Webster appointed Academy Manager ( updated )

[Waterboy]

Yes he left Hearts in bad circumstances.  But folk suggesting he's going to be suggesting our young players do the same, as the Hearts academy manager. Not going to look great on the CV is it when the academy you run is empty after you encourage all the best players to leave. Also might make for some difficult conversations with his boss. He will be doing absolutely everything to do his best for Hearts and the academy. 

[Byyy The Light]

1 minute ago, Sooks said:

At the time we were the club who were on course for playing Champions League qualifiers , and Rangers were a complete mess 

 

May be you are right though , and Webster will address this himself , but I remember no such caveats in his desperation to justify his decision to exploit a loophole to get to Rangers with a year left on his Hearts contract . May be he has become less of a Rangers sycophant since 2019 when he gave that interview on national radio though , who knows 

😂😂 Hearts weren’t a mess?? We were the biggest shambles of a club there has probably ever been in the Scottish premier league at that point. It was horrendous behind the scenes. Let’s not rewrite history.

 

You are usually a very balanced poster but you are being very blinkered and unfair here. There is literally no debating that Rangers are a massive club, much bigger than Hearts.

 

Im very confident Andy will be professional and do the job to the best of his ability and act in the best interests of Hearts.

 

 

 

 

[Sooks]

8 minutes ago, Byyy The Light said:

😂😂 Hearts weren’t a mess?? We were the biggest shambles of a club there has probably ever been in the Scottish premier league at that point. It was horrendous behind the scenes. Let’s not rewrite history.

 

You are usually a very balanced poster but you are being very blinkered and unfair here. There is literally no debating that Rangers are a massive club, much bigger than Hearts.

 

Im very confident Andy will be professional and do the job to the best of his ability and act in the best interests of Hearts.

 

 

 

 

Finished above them and made the CL qualifiers . A season later Rangers were getting pumped out the qualifiers by our Lithuanian reserve team . Rangers were a shambles back then too . This was also the days of side letters and EBTs so I wonder if he received those him self 

 

I am not doubting his ability to do the technical side of the job . I think he seems to be very good at that by all accounts . I am just uncomfortable with a Hun fanboy who believes you do not turn down Rangers when they come calling being in a position to influence the career decisions of our youth players , especially when Rangers are well known for having a policy of trying to take the best talent from the academies of other smaller Scottish sides 

 

I was not keen to get dragged back in to this , I have stated why I am uncomfortable with hiss appointment , and I am just repeating the same thing over and over again on the subject now . I will not change my mind on the situation unless he proves it over time under our employment . If that happens then great . Thing is if that does happen , because of the mans character and history , I will then fully expect him to be poached by Rangers and attempt to take all our best players with him . I am only judging the man on what he himself has said and how he has behaved in the past 

[davemclaren]

Former Heart of Midlothian centre-half Andy Webster is set to complete a return to Tynecastle as the club's new academy manager on Monday after leaving St Mirren, where he worked as under-20s coach. (Daily Record)

[Byyy The Light]

8 minutes ago, Sooks said:

Finished above them and made the CL qualifiers . A season later Rangers were getting pumped out the qualifiers by our Lithuanian reserve team . Rangers were a shambles back then too . This was also the days of side letters and EBTs so I wonder if he received those him self 

 

I am not doubting his ability to do the technical side of the job . I think he seems to be very good at that by all accounts . I am just uncomfortable with a Hun fanboy who believes you do not turn down Rangers when they come calling being in a position to influence the career decisions of our youth players , especially when Rangers are well known for having a policy of trying to take the best talent from the academies of other smaller Scottish sides 

 

I was not keen to get dragged back in to this , I have stated why I am uncomfortable with hiss appointment , and I am just repeating the same thing over and over again on the subject now . I will not change my mind on the situation unless he proves it over time under our employment . If that happens then great . Thing is if that does happen , because of the mans character and history , I will then fully expect him to be poached by Rangers and attempt to take all our best players with him . I am only judging the man on what he himself has said and how he has behaved in the past 

Drivel.

