Aidan Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 possibly but they also said he couldnt give his full commitment to the club due to new work commitmentsWell I'd imagine it takes a bit more time and effort for a central based player to travel for training and matches with Elgin than it does Edinburgh City 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityloon Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Aidan said: On 15/06/2021 at 12:09, cityloon said: possibly but they also said he couldnt give his full commitment to the club due to new work commitments Well I'd imagine it takes a bit more time and effort for a central based player to travel for training and matches with Elgin than it does Edinburgh City i did mention in the first bit i wrote up that it could be cause its closer to home and would work with his work commitments 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 i did mention in the first bit i wrote up that it could be cause its closer to home and would work with his work commitmentsMy bad I just scrolled back and realised it was another poster who had just assumed that the only options Bronsky had were okay for Elgin or retire. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon9736 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 David Wilson another one away, after turning down a contract extension. I wasn't a fan of his tbh. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityloon Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 aye he never really had much chances of games but when he did there was just ok performances nothing outstanding but think we need some more numbers in defence for new season coming up 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland ITFC Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 A shame to see Wilson decide that he needed to move on, but for me it's another sign of the disconnect between the First Team set-up, & the much heralded Academy youth development at the club. Over the last few years there's a lot of youngsters that have been given their debuts with a few minutes here & there, but other than David Wilson, none have had the opportunity to establish themselves & develop with continued opportunities in the First Team squad. Even with David, he's only made about 50 appearances in 4 seasons, with two or three short spells in the side, around long periods of bench warming. You could of course say that he's not been good enough, but he actually came through the youth set-up as an energetic central defensive midfielder, with a happy knack of pitching in with a few goals from set pieces, but Gavin decided that he was a right back in the First Team, & for me he's never looked the same player there. Folk might quote Aiden Sopel as a success story, but remember that he actually came through the ICT youth set-up, then spent a season at Peterhead before coming to Elgin, so not a product of Elgin's Academy. There's also been a tendency to bring in loan players, &/or poor quality signings like McGowan, rather than give our own youngster first opportunity, & this has without doubt contributed to the likes of Ashley Ballam & Liam McDade, to give two examples, deciding that after several seasons of loan football, & only the odd few minutes with the First Team, that they were better to reject contract offers & go elsewhere. That's now happened with the one guy who did come through into the First Team, as beyond Wilson you're going back to McHardy, Cameron & Cooper as the last 'products' of the youth set-up. Rory McEwan was of course also there, but he spent three seasons away developing with Stirling Uni before then coming back. Not sure he would have got the same chance to develop by playing at Elgin. There's a further crop of youngsters that have been given First Team squad contracts this season, but based on recent history, I'll be very surprised if even one or two end up with proper opportunities with the actual team. I hope that I'm proved wrong, but with the investment in & professionalism of the club's Academy, we surely should have seen more of the graduates being given a proper chance to show what they can do? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom & Gerry Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 As you are well aware there is a big step up from Academy to first team. There absolutely has to be a pathway but it’s a pretty cut throat League and an unforgiving support to play in front of, local or not. They must be introduced gradually and only if good enough. I remember when Soapy was introduced it took him about 3/4 years before he established himself . Wilson has played 50 games and had four years training under the Manager, I think it’s plain to see that he isn’t good enough to be a starter at a top end Div 2 team. I think the HL and games is definitely the way forward for him as it is for all the Academy players. As for the other two mentioned I haven’t seen or heard anything from the HL to say Elgin/they have made the wrong decision leaving. The Academy is definitely the way forward but players must be ready for the first team not just there because they came through the Academy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland ITFC Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Completely agree of course that players have to be good enough, but you've maybe missed my point that if the Club is investing so much time, effort & money in the Academy, then surely one would expect it to be producing results, as otherwise what's the point of having it? From what I've seen in recent seasons, there is the positive of giving out a good number of debuts to the youngsters with a few minutes towards the end of a game, as has happened for time immemorial across football, but then the steady introduction of which you rightly speak then doesn't seem to happen from there. Some managers clearly trust in youth & will consistently give young players regular opportunities in games to enable that gradual introduction - if they don't get them then nobody really knows how they'll react & develop - whilst others may talk about it, & give the gestures of the debuts, but don't actually