Lessons to be learned?

[TheEastTerrace]

Interesting article on Borussia Dortmund here about the success of their youth policy and living within their means.

http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal...edium=facebook

Anyone in the know regarding Hibs' youth policies and development? Could Hibs take a leaf out of Dortmund's book?

[Haymaker]

In the coming years, everyone will be copying the German system. Brilliant way to run a successful league.

[Aldo]

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In the coming years, everyone will be copying the German system. Brilliant way to run a successful league.

It also helps that they get about 90,000 at their home games. Sure they got their fingers burnt a bit re finances a few years ago but lesson for us all.

Might not work for all clubs but worth a look IMHO

[TheEastTerrace]

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It also helps that they get about 90,000 at their home games. Sure they got their fingers burnt a bit re finances a few years ago but lesson for us all.

Might not work for all clubs but worth a look IMHO

Economies of scale aside, I'm interested to know Hibs' strategy and long term plans I guess. With the SFA implementing a Performance Director and strategy nationwide, will the club link in with this? Things like scouting, etc.

Journeymen haven't worked for us and we've turned over a huge number of players in the last five years.

[Aldo]

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Economies of scale aside, I'm interested to know Hibs' strategy and long term plans I guess. With the SFA implementing a Performance Director and strategy nationwide, will the club link in with this? Things like scouting, etc.

Journeymen haven't worked for us and we've turned over a huge number of players in the last five years.

Think we need to make sure we as a club are on the front foot when it comes to young Scottish players.... When you think Snodgrass and Dorrans left Livi for peanuts as did the young lad Halliday.

Even the likes of Conway/Swanson and quite a few others. Yeah it's risky. For every good one probably a few bad ones. nominal few plus add ons. There is talent out there it's just making sure we get it. Other teams manage it why not us.

[Haymaker]

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It also helps that they get about 90,000 at their home games. Sure they got their fingers burnt a bit re finances a few years ago but lesson for us all.

Might not work for all clubs but worth a look IMHO

While the 90,000 fans is a help, we can have a scaled down version on our budget. Plus, if other aspects of the German system are brought in and if the quality on the pitch actually goes up we will fill our stands again. IMO of course.

[pentlando]

From my experience in Germany it goes much further than simply their structure. The psyche of the fans is much different, if we were a German club i doubt our attendances would have dipped dramatically, they live breathe and eat their football sides, which simply doesn't exist too much in Scotland anymore. Also there is much more collusion with their respective cities, e.g. free travel to games etc. We sure can borrow some ideas but a simplistic copy and paste won't work imo.

[Aldo]

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While the 90,000 fans is a help, we can have a scaled down version on our budget. Plus, if other aspects of the German system are brought in and if the quality on the pitch actually goes up we will fill our stands again. IMO of course.

Agreed. We have produced some excellent players and got top dollar for them.... Fletch, GOC, Brown, Thomson, Whittaker but the conveyor belt has sort of stalled.

We have the facilities - training complex and stadium but that's not enough. We need to now put it all together which TBH should be happening by now. Dutch team, German teams all seem to produce good players from an early age.

It's there I think it needs tweaked in a big way to make it work.... That just doesn't happen with one club but all clubs and SFA/SFL/SPL.

[Ozyhibby]

Scouting is not the problem. Our kids at 10 are every bit as good as the German,Dutch and Spanish kids. The difference begins after that. In these countries they begins to increase the contact time between club and player up to 20 hours a week of coaching. At hibs we have the players in about 1evening a week at that age, increasing to two nights when they get to 14. It's nowhere near enough.
Celtic have recognised this and have tied up with a local school so they can coach the kids twice a day. The Sfa have also just begun a pilot scheme in 7 schools (broughton in Edinburgh) to give promising players up to 15 hours coaching a week which should help.
Hibs don't appear to have any plans to change from the status quo.

