Up and coming Scottish players and the national side in coming years...

[123kid]

Been thinking, are we finally seeing the fruits of clubs investing a little more effort in youth development since the beginning of the decade.

 

If they fulfil their potential we have a good chance of having a very decent national side in coming years.

 

And im not including players, willy nilly here but players that although may have no yet made an impact (although some have) have shinned above their age group.

 

Think of our lot, we have two great full backs in Lee Wallace and Craig Thomson - full backs that are actually capable of attacking and possess the technical ability required of players all across the field in the modern game.

 

On top of that we have alledgedly one of the most exciting things to come through our youth set up Jamie Walker.

 

And lets not forget Scott Robinson.

 

The hobos have Wotherspoon who has flourished this season in the SPL and was a standout in the previous age groups.

 

Motherwell have the likes of Forbes a great player albeit 20 (a little older than others mentioned here). And winger Paul Slane their most exciting player since Faddy.

 

Aberdeen have given multiple first team games this season to Scottish U17 captain, Cenre mid Fraser Fyvie - including a game against Rangers. They also have a fantasitc prospect in u16 Scottish Victory Shield captain Jack Grimmer.

 

If you beleive he will eventually live up to his hype (and survive a notoriously anti-youngster manager) John Fleck of Rangers, although so far unimpressive can be added to this list. His performances in the youth age groups up until now have attracted the interest of much bigger clubs - no smoke without fire. They also have u19 Centre Half Danny Wilson who according to recent reports was being looked at by Spurs (but will probably not get a chance at Rangers).

 

Not sure if Celtic have any potential young players. They lost Simon Ferry and Charlie Grant to injuries. These were perhaps the two best players in the Scotland side that reached the final of the U19 Euros.

 

Add these to players who have around 8 years left in them - Darren Fletcher, Craig Gordon.

 

If these young players avoid injury get some game time and are handled properly, we might have a very good national side on our hands in not too long.

 

Thoughts?

[alwaysthereinspirit]

You cant try to do what you're doing with the Scottish set up. Any day one of the OF teams could sign an Englishman who ownes a Scottie dog. He will be in the squad years before any your non OF youngsters. No matter how good. Wayne Rooney if Scottish and playing at #ibs would not have smelt a Scottish top. We are a joke. Good enough/old enough means nothing in Scotland.

[jambojim52]

You cant try to do what you're doing with the Scottish set up. Any day one of the OF teams could sign an Englishman who ownes a Scottie dog. He will be in the squad years before any your non OF youngsters. No matter how good. Wayne Rooney if Scottish and playing at #ibs would not have smelt a Scottish top. We are a joke. Good enough/old enough means nothing in Scotland.

 

 

It really is sad, but you are right!

[123kid]

You cant try to do what you're doing with the Scottish set up. Any day one of the OF teams could sign an Englishman who ownes a Scottie dog. He will be in the squad years before any your non OF youngsters. No matter how good. Wayne Rooney if Scottish and playing at #ibs would not have smelt a Scottish top. We are a joke. Good enough/old enough means nothing in Scotland.

 

Perhaps so. But many of these players could move on by the time they leave their teens.

 

Either to the OF (where they would automatically get their first call up) or to the EPL, where something similar would happen.

 

The U19s and down however, do show alot of representation outwith the OF.

[Adam Murray]

Scotland, for as far back as I can remember has always produced good youth players. The trouble being too many of them don't make the most of their talents. Young guy's, too much spare time on their hands, too much money in their pockets, too many hangers on, listening to the wrong advice(agents), the Scottish drinking culture.

Just how many players who were in the team who beat Portugal in the semi-final of the world youth cup at Tynecastle, and then were narrowly beaten by a team of twenty-somethings from Saudi-Arabia in the final, actually went on to play at the top level? Brian O'Neill, Paul Dickov, Gary Bollan, Andy McLaren and David Hagen are probably the shining lights from that group of player's from 1989.

[rosie1]

Scotland, for as far back as I can remember has always produced good youth players. The trouble being too many of them don't make the most of their talents. Young guy's, too much spare time on their hands, too much money in their pockets, too many hangers on, listening to the wrong advice(agents), the Scottish drinking culture.

Just how many players who were in the team who beat Portugal in the semi-final of the world youth cup at Tynecastle, and then were narrowly beaten by a team of twenty-somethings from Saudi-Arabia in the final, actually went on to play at the top level? Brian O'Neill, Paul Dickov, Gary Bollan, Andy McLaren and David Hagen are probably the shining lights from that group of player's from 1989.

 

Remember as well the 1980 U-16s at Wembley including Robbo and McStay. Not many of that talented side went on to amount to much, apart from those two.

