I believe that, if we produce players who are good enough and keen enough to compete in senior league, they will get the chance.

[DundeeICT]

Danny Devine has signed a 2 year deal!

[Rival]

Cheyne went on loan somewhere i heard?!

[Renegade]

Buckie Thistle till the end of the season I believe.

[caleydawson]

depending on his contract he might be released or just keep going out on loan 

 

When has Whyte ever been out on loan?

what i mean is he will keep going out on loan like Morrison 

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

And Gavin warms the bench against the Sevco - great experience.

[bauhaus]

Playing in the U20s with more experienced pros is designed to help the youff develop, and if any of them are destined to go out on loan it is for them to gain that first team experience without hurting our own ambitions. We have signed quite a few players who have come on loan to us, who are obviously better players than we have in our own stock.

Other clubs are pushing their youff into the first team, ie Dundee Utd, Killie, Aberdire, Hearts etc, but they are all sufferring as the rest of the first team are not good enough to carry them sometimes, hence why they are not currently top 6. Gaining top 6 will win us a big bonus financially, which can then be invested back into the club and its youff. Something else to consider, historically, how many players over the years have been Highlanders, who have gone on to be exceptional, hmmm a few but not too many. We have not had the facilities and history of some clubs who churn out big stars, so it will take time for this to come to fruition. Kyle Whyte, Liam Polworth, Cheyne, etc may become really good players, but we are training them for the SPL level now, not Div 1,2 or 3 , or Highland League, so even fewer will make the grade.

The U20s train with the first team every day, so Doc, Mo and Tel will see their development every single day, so that may be the reason why we seem to sign or loan so many youngsters from elsehere. 

Barcelona are the exception as they seem to unearth major talent locally, but when you look deeper, they recruit from all over Spain, and Catalonia. Ajax also do well, but most of their youff are from Dutch dependancies all over the world. ICT have the Highlands, and what we can pinch of others when deemed not good enough for them.

Any of our ex youff have not really gone onto greater things after leaving, Armstrong maybe so far, but his parents moved to Tayside whilst he was in school.

[CaleyD]

Oddquine, these who aren't already will get their chance in due course....when the manager deems them ready.

 

I would love for us to be producing a half dozen new players every season from the youth ranks, but it doesn't work like that.....not here, and not at many other clubs.  In fact, I think we do pretty well to take a few through every season...and if even one or two of those "make it" then all the better.

 

Also keep in mind that many of our most talented youngsters are poached from under our nose before they ever get to that stage and there's nothing we can do about it because we simply can't afford to match the money being offered by the "academies" down south.

 

Do you think that Terry is just holding on to the young players that come through our own ranks for fits and giggles?  If, as you seem to think, he has no interest in them...then why not just let them go?  He had £300k (yes, three hundred thousand pounds) knocked off his player budget this season.  So I very much doubt the he's bringing in any players on "much higher wages" than anyone else....old or young, local or otherwise.

[MarkD]

A couple of voices of reason and sense there.

[Oddquine]

 

depending on his contract he might be released or just keep going out on loan 

 

When has Whyte ever been out on loan?

what i mean is he will keep going out on loan like Morrison 

I would have assumed that keep meant he had already been  on loan at some stage?

Edited March 19, 2013 by Oddquine