Malky Mackay: Another Of Place Man Calls For Of Colt Teams?

[V for Vendetta]

One day into his job and the PR propaganda is already telling us how he will smooth the path for the OF to enter "Colt" teams in the lower leagues.

 

Of course Malky might have known feck all about this idea until he took the job but its pretty disappointing if he's willing to let his official role at the SFA be associated with such blatantly biased and frankly prehistoric approach to "improving" our game on his first day in the job.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sfa-plan-introduce-rangers-celtic-9474428

 

I'm not a fan of "Colt" teams in principle but if they are to be implemented at all they need to be an option open to all the top SPFL clubs and not just the OF - one half of which cannot even run their club at break even as things stand.

 

Then of course we have Mark spunking cock Warbuton telling us how to run the Scottish game (again). This guy seriously get confused between being the manager of a fake Rangers club and being appointed to run our national game. He's a complete bell-end and merely spouts whatever drivel suits Sevco's agenda, but of course the media here in Scotland lap this shit up completely uncritically.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-mark-warburton-insists-9480621

 

This small minded mentality that the OF always have to be the subject of all the focus and of special treatment from everyone in the game is exactly whats holding us back so much as a football nation.

 

 

 

 

[V for Vendetta]

"Of" should of course be OF as in Old Firm.

[BWG]

Two divisions and our colt teams play in the lower one with your Dumfartonshire diddies pish.

[RTYD]

This is as serious as letting Sevco bounce straight into PL.

 

If our club lets it happen so that the two Cheeks get their teams in, but we don't, then that will be me finished. No more season ticket, no more fundraising, no more regular attendance.

[BWG]

This is as serious as letting Sevco bounce straight into PL.

 

If our club lets it happen so that the two Cheeks get their teams in, but we don't, then that will be me finished. No more season ticket, no more fundraising, no more regular attendance.

 

It's unlikely that it would only be Celtic and "Rangers" whilst everyone else is left to rot in the "development league". The reason these articles are so Celtic/Sevco centric is because as far as the Daily Hun are concerned, that's all that matters.

 

Celtic and Sevco also seem to be the only clubs being vocal about wanting this, which I don't get because it's quite clearly a better system for developing players than what we have just now.

[Dynamo]

I have a novel idea - bring back the Reserve League!

[V for Vendetta]

I get that the development league isn't a strong enough standard but if clubs are so desperate to blood their youngsters in a tougher environment they need to look at options that work for all the top clubs.

 

Celtic and Rangers do not have a better record than say Aberdeen, Dundee Utd or Hearts at bringing through good youngsters. What possible reason is there for them to get special treatment?

 

Of course Celtic and Rangers would love the Colt thing to happen - all it will do is ensure they get best pick of all the young players in the country and screw everyone else. And the end effect would be even less good players coming through IMO.

 

The clubs could look at lots of different options:

 

1. make the Development league more competitive with more over age players allowed

2. have no age restrictions on the Dev league at all effectively making it a "Reserve" league again

3. official feeder club system with each SPFL team entering a proper feeder partnership with a lower league club and being obliged to provide that club with 5 or 6 (a set number is the idea) of their best under 21/22 players for free season long loans

 

I actually think something along the lines of option 3 could be made to work with some effort and imaginative thinking to smooth out the bumps. We instead we always get the lazy, whatever works for the Old Firm option.

 

Meanwhile important principles like FFP are completely ignored by our SFA while they work on new schemes to give the OF further advantages. Sevco shouldn't even be in the top league with the year on year losses they have been making - any sort of FFP would have prevented their promotion last season as they just don't comply and are cash doping the team with money they don't have (once again).

[Dynamo]

 

It's unlikely that it would only be Celtic and "Rangers" whilst everyone else is left to rot in the "development league". The reason these articles are so Celtic/Sevco centric is because as far as the Daily Hun are concerned, that's all that matters.

 

Celtic and Sevco also seem to be the only clubs being vocal about wanting this, which I don't get because it's quite clearly a better system for developing players than what we have just now.

 

Finances will dictate most clubs won't have one.

[V for Vendetta]

 

It's unlikely that it would only be Celtic and "Rangers" whilst everyone else is left to rot in the "development league". The reason these articles are so Celtic/Sevco centric is because as far as the Daily Hun are concerned, that's all that matters.

 

Celtic and Sevco also seem to be the only clubs being vocal about wanting this, which I don't get because it's quite clearly a better system for developing players than what we have just now.

 

BWG I suspect you are right and I'm aware I am ranting but... it just makes my blood boil.