follow up by as I say seemingly consistently trusting themselves about the youngsters, or the youngsters themselves. I think it's a fair observation that Elgin over recent seasons have been one of those clubs, & if that doesn't change, then the Academy is effectively producing nothing for the club. Re the two players mentioned, perhaps not surprising that we saw or heard nothing of them last season, given that they moved on last summer & the Highland League season didn't actually happen in '20/'21. Hopefully they'll show up well from the start of the new season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom & Gerry Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 The Academy is starting to produce players and we have seen several loaned to HL clubs, which I think is the way to go to continue their Development. Hopefully they will show up well and become first team players for Elgin, if not there can maybe some form of compensation to Elgin in the way of Development fees or just in the fostering of closer relationships with other HL clubs for mutual benefit. It is unusual for Development teams, at all levels, to produce more than one player in a teams cycle capable of making the step up to the first team, most are there as fillers to form a team to benefit the one capable player. The Academy, I think is there not just to produce players but foster Community relationships. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebobsboy Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Kane Hester, your views on him chaps? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom & Gerry Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 He’ll cost you a bob or two as he has just signed a 3 year contract and we will need to find a replacement. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Paddy Flannery Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Hearing this lad Wilson may be training with us. I assume after reading your comments he isn’t anywhere near good enough to be starting for us? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom & Gerry Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Depends on how good you are but wouldn’t have thought so. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoveRangers1922 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, ebobsboy said: Kane Hester, your views on him chaps? Are Falkirk interested in Kane? I'm sure quite a few clubs are keeping tabs on him but got many years left on his contract. He's a natural finisher and always impressed me. Speed and knows where the net is so clearly a player Elgin want to hold onto. Will be a huge help in Elgin trying to get to L1. Always thought he'd be a great strike partner for Mitch! Please only ever sell him to Cove Edited June 20, 2021 by CoveRangers1922 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebobsboy Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 5 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said: Are Falkirk interested in Kane? I'm sure quite a few clubs are keeping tabs on him but got many years left on his contract. He's a natural finisher and always impressed me. Speed and knows where the net is so clearly a player Elgin want to hold onto. Will be a huge help in Elgin trying to get to L1. Always thought he'd be a great strike partner for Mitch! Please only ever sell him to Cove Not sure if we are, we are probably looking at bringing two strikers in, we have been linked with Paton from Stranraer, would make sense if we are looking at Hester aswell but who knows. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elginer Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 As the season approaches it is worrying there is no sign of any more approaches for new players. We need a strong midfielder and another striker as the back ups to Kane in my opinion are not good enough. If we do not strengthen then I think we will struggle to compete in what may be a stronger league this year. I accept the team did well last year but this was mostly through hard graft and we need more quality. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityloon Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 1 hour ago, elginer said: As the season approaches it is worrying there is no sign of any more approaches for new players. We need a strong midfielder and another striker as the back ups to Kane in my opinion are not good enough. If we do not strengthen then I think we will struggle to compete in what may be a stronger league this year. I accept the team did well last year but this was mostly through hard graft and we need more quality. aye its a bit of worry especially when you see some highland league clubs pulling off some decent signings of ex ross county and caley players and pre season starts this weekend i think maybe there might be a few trialists in the team hopefully 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoveRangers1922 Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 How was Kyle Gourlay for Elgin? Young lad just signed a 2 year deal at Cove. He'll be our backup to Stuart McKenzie. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityloon Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 48 minutes ago, CoveRangers1922 said: How was Kyle Gourlay for Elgin? Young lad just signed a 2 year deal at Cove. He'll be our backup to Stuart McKenzie. he was still young back then when he was on loan to us from dundee i think was decent back then so im sure hes probably improved even more probably best as a backup but would still be a decent no1 goalkeeper 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoveRangers1922 Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, cityloon said: he was still young back then when he was on loan to us from dundee i think was decent back then so im sure hes probably improved even more probably best as a backup but would still be a decent no1 goalkeeper Good to hear. Yes only 22 now so still developing. Sounds like he would be a capable stand in replacement if McKenzie did get injured or sent off! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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