Rangers + Scottish players in their youth system?

[Catfish]

I need to be fair to Rangers too. Do Rangers heavily recruit/persue Scottish players? Obviously, both clubs are in Scotland and there are going to have lots of Scots in their youth system, BUT do Gers consciencely want Scots to represent them in their youth academy? Do they put almost all their eggs in Scotland or do they comb Europe and the world for developing youth talent?

Just curious...thanks.

[uber_coupon]

I need to be fair to Rangers too. Do Rangers heavily recruit/persue Scottish players? Obviously, both clubs are in Scotland and there are going to have lots of Scots in their youth system, BUT do Gers consciencely want Scots to represent them in their youth academy? Do they put almost all their eggs in Scotland or do they comb Europe and the world for developing youth talent?

Just curious...thanks.

Do Rangers heavily recruit/persue Scottish players?

Murray Park (http://www.fisher.worldonline.co.uk/murraypark.htm) is a state of the art complex which is home to, what is hoped to be, the future of Scottish talent found from around the country.

BUT do Gers consciencely want Scots to represent them in their youth academy?

That is the academys prime objective.

Do they put almost all their eggs in Scotland or do they comb Europe and the world for developing youth talent?

In June 2000 Rangers announced that it was going to acquire a number of overseas feeder clubs. These would play in Rangers's strip and provide a nursery for developing younger players. The club had already paid £1m for Northern Spirit, a Sydney-based team.

[CW1980]

The Northern Spirit venture went tits up years ago.

George Adams, who is in charge of the youth set-up at Ibrox/Murray Park, has actually been spreading his net far and wide. I think I'm right in saying he was responsible for bringing in Namouchi and, at the same time, Marc Kalenga (a defensive midfielder from Auxerre -- I think he's a regular in the Under-21 team). We also have Warren Jacmot, a French full-back, and Bajram Fetai, a Danish striker. We've had a good few Scandinavians, a Portuguese and a Serb (to the best of my knowledge) on trial over the past year or so.

A lot of the Scottish youngsters have gone on loan (Allan McGregor to St Johnstone, Tam Brighton to Scunthorpe, Alex Walker at Clyde and Charlie Adam to Ross County). Others, such as Hutton, Smith, Davidson and McCormack, are on the fringes of the first team.

I suppose the way Rangers look at it now, there is no reason why they should only have Scottish players in the youth teams. In this respect, they may be following the lead of the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd who have numerous foreign youngsters in the reserve/U-19 sides.

There is a system in place at present whereby an independent company buys in young players, and if they go on to make a set number of appearances for the first-team, Rangers FC owe them a few quid. Here's the Press Release:

RANGERS LAUNCH £1 MILLION
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Rangers Football Club today (Tuesday 20th April 2004) unveiled an ambitious and ground-breaking new development company set to protect and nurture tomorrow’s football stars.

Rangers Youth Development Limited, which has attracted four key backers and a total of £1 million in investment, is a new and revolutionary business model for youth development which may ultimately become an example for other football teams in Britain.

By creating a separate company, with the power to sell players to the Rangers first team and other clubs, as well as buying new talent for development from around Europe, Rangers FC has created a self-sustaining organisation with complete autonomy, separate budgets, business plan and objectives.

Traditionally, football clubs have reduced youth budgets and player pools according to the first team’s needs without compensation, which has ultimately hindered youth development in the long-term. Rangers FC is committed to protecting the Club’s youth set-up and given the current climate in football, it is a move that could well become standard across the industry.

The company has targets for transfer income for the next five years and an ambitious development plan that ultimately hopes to result in a high percentage of the Rangers first team coming from youth development in the long-term.

Since its inception in January 2004, Rangers Youth Development Limited has already signed exciting young Danish striker Bajram Fetai who made his first team debut last month against Dunfermline.

George Adams, Rangers Head of Youth Development and a Director of the new company, has also began work on a restructuring process that will put Rangers at the forefront of youth development in the UK.

Rangers facility at Murray Park provides the perfect physical infrastructure to produce the best possible development programme and Adams has developed a schedule that will allow the facility to be used to its full potential to produce elite athletes.

He has also overhauled youth scouting structures and processes and increased the number of scouts as well as more clearly defining scouting targets and extending the geographical scope of the network. The number of youth squads has been increased from 6 to 9 covering ages 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and under 19 and 21.

Rangers community coaching will also now come under his remit, allowing the coaches at this level to identify burgeoning talent at an earlier age. With thousands of children coming through the scheme every year, coaches like Craig Mulholland and ex-Rangers Stephen Wright, Ally Dawson and Alex Cleland can select prospects to take part in elite coaching from as young as 6 or 7.

Following an inventory of the young talent at the Club, Adams has also instigated a ‘gap strategy’ designed to supplement Rangers squads at 17-21 year old level.

‘We have a wealth of young Scottish talent at Rangers at under 17 level,’ he commented, ‘However, I think our older squads require supplementation and we are actively sourcing young talent from abroad to bring other players like Fetai and Namouchi to the Club. In a few years time, however, the majority of our squads will be Scottish, which can only be good for our National game too.’

Adams has also turned his attention to the education and welfare of the players, adopting a holistic approach to their overall development and well-being and appointing an Education and Welfare Officer for Rangers Youth Development Limited.

Martin Bain commented, ‘This move signals to everyone our intentions with regard to youth development here at Rangers. By ring-fencing the youth set up and creating a completely separate company, the Club is protecting our future and creating the most stable environment possible for the development of future stars.’

Chairman John McClelland added: ‘I am delighted about this initiative which was instigated by Martin Bain and have great confidence that George Adams and his staff can take full advantage for the long-term benefit of the Club.’

[trc1]

Adams did a good job at Motherwell as far as I know. The likes of McFadden, Clarkson and Pearson coming through in his time there. Are you sure he brought in Namouchi? Only Burke of the Scottish guys seems to have had a real breakthrough into the first team.

[CW1980]

Adams did a good job at Motherwell as far as I know. The likes of McFadden, Clarkson and Pearson coming through in his time there. Are you sure he brought in Namouchi? Only Burke of the Scottish guys seems to have had a real breakthrough into the first team.

Those three players you've named will all go the same way as Phil O'Donnell.

Adams arrived at Ibrox in February 2003, Namouchi was signed in September of the same year, so I'd imagine wee Geordie would have had something to do with it.

Take your point about Burkey, but Alan Hutton is a good prospect and probably should have played more games by now.

[trc1]

Those three players you've named will all go the same way as Phil O'Donnell
What? Be absolute legends? We get £1.75m off Celtic for him, then he just gets injured and does nothing, returns on a free a few years later and robert's your father's brother?

McFadden will come good at Everton, just give the man a wee while. I think he left too soon. Pearson? Dunno what's happened to him this season, fallen out of favour with MON for some reason. Clarkson, still learning, but banging them in still.

I'd love to have another couple of ex 'Well players back now though. Stuart Elliot is an absolute legend, what a signing for Hull that was. Even big Lee at Wigan has come good.

[DJ_RFC]

The club had already paid £1m for Northern Spirit, a Sydney-based team.

Northern Spirit and also Chinese outfit Shenzhen (I think thats how you spell it)