The Falkirk FC Thread

[Hank von Hell]

7 minutes ago, EdiBairn said:

It doesn't matter whether it's £400k or £400. It's all money that could and should be spent on the first team.

Yeah you are right - give it to Lewis , Haber & Big Dallison. That's the future. 

[Shodwall cat]

10 minutes ago, EdiBairn said:

Nope- the under 19 team cost upwards of £300,000 a season. Campbell is on nowhere near that.

You cut your cloth to what you can afford. You dont bin it altogether.   I presume its the u20s development team you are talking about.  All that we needed to do was be far more picky in the number of players we promoted and move them into the reserve team instead of an u20's side.  Teams far smaller than us still have academys . Project Brave was used as a good excuse to close the academy and use the costings from the elite academys to back up their decision.   The savings from the academy and u20s were put as £290k so I dont know how the u20's alone were costing us 300k plus.

[Believe The Hype]

1 hour ago, craigkillie said:

Three of their most important first team players came through their academy.

Correct. I was talking about players they have sold though. My point stands. 

[Bainsfordbairn]

18 minutes ago, EdiBairn said:

But they weren't willing to cover the cost of an under 19 team. It's completely pointless having an academy it you have no pathway to the first team, which needs to be funded. Yet again we have fans being seduced by delusional arguments.

The club wouldn't exist today if that decision hadn't been made. We'd simply have run out of money.

What under 19 team would this be?

My understanding - which may well be inaccurate - is that there is no such thing as an under 19 team. Anywhere.

The Elite clubs play their youth players in an Under 18 league, which we wouldn't have had access to because our former academy couldn't attain Elite status. 

So any sixteen year olds who we sign in future will go straight into the reserve league.  That is and will continue to be the pathway. Just as it was when we signed a young Kevin McAllister.

Or so I understand. If I'm wrong (which I may be as I can't find any current info on it) then please append links to recent results / tables from this under 19 league.  

If  I'm correct though, then the league doesn't exist. So how can you claim people weren't willing to cover the cost of a team to play in it?

 

 

[Hank von Hell]

2 minutes ago, HopeStreetPieStall said:

 

 

Disingenuous reply there Hank. It does matter, as it's not costing Partick a penny, regardless of what it actually costs to run it. 

 

We were running a big set up with a lot of age groups and coaches. A legacy from when it used to produce players. Partick are likely doing a lot less age groups/players and coaches, hence less cost. 

You are missing the point.

I am disputing ML's figures, I only used PTFC as an example of what it should really cost, - I don't care who pays for it.   

"Partick are likely doing a lot less age groups/players and coaches, hence less cost". - Another guess,  based on what evidence ? This "big set up" we had, which was drained of funds for years and then combined with Stenny & Shire for grants from the SFA , we are supposed to believe was bigger & better than a Premiership club.  

Here's a hint for you - the academy didn't cost 400K a year , ML played with figures & included other parts of the club to justify her & EdiBairn's actions.

 

[EdiBairn]

5 minutes ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

What under 19 team would this be?

My understanding - which may well be inaccurate - is that there is no such thing as an under 19 team. Anywhere.

The Elite clubs play their youth players in an Under 18 league, which we wouldn't have had access to because our former academy couldn't attain Elite status. 

So any sixteen year olds who we sign in future will go straight into the reserve league.  That is and will continue to be the pathway. Just as it was when we signed a young Kevin McAllister.

Or so I understand. If I'm wrong (which I may be as I can't find any current info on it) then please append links to recent results / tables from this under 19 league.  

If  I'm correct though, then the league doesn't exist. So how can you claim people weren't willing to cover the cost of a team to play in it?

 

 

Youth team then. Players signed from the academy have to be paid whether they're playing in an under 18 team or a reserve team. These sponsors weren't willing do to that.

[Marshmallo]

19 minutes ago, Hank von Hell said:

1. Yes Bielsa is an excellent manager.
2. BPF was not one of the 4 as he played last season.
3. You'd be surprised , there's money behind Brentford. Leeds have been close to bust a few times before adopting a new strategy (not The Brentford Model) 

 

I watch most of Leeds' games and go down to a couple a season so I think we'll have to agree to disagree on why they're doing so well this season vs previous seasons.

