wood??

[strathyjags]

couldnt make the game yesterday,but reading team in now who,s the guy wood was on the bench?? never heard of him b4?

[Alex MacLeod]

Gary Wood is one of our U19 strikers being given a chance in first team.

[dead_ball_specialist]

Not the former Cowdenbeath player who Cherry gobbed on?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

"wood was on the bench"  :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015:

[ictchris]

Gary Wood used to play for Elgin City and came to us when their youth system was wound down, along with Ian Vigurs and a couple of others.  I think he has played a few times for Rothes in the HFL and turned down a scholarship at a US college to give us a try.  Whilst at Elgin he scored plenty goals in the youth team and was invited on tiral to Sunderland a couple of times.

[strathyjags]

"wood was on the bench"  :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015:

hows that funny? its plastic chairs in the dugout now not wooden benches? :006:

[Guest kingkojak]

saw hiim in reserve gam against gers - looks decent. :021:

miles better than rory anyway........  but then that doesnt exactly mean much does it!!!! :006:

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

"wood was on the bench"  :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015: :015:

hows that funny? its plastic chairs in the dugout now not wooden benches? :006:

Exactly - there is no wood on the bench any more. My sincere,profuse and humble apologies if my intended jocularity was misinterpreted by yer good self and caused any degree of related distress.

[CaleyD]

Rory stood out as being a great player in the reserves before making the move up.  I still think he (Rory) has potential, but I worry that our system isn't wprking for bringing the best of our young players through the ranks.

It could be that more will just fail to make the grade because the step up from reserves to first team SPL is harder to make, or it could be our system needs looking at as something is going wrong when so many lads with potential aren't managing to move up.

Has our youth development and any other stages between that and the first team moved on as we've gone up the leagues or has the gap between the two grown?

Not intended as a dig at the club or coaches, but if anyone can explain what has/is being done to ensure the whole system moves on as a unit as opposed to the first team romping on and the youth development losing ground then that would be cool.

[Libero]

I think for most teams in the SPL (barring Celtic, Rangers and Hearts who have huge first team squads with lots of fringe players) there is quite a step up in skill level between the reserves and the first team. we are currently 8th in the reserve league table which shows that we must be doing something right with the reserves. In the past we havent had too many problems with fringe players coming in and stepping their game up and i certainly hope that with Rory its just a case of getting confidence and finding his feet in the SPL.

I for one would like to see younger players such as Wood get a shot in the team before the end of the season

[Guest kingkojak]

but seriously, how many opportunities can we afford to give players like rory who make the step up but continually fail to do anything on the park.  in all the matches if seen rory take part he hasnt achieved a single thing worthy of mention. 

its all very well having hot prospects but we cant afford to play these guys if they arent ready.

[Jay_7]

I know a young lad who very recently knocked back an oppertunity to be a member of the U19's squad.  Reason being, he reckoned the coaches were being too pushy, they want kids aged 14-19 to train 3-5 times a week, if you fail to turn up to training more than 3 times, your no longer playing for ICT.  Now I'm all for encouragement, without that the kids will be useless.  If this is the case though, and the coaches and contracts are a little constrictive, then it can only have a detrimental effect on the production of future "Local hero's".

[CaleyD]

If you want to make it at this level then you have to put in the work.  Coaching etc doesn't come cheap and the club have to focus on those who are dedicated.  As tough as it may seem I think the policy is correct.

[Scotty]

Coaching etc doesn't come cheap and the club have to focus on those who are dedicated.  As tough as it may seem I think the policy is correct.

Agree 100%. Not only do the players have to be dedicated, but so do the coaches. There are minimum certification requirements for all coaches at SPL clubs from head coach down to youth coaches. All have to be certified to certain (different) levels and as 'D' says, this doesnt come cheap so why should they put up with someone who 'cant be ersed'. Whats the player going to be like 10 years down the line if they cant be bothered at that age ?

Many people on this site do or have had some affiliation to local 'amateur' football in Inverness .... ask yourself how frustrated you felt when some of the players signed to your amateur team didnt turn up because they couldnt be bothered  ......... it used to drive me nuts !!!! Take that to a professional level and you have to tell people 'these are the rules, and if you dont follow them, there's the door ........' I am sure there are plenty of other youngsters chomping at the bit to get the chance.

