j1mgg 3,766 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 RONALD DE BOER has urged Steven Gerrard to follow the Ajax blueprint in order to succeed at Rangers. Gerrard has admitted he is hoping to bring in a number of new faces in order to close the gap on celtic next year. But former Gers star De Boer believes the Ibrox boss should give more youngsters a chance in order to succeed like Ajax The Dutch side are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a wage bill £12million LESS than celtic's. Ajax's record signing remains Daley Blind at £14m as the Amsterdam outfit continue to invest in youth. Gerrard has already given Serge Atakayi, Jordan Houston and Stephen Kelly game time while Ross McCrorie and Glenn Middleton have both made over 25 first-team appearances throughout the season. And De Boer - who won the Champions League with Ajax after coming through their famous academy with the likes of Clarence Seedorf - believes he should look to the Hummel Training Centre rather than new recruits this summer. He told the Herald: "I am in favour of giving the kids time. Rangers shouldn’t think they have to challenge celtic right away "At the end of the day, when you bring through your own players your club will be so healthy. "It is also great for the fans to have local boys in their team. That is something special. "If you put a lot of money into the youth system like we do at Ajax then in the end you will get the results. "When that is working properly, when you have good youth coaches, then you will always be a very healthy club. "Sometimes you have a good generation and you have four or five players who come through to the first team. "But you are also doing well if you have one or if you are lucky two coming through into the first team. That is a very healthy situation. “I think Rangers should look to do it more and not just focus on signing players for the first team. It always starts with the foundation and the pillars of success are the youth.” Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemdog 39,389 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I know he's only giving an answer to the press. But do me a favour. Doubt he could name one player in our youth squad. His answer was correct about 6 years ago, sadly. murzo, Bobby Hume and GOAT 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bears r us 30,793 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 He told the Herald: "I am in favour of giving the kids time. Rangers shouldn’t think they have to challenge celtic right away While that is OK for some teams we have gone far too long without silverware Ronald, it has to end next season. 16BlueSherbert90 and Bobby Hume 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoopsLaud 4,186 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Some cracking lads in the youth teams tbf. magic8ball, Bobby Hume and 16BlueSherbert90 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopCat 4,511 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I agree 100% we really need to be bringing through more of our own young players......and I would suggest that we are......... but we need ready made/experienced players to compete for the league title... and time is not on our side as we aim to put a stop to 9 in a row for the mhanky mob. It's all about getting the balance right and I have confidence in SG and our youth development team to give our youngsters their chance - if and when they are ready... and not before then. Bobby Hume 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Hume 13,036 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 The Dutch are sooooo laid back ..... sometimes they may as well be horizontal. Sorry Ronald .... it has been said many times in the past .... youth players will get their chance when they show they are better than what is available through other channels. It has also been said many times ..... We Welcome The Chase ..... unfortunately we are now the ones doing the chasing and can't afford to drop the pace waiting on newbies. The two horse race here in Scotland is at a critical stage .... and stopping the scum getting any more titles is unfortunately more important than youth development. At Rangers it must always be about being first .... nothing else matters. TopCat, Redwhiteandblue and Bears r us 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyCR1 1,502 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Players aren’t trained the same way they are in Holland, hence why hardly any breakthrough, and Ajax have a full team of youth competing at the top level of European football. Total football v punt the baw football. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philiprfc 1,799 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Youth setups as healthy as I can remember it being... magic8ball 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoatbridgeBear 7,113 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Youth teams are good aye, but they’re no good enough for our 1st team. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoGeo7 10,502 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 The thing is we don’t just need to just challenge the scum, we need to beat them. 9 can’t happen never mind 10 and I would have thought he would have understood that having been here for a few years and experienced it first hand. Youth is the long term solution but right now we need a short term fix which means investing in a squad that can win the title and supplement it with youth who will then become the first team in a few years. If we had these kids in 2012 and the youth setup as it is now we’d be laughing but we can’t experiment at this time, we need battlers, we need experience, we need ability and we need winners and we need them now not in 3/4 years. Bobby Hume and Bears r us 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunk and disorderly. 14,418 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 If you were to put 6 of our youths into our starting 11 for a season we would end up in the bottom half of the division. Ronald should have said this to Ally years ago not to the press when it's too late. Good sentiments from the big chap but he is detatched from our current reality. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoGeo7 10,502 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 15 minutes ago, Drunk and disorderly. said: If you were to put 6 of our youths into our starting 11 for a season we would end up in the bottom half of the division. Ronald should have said this to Ally years ago not to the press when it's too late. Good sentiments from the big chap but he is detatched from our current reality. If we had done this in 2012 we’d not have solved any problems as the youth back then weren’t good enough as our youth setup was honking. We’ve got it into good shape now but it will take years to reap the rewards from it. magic8ball 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
16BlueSherbert90 19,223 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 As good as our Youth are and maybe there is a select handful that could make it very well in our starting 11, it's not a gamble we should be taking at present. Maybe after we put a stop to them, we can consider introducing some, but definitely not next season. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenoz 30,833 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 See to me, this is a good thread. Our youth set up is the best it has been for years. Gerrard is partially responsible for that but some of it started before him. But what is most important is Gerrard has his finger on the pulse to our training ground. We will see the youth finally be given the proper opportunities. i don't think that has always happened in the past. Bobby Hume and magic8ball 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Hume 13,036 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 1 hour ago, bluenoz said: See to me, this is a good thread. Our youth set up is the best it has been for years. Gerrard is partially responsible for that but some of it started before him. But what is most important is Gerrard has his finger on the pulse to our training ground. We will see the youth finally be given the proper opportunities. i don't think that has always happened in the past. 