 

The SFA should be managing the PR in these sort of situations - so for example in this case MacKay should be coming out the next day with a press statement to challenge the DR story's inaccuracy (if thats the case) and point out any system would be available to ANY club that is able to make it work.

 

But they won't, they are quite happy to let the DR/OF drivel go on endlessly.

 

I have a novel idea - bring back the Reserve League!

 

I actually thought this was already more or less agreed for next year, or at least was on the agenda for ratification in time for next year.

[RTYD]

We have so many players out on loan we should be getting stuck into this if it is put through.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

Fundamentally, it adds more teams into the equation thus adding to the problem.

 

This is overcome in both the article and in reality by the claim that in so doing the cheeks will have stronger 19year old teams playing competitively ergo they will inevitably be picked by Strachan just cos and ergo the Scotland team will be all the stronger for that. Apparently, to quote the article, "everyone can see the benefit in that."

 

Of course "everyone" also has to have a brain zipped up the back not to see the obvious benefit to the old firm especially when their European league golden ticket comes along, as it inevitably will, and to be able to ignore the carnage it would cause to the rest of the leagues as we know it.

 

Mackay, it would appear, is there to recreate the healthy global two, with a national side coming off the back of that. The rest of us can go do one. They should be careful what they wish for!

[V for Vendetta]

TBH even if Aberdeen had a Colt team too, I'm not sure I can get behind the idea.

 

Its just such a lazy, half arsed and completely unfair "solution" to improving the competitive standards for young players. Instead of maintaining a level playing field it goes to further increase the advantage for a select few clubs - just like about everything else we do in Scottish Football.

 

We should either bring back the Reserve league or thing much more out of the box on this (and on everything else), but we seem to have a complete absence of any original ideas from our clubs/SFA/SPFL - just rotating the same shite round and round.

 

A fully managed/committed feeder system could work quite well. Improves the quality of the lower league too and could add loads of interest at those clubs I would suggest.

 

For even more left field thinking something akin to an NFL Draft system would be really radical. This would take quite a lot of work to make it into something workable within our set up but I believe there is always a way. If you look at the impact the Draft has on the NFL its quite incredible, one of the cleverest things I've seen in competitive sport anywhere.

 

Of course it doesn't fit with what we are used to in football here but if we want to change our game and really overcome the challenges of development, levelling the playing field and so on we really need to approach everything with an open mind and leave all the historical narrow thinking in the past.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

I get that the development league isn't a strong enough standard but if clubs are so desperate to blood their youngsters in a tougher environment they need to look at options that work for all the top clubs.

 

Celtic and Rangers do not have a better record than say Aberdeen, Dundee Utd or Hearts at bringing through good youngsters. What possible reason is there for them to get special treatment?

 

Of course Celtic and Rangers would love the Colt thing to happen - all it will do is ensure they get best pick of all the young players in the country and screw everyone else. And the end effect would be even less good players coming through IMO.

 

The clubs could look at lots of different options:

 

1. make the Development league more competitive with more over age players allowed

2. have no age restrictions on the Dev league at all effectively making it a "Reserve" league again

3. official feeder club system with each SPFL team entering a proper feeder partnership with a lower league club and being obliged to provide that club with 5 or 6 (a set number is the idea) of their best under 21/22 players for free season long loans

 

I actually think something along the lines of option 3 could be made to work with some effort and imaginative thinking to smooth out the bumps. We instead we always get the lazy, whatever works for the Old Firm option.

 

Meanwhile important principles like FFP are completely ignored by our SFA while they work on new schemes to give the OF further advantages. Sevco shouldn't even be in the top league with the year on year losses they have been making - any sort of FFP would have prevented their promotion last season as they just don't comply and are cash doping the team with money they don't have (once again).

 

 

Correct. People like Ollie who know a hell of a lot more about it than me are free to comment but it would appear the plan is that we forego the best say 50 young players in the country in an attempt to better develop the best say 20. We aren't supposed to notice that the best 20 will now be with two clubs (why the hell wouldn't they?).

 

I've said all along the colt teams will start as a stud farm for the old firm and then simply develop into the same fan vacuum as now when they eventually move (and I'm not suggesting that we handicap such a move incidentally, I am suggesting we don't sacrifice our game entirely, purely and simply to facilitate it).

[V for Vendetta]

Fundamentally, it adds more teams into the equation thus adding to the problem.

 

This is overcome in both the article and in reality by the claim that in so doing the cheeks will have stronger 19year old teams playing competitively ergo they will inevitably be picked by Strachan just cos and ergo the Scotland team will be all the stronger for that. Apparently, to quote the article, "everyone can see the benefit in that."

