Auchenhowie Investment

[AlBear. 8,499]

In addition to the need to rebuild the first-team squad we must stop merely paying lip service to youth development.

Auchenhowie must become the envy of all and it is equally important that Rangers recruiting systems are also fully restored after years of neglect.

All of this will require money and that is why I am urging every supporter to buy into what we are trying to achieve for Rangers. All season ticket proceeds will be fully invested in the footballing activities of the Club.

The crucial point is this: We can only do this together. We must all invest in our Clubs future.

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9432-chairman-launches-season-ticket-renewals

Think we can all be encouraged by this.

[folkestoneger 8,958]

Absolutely.

I think too many are reading things into what King said that simply weren't there

I believe his aim is to support and stabilise us over the next few years until our income stream is back to where it was a few years back

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,518]

Auchenhowie was never built to be a state of the art youth facility, it was a top class training facility that our youths used along with the first team

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,518]

Absolutely.

I think too many are reading things into what King said that simply weren't there

I believe his aim is to support and stabilise us over the next few years until our income stream is back to where it was a few years back

Is that the years we still ran up massive debts

[AlBear. 8,499]

Auchenhowie was never built to be a state of the art youth facility, it was a top class training facility that our youths used along with the first team

Should that not change? Or are you happy with how we utilise it currently?

[Smile 26,624]

Does P Murray still get money for the youth talent at Rangers if they make the breakthrough, when he sells them back to us.

[folkestoneger 8,958]

Is that the years we still ran up massive debts

We were not always losing money surely?

I understood the debt had been way down

Anyway if we get near that level of income we won't be spending nearly as much as before

He did say we could not be sustainable for at least three years

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,518]

Should that not change? Or are you happy with how we utilise it currently?

It may not be able to change though as it was built with a first team in mind

Id love a better youth system in the style of a full blown academy, which Auchenhowie probably couldnt be given how it designed

[Inigo 33,277]

Very positive sign, yes.

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,518]

We were not always losing money surely?

I understood the debt had been way down

Anyway if we get near that level of income we won't be spending nearly as much as before

He did say we could not be sustainable for at least three years

We were running up debts while playing in the Champions league, so yeah our past incomes mean heehaw if we are still gonna be reckless

[Inigo 33,277]

It may not be able to change though as it was built with a first team in mind

Id love a better youth system in the style of a full blown academy, which Auchenhowie probably couldnt be given how it designed

How do you mean?

I thought it was built to be both. Surely it's big enough to do both jobs?

[AlBear. 8,499]

It may not be able to change though as it was built with a first team in mind

Id love a better youth system in the style of a full blown academy, which Auchenhowie probably couldnt be given how it designed

Could you expand on that mate, why can't a top class training facility be converted into a state of the art youth academy with investment?

[Ryan_1 1,136]

Can have all the facilities and youth potential you want but if you don't have the required quality of coaches both in the youth sides and in the first team then there's no point.

Priority in investment must be the coaches both first team and youth.

[AlBear. 8,499]

Can have all the facilities and youth potential you want but if you don't have the required quality of coaches both in the youth sides and in the first team then there's no point.

Priority in investment must be the coaches both first team and youth.

Pointless having the coaches without the environment for the youths to prosper. Like having a chef without a kitchen.

[gmcf 35,316]

It may not be able to change though as it was built with a first team in mind

Id love a better youth system in the style of a full blown academy, which Auchenhowie probably couldnt be given how it designed

It wasn't. It was vaguely shaped as a T.

One side of it was for the first team with a higher standard of changing rooms , showers , baths .

The other side was a series of changing rooms for different age groups with a lesser quality of changing rooms.

[Ryan_1 1,136]

Pointless having the coaches without the environment for the youths to prosper. Like having a chef without a kitchen.

Yes and no.

A great working environment is always a bonus, makes life easier and gives the club a better footing and attraction.

However to say having the coaches without having the environment to work in is pointless is wide of the mark. All any coach worth his salt needs is a few balls, some markers and a field. In the 90s/80s and further back there was no such facilities of use and teams could still coach young hopefuls into top class talents.

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

Does P Murray still get money for the youth talent at Rangers if they make the breakthrough, when he sells them back to us.

Don't hold yer breath

[AlBear. 8,499]

Yes and no.

A great working environment is always a bonus, makes life easier and gives the club a better footing and attraction.

However to say having the coaches without having the environment to work in is pointless is wide of the mark. All any coach worth his salt needs is a few balls, some markers and a field. In the 90s/80s and further back there was no such facilities of use and teams could still coach young hopefuls into top class talents.

Investing in both, simultaneously, would be best.

[Ryan_1 1,136]

Investing in both, simultaneously, would be best.

Personally think we have all the facilities already in place, but yeah that would be best.

It certainly an area that needs addressed.

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

That seems fair enough, glad he's addressing that.

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,518]

How do you mean?

I thought it was built to be both. Surely it's big enough to do both jobs?

iirc from the odd time i was there and from when it was built, it was designed purely as a first class training facility for the first team, dick advocaat got murray to build it because he seen just how bad our pre auchenhowie facilites were at times of the year

the youths get great benefit from it as the facilities should be top notch if they are well maintained, but its shy of being an actual youth academy

it maybe could be changed and altered to focus more on the academy side of things, but given the first team use it as well they might as well just build an actual academy,

if we were serious of finding and developing the best of the best of the best, id love to see us build a smaller type auchenhowie then use the other space for classrooms and dormitories, have the youths eat, sleep and breath football, away from the habits of glasgow social life

[Inigo 33,277]

iirc from the odd time i was there and from when it was built, it was designed purely as a first class training facility for the first team, dick advocaat got murray to build it because he seen just how bad our pre auchenhowie facilites were at times of the year

the youths get great benefit from it as the facilities should be top notch if they are well maintained, but its shy of being an actual youth academy

it maybe could be changed and altered to focus more on the academy side of things, but given the first team use it as well they might as well just build an actual academy,

if we were serious of finding and developing the best of the best of the best, id love to see us build a smaller type auchenhowie then use the other space for classrooms and dormitories, have the youths eat, sleep and breath football, away from the habits of glasgow social life

The way it's described in Wiki sounds pretty sufficient for a top youth development academy to me to be honest. Separate facilities for the youths and such like, on top of there being more than enough pitch space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Park

[AlBear. 8,499]

they might as well just build an actual academy,

if we were serious of finding and developing the best of the best of the best, id love to see us build a smaller type auchenhowie then use the other space for classrooms and dormitories, have the youths eat, sleep and breath football, away from the habits of glasgow social life

Wouldn't make financial sense. May as well alter what we have and use that.

Agree the second part. I'm always a bit flabbergasted when the likes of Murdoch, Walsh etc talk about having to get 2 buses to training as boys.

[SeparateEntityMyArse 55,255]

Think this shows that addressing youth development will be critical to our recovery and growth.

How we go about it we can all debate all day long.

But it needs done, and done well.

No issues with King pushing this high up the list of his many priorities.

[gmcf 35,316]

The way it's described in Wiki sounds pretty sufficient for a top youth development academy to me to be honest. Separate facilities for the youths and such like, on top of there being more than enough pitch space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Park

It has a separate wing for the youths. Iirc there were 3 or 4 different changing rooms for different age groups. There was also a weatherproof pitch , outwith the indoor arena , a first team training pitch as well as 6 or so pitches further away for the younger age groups. Unless it's changed since I worked on it.

It's already prepared for youths . All we need now is them getting the right training.