[Sooks]

Just now, Byyy The Light said:

Drivel.

Okay

[john thomas]

33 minutes ago, Sooks said:

At the time we were the club who were on course for playing Champions League qualifiers , and Rangers were a complete mess 

 

May be you are right though , and Webster will address this himself , but I remember no such caveats in his desperation to justify his decision to exploit a loophole to get to Rangers with a year left on his Hearts contract . May be he has become less of a Rangers sycophant since 2019 when he gave that interview on national radio though , who knows 

Webster appears to be earning a good reputation as a coach .

If it became known he was , basically, working undercover for rangers he wouldn't be getting many job offers .

[Sooks]

6 minutes ago, john thomas said:

Webster appears to be earning a good reputation as a coach .

If it became known he was , basically, working undercover for rangers he wouldn't be getting many job offers .

I am not saying he would be working under cover for them . I am saying he would not be near the top of my list of people for a job that involves speaking to academy kids and advising them on how best to further their careers . I am not suggesting he will be having espionage style covert meetings with Rangers and actively working with them to sign our players before they turn pro . All I am saying is I would not want him any where near discussions with players and parents who were subject to an approach by Rangers , based on his comments from 2019 about how you do not turn them down if they come calling 

 

Look I may be well off and that is great if so . I just do not like or trust his character after the way he went about engineering his move , the way Wigan got involved in the scam , and the way he defended it all afterwards as though it was all justified because you do not turn down Rangers

 

Other people are far more relaxed about it and him , and more power to them . I am more relaxed about some other things that are bothering them just now probably . It is just my opinion and ultimately it does not matter as it has no influence on the club what so ever 

[Lone Striker]

33 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

Former Heart of Midlothian centre-half Andy Webster is set to complete a return to Tynecastle as the club's new academy manager on Monday after leaving St Mirren, where he worked as under-20s coach. (Daily Record)

Wonder if he'll bring in a few good U-16 prospects from Middens academy.......

[wavydavy]

42 minutes ago, john thomas said:

Webster appears to be earning a good reputation as a coach .

If it became known he was , basically, working undercover for rangers he wouldn't be getting many job offers .

 

He attended a shareholders dinner last season and talked a good game and sounded like a decent guy.

 

The only time he came under any pressure from the audience questions was when he was asked which team he supported and he would not come out and admit that he is a dies in the wool Hun.

 

I am sure that many people throughout football clubs all over don't support the club they work for but that doesn't mean they won't try their best for their employer.

[Byyy The Light]

18 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

He attended a shareholders dinner last season and talked a good game and sounded like a decent guy.

 

The only time he came under any pressure from the audience questions was when he was asked which team he supported and he would not come out and admit that he is a dies in the wool Hun.

 

I am sure that many people throughout football clubs all over don't support the club they work for but that doesn't mean they won't try their best for their employer.

He’s not a died in the wool hun.

[Pasquale for King]

Would love him to coach our CHs on how to attack the ball in the air. 

[Chaps]

Loved Webby in both spells, yes the way it ended was disappointing in his first but life moves on and there’s no point being bitter.

 

Him and Pressley were tremendous partnership. If only we had that now.

 

We’re getting a highly regarded coach who knows all about the club and is a cup winning legend.

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Chaps

[Glamorgan Jambo]

The whole fiasco with his transfer to Rangers via Wigan stank to high heaven of the fiasco David Murray created in Scottish football. To the point I wasn’t particularly enthused with his return a few years later. Webster played his way through my doubts with his form and attitude after that. If he gets appointed to run the academy I fully expect to see the same professionalism from him.

[OTT]

On 15/07/2023 at 09:58, Robbo-Jambo said:

Decent appointment.

 

How exactly? He's got no experience as an academy director. He's an u20s coach, he might be a decent one, but he's never acted as an academy director before, so he has no track record.