 

Of course "everyone" also has to have a brain zipped up the back not to see the obvious benefit to the old firm especially when their European league golden ticket comes along, as it inevitably will, and to be able to ignore the carnage it would cause to the rest of the leagues as we know it.

 

Mackay, it would appear, is there to recreate the healthy global two, with a national side coming off the back of that. The rest of us can go do one. They should be careful what they wish for!

 

Completely agree with your assessment of this SMG.

 

All this will do is improve the prospects for 2 clubs - with the assumption that all the best Scottish youth players will need to go and play for those 2 clubs to progress.

 

If the other clubs allow this they might as well pack up their youth programs, because they kids will be second best from the moment they sign with the club.

 

The whole thing is so fundamentally wrong that it actually beggars belief the Daily Record can trot this crap out - jaided, short sighted and biased hardly even begins to cover it.

[Tommy]

Aberdeen should enter a team into the Highland league and get out of the farce of the Development league.

That would toughen them up.

An other option would to to make it compulsory for clubs to play a minimum of three 21 years and under

in their first team.

[Pudgie]

We have so many players out on loan we should be getting stuck into this if it is put through.

We most certainly should not. It's a fucking abhorrent idea and not one lower league I can see benefits from this where it's currently in place. Fuck all people turn up to support the Colts/Jong/Bs, so there's no financial advantage and it's taking the place of legitimate football teams in the pyramid structure.

 

Our reserves are not more deserving than Spartans/Cove/Locos and having any Colt team parachuted into a league set up should be blocked. It was bad enough letting The Rangers in without having their kids in the leagues as well.

 

 

 

It's an idea to serve the big clubs and I've yet to see how it betters the production of youth in any way shape or form. All it does is allow bigger teams to have a greater margin for error and save a buck or two scouting these players because they already play for them.

 

 

 

 

The fact this is being spoken about as a possibility is making me even more disillusioned with Scottish football. Run for two clubs and fuck anyone else who dares think they should be able to compete with the mighty.

 

 

 

Pish.

 

 

Fucking pish!

[Pudgie]

Also, how did the colt teams fare in the Challenge Cup? Most pumped out in their first game!

[strachanmcgheegoal]

Also, how did the colt teams fare in the Challenge Cup? Most pumped out in their first game!

 

The flip side of that argument is would the 11 decent youngsters papped out of the cup have fared better had they been spread across the other teams that were successful. And would they have gotten a game, in achieving said success?

 

Difficult one were that the true debate at hand but I maintain this is nothing to do with development and everything to do with the old firm wanting a safety net for fucking off elsewhere with the added bonus that they'll do it with all the young talent on a leash*.

 

* not to be mistaken for any videos coming out of Buckie chippers just now, just to be clear.

[RTYD]

We most certainly should not. It's a fucking abhorrent idea and not one lower league I can see benefits from this where it's currently in place. Fuck all people turn up to support the Colts/Jong/Bs, so there's no financial advantage and it's taking the place of legitimate football teams in the pyramid structure.

 

Our reserves are not more deserving than Spartans/Cove/Locos and having any Colt team parachuted into a league set up should be blocked. It was bad enough letting The Rangers in without having their kids in the leagues as well.

 

 

 

It's an idea to serve the big clubs and I've yet to see how it betters the production of youth in any way shape or form. All it does is allow bigger teams to have a greater margin for error and save a buck or two scouting these players because they already play for them.

 

 

 

 

The fact this is being spoken about as a possibility is making me even more disillusioned with Scottish football. Run for two clubs and fuck anyone else who dares think they should be able to compete with the mighty.

 

 

 

Pish.

 

 

Fucking pish!

I never said I was for it. If however the cheeks get in then we should push for it as well otherwise trhey have yet another advantage over us and the others.

I like Tommy's idea of a Highland league entry.

[brownie]

This is as serious as letting Sevco bounce straight into PL.

 

If our club lets it happen so that the two Cheeks get their teams in, but we don't, then that will be me finished. No more season ticket, no more fundraising, no more regular attendance.

 

 

Quite a few folk are saying similar.

[V for Vendetta]

Just a thought but could this be part of a co-ordinated PR campaign by the likes of Level 5 again?

 

The last few weeks have seen some attacks on Stewart Regan from unusual sources (Keith Jackson suddenyl decides Regan must be forced out) which seems to suggest Regan is no longer doing what Rangers expect and they want him out.

