Tangy wrote:

Just read that they are withdrawing funding from the forth valley academy and channelling funds into the first team.... this on the back of being a championship team for too long.

Really don't know what to make of that. Selkirk are a team I always thought had a strong presence in their full team of lads who had come through their system - so a bit of a shock. However - maybe it's just the harsh reality of championship football? Or maybe it's the first team to get nibbled by project brave?

That spell check!! 

A number of years back, the SFA forced East Stirlingshire and Stenhousemuir join in with Falkirk as the Forth Valley Academy, which allowed Falkirk then to cherry-pick the best players for their own more senior set ups. 

The Warriors and the 'Shire had their community set ups run from that point at Stirling University, 10 miles out of their communities.

Now Falkirk are withdrawing, the 'Shire have tumbled into the Lowland League and Stenhousemuir are playing at their lowest level since the FVA was set up. Falkirk themselves are in a league position worse than any since they joined the FVA. So that's another SFA initiative helped fuck up three clubs.

And now we have Project Brave, there to help two clubs, the rest don't matter. It's a mess, and United (and most other clubs) should have been kicking the suggestions from the SFA as far away as possible. Instead, we are embracing and supporting a system designed to fuck us over.

Last edited by PatReilly (20/12/2017 12:45 pm)

Project brave is a disgrace. It won't work.
Falkirk binning their youth system is just the start, others will follow.
They're going to just wait and try and pick up the project brave rejects, accepting they can't have the best players and accepting their place as a second tier outfit.
That's what the SFA want everyone in their place so they can maximise profits. They don't realise that this is one of the reasons people are fed up with Scottish football.

The only good thing that could come out of this is kids go back to playing school and boys club football, learn the game properly like they used to (y'know when Scotland actually produced genuinely great players) and clubs can then pick them up.  If they're going to bother to look in that direction is the question.

SlatefordArab wrote:

Have Falkirk actually gained anything out of their youth system over the last ten years or so?  Genuine question, I can only think of the boy at Burnley who's name totally escapes me now!

Arfield
 

Nae idea if Falkirk are well run or not but running a fitba club as a business successfully means moving with the times.

Bosman change was a long time ago. We might take a new route.

Not one formula will fit all clubs as you must taylor yer maximum intake to yer strenghths and all clubs have their ain through to none.