What will Charles Green do about Murray Park ?

[RANGERRAB 3,291]

Later this year the above-mentioned will be 12 years old. I wonder how many of us regard it as a success ? As I recall it was to provide the first team with proper 21st century training facilities(instead of being bussed around Glasgow to train at various locations since the Albion became a car park) and to provide us with a conveyor belt of young talent groomed from our scouting network ready to step into the first team when ready thus saving a fortune in transfer fees.

To go back to the title I wonder what CG makes of it when he watched the recent SFL3 performances? players unable to do basics like passing accurately to nearby team-mates, players taking setpieces unable to clear the first defender, players constantly losing possession under no pressure, players unable to do basic defending - I could go on and on.

As for youngsters breaking into the first team I don't genuinely think we've produced any who have reached a decent level in the game since the likes of Alan McGregor, Alan Hutton, Charlie Adam etc, all of whom must be nearing 30 now. Has our scouting network dried up ? Or simply not good enough as Neil Murray's departure may suggest? When I look over to the other side of Glasgow I see a scouting network which seems vastly superior to ours.

I was always cynical about Murray Park regards youth development but I've become even more cynical in recent months after watching some of the first team's performances of late. I wonder what CG makes of it? I'm not suggesting it gets shut down or anything but it's got very high running costs (around £2m per year I believe) which may need to be reduced somehow unless it starts paying its way more effectively than at present

Edited April 4, 2013 by RANGERRAB

[the gunslinger 3,366]

he need to get the right people in place to make it a success and asap.

[forlanssister 3,050]

Maybe he'll try to buy it!....

[Dragonfly Trumpeter 50]

Maybe he'll try to buy it!....

 

I thought he already bought it from his buddies Whyte and Grier - using part of somebody else's £5.5m.

 

Maybe not then:confused:

[der Berliner 3,272]

Maybe he'll try to buy it!....

 

From the administrator's progress report, 13th August 2012

 

Football regulatory matters

6.2 The sale of the business and certain assets included the sale of the Company‟s right, title and interest in its SPL share and SFA membership. Following the sale of these assets, the sale of Ibrox and Murray Park and the transfer of the Playing Staff to Newco the Company was no longer in a position to meet the criteria for membership of any of the Football Authorities and therefore no longer operates a Football club.

 

But maybe you were referring to something different here?

[forlanssister 3,050]

From the administrator's progress report, 13th August 2012

 

 

 

But maybe you were referring to something different here?

 

Whoooooooooosh!!!!

[bluedan 93]

On the topic,I think MP has been hit and miss. There has been talent come through however I don't think we've anywhere near maximised the full potential of the facility.

 

Remember,this was meant to put us light years ahead of Scottish football. We've got kids there right through from 10yrs to senior level. That's a massive turn over of players but how many have come through and set the world a light?

 

For me it hasn't been anywhere near enough,you look at players like Hegerty and Perry and I can't believe they are on pro contracts let alone playing for our mighty club. these lads look no better from what I play against week in week out. And they appear to have no footballing brain,clipping hopeful ball's into areas where simply nobody is there. It's just not good enough.

 

 

Bring our scouting system into it and the plot thickens. Poor poor poor. Even our signing of 'potential foreign talent' very rarely if ever make it through to being a first team regular.

 

Also I see Timmy are in that Next Gen comp. Why aren't we? If we weren't invited then why don't we push to get in. We could talk all day about our shambles of a set up but I don't see any improvement for a while. If we do a total overhaul then it'll take years to see results.

 

It's just really frustrating but I'm happy this is a hot topic amongst the fans. Some great opinions from the support,think it's time these get heard and acted upon in some cases.

[The Real PapaBear 0]

If you remember the programme Blue Heaven that was on about 3 or 4 years ago, the dutch fella that was there under Dick told us exactly why Murray Park was failing; because the kids were being trained as footballers and not developed as people.

 

When they hit the problems that young athletes face (family, school, money, confdence, whatever) , too many of these kids aren't able to handle them because their personal development is ignored.

 

I worked for a while in one of Germany's elite sports academies - a 'Bundesleistungszentrum' - where priority number 1, 2 and 3 was the personal development of the child. Within that framework, their sporting ability was developed to its maximum, to the extent that these kids were generally competing for national and international titles. However, the philosophy was always that the kid could lose all interest or become injured or leave the academy for whatever reason, and it was the centre's responsibility to make sure they were able to make the transition into normal society seamlessly if that were to happen.

 

Unlike MP, where if you don't make it, you're off to stack shelves in Asda because football is all you've ever known for 16 years and you're fit for nothing else.

[GovanAllan 0]

Maybe he'll try to buy it!....

 

If your just going pollute every thread with your crap innuendos, bugger off to FF its full of guys like you.

[Frankie 8,178]

It was a joke - relax!

 

Seriously, I don't think Auchenhowie has been that bad (it's not actually a youth academy per se) but there's certainly plenty of room for improvement. All in all, it was a good investment but it needs more genuine funds to make it a real success.