23 May 2026 11:06:01
In terms of rice I think we should give the boy another 3/4 years give him a guaranteed amount of minutes and if we don't give him they minutes he can leave for x amount of cash.
23 May 2026 11:11:25
Bailey Rice is a talented young midfielder and I agree we absolutely should be offering the young man a new 3 year deal. ?
23 May 2026 11:22:07
The boy is young enough to develop. I've said elsewhere a year at a club like Morton or Thistle.
23 May 2026 11:26:09
Not for me - he'll probably want around £5k per week. And normally I would be all for that type of investment but I genuinely don't think the lad will make it at a decent level unless he improves on the defensive side of the game.
For me atm, he's another Alex Lowry.
23 May 2026 11:41:18
Rice, a 4 deal, loaned out next season.
23 May 2026 11:46:39
Zikos, nothing like Lowry.
23 May 2026 11:50:53
Think some forget he is still a teenager. He has lots of time to develop. For me, he has all the attributes to be a top player. Get him signed up.
23 May 2026 11:59:51
Rice is an extremely talented footballer who is probably 2 years behind the curve in terms of where his development should be.
He's fully aware of that and will know what he needs to get his development back on track.
Very few midfielders have his natural special awareness, peripheral vision and calmness under pressure, which is why he's being linked to multiple clubs.
He needs a season or two at U21 / U23s, and that's something we can't offer - yet.
However, we are close to agreeing partnerships in Europe with a couple of clubs who have this pathway.
23 May 2026 12:04:32
Unfortunately, not seen much of Rice, maybe because of injuries or other issues with management changes, but I remember him coming on v Man United in the Europa League at Old Trafford, and he didn't look out of place, moved the ball well and looked comfortable with the talent around him.
I would give him a new deal that suits the boy and us, as well as a loan deal where he'll get game time to help his development.
23 May 2026 12:43:36
EHL, why is he behind in his trajectory? You've mentioned the U21/23 issue, but, as a club, surely there has been some sort of strategy put in place to resolve this?. ??
23 May 2026 12:47:31
I agree with My star. ? Get Bailey Rice tied down to at least a 3 year deal and do similarly what we did with young Findlay Curtis, loan him out for a season. ???
23 May 2026 13:25:53
We should give him a 3 or 4 year contract and guarantee him minutes? We don't guarantee anybody minutes, and nor should we. He needs to earn it, and he hasn't shown anything up to now to say that he should stay, never mind get a game in the first team.
The much-maligned Alex Lowry showed far more in his limited game time, as far as I am concerned.
23 May 2026 13:52:55
Is there not a development programme in place? I'm sure there is. So why is Rice behind the curve? Is it down to application from the player, injuries, illness or attitude?
23 May 2026 14:40:34
John, I wasn't meaning by style. I was meaning the general situation.
A young lad wanting top dollar who probably won't make it at this level.
Agree with you on that, he needs to go out and play. Probably for a team playing a possession-based style, so maybe in Europe.
23 May 2026 14:52:24
Rice was always ahead of his age, so once he got comfortable at U19s, his development naturally stalls.
He wasn't physically ready to make the step up to the first team or to go out on loan to play regular first team games, so he was stuck in limbo - which happens when there is no competitive U21 / U23 environment.
The player himself has done nothing wrong. It's a combination of the SFA and his genetics.
23 May 2026 15:17:50
At 15/16 he was the best centre mid in the country by a mile at his age group. Cruised it and also stood out when rep his country. I've said it before but he was more complete than Lennon Miller.
23 May 2026 16:17:54
He was Scotty. ? When Rice and Miller were in the Motherwell youths, Rice was reckoned to be the better of the two. ?
23 May 2026 17:04:36
Cheers Zikos.