Kyle Reese Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 With Hibs seemingly bringing in a fair few youngsters recently, and HMFC in the papers today talking about the lack of a reserve league meaning we are exploring the colts direction, what are folks’ preferences? I’d rather we had a decent reserve league again, as I don’t really see what was wrong with it in the first place. If that is not going to happen, then I don’t see what other options we have left. Too big a jump from academy to first team just now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Get yourselves to f**k. Seeing the OF do bad things and deciding to copy them is shite behaviour. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Reese Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 4 minutes ago, parsforlife said: Get yourselves to f**k. Seeing the OF do bad things and deciding to copy them is shite behaviour. If there continues to be no reserve league, then what else can clubs do? What’s your solution? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Wonder Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 I'm against it, said it before with the Celtic and Rangers B teams. I think it's shite and unfair for the teams at that level. However, Hearts are trying to get a reserve league restarted and there's severe opposition so it kind of leaves us with limited options in how to get the younger players games. Can't loan them all out and u18 is too big a gap. What's the alternative, let the 2 Gladgow teams hoover up younger players, offer them competitive games and watch from the sidelines? That just gives them even more of an advantage than they already have. For me it's should be a reserve league 100% but other clubs aren't playing ball so while i don't like it, I understand why we are looking into it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Reese Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 6 minutes ago, Tony Wonder said: I'm against it, said it before with the Celtic and Rangers B teams. I think it's shite and unfair for the teams at that level. However, Hearts are trying to get a reserve league restarted and there's severe opposition so it kind of leaves us with limited options in how to get the younger players games. Can't loan them all out and u18 is too big a gap. What's the alternative, let the 2 Gladgow teams hoover up younger players, offer them competitive games and watch from the sidelines? That just gives them even more of an advantage than they already have. For me it's should be a reserve league 100% but other clubs aren't playing ball so while i don't like it, I understand why we are looking into it. Exactly. My preferred option would be a reserve league, but there seems to be a fair bit of resistance to this. Have any clubs come out and stated why they are opposed to a reserve league? Is it purely a financial thing? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) The attempted pivot to the "Reserve" league was an absolute fucking disaster. It seemed to be driven by the rose-tinted "back in my day" crowd. There's a deep irony that we've probably seen more players break into first teams than ever who came through the academy/dev league system yet it was viewed by "ex-players" as unfit for purpose. I mean, we've just announced a record profit largely off the back of selling a player who went straight from Dev league football into our first team and subsequently went on to be Celtic's YPoTY and PoTY. Either way though we're seeing the extent to which not having either a development or reserve league is absolutely fucking things so something needs sorted out. Edited February 5, 2022 by capt_oats 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Foot Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Start a league completely separate from the SPFL, without promotions or relegations, allow any team to join who wishes to, then affiliate each team with a club in the professional leagues. That's my suggestion, completely off the bat, based somewhat on the American system. I've not thought it through in the slightest - you lot can do that part. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukDukGoose Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 23 minutes ago, capt_oats said: The attempted pivot to the "Reserve" league was an absolute fucking disaster. It seemed to be driven by the rose-tinted "back in my day" crowd. There's a deep irony that we've probably seen more players break into first teams than ever who came through the academy/dev league system yet it was viewed by "ex-players" as unfit for purpose. I mean, we've just announced a record profit largely off the back of selling a player who went straight from Dev league football into our first team and subsequently went on to be Celtic's YPoTY and PoTY. Either way though we're seeing the extent to which not having either a development or reserve league is absolutely fucking things so something needs sorted out. Aberdeen decided to remove themselves from the reserve league because it was so shoddy. Can't remember the days the games were scheduled but basically they were too close to the first team games. Several of the boys couldn't play in case they were required for the first team due to injuries etc. On most occasions we had our strongest team available so those boys were getting no game time at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 34 minutes ago, capt_oats said: The attempted pivot to the "Reserve" league was an absolute fucking disaster. It seemed to be driven by the rose-tinted "back in my day" crowd. It was a horse made by committee. 