[Official] Zeb Jacobs to leave club at end of season

[alexscottislegend 2,328]

37 minutes ago, compo said:

Open the doors and let them all go it's not as if the academy has produced a production line of talent .

That would save a lot of money but it would turn Rangers FC into a squad of very temporary loan players and/or a ragbag collection of journeymen from home and abroad; we wouldn't know what our ream was from one week to the next. And maybe we would be a feeder club for the really big boys. 

[Gonzo79 15,294]

Is there not some sort of requirement for us to have a youth academy?

 

19 minutes ago, alexscottislegend said:

it would turn Rangers FC into a squad of very temporary loan players and/or a ragbag collection of journeymen from home and abroad

So, basically the same as we've been for the past 20 years or so?  

[alexscottislegend 2,328]

4 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Is there not some sort of requirement for us to have a youth academy?

 

So, basically the same as we've been for the past 20 years or so?  

But worse. If we improve our youth set-up we might start to create a culture of belonging. I want to see the end of the Aaron Ramsey, Joey Barton elephant's graveyards.

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,345]

25 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

Is there not some sort of requirement for us to have a youth academy?

UEFA requirement to play in Europe

[Gonzo79 15,294]

2 hours ago, alexscottislegend said:

If we improve our youth set-up we might start to create a culture of belonging.

The requirements at Rangers mean the youth set-up will never bear much fruit nowadays.  

 

We'll get lucky once in a while (Nathan Patterson) but usually we'll get shafted (Gilmour) because, either way, we can't compete with EPL clubs.

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,345]

50 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

The requirements at Rangers mean the youth set-up will never bear much fruit nowadays.  

 

We'll get lucky once in a while (Nathan Patterson) but usually we'll get shafted (Gilmour) because, either way, we can't compete with EPL clubs.

Thing is a Nathan Patterson, Allan Hutton, Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, Charlie Adam in the past 25 years all make it worth while. 

 

We've made around 1 million from Gilmour and Rory Wilson before they kicked a ball for us, with hindsight we should have done the same with King and Lowry when the big EPL teams were sniffing. We probably made a few quid on Lewis Mayo and Ross Mcrorie too.

 

On the flip side we have invested heavily in the likes of Tony Weston, Archie Stevens and Zak Lovelace with Stevens and Lovelace about to walk at the end of the year for development fee's.

 

Maybe the path forward for us is punting promising 16 year olds down south and churning out lots of small wins rather than whale hunting for a Ferguson or a Patterson.

Edited April 30 by Sutton_blows_goats

[Gonzo79 15,294]

When I said 'bear fruit' I was referring to our first team.  We can make the academy work for us in other ways.  

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,345]

14 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

When I said 'bear fruit' I was referring to our first team.  We can make the academy work for us in other ways.  

I suppose its your definition of that then. You could argue Ross McCausland has added value to us this season.