 

We're a far bigger club than to be making a St Mirren u20s coach our academy director. This is a needless gamble. 

[davemclaren]

12 minutes ago, OTT said:

 

How exactly? He's got no experience as an academy director. He's an u20s coach, he might be a decent one, but he's never acted as an academy director before, so he has no track record.

 

We're a far bigger club than to be making a St Mirren u20s coach our academy director. This is a needless gamble. 

Given what most on here think about our academy it seems no risk at all.  🥸

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

It’s another easy appointment and that’s what we’re all about.

 

Good player in his time like 

[OTT]

48 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

Given what most on here think about our academy it seems no risk at all.  🥸

 

 

 

[MattyK82]

 

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Happy with the appointment myself. People who have been through the club are invaluable

[Selkirkhmfc1874]

Very good appointment In my opinion 

[Naisys Tackle]

Andrew  just sounds wrong for some reason.

[DS98]

Immediately still the best centre half at the club. Tell him to bring his boots. 

[StirlingJambo]

That’s the next manager sorted for when Naismith eventually leaves.

[Mikey1874]

On 16/07/2023 at 10:38, OTT said:

 

How exactly? He's got no experience as an academy director. He's an u20s coach, he might be a decent one, but he's never acted as an academy director before, so he has no track record.

 

We're a far bigger club than to be making a St Mirren u20s coach our academy director. This is a needless gamble. 

 

Thought that's what he was pretty much doing at St Mirren.

[OTT]

4 minutes ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Thought that's what he was pretty much doing at St Mirren.

 

The academy manager/ Head of youth at St Mirren is Allan McManus. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I'd rather actually take their actual academy manager, given St Mirren have done pretty well with their academy and he has good experience within the role. Considering how little Roger Arnott achieved, I think experience should be a pre-requisite. 

 

Obviously I hope Webster is success, but i'm not enthused at the appointment. 

[Naisys Tackle]

11 minutes ago, Mikey1874 said:

 

Thought that's what he was pretty much doing at St Mirren.

Working closely alongside Head of Academy, Allan McManus, Andrew took his first steps in his coaching development at the Buddies as Head of Pro Phase where he worked with our development and U18 squads.

Speaking on his departure, Allan McManus said: "I'd like to wish Andrew good luck as he moves on to the next part of his journey. He has been one of the most dedicated professionals I have worked with and become a good friend.

"It has been a pleasure to work with Andrew and everyone at St Mirren wishes him the very best in his future."

[Armageddon]

50 minutes ago, Naisys Tackle said:

Andrew  just sounds wrong for some reason.

 

Years of Andy Cole and now it's Andrew Cole, like he's a top London Solicitor.

[Hungry hippo]

32 minutes ago, OTT said:

 

The academy manager/ Head of youth at St Mirren is Allan McManus. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I'd rather actually take their actual academy manager, given St Mirren have done pretty well with their academy and he has good experience within the role. Considering how little Roger Arnott achieved, I think experience should be a pre-requisite. 

 

Obviously I hope Webster is success, but i'm not enthused at the appointment. 

 

It says he was Head of the Professional Game at St Mirren. No idea what that means.

[GinRummy]

Welcome back Andy.

[Naisys Tackle]

29 minutes ago, Armageddon said:

 

Years of Andy Cole and now it's Andrew Cole, like he's a top London Solicitor.

 

[Footballfirst]

26 minutes ago, Hungry hippo said:

 

It says he was Head of the Professional Game at St Mirren. No idea what that means.

They probably split responsibilities for the junior and senior academy coaching. AW would probably be looking after the full time youth players from 16 up.  Someone else would look after the younger kids.

 

The work schedules would be different with AW working mainly during the day, while the younger kids train in the evenings. 

[Carter]

Spoke very well in his interview on club TV. 

[Heart&soul]

https://twitter.com/JamTarts/status/1681310238002249729?s=20