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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
The national-team ticking time-bomb the SFA must do more to address
Regardless of who stands on the Hampden touchline, there's a time-bomb ticking under Scotland's national team. An international coach doesn't have the luxury of spending a few quid in the transfer market. And Clarke is cursed by a pool of goalkeepers, central defenders, wingers and strikers as shallow as a Pollokshields puddle. Unless that changes, the problem will plague his successor and every manager after that as well. The SFA have a plan to tackle the dearth of new and emerging talent. If it goes the same way as the think tanks of yesteryear, performances like that Hampden horlicks against Iceland will be the way of things in future. Study the current crop of players in the national team and Billy Gilmour, Kieran Tierney, Nathan Patterson, Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Doak, Andrew Robertson, John McGinn and Ryan Christie were all playing first-team football by the age of 18. That matters because kids in the tricky transition phase between 16 and 21 need to learn what the game's all about. And a thread on social media by Stenhousemuir assistant manager Brown Ferguson shows what a terrible job clubs in the SPFL Premiership are doing of bringing through talented footballers. In season 2021/22, the overall percentage of Scots starting games in the top flight was 45 per cent. This season, the figure dropped to 31.46 per cent. Just 41 of the 132 players who started Premiership games in an average week were Scottish. Depressingly, only four of that 132 were under the age of 21. Luka Modric made his first start at 17, Erling Haaland at 15, Martin Odegaard at 14 and Josip Gvardiol at 17. While no one should delude themselves that there's a Lamine Yamal hiding away in the Reserve League of the SPFL, no one knows for sure what's down there because academy players in Scotland have a limited chance of showing what they can do. Cursed by a lack of trust, managers don't feel they have the time or the breathing space to take a punt on the kids. And, given what happened to Tony Docherty, you can almost see their point. A report by the CIES football observatory shows that Dundee gave more minutes to players aged 21 and under than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season. The Dens Park hierarchy are never slow to remind people how much they care about youth development. Yet sometimes it pays to study the actions and not the words. By blooding Lyall Cameron, Josh Mulligan, Luke Graham, Sebastian Palmer-Houlden, Olaswaseun Adewumi, Ethan Ingram, Finn Robson and Cesar Garza in the first team, Docherty effectively signed his own P45. Tony Docherty gave Lyall Cameron time to shine at Dundee (Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group) The minute the men upstairs realised their bright young things were knee high in the relegation brown stuff, they took fright and sacked him. Clubs can't have this both ways. They can't perform a song and dance about their record of fielding academy graduates on one hand. Then sack the manager who picked them with the other. Read more: Ferguson on how Scotland squad feel about Iceland debacle Iceland keeper tells Scotland rookie how to bounce back from errors They can't encourage managers with a fraction of the resources of Celtic and Rangers to pitch young players into the team. Then lose patience and replace them with Steven Pressley as soon as they hit a bit of turbulence. Contrast Docherty's fate with that of Stephen Robinson at St Mirren. Last season the Saints coached served up a pitiful 0.8 per cent of first-team minutes to players aged 21 or under. In mitigation Evan Mooney, 17, came off the bench eight times, claiming a terrific assist in a Paisley win over Rangers, then broke his foot. Another teenager, Callum Penman, was another who saw bits and bobs of first-team action. Give Robinson his due. Flooding the team with experienced, physical imports from clubs like Gillingham, Morecambe and Waterford seems to work. Fans couldn't give two hoots about the direct football or the lack of academy prospects in the team so long as they're storming the top six year after year. In a footballing utopia Robinson would blood Mooney and Penman in the first team and give them a chance to shine. In the real world managers see Docherty taking a bullet to the head in Dundee and make a subconscious note to avoid the same mistake. The pitiful plight of the Scotland national team is not the problem of Robinson or Derek McInnes or Jimmy Thelin. In a landscape where the average tenure of a Scottish Premiership coach is 12.75 months, they've enough on their plate simply hanging on to their job. Responsibility for fixing this mess falls, as it should, on the shoulders of the SFA. There's not much they can do about the production line of talented young players being lured south at the age of 16 by big signing-on fees. Overseen by chief football officer Andy Gould and head of men's elite strategy Chris Docherty, club cooperation agreements might do something to address the lack of a first-team pathway. From June 16, three players at a time can flit between Rangers and Raith Rovers or, say, Aberdeen and Cove with flexibility. Players with promise will go down to the lower leagues and learn how to mix it with grown men. For some the experience will be a triumph, for others a disaster. However it pans out they'll learn more from a brief taste of life in the real world they ever will holed up in the pampered never-land of a club academy An initiative worth the effort, cooperation agreements should be part of a package of measures. Not the only one. As things stand the Governing Body Appeal system awards too many work permits to average overseas players. They could look at that for a start. The SFA are also in the process of handing applications for millions of pounds in Pitching Up facilities funding from some of the nation's top clubs. That cash really should be conditional on those clubs agreeing to blood a quota of young players in the first team. No minutes, no money. By hook or by crook, the SFA need to fix this. If they can't, the Tartan Army can look forward to more Ciaran Slickers being slung in to a lion's den they're hopelessly unprepared for. With predictable results.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Dundee need 'more experience' & 'back-up for Murray'