 

I wasn't againt Malky getting this SFA job and I thought the racist stuff was really something to be left in the past not a reason to stop the guy getting a second chance - but now I realise the whole "should the SFA employ someone with Malky's past" stuff could all have been a massive squirrel to distract from the obvious which is that yet another OF face is wedged into an SFA role again.

 

Thinking about it what the fck does MacKay really bring to this job? We should have continued with experienced coaches/administrators from football in other countries IMO, we need that different mindset coming in.

[Pudgie]

I never said I was for it. If however the cheeks get in then we should push for it as well otherwise trhey have yet another advantage over us and the others.

I like Tommy's idea of a Highland league entry.

I still disagree. If the cheeks get in then we should pack up and let them have a league of 2. Us getting one as well doesn't make it any better in my view, it just makes the elitism greater.

[V for Vendetta]

Its pretty bonkers that our Clubs/SFA focus on shite like this when there are so many other problems and so many things they need to be doing.

 

For one thing, why on earth have we got 2 completely separate football "codes" (Junior football) ??

 

In a country the size of Scotland we really don't have time to spread our resources this thin. The Juniors wouldn't exactly strengthen the top league but ffs just get it sorted out and get ALL the clubs in Scotland playing under one pyramid system - it might really help the lower leagues thrive.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

 

 

Thinking about it what the fck does MacKay really bring to this job?

 

Brian Mclair but we've replaced the rampant alcoholism with rascism. Progress?

[Pudgie]

 

The flip side of that argument is would the 11 decent youngsters papped out of the cup have fared better had they been spread across the other teams that were successful. And would they have gotten a game, in achieving said success?

 

Well given 8 of the 18 Forfar squad that put us out were 22 or under I'd say their youths aren't doing too badly.

 

It's purely to give bigger teams a chance at making profit by selling players that other teams would have usually gotten the chance to blood. Mcarthy/McArthur would be snapped up by these Colt clubs and the big get bigger by selling them on.

 

We're not struggling to produce good youth players, we're struggling to include them in the senior Scotland squad!

[strachanmcgheegoal]

If we do go for it - and Yule will be aware that if you see a bandwagon you're too late - then we should actually stand on a blatant elitism card.

 

We're voting yes so we get a colt team and thus attract as many young players from you as we possibly can to try and unearth a gem to sell on for megabucks. Fuck knows why any of you would vote for this but heh ho!

[Pudgie]

If we do go for it - and Yule will be aware that if you see a bandwagon you're too late - then we should actually stand on a blatant elitism card.

 

We're voting yes so we get a colt team and thus attract as many young players from you as we possibly can to try and unearth a gem to sell on for megabucks. Fuck knows why any of you would vote for this but heh ho!

I can't see how anyone can see it as anything but that.

[The Village Seagull]

It's the ever increasing taking over of everything enjoyable about football by the Ugly Sisters. They are everywhere. Even on English FB pages, Scottish Football Away fans FB page, Evening Express, talkSport, five live, Woman's Own Magazine, every humanitarian disaster - these fuckers have to have a Pissing contest about how great they are. I'm seriously considering leaving Scotland as I'm sick of it. They are everywhere.

[BWG]

 

The SFA should be managing the PR in these sort of situations - so for example in this case MacKay should be coming out the next day with a press statement to challenge the DR story's inaccuracy (if thats the case) and point out any system would be available to ANY club that is able to make it work.

 

But they won't, they are quite happy to let the DR/OF drivel go on endlessly.

 

You'll get no argument from me there, but that issue is not just restricted to colt teams. The SFA/SPFL and these weegia cunts all exist within the same bubble and Sevco/Celtic are simply all that they care about, the rest of Scotland are just here to make up the numbers as far as they are concerned.

[RTYD]

Just a thought but could this be part of a co-ordinated PR campaign by the likes of Level 5 again?

 

The last few weeks have seen some attacks on Stewart Regan from unusual sources (Keith Jackson suddenyl decides Regan must be forced out) which seems to suggest Regan is no longer doing what Rangers expect and they want him out.

 

I wasn't againt Malky getting this SFA job and I thought the racist stuff was really something to be left in the past not a reason to stop the guy getting a second chance - but now I realise the whole "should the SFA employ someone with Malky's past" stuff could all have been a massive squirrel to distract from the obvious which is that yet another OF face is wedged into an SFA role again.

 

Thinking about it what the fck does MacKay really bring to this job? We should have continued with experienced coaches/administrators from football in other countries IMO, we need that different mindset coming in.

No question that fat boy Traynor is trying to orchestrate things. However as he plays with his quartet on the listing deck, Titanic 2 is fucked.