03 Mar 2026 17:09:45
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Rangers and the Youth Pathway Bottleneck
03 Mar 2026 17:16:45
Fantastic read and an extremely well written article, my friend.
Scotland has always been a considerable talent factory of fine players.
The insular thinking and consistent infighting between clubs, who would rather harm each other than ever think of collective benefit.
I have spoken at length with you in the past about measures we have taken in Norway and Scandinavia, more generally, that I think could easily be adopted by Scotland.
The benefits are there for all to see.
Belgium adopted a very similar model and culture, and the results have been astronomical.
03 Mar 2026 17:17:03
Good article, Ehl, cheers, mate.
03 Mar 2026 17:44:17
It's Scotland, end of. We all hate each other unless we are married into another family.
03 Mar 2026 18:04:22
Good article, but it's not all Rangers' fault. Talk us through hears eacademy project, it's very sad Wilso. Needs to go to Spurs for minutes. This kid played for Scotland.
Wilso to Villa, never played first-team minutes.
Cooperation loans need time to bed in.
They suggest players at Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts, Celtic r not good enough, when they struggle for minutes are Dunfermline, Ayr, Raith, et al.
We need a reserve league, but most clubs voted against it due to costs.
03 Mar 2026 18:09:24
Good article, Ehl. Still no true solution though. Are we pushing for what is needed, or do we show the same apathy as the SFA do.
John, is it that they aren't good enough, or is the same need to win bred through every league and every team? Does it have to be that way? Falkirk have a good young team at the moment, and they are competitive.
How do we bridge the gap, and what role do fans play in accepting that these players need a chance to get the club to the next level?
03 Mar 2026 18:11:27
We did need a reserve league. It's ridiculous that we don't have one in this country anymore. The powers that be are not helping Scotland's youngsters, and the clubs aren't helping either.
03 Mar 2026 18:39:13
Thoughtful and well written Ehl, and a bit of clarity as to the problems surrounding our game in Scotland. The apathy and bare minimum from the SFA, an organisation to help develop and promote our game, is without over exaggeration, outrageous.
03 Mar 2026 18:39:33
Hard to disagree, Storm.
03 Mar 2026 18:58:19
Brilliant article Ehl. I think it explains perfectly all the problems faced by our academies. For me, personally, I don't think it should be on the clubs to create their own fixtures, etc., but it should be the responsibility of the football authorities. To qualify for professional football, it should be a requirement to have a reserve/development team in place, much as clubs are required to have stadia, etc., to qualify.
This wouldn't be that difficult or necessarily more expensive, as clubs could just move every team up an age group, with the 17s becoming 18s and the u19s becoming the development league.
Clubs, should they choose, could still continue to use it as u19s if they want, with little change to their structure, or include older players like a reserve team. Just my thoughts.
Could u explain more about the revamped competition involving B teams and u19s if possible? Is this a new league or a cup plan?
03 Mar 2026 19:57:00
I do understand why some of the clubs who are struggling financially decided to go against a B team league. They would have looked at it as a cost/benefit, and, with smaller youth departments and squads, they probably were not getting value from it.
It's why I believe that B teams in the ladder to Championship level are the only choice for Scotland. It would allow the teams who can afford to, and get the most benefit from, a B team to do it, whilst allowing the others to opt out.
I'd still probably have a team in the LL, but the junior level is not a great environment for youth development.
The only reason I would is it's better than nothing.
Since I am pretty sure I first heard about B teams in the ladder more than 30 years ago, I just don't see it happening. It's pretty bleak and ridiculous that our internal politics get in the way of what's best for everyone.
I say everyone, because I believe these B teams would become feeders for the whole ladder, and it won't be just the big sides who benefit. They would also improve attendances and finances in their respective leagues. I don't understand it at all.
03 Mar 2026 20:06:31
As some have said, the only way to fill this void in the pathway is a reserves league!
Is there any reason not to have one?
Is it just a lack of foresight or lack of motivation/desire for those in power?
03 Mar 2026 21:36:58
A good read, Ehl. Thanks for sharing it.
There are multiple options available to us as a club, and we can take matters into our own hands to some degree. There is nothing stopping us from having young players on the bench and playing them in games we are winning comfortably to build minutes (ok, this season that might have been harder and infrequent). We did it in the cup, and the players relished it. Rohl strikes me as the type of manager who will, in time, do this.
I agree with others that it's shocking we don't have one.
A B team in the main leagues would be even better. I think our league structure would need to change to make that work. The Championship would have to increase to 16-18 teams, or otherwise it could just be Premier League 2 made up of B teams.
I'd prefer the Premier League increased to 16 teams as well. That might encourage us to play youngsters against the 'smaller teams'.
The SFA are a shambles; they've been sleeping at the wheel for decades. We have somehow qualified for 2 Euros and now a World Cup, so surely that's a great opportunity to capitalise on this and make improvements to support the long-term future of the game in Scotland. I suspect, though, that they'll use this as an excuse not to fix anything, because we have been qualifying for major tournaments again, so what's the problem. ??♂️
03 Mar 2026 23:12:42
Cheers, folks.
I'd need to write another article to rant about the different funding mechanisms between England and Scotland, and how little (in terms of %) our governing bodies contribute to youth development. An even bigger rant would be about how poorly we use the funding that the Scottish Government provides to the SFA for grass roots.
If anyone is bored, look up the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) that the EPL put in place over 10 years ago.
04 Mar 2026 08:06:20
Remember hearing about EPP at the time, but did that not harm the smaller clubs, as it allowed the big ones to poach their players for far less? Unless I'm mixed up with something else.
04 Mar 2026 10:02:19
That's the problem, John. Most teams voted against it. Imo, they should get the teams that were for it and try get a league out of them. Even if it was 8, it's a start.
04 Mar 2026 10:21:24
It was a mistake to make it a vote, as then it's about selfish interests, not the good of the game. In my opinion, it should be: If u want a professional club as part of the league, u need also to join the reserve setup too.
04 Mar 2026 13:06:56
Kaiser, unfortunately, for changes to the structure, it is written into the constitution that all clubs need to vote. And, idiotically, if they wanted to change that rule, it would need to go to a vote of all the clubs. Turkeys voting for Christmas?
04 Mar 2026 13:47:44
I know, mate. Unfortunately, that's what's making it impossible to fix, and I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel.
04 Mar 2026 15:37:04
Eppp should be a model in Scotland. Both my grandsons were in it.
Ehl, u should write an article on it. I feel it would be very interesting.