We asked for your views on what business you would like to see Dundee do in the transfer window this what some of you had to say:Iain: We need a midfield. A lot of the blame last season was given out to our defence, but they had nothing in front of them to actually give them a chance! We also need back-up for Simon Murray, he's brilliant and runs through brick walls for this club - but he can't do it alone!Keneil: Club needs to sort out all the out-of-contract players. We will need plenty midfielders, especially with experience to cover the loss of Lyall Cameron. Also Murray has to have a decent partner, he was left doing too much himself last season. Lastly I'm hoping as Steven Pressley was a good defender, I hope he can sort out our lot. Would like to see young Luke Graham get a game, he did really well at I think a new manager with a proven track record of success would be a good Josh Mulligan, Mo Sylla and Scott Tiffoney will go. Signing Ronan Hale from Ross County would go a long way to getting the fans onside again. We have one signed striker and virtually no midfield at present. I would like to see Jamie Brandon and Stephen Kelly signed from Livingston, plus Kyle Vassell who has left KilmarnockIain: A top defence coach would be a good start - 139 goals shipped in the past two campaigns. That's simply shocking. Murray performed miracles last season, but he's now our only recognised striker and is 33? Having lost Luke McCowan and Cameron we badly need some creative flair too. It's a total rebuild for Balance. This was Tony Docherty's undoing. Too many times last season the team was top heavy in rookies making rookie mistakes and no leaders on the pitch. We need a balance between seasoned pros and youth, this will help development more than anything Noah Chilvers and big Jordan White from Ross County. One is a classy midfielder and White is an experienced centre-forward for Murray to play off. Get centre defence sorted from players already there, but we need full-backs.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
What do Dundee need in transfer window?
The transfer window opened last Sunday - albeit for 10 days initially, mainly so sides competing in the Club World Cup can get early business done - before reopening for the rest of the summer on 16 Dundee have their new head coach and a fresh structure in place, attention at Dens Park will turn to first-team the news of Steven Pressley's arrival, managing director John Nelms said fans can expect signings soon - but what is required this summer?Is there still a particular area of the squad that needs improving, or certain players you are desperate for the club to sign? Or maybe holding on to a key player is the biggest priority?And what about departures? Lyall Cameron and Jordan McGhee have moved on, but who else are you expecting to go?Send us your thoughts
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dundee set to interview managerial candidates next week
What a week at Dens Park. Last Sunday Dundee ensured Premiership survival with a comfortable 2-0 win at St Johnstone as a number of players, including two-goal hero Lyall Cameron, played their final match for the Sunday night at the supporters' player of the year event, 22-goal striker Simon Murray deservedly scooped most of the awards after a sterling on Monday just after 9.30am came the bombshell news that manager Tony Docherty and his backroom team had been what next for the Dark Blues? The club will have a number of names they are interested in speaking will begin next week with those chosen by John Nelms, with the likelihood the following week a preferred candidate will have been may be the close season but there is little time to waste for whoever is given the a League Cup campaign beginning in just seven weeks, a squad will have to be assembled and be ready for a new season.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rangers-bound Cameron delighted to help Dundee survive
Lyall Cameron revealed his delight at leaving Dundee as a Premiership club before making his move to 22-year-old midfielder, who signed a pre-contract with the Ibrox club earlier in the season, scored twice in the final-day 2-0 win at St Johnstone which ensured the Dark Blues avoided a relegation play-off with Livingston."It seems a long time ago since I made my competitive debut for the club against Raith in the League Cup at 16," Cameron told the Dundee website."I've learnt a lot since then and I am proud to have played as many games as I have for Dundee."I have decided that now is the time to move on and I want to thank everyone at the club who I've worked with over the years."I want to thank the fans who supported me until the very end and the ovation at the last home game was special to me and my family."I was delighted to end my time at Dundee on a high and help the team secure Premiership football next year."