[Jay_7]

I am sure there are plenty of other youngsters chomping at the bit to get the chance.

Well this is what I'm getting at.  Where are they?  They aren't exactly queuing up to get a game for us are they?  Youngsters are not pro's and more importantly, they are still physiologically developing, therefore they should not be expected to train more than twice a week.  Once a youth reaches 17 then perhaps their training workload should be increased.  If the intensity and frequency of training is indeed at the levels I have been told about, then it is no wonder our youth system dosn't produce.

[mainstander]

I heard from a very good local source that the ICT coaches were telling nine year olds that if they ran for their school in a cross country on the Saturday they wouldnt be selected for ICT under 10s on the Sunday. This happend about 3 weeks ago and its morale blackmale. So why are ICT so scared about kids doing other sports when they know that only 1 in about a 1000 ie Grant Munro will make it threw in football any way.

[kencar]

I know a young lad who very recently knocked back an oppertunity to be a member of the U19's squad.  Reason being, he reckoned the coaches were being too pushy, they want kids aged 14-19 to train 3-5 times a week, if you fail to turn up to training more than 3 times, your no longer playing for ICT.  Now I'm all for encouragement, without that the kids will be useless.  If this is the case though, and the coaches and contracts are a little constrictive, then it can only have a detrimental effect on the production of future "Local hero's".

Are you sure you didn't hear the version he prepared for his parents. I doubt that even professional footballers don't train that much!! Sounds like he rather be with his mates hanging round shops than playing football  :014:

[Jay_7]

I know a young lad who very recently knocked back an oppertunity to be a member of the U19's squad.  Reason being, he reckoned the coaches were being too pushy, they want kids aged 14-19 to train 3-5 times a week, if you fail to turn up to training more than 3 times, your no longer playing for ICT.  Now I'm all for encouragement, without that the kids will be useless.  If this is the case though, and the coaches and contracts are a little constrictive, then it can only have a detrimental effect on the production of future "Local hero's".

Are you sure you didn't hear the version he prepared for his parents. I doubt that even professional footballers don't train that much!! Sounds like he rather be with his mates hanging round shops than playing football  :014:

Pro footballers train 5 days a week, their days off include matchday.  He is not the sort who "hangs around shops" as you so quickly stereotyped and is more interested in sport career than you might think.

[chris123]

Agree 100%. Not only do the players have to be dedicated, but so do the coaches. There are minimum certification requirements for all coaches at SPL clubs from head coach down to youth coaches. All have to be certified to certain (different) levels and as 'D' says, this doesnt come cheap so why should they put up with someone who 'cant be ersed'. Whats the player going to be like 10 years down the line if they cant be bothered at that age ?

It costs around 3000 pounds to get fully qualified

[Alex MacLeod]

There may be someone who can come on and either shoot me down in flames or corroberate my understanding of the situation at at most clubs. Squad players train Monday Tuesday Thursday and Friday. Wednesday and Sunday (unless there are matches) are days off. In Brewsters era ICT trained 90 mins in morning and same in afternoon. There are also a number of +16 year olds on the books who are able to put in similar training regimes. For all others training is two or three nights a week but does not interfere with education. Younger children usually train sat morning and play sundays, though they may also have a couple of forty five min stints during the week I would imagine ICT are similar.

That is how its done at a lower division club where friends of mine are coaches and I understand that there are rules / guidelines, partaining to this, for all clubs to follow . I've never heard of any club preventing children from participating in other sports though I do know that coaches who see potential in 14+ age group may try and discourage this as the training required for some sports can conflict with that required for football. For example sports that develop and require strength can conflict with those that require agility.

To be successful in any sport requires committment and dedication, both from the participants and the coaches, and if the lads dont want to heed the advice then they shouldnt be there. My coaching friends do there stuff on behalf of a div 3 club with ambition to progress. They do it voluntarily and unpaid and they often feel frustrated by the ones who cant be-ersed, especially if they have chosen the team on sat morning and come sun match one or two dont turn up.