👍 I'm pretty certain that Warburton was responsible for overhauling the whole set up ..... seem to recall him on more than one occasion saying there will be a system that will allow the best to have a better chance of getting into the first team .... a visible pathway to move forward .... a system that would not leave them out in the cold like in the past ... a playing system identical in each group right up to the first team. SG introduced youth players as ball boys so that they could soak up the real time atmosphere of what the first team players experienced every other week in a packed stadium .... a very good learning tool for youngsters to appreciate and take on board for when they .... if they are of the right stuff .... take to the stage. I get what Ronald is on about .... but I think we are in a better position with the youth development than in the past .... good advice certainly .... but I honestly believe improvements have already been implemented at Hummel Park that he is probably unaware of. Perhaps he could be more helpful by lending us some of his players of note on loan for next season's crucial campaign ..... TopCat 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenoz 30,833 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 1 minute ago, Bobby Hume said: 👍 I'm pretty certain that Warburton was responsible for overhauling the whole set up ..... seem to recall him on more than one occasion saying there will be a system that will allow the best to have a better chance of getting into the first team .... a visible pathway to move forward .... a system that would not leave them out in the cold like in the past ... a playing system identical in each group right up to the first team. SG introduced youth players as ball boys so that they could soak up the real time atmosphere of what the first team players experienced every other week in a packed stadium .... a very good learning tool for youngsters to appreciate and take on board for when they .... if they are of the right stuff .... take to the stage. I get what Ronald is on about .... but I think we are in a better position with the youth development than in the past .... good advice certainly .... but I honestly believe improvements have already been implemented at Hummel Park that he is probably unaware of. Perhaps he could be more helpful by lending us some of his players of note on loan for next season's crucial campaign ..... Boaby, am I opening up a can of worms by saying King and the board should get some credit for our present youth movement? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Hume 13,036 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 2 minutes ago, bluenoz said: Boaby, am I opening up a can of worms by saying King and the board should get some credit for our present youth movement? They may deserve a small amount of praise .... for employing the people with the skills to implement and sustain the various improvements .... so not really mate. That's as far as I personally view the handing out of praise .... to me it's simple ..... praise where it is due but not overdoing it when all you are doing is what you are paid to do. Unfortunately ... at this time I think due credit is a commodity that has to be earned .... therefore due credit cannot be given away too cheaply either. I hope that answers it a bit mate ... as I don't want to bring boardroom matters into the BD and derail this otherwise good thread on youth development and it's long term value to our Club. bluenoz 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtyard Bear 41,357 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Happy medium to be found. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ger4life_1872 29,460 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 It's easy to say let's copy ajax when they are having a great season , should we have copied them the last few seasons when they didn't win the league and struggled in the cups Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic8ball 27,901 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Find it hard to disagree with RDB or majority of the posters .Our youth system does appear to be working .But the best of our youth are still under 18 and younger . If the guys continue to develop and kick on then we are still at least a year or 2 from seeing them at first team level . As Ajax are proving if your youths are developed properlly and good enough it's certainly not a gamble Bobby Hume 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
esquire8 42,466 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Rather have youth in the squad than 9/10s of the dross we've been linked with in the SPL. Have them as squad fillers with 14-16 genuine first team quality players, instead of the 6 or so we have and the other 20 shite too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetheart 8,458 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I'm all for giving youth a chance. I do think the competitions the 1st team play in, need to be governed properly. Rangers need to have adequate protection from the ref, before the club risk the debuts of youth players. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grant_rfc 122 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 9 hours ago, magic8ball said: Find it hard to disagree with RDB or majority of the posters .Our youth system does appear to be working .But the best of our youth are still under 18 and younger . If the guys continue to develop and kick on then we are still at least a year or 2 from seeing them at first team level . As Ajax are proving if your youths are developed properlly and good enough it's certainly not a gamble Dunno Ajax are already selling/about to sell players who aren't even 20 yet for £70million plus per player... De Ligt is only 19 and yet is competing for them in the latter stages of the Champions League. Ultimately if you are good enough, you are old enough. So maybe our youth players aren't quite going to achieve the similar levels of the players at Ajax's youth academy or our club/fans have a complete lack of faith in the youth to actually come in and prosper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV 568 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 9 hours ago, magic8ball said: Find it hard to disagree with RDB or majority of the posters .Our youth system does appear to be working .But the best of our youth are still under 18 and younger . If the guys continue to develop and kick on then we are still at least a year or 2 from seeing them at first team level . As Ajax are proving if your youths are developed properlly and good enough it's certainly not a gamble But us as fans will need to cut any young players some slack as they will make mistakes. I can remember Ala Hutton get it tight from fans more recently Miles Beerman was getting it. So when the young lads get a chance please let them make mistakes and not destroy any confidence they have. Years ago the fans sang about Ally telling to get to ..... He then went on to be our leading goal scorer so fans don't always know best. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGM_72 3,631 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Just now, LV said: But us as fans will need to cut any young players some slack as they will make mistakes. I can remember Ala Hutton get it tight from fans more recently Miles Beerman was getting it. So when the young lads get a chance please let them make mistakes and not destroy any confidence they have. Years ago the fans sang about Ally telling to get to ..... He then went on to be our leading goal scorer so fans don't always know best. You only need to look at how people write off Middleton to see we don't really learn any lessons in this sense. That isn't to say he should be above criticism, there should just be a level of understanding where if a youngster starts to struggle then they need some time out of the limelight (as Gerrard has done with Middleton). Having read that article, it's easy to forget too that last season was McCrorie's first. Also if Aidan Wilson wants to become Matthijs de Ligt that would be great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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