18 teams, but only playing each other once for a 17 game season. 8 minutes ago, Merkland Red said: Can't remember the days the games were scheduled but basically they were too close to the first team games. When the Reserve League was brought back in 2018-19. The games were mainly Mondays with some other dates. Going for Mondays was to allow those that didn't play at the weekend game time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Merkland Red said: Aberdeen decided to remove themselves from the reserve league because it was so shoddy. Aye. Craigan did an interview when he left our u20s job and discussed the Reserve league a bit. He highlighted that when they went ahead with the "re-brand" there was a lack of consultation with the coaches involved etc, they just went ahead and did it. The upshot was a lot of mismatches in games (that said, in the Dev league we beat your lot 9-1 so that's a bit rich to an extent) and he talks about a lack of competitive edge - one week we're getting beat 6-2, another week we were winning 6-1. I mean, you can think what you like about Craigan but all that is fair comment IMO. It was a situation where no one was benefitting. Spoiler Edited February 5, 2022 by capt_oats 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Grimes Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Would be surprised if an Aberdeen B team didn’t pop up in the Highland league in a few years Can’t say it puts me up or down 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 17 minutes ago, capt_oats said: Aye. Craigan did an interview when he left our u20s job and discussed the Reserve league a bit. He highlighted that when they went ahead with the "re-brand" there was a lack of consultation with the coaches involved etc, they just went ahead and did it. The upshot was a lot of mismatches in games (that said, in the Dev league we beat your lot 9-1 so that's a bit rich to an extent) and he talks about a lack of competitive edge - one week we're getting beat 6-2, another week we were winning 6-1. I mean, you can think what you like about Craigan but all that is fair comment IMO. It was a situation where no one was benefitting. Hide contents Interview was 20/12/2018 Their record at that point was: 7 games = 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses Motherwell 2-0 Hearts Dunfermline 1-1 Motherwell Motherwell 3-1 Hibs Rangers 6-2 Motherwell Motherwell 1-0 Greenock Morton St Johnstone 1-6 Motherwell Motherwell 1-2 Dundee United 2 games going by the results would have been a mismatch on the day. When Rangers and Celtic quit. You had Chris McCart say a similar thing focusing on the extremes. Saying how one week they could be in a tough game and then next they're winning 6 or 7 nil. That was said at the end of the season. Neither Celtic or Rangers scored more than 6 goals in a Reserve League fixture that year. They only managed 6 goals once each. Rangers 6-2 Motherwell Dundee 0-6 Celtic Lopsided games absolutely happen at that level. Problem is they'll be happening in the regional leagues below the SPFL as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Leaving aside the whole question, debate and controversy about whether 'B' teams should be allowed at all... will such 'B' teams start at the bottom rung? If not there is an elephant in the room which nobody - including the journalist - is addressing. Pyramid now extends to 10 tiers in the West and 9 tiers in the East. It was just fluke that OF were able to controversially parachute into LL at tier 5 this season: due to all the levels below being abandoned null-&-void, there was no relegation, so LL was able to admit them for a 1-year "experiment" and run with 18 teams instead of 16 teams while saying that nobody was losing-out. If these 'B' teams are not starting from the bottom rung then you either have to tell actual clubs "sorry, you thought you had avoided relegation, but actually you're getting relegated anyway to make space for somebody's youth team" and/or "sorry, you finished in a relegation place/narrowly missed a promotion place but more spaces are actually available, but sorry we're giving them to somebody's youth team instead". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Reserve football will by its nature generate mismatches. Both teams can be in completely different situations, you can have one with a heavy fixture schedule and a big injury list playing a bunch of 16 year olds and another with maybe a blank week or 6/7 first team players who haven’t played much and needing game time. These fluctuations in squad strength is exactly why B teams are a terrible idea(along with many other reason) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leith Green Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Hibs have been fucked off with the situation for a while now. We have started bringing young guys in from abroad to play in the B team, but obviously there isn't a league for them here. We have started playing matches v English opposition (which is a bit ridic). No sure what the solution is, but as well as young guys, we also need some way to get injury rehabs back into action. Reserve league used to do that, but I appreciate there were /are issues with that. No idea what the solution is, but I am usually of the opinion that if Rangers and Celtic want to do something, it's not normally "for the wider benefit" of Scottish football. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.