The manager is the most important person at the club. If we get that right it'll change everything, regardless of academies/journeymen/use of the loan market/signing Hibs rejects etc etc.

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

I’d have whether should or shouldn’t have an academy way down on the list priorities right now.

[Gaz]

1 hour ago, Hank von Hell said:

Kenny Miller was on BBC Scotland the other week saying Falkirk played them off the park in that cup final. 

I'm not saying Yogi did not lose it but his time gave us the best football since Jeffries and some fans should get over that last season and give him a bit of credit. Christ look where we are now.   

I don't deny he gave us the best football since Jeffries.

But the rot started with him, and to blame May for it isn't fair. As much as May was a shite manager, it wasn't his fault he inherited dross.

[EdiBairn]

Wish people would wrap this academy talk. Utter madness to want nearly half a million pounds a year spent on a glorified youth club instead of the first team at our level.

[Gaz]

Just now, HopeStreetPieStall said:

Don't disagree with you re Hughes, but as far as May is concerned, he actively put himself up for the job, even going as far as threatening to quit if he wasn't considered. He knew exactly what he was getting into, and his ego was way bigger than any limited ability he had. 

Hmm. This is different to what I had heard. From what I heard he didn't want the job, as he was happy with where he is. But he was told his youth development post would be binned unless he took the top job.

[Gaz]

1 minute ago, EdiBairn said:

Wish people would wrap this academy talk. Utter madness to want nearly half a million pounds a year spent on a glorified youth club instead of the first team at our level.

90% of the folk who complain about the academy being closed are parents who can't tell their mates that their son / daughter plays for Falkirk anymore.

[AL-FFC]

Pretty sure the general consensus was Eddie didn't want the job and was railroaded into it by George Craig he was happy coaching the youth players

[Gaz]

1 minute ago, AL-FFC said:

Pretty sure the general consensus was Eddie didn't want the job and was railroaded into it by George Craig he was happy coaching the youth players

Yes, this is exactly what I heard.

[gav-ffc]

Quote

An SPFL Board Sub-Committee, chaired by an experienced independent solicitor, has determined that Falkirk Football Club breached and/or failed to comply with SPFL Rules D9 and D10 in relation to the employment of its current football management team. 
 
A further hearing will now be arranged for the Sub-Committee to consider what sanction, if any, should be applied.

Timing.

[Bainsfordbairn]

1 minute ago, EdiBairn said:

Youth team then. Players signed from the academy have to be paid whether they're playing in an under 18 team or a reserve team. These sponsors weren't willing do to that.

Why would they?

First of all, let me re-iterate the point that there is no such thing as a youth team at Falkirk FC.

Secondly, I'll admit that I don't know anything about these potential sponsors.  From what I've read online, I assume these people were willing to cover the cost of training the kids while they were schoolboys playing in youth teams under the FVFA banner. Would that be fair comment?

If so, let's take it a step further. Let's speculate that one of the kids is decent and gets a professional contract at seventeen. In the same month Ray McKinnon goes out and signs an eighteen year old. Like Andy Irving.  Both teenagers, both professionals and both without access to a youth league via FFC.

Are you inferring that the sponsors should have paid the wages of the seventeen year old because he came from FVFA?  And that their refusal to do so was why their proposal was rejected?

 

[Gaz]

What an absolute shambles of a club we are.

[sick boy]

morton virgins inbound, brace yourselves

[NavyBlueArmy1876]

f**k the SPFL. We do what we want.

[falkirkzombie]

 

Statement below;

 

Falkirk FC is extremely surprised and disappointed by the SPFL Sub Committee’s decision regarding Rules D9 & D10 in relation to the employment of our current football management team.

We have yet to receive full written explanations as to how this decision was reached and have requested these be shared with us as a matter of urgency. Our position remains unchanged and we believe all proper process was followed in the appointment of both Ray and Darren.

As a club, we have already expressed our grave concerns over the way this matter has been dealt with by the SPFL and consider that this decision has serious consequences for the future movement of players and managers in Scottish football.

Once we have received a fuller explanation from the SPFL, we will meet with our legal representatives and decide on our next course of action.

It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.