Aston Villa in talks to sign 15 year-old Hearts starlet Ewan Simpson

[Newton51]

Starts tonight 

 

 

[Tommy Brown]

9 hours ago, Heartsofgold said:

Say what you like but, just because he was not a great manager for us (a bloody disaster in all honesty) he is highly regarded worldwide as a top class COACH of football players.

I was being flippant. Apologies.

I have no axe to grind with him.

[Hesh]

1 hour ago, RustyRightPeg said:

They started doing it in 2016 😀 

😉

[Doc Rob]

13 hours ago, jamboinglasgow said:

 

Have to agree, a exciting player at that age should always be taken with a pinch of salt, as its the next few years that determine if they will be a great player or not. I remember the football journalist Tim Vickery talk about when he first moved to Brazil, he would often watch the South American U17 championships and would rave about quite a few players there. But then when it came to the U20 championships a few later, those players he raved about at U17 rarely looked as good and it was usually other players that stood out and those were the players who would make it.

 

It will be gutting to lose another player to the Premier League academy meat grinder, Brexit screwed Scottish clubs over for this as the English academies can only recruit at 16 players from the UK, so we become very attractive and these clubs get players a lot cheaper here than from lower league English clubs (the UK govt was calling on a fairer amount of money from the premier league to go to lower leagues and grassroots in England, but there should be some money sent to Scotland from the Premier League as well as it has a negative effect on Scottish football.)

You remind me of the World Youth Cup final in 1989, which of course Scotland lost on penalties. Although they knocked out a Portugal side featuring Luis Figo in the semis, only about half of the Scotland team made it as pros. The most successful were Paul Dickov and Brian O’Neil, who had middling careers. Jim Will, the Scotland GK who won player of the tournament, was on Arsenal’s books, but his career highlight was 6 appearances for Dunfermline.

[Lone Striker]

3 hours ago, RustyRightPeg said:

You’re the only one that’s replied to it so I’m presuming you know the crux of what they do? 
 

They don’t have an academy as such, they just sign 18 year olds upwards that have been released from the so called bigger clubs and put them in their first team and reserves. Sink or swim so to speak but it’s worked out rather well for them. 

Just looking through this thread, and seeing folk say that there's no point in us having an academy.    Yet your example and the movement of U-18 (and younger) players from one club academy to another one (like the evidence in  FF's post) suggests the opposite.    Even if you're just signing 18 year-olds, you're still running the upper end of an  academy.

 

It seems we are actively looking to recruit youngsters from other club academies, whether they were  being released or we're having to offer compensation.   Makes some sense (at least to me).

 

Folk need to remember the community/inclusion  aspect of  pro clubs running young age group coaching - just like having a womens team.  Its expected nowadays, and the likes of James Anderson probably wouldn't be at Hearts if we didn't have these.  

 

 If we (and other clubs) didn't run U-10, U-12, U-14 coaching  with some playing experience, then the likes of Simpson would have found it hard to get picked up by a pro club at all.   

[gorgieroar]

The lad will be a millionaire before he's 20 if he makes it or not who wouldn't advise their son to move to villa.

If he does make it he'll be a multi millionaire. 

 

[Finlay James]

Flatman and Stone were also heavily pursued by EPL clubs but chose to stay and develop here.  Flatman in particular looks not far away from being ready for the first team with us whereas if he had gone down south, he would be ten a penny.

 

If Ewan Simpson and his family choose to go to Villa, best of luck to them but the risk in a footballing sense is a big one so I hope they are being well advised.

[Lfhearts]

1 hour ago, Finlay James said:

Flatman and Stone were also heavily pursued by EPL clubs but chose to stay and develop here.  Flatman in particular looks not far away from being ready for the first team with us whereas if he had gone down south, he would be ten a penny.

 

If Ewan Simpson and his family choose to go to Villa, best of luck to them but the risk in a footballing sense is a big one so I hope they are being well advised.

Based on what I have seen Flatman although promising has a long way to go, has the attributes but switches off.

[Haken]

16 hours ago, Footballfirst said:

Yes. Ewan Simpson himself.  He was with Celtic.

 

2005 Callum Sandilands Rangers

2005 Adam Forrester Rangers

2006 Rocco Friel Rangers

2007 Coupar Wilkie Hibs

2009 Sam McCartney Rangers

2009 Sam Dickov Livingston

2010 Jude Hynd Dundee Utd

 

I may have missed a couple.

 

Thank you, Ff.  So it looks as though the academy set up in general is pretty much a market that teams shop in, including us.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Haken

[Bazzas right boot]

15 hours ago, Under the floodlight said:

I believe the children are the future, oh and also garlic bread.

