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Clubs - We need to treat football as a business, treat you as customers, not fans, listen to you and enhance your match day experience.

Customers - Under no circumstances do we want any form of Colts teams in the league set up.

Clubs - f**k off. We'll start with four.

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4 hours ago, OSP said:

That's the main bit I get actually. If anyone wants a Colt team, they should be made to start from the bottom of the pyramid just like anyone else. But I don't think people would be happy with even that setup.

Isn't that what happens already? Surely the reasons other clubs use to convince youngsters to join would still be the same - i.e. the likes of Hamilton being able to show a clear pathway to the 1st team if good enough.

 

As I said, I don't sit one way or the other just now. Just trying to understand more of the reasons most have against them to see if I'm clearly missing something.

In the Dutch league there are colt teams in the 2nd - 4th tiers. They are very unpopular and attract tiny crowds. But one of the main issues in my opinion is that because the colt teams need big enough squads as well, it means that players who normally would be transferred / loaned to smaller sides now stay in a colts team to make up the numbers, meaning that for smaller teams it's more difficult to sign players, as "rejects" from larger clubs are often important players for teams in the 2nd / 3rd tiers. Because of these (and other) reasons many fans / clubs in the Dutch lower leagues want to get rid of them.

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6 hours ago, the west curve said:

Who are they? Who are the colt teams? When I say senior football I refer to the 42 league clubs. To add to them would mean less revenue for those 42 as the new league would require funding from the TV and sponsorship pots. I don’t think clubs in the lower leagues that are struggling now would vote to give some of their cash up.  

FWIW, Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts are a senior club, along with everyone else in the HL, LL, EoS, NCL, Girvan and Glasgow Uni. The term you're looking for is league.

I agree with your point entirely though.

4 hours ago, OSP said:

I'm opening myself up to a shit ton of abuse and red stickies here, but here goes...

I don't have any opinion either way about the colts, because I don't really know enough about how they are supposed to be a benefit.

But clearly loads of folk on here are strongly against, although I don't know the main reasons why?

Can folk enlighten me to the main reasons why they are the spawn of Satan?

 

Imagine that more than a third of the games Celtic played were against the U20 teams of Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester and Swansea. Against boys that were just using the match as a stepping stone to getting a place in the first team, in a better league, and the outcome of the match you're at isn't important. Against managers and coaches who were much more interested in everyone getting game time, learning skills and developing their game than in whether they win or lose. None of them have an investment in the match and get no excitement from facing your club, you're not good enough for them, they've got their eyes on better things. Imagine they brought precisely no fans to your ground except a handful of locals who support one of those clubs instead of a local club, like yours, and who made no noise except a polite cheer when they scored. And imagine going to their ground, which isn't really their ground, but somewhere 20 miles away that they rent from a lower-league team, again in front of at most a few dozen home opposition supporters.

It's not really football, is it?

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2 hours ago, Coooombe said:

Killie colts running rings around Ayr United in the lower leagues does sound quite appealing tbqh. I think I'm now in favour of this idea. 

No, the first team. 

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1 hour ago, Marten said:

But one of the main issues in my opinion is that because the colt teams need big enough squads as well, it means that players who normally would be transferred / loaned to smaller sides now stay in a colts team to make up the numbers, meaning that for smaller teams it's more difficult to sign players, as "rejects" from larger clubs are often important players for teams in the 2nd / 3rd tiers. Because of these (and other) reasons many fans / clubs in the Dutch lower leagues want to get rid of them.

It's probably a two way street as well. Clubs hoard players to stay competitive. 

Then on the other hand players choose the multi-year full time contracts to play a lower level of football because it's all they've known, instead of taking a chance on themselves at smaller full-time club or going part-time to begin working on a career outwith football.

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6 hours ago, OSP said:

I don't buy that one at all though.

No one signs for Celtic or Rangers on the basis that they hopefully might be sent out on loan to Albion Rovers for 6 months. That's not much difference to the Colts proposal. (Although I would prefer Celtic for example did that a lot more than they currently do.)

There's lots of crap reasons youngsters sign with them, but that's not one of them. (Their parents pressuring into being one of the worst/most common I've seen).

Certainly no one signs for Rangers hoping they'll go to Albion Rovers on loan...

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On 19/11/2018 at 14:25, Dons_1988 said:

A clear pathway to the first team is currently Hamilton's best way of persuading a youngster to join them instead of one of the OF.

That could change if the OF suddenly have the element of regular first team football in the lower leagues through a colt team.

And if Hamilton can't persuade quality youngsters to sign for them we'll have to do our own scouting.

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20 minutes ago, coprolite said:

People are always complaining that the authorities don't innovate enough.

When they try something new, they get criticised.

I think that the idea of highland/ lowland league teams playing against horses sounds intriguing. It has to be worth a try.

What do you mean worth a try?  When this idea does f**k all and is binned in a few years how do you restructure the leagues?  It's an utter load of shite served to support just 2 clubs.

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24 minutes ago, coprolite said:

People are always complaining that the authorities don't innovate enough.

When they try something new, they get criticised.

I think that the idea of highland/ lowland league teams playing against horses sounds intriguing. It has to be worth a try.

 

2 minutes ago, The Minertaur said:

What do you mean worth a try?  When this idea does f**k all and is binned in a few years how do you restructure the leagues?  It's an utter load of shite served to support just 2 clubs.

And whoooosh.

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12 minutes ago, Bully Wee Villa said:

I can't decide whether I'm in favour until someone tells me whether the horses would be Catholic or Protestant. 

It really wouldn't matter as long as they were gelded...

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I noticed the article made no mention of Motherwell who had been previously mentioned as wanting colts in. Its either typical OF dominant reporting or they've withdrawn their interest. Stephen Craigan was very in favour of the idea but has recently left his role as reserve coach at the club so its possible the club have changed their mind on the idea.

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