General football musings

[Mikey]

Because there's no way the best players in the 'draft' would go to worst teams in the league when they could just pop off down to England to a good team and for far more money.

[Del-icious]

Sure we already have a good amount of SFA academies dotted about, and there's definitely an argument for more.

I've always favoured the draft system as you need to go to college/uni to be selected don't you?  It also means less well off kids get scholarships etc if they're talented because the unis want them to play for us.

On the other hand I'm not too sure it's a great idea for youth football.  If they were to do it the same way would the best kids not end up somewhere like league 2/3 whereas they'd probably be better being at teams like Livingston/Alloa/Falkirk etc.  Teams that decent youngsters will actually have a chance playing at whilst still playing at a respectable level.  Can't imagine they're going to be their best training with a league 3 team.

[Zizou]

Because there's no way the best players in the 'draft' would go to worst teams in the league when they could just pop off down to England to a good team and for far more money.

It's surely going to be a loan system.

[Mikey]

Don't see how that would be of benefit to the players or the clubs, personally.

[Herzog]

[Sterling Archer]

[Billy Butcher]

Don't see how that would be of benefit to the players or the clubs, personally.

You don't see how first team football at a relatively competitive and high level is of benefit to players and clubs?

[Sarkozabal]

So the idea would be that we choose 5 academy players we want to loan out for the season, then get no choice over what team they end up at? Sounds great.

[Zizou]

So the idea would be that we choose 5 academy players we want to loan out for the season, then get no choice over what team they end up at? Sounds great.

No one knows what the idea is, and I'm sure it's not that anyway.

[Sarkozabal]

No one knows what the idea is, and I'm sure it's not that anyway.

That's what it sounds like from the article.

The plan foresees Scottish Premiership clubs providing around five under-20's players for a lower league draft pot.

[Mikey]

You don't see how first team football at a relatively competitive and high level is of benefit to players and clubs?

Scottish football is full of young players just now. I'd imagine the average age of most squads in the Premiership is relatively young compared to the last 20 or so years.

I don't see the need to implement some gimmicky system where players would be getting punted all over the shop with very little say in where they end up. There's a lot more to consider when picking a club to sign for or go on loan to than just getting a game in the first team.

Not going to be of that much benefit if a club's best prospect gets farmed out to some team with a style of play that is completely unsuited to him and some clown of a manager overseeing training.

[Charlie Kelly]

Surely it's up to the clubs in the draft to decide who the best player to suit their needs so the onus would be on them to pick the right players rather than just loaning a load of players from Prem sides.

They'll probably make an arse of it but on paper it looks like a decent idea.

[Billy Butcher]

Scottish football is full of young players just now. I'd imagine the average age of most squads in the Premiership is relatively young compared to the last 20 or so years.

I don't see the need to implement some gimmicky system where players getting punted all over the shop. There's a lot more to consider when picking a club to sign for or go on loan to than just getting a game in the first team.

I don't think the system is designed for guys in their early twenties though. Surely it's for boys like Zanatta who would benefit from championship football for a year. And it seems like it would be a loan, and going by our loans, the player trains with us and the other team and plays for them at the weekends.

A player like Zanatta would be getting punted to somewhere like QotS/ Morton/ Livingston. He gets more game time, they get a decent player for their level and Hearts keep a player developing.

It's not a gimmick - its an idea to get young players at Premiership clubs involved in genuinely competitive football rather than Development league games, which are essentially friendlies.

[Zizou]

That's what it sounds like from the article.

Don't see a suggestion that they get no choice where they end up.

Anyway, will wait and see full details before dismissing it as the worst idea ever.

[Sarkozabal]

A player like Zanatta would be getting punted to somewhere like QotS/ Morton/ Livingston. He gets more game time, they get a decent player for their level and Hearts keep a player developing.

Isn't that completely the issue with making it a draft, though? One thing we've been good at in recent years is loaning players to the right clubs. Generally we've sent them to teams like Raith, Livi, Stirling, East Fife, Stenhousemuir etc. who we have coaching links with and/or are local enough that the players can commute from Edinburgh and still come in to Riccarton. Imagine you put someone like Zanatta on the draft list and he ended up having to go somewhere like Elgin or Peterhead for a year. Could completely shatter a young guy's confidence.

[Del-icious]

I think it could actually work. The SFA schools afaik are actually decent. I've only really heard good things about them and the standard of coaching is decent.

Once the older players are at a level/age deemed ready I think it'd be great for these players to get some first team football. The only problem is with the SFA schools is it might kill youth development programs within pro clubs. If it gets to the point where the best players in Scotland are going to the SFA schools from a young age, does that mean they are tied to them until they become 19/20?

If not what's stopping clubs just tapping up the best players in youth programs and falling into the same cycle we have now?

[Billy Butcher]

Isn't that completely the issue with making it a draft, though? One thing we've been good at in recent years is loaning players to the right clubs. Generally we've sent them to teams like Raith, Livi, Stirling, East Fife, Stenhousemuir etc. who we have coaching links with and/or are local enough that the players can commute from Edinburgh and still come in to Riccarton. Imagine you put someone like Zanatta on the draft list and he ended up having to go somewhere like Elgin or Peterhead for a year. Could completely shatter a young guy's confidence.

It seems like they only go to Championship clubs, going by the article. I'm sure the parent club would be able to have a veto for any number of reasons anyway.

I'd rather than player went to a Championship club rather than Stenhousemuir or East Fife.

[Fire Doinks]

I've not read much on the idea but surely the fact that the Premiership clubs select what lower league teams they will and won't loan to, because of quality of squad etc. is part of the problem?

In a draft system the worst teams would have top picks, and with the knowledge that a bad team is going to be drafting one of the best prospects and the top end picks from subsequent rounds means that they could put together a fairly decent squad of young talent?

This might also mean that these clubs, in the knowledge that their previous league position provides them with a certain expectation of talent, can reduce the cost of their squads or invest more of that money on better quality signings rather than having to make sure their squads are deep enough.

[Sarkozabal]

It seems like they only go to Championship clubs, going by the article. I'm sure the parent club would be able to have a veto for any number of reasons anyway.

I'd rather than player went to a Championship club rather than Stenhousemuir or East Fife.

Don't think that's what it says, it says the club bottom of the Championship would get first pick. Assume that means the order of preference would be 10-1 in the Championship, 10-1 in League 1, 10-1 in League 2, which at least means the best players on the list would at least expect to play for a Championship club.

The numbers work out actually: each Premiership team lists 5 players, meaning each lower league team gets two guys on loan. Guess the issue would be whether some of the diddier teams can afford to lose 4 or 5 guys they see as good enough to play at Championship/League 1 level. If not you probably just end up with Celtic getting first team exposure for more of their players.

[Charlie Kelly]

I actually don't think this would be a thing that would benefit Celtic as a club because they hardly ever bring through young players from their own academy, but it will benefit the players in their u20 teams though. How many of their young players end up on the scrap heap having done 3 or 4 years in the "development league" only to be turfed out at the age of 21 with little to no competitive football experience?