 

Cheesy garlic bread. 

[Bazzas right boot]

9 hours ago, Lone Striker said:

Just looking through this thread, and seeing folk say that there's no point in us having an academy.    Yet your example and the movement of U-18 (and younger) players from one club academy to another one (like the evidence in  FF's post) suggests the opposite.    Even if you're just signing 18 year-olds, you're still running the upper end of an  academy.

 

It seems we are actively looking to recruit youngsters from other club academies, whether they were  being released or we're having to offer compensation.   Makes some sense (at least to me).

 

Folk need to remember the community/inclusion  aspect of  pro clubs running young age group coaching - just like having a womens team.  Its expected nowadays, and the likes of James Anderson probably wouldn't be at Hearts if we didn't have these.  

 

 If we (and other clubs) didn't run U-10, U-12, U-14 coaching  with some playing experience, then the likes of Simpson would have found it hard to get picked up by a pro club at all.   

 

 

Your 3rd paragraph is correct, we couldn't abandon the youth teams. 

 

IMO It's all about how much focus, money and resource we put into it imo, as opposed to removing it. 

Removing it isn't a option. 

 

I do feel the 18-22 year old market of  players from the bigger clubs is a more promising and rewarding market from a financial and a football prospective. 

 

 

 

[Nookie Bear]

9 hours ago, Doc Rob said:

You remind me of the World Youth Cup final in 1989, which of course Scotland lost on penalties. Although they knocked out a Portugal side featuring Luis Figo in the semis, only about half of the Scotland team made it as pros. The most successful were Paul Dickov and Brian O’Neil, who had middling careers. Jim Will, the Scotland GK who won player of the tournament, was on Arsenal’s books, but his career highlight was 6 appearances for Dunfermline.

Apart from Fido how many of that Portuguese team made it? 
 

just as a comparison 

[Doc Rob]

44 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

Apart from Fido how many of that Portuguese team made it? 
 

just as a comparison 

A fair point. Squads are here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_FIFA_U-16_World_Championship_squads

 

Probably a similar hit rate. Aside from Figo, Abel Xavier had a successful career. Paulo Santos and Emilio Peixe had middling ones similar to Dickov and O’Neil. The others look mostly to have been bit-part or lower league players. Getting on for half aren’t on Wikipedia, suggesting they never made it.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Doc Rob

[Nookie Bear]

11 minutes ago, Doc Rob said:

A fair point. Squads are here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_FIFA_U-16_World_Championship_squads

 

Probably a similar hit rate. Aside from Figo, Abel Xavier had a successful career. Paulo Santos and Emilio Peixe had middling ones similar to Dickov and O’Neil. The others look mostly to have been bit-part or lower league players. Getting on for half aren’t on Wikipedia, suggesting they never made it.

 

Ta!

 

Just shows how things change for every nation in the 17-21 age bracket. I wonder how many 17-18 year olds made the decision to sit it out in the reserves of bigger clubs and regret it, instead of taking a step back to get games. It's an impossible decision to make either way.

[Sooks]

22 hours ago, benny said:

Has the transfer of an 15 year old to a bigger club ever been a success in Scotland.

Think David Gray left Hearts to Man U for a small fee. 

 

David Gray &

Danny Galbraith ............................. Both left us for Manchester United

 

Ian Black I think was at Blackburn Rovers but no idea where he started out before going there

 

Ryan Stevenson was with a decent sized club down there but I forget who and where he left to go there

 

Was Gary MacKay Stevens not at Liverpool

 

Adam King did not exactly set the heather alight and we all know about Jordan McGhee

 

[Sooks]

2 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

Apart from Fido how many of that Portuguese team made it? 
 

just as a comparison 

 

He just had more dogged determination than the rest i think

[Nookie Bear]

4 minutes ago, Sooks said:

 

He just had more dogged determination than the rest i think

 

[Nookie Bear]

7 minutes ago, Sooks said:

 

David Gray &

Danny Galbraith ............................. Both left us for Manchester United

 

Ian Black I think was at Blackburn Rovers but no idea where he started out before going there

 

Ryan Stevenson was with a decent sized club down there but I forget who and where he left to go there

 

Was Gary MacKay Stevens not at Liverpool

 

Adam King did not exactly set the heather alight and we all know about Jordan McGhee

 

 

Not us but Darren Fletcher went from celtic Boys Club* to Man Utd at 15

 

*In no way affiliated to Celtic Football Club, of course

[Sooks]

Just now, Nookie Bear said:

 

Not us but Darren Fletcher went from celtic Boys Club* to Man Utd at 15

 

*In no way affiliated to Celtic Football Club, of course

 

: - D