[Buffalo Bill]

Remember as well the 1980 U-16s at Wembley including Robbo and McStay. Not many of that talented side went on to amount to much, apart from those two.

 

Paul McStay.

 

 

I hear he is one to watch.

[jamboinglasgow]

Scotland, for as far back as I can remember has always produced good youth players. The trouble being too many of them don't make the most of their talents. Young guy's, too much spare time on their hands, too much money in their pockets, too many hangers on, listening to the wrong advice(agents), the Scottish drinking culture.

Just how many players who were in the team who beat Portugal in the semi-final of the world youth cup at Tynecastle, and then were narrowly beaten by a team of twenty-somethings from Saudi-Arabia in the final, actually went on to play at the top level? Brian O'Neill, Paul Dickov, Gary Bollan, Andy McLaren and David Hagen are probably the shining lights from that group of player's from 1989.

 

I was going to start a thread but what I was going to say would tie into your post a bit.

 

I was reading an article in FourFourTwo which was talking about la liga. And it was saying how not only is there a great history of youth development in the league with many teams bringing through top players but there is now a great development of young managers. Teams are taking the view that experence is not actually as important and it can actually bring in radical change. 17 out of 20 La liga managers are Spanish. Most are young, Guardiola (Barca) and Manolo Jimenez (Sevilla) both started of with the reserve ( side then moved up to the top side. Last season Guardiola won the treble (first manager of a spanish side ever to do that) and Jimenez came third in la liga. (Jimenez may be 45 (same age as Csaba) but that is still reletivly young compared to what we expect top managers to be, Guardiola is 38.)

 

What comes out of that is I think the SPL should try and go with young managers (under 50 at least) who are willing to do something different. Experement and play young players. Think of Alex Ferguson, he was only 37 when he was made Aberdeen manager. Hardly experenced, David Weir is older than that and he is still player. And by the time he left, he was 45 and had won the league 3 times, the Scottish cup 4 times, the league cup once the Cup winners cup and the super cup. Now I know Alex is a special case but it is the kind of thing that should be done in Scotland. Hearts went for Craig Levein aged 36 and he did well. Alex MacDonald was only 33 when he became Hearts manager, by the age of 38 he had almost got the double. Tommy Walker was 36 when he became Hearts manager.

 

Look at our oldest "most experenced" managers in the SPL in Walter Smith. He is still clinging to a model set over ten years ago which helped him win. That was mostly based on spend spend spend. Younger managers are usually more adept at coping with changes in the game rather than older managers (exceptions being SAF and Arsene Wenger.)

 

I think for a successful future in Scotland clubs need to bring through dynamic and visioanry young managers who can set things going. It has been succesful in the past, it can be successful again.

[123kid]

I was going to start a thread but what I was going to say would tie into your post a bit.

 

I was reading an article in FourFourTwo which was talking about la liga. And it was saying how not only is there a great history of youth development in the league with many teams bringing through top players but there is now a great development of young managers. Teams are taking the view that experence is not actually as important and it can actually bring in radical change. 17 out of 20 La liga managers are Spanish. Most are young, Guardiola (Barca) and Manolo Jimenez (Sevilla) both started of with the reserve ( side then moved up to the top side. Last season Guardiola won the treble (first manager of a spanish side ever to do that) and Jimenez came third in la liga. (Jimenez may be 45 (same age as Csaba) but that is still reletivly young compared to what we expect top managers to be, Guardiola is 38.)

 

What comes out of that is I think the SPL should try and go with young managers (under 50 at least) who are willing to do something different. Experement and play young players. Think of Alex Ferguson, he was only 37 when he was made Aberdeen manager. Hardly experenced, David Weir is older than that and he is still player. And by the time he left, he was 45 and had won the league 3 times, the Scottish cup 4 times, the league cup once the Cup winners cup and the super cup. Now I know Alex is a special case but it is the kind of thing that should be done in Scotland. Hearts went for Craig Levein aged 36 and he did well. Alex MacDonald was only 33 when he became Hearts manager, by the age of 38 he had almost got the double. Tommy Walker was 36 when he became Hearts manager.

 

Look at our oldest "most experenced" managers in the SPL in Walter Smith. He is still clinging to a model set over ten years ago which helped him win. That was mostly based on spend spend spend. Younger managers are usually more adept at coping with changes in the game rather than older managers (exceptions being SAF and Arsene Wenger.)

 

I think for a successful future in Scotland clubs need to bring through dynamic and visioanry young managers who can set things going. It has been succesful in the past, it can be successful again.

 

Top post, and it is the younger managers that are bringing youngsters on this season. And the older once doing the opposite, i.e Walter Smith who wouldn't dare play a youngster.

 

So you theory is infact correct