Tek wrote:

Felt this deserved it's own thread.

Surely questions must now be getting asked about his position at the club?

​The Development team has went backwards at an alarming rate.

Currently rock bottom of a 14 team league and getting trounced frequently.

​Currently a massive 17 points behind our neighbours across the road btw (and it's only December).

Pretty damning.

Thampsons ferry mate
 

Might be too easy to blame him for the current situation. I don't see them play or know enough about other circumstances relating to youth developement and all that affects it to have much of an opinion other than being bottom is pish.

Anyone aware of other contributing issues other than pointing the finger at Bowman and giving him all the blame?

Arabnophobia wrote:

Might be too easy to blame him for the current situation. I don't see them play or know enough about other circumstances relating to youth developement and all that affects it to have much of an opinion other than being bottom is pish.

Anyone aware of other contributing issues other than pointing the finger at Bowman and giving him all the blame?

I don't think it is all his blame tbh.

But he has the very important role of overseeing our best players from the ages of 16-20 and ensuring they are first team ready whilst continuing to progress and be competitive at the same time.

He is failing at this task.

Jamie Robson was there in Stevie Campbell's time and no other young player has made the breakthrough.

The Developement results are also fucking awful.

But i think scouting has to be looked at also.


 

The reason dundee are miles ahead is because they play 3/4 first teamers every game and they have a consistent scoring with a lad up front! Are teams have always been pure bar a few players have they no???

SlatefordArab wrote:

Thing is, do the results of these games really matter?  In reality there will only be one or two players who come through this team into the first team anyway.

How many players from the teams that have won this league over the last few years have went on to play regular first team games for their club?

Yes, they do matter imo.

Fundamentally if results are good you know you are doing things correctly and you have a good crop of kids coming through. The opposite is also true.

For a club that has basically been surviving on selling off our prized assets in every single transfer window then surely if nothing else it is worrying that the conveyor belt has massively stalled?

Feel we as a support (not aimed at you btw Slateford or anyone else for that matter) are getting awfully complacent these days and at times come up with ready made excuses for failure.

We are the 6th biggest club in Scottish football in every respect (support,stadium capacity,infrastructure etc) and are currently the 13th/14th best team in both the 1st XI and Developement teams.

Now the 1st team may well be the main focus and always will be (rightly) but for a club like ours it would be gross negligence to dismiss such mediocrity infiltrating our youth set-up.

We must strive for better. Much better.
 

if these laddies are getting tossed most weeks how much they be feeling?

​I think a lot of questions needs to be asked on the coaching and management of the development squad. 
 

Ex Houston Arab wrote:

If results don't matter then why play the game?

Even at boys football the west coast teams are more conditioned to win at all costs and this is where most of our pros come from.
I read an interview with Suarez and he still rages even when he loses at training.

A winning mentality and heart gets you through a lot at every level and changes draws to wins.

Are we honestly suggesting teaching our youth not to care about results?
Ask Fraser how that works out when you hit the 1st team
EPL are currently questioning the effectiveness of academy football for this very reason as the youths play pretty football but shrink under the harsh glare of competitive 1st team football

I think we may have exactly the same issue in Scotland though?  The young lads play these games where it's tippy-tappy against players of their own age/size/build all the time?