[TheEastTerrace]

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Scouting is not the problem. Our kids at 10 are every bit as good as the German,Dutch and Spanish kids. The difference begins after that. In these countries they begins to increase the contact time between club and player up to 20 hours a week of coaching. At hibs we have the players in about 1evening a week at that age, increasing to two nights when they get to 14. It's nowhere near enough.
Celtic have recognised this and have tied up with a local school so they can coach the kids twice a day. The Sfa have also just begun a pilot scheme in 7 schools (broughton in Edinburgh) to give promising players up to 15 hours coaching a week which should help.
Hibs don't appear to have any plans to change from the status quo.

The SFA definitely plan to implement a performance strategy that will increase the contact hours for youngsters but that will only be for an elite bunch.

That's a bit saddening to hear Hibs have no plans to increase the status quo. Two nights a week is nothing. I did that at U12 almost twenty years ago!

I work in a sporting organisation and our long term player development programme has been developed to increase contact time, not only for the players in the elite performance squads, but for more players underneath that level. This is in partnership with clubs and district associations in Scotland so that players who are not quite ready to step up still have the required contact time so that they can continue to develop. This assumes that not all players develop at the same rate and late developers can still be produced.

Somebody should post a copy of Matthew Syed's 'Bounce' to Hibs - probably the most illuminating book I've read in a long time. Wish I'd read it when I was a kid.

[PaulSmith]

Do we actually have a youth strategy for the next 2,3 or 4 years or will we continue to stagnate whilst Celtic, Dundee Utd, Falkirk, Hearts and even Livi seem to be able to have a vision that is different from just believing that we're the best youth set up?

[TheEastTerrace]

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Do we actually have a youth strategy for the next 2,3 or 4 years or will we continue to stagnate whilst Celtic, Dundee Utd, Falkirk, Hearts and even Livi seem to be able to have a vision that is different from just believing that we're the best youth set up?

I'd rather read about our philosophy, plans and activities for youth development than some of the management rhetoric that we've heard from the club.

As I've stated previously, we can have the best facilities in the world; doesn't matter a jot if the right things aren't being taught, coached and developed for our youngsters both physically and mentally. We're not Barcelona I know, but the players who have come from La Masia have impressed me just as much with their off the field attitude and behaviour, as their excellence on the park.

[PaulSmith]

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I'd rather read about our philosophy, plans and activities for youth development than some of the management rhetoric that we've heard from the club.

As I've stated previously, we can have the best facilities in the world; doesn't matter a jot if the right things aren't being taught, coached and developed for our youngsters both physically and mentally. We're not Barcelona I know, but the players who have come from La Masia have impressed me just as much with their off the field attitude and behaviour, as their excellence on the park.

Bang on the money with this post.

[Part/Time Supporter]

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Do we actually have a youth strategy for the next 2,3 or 4 years or will we continue to stagnate whilst Celtic, Dundee Utd, Falkirk, Hearts and even Livi seem to be able to have a vision that is different from just believing that we're the best youth set up?

Ask them, then.

[Ozyhibby]

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The SFA definitely plan to implement a performance strategy that will increase the contact hours for youngsters but that will only be for an elite bunch.

That's a bit saddening to hear Hibs have no plans to increase the status quo. Two nights a week is nothing. I did that at U12 almost twenty years ago!

I work in a sporting organisation and our long term player development programme has been developed to increase contact time, not only for the players in the elite performance squads, but for more players underneath that level. This is in partnership with clubs and district associations in Scotland so that players who are not quite ready to step up still have the required contact time so that they can continue to develop. This assumes that not all players develop at the same rate and late developers can still be produced.

Somebody should post a copy of Matthew Syed's 'Bounce' to Hibs - probably the most illuminating book I've read in a long time. Wish I'd read it when I was a kid.

'Bounce' is an excellent book along with 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell and 'The Talent Code' by Daniel Coyle.
Anyone who read these book within Easter road would surely be thinking about a revamp of the whole system.
We can only hope.

[PaulSmith]

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Ask them, then.

When are they signing up on here?