Falkirk, all time low

**Delboy4** · 20-12-2017 02:39 PM

Just told by my mate who has his son at Falkirk youth development that they have dispanded the kids development set up.

They weren't even told by the club, the parents and coaches found out by an announcement over their website by the chairman..! They must be absolutely toiling. They had some
good young players who have came through their ranks in the past, Scott Arfield being one.

The reason they gave, to put all their attention into getting promoted to the Premiership - Nae chance!

I wonder what George Craig is thinking of it all as he probably set it up before coming to the Hibees.

**~~Iggy Pope~~** · 20-12-2017 02:57 PM

Much as we've become accustomed to despising this club (they were the competition after all), they have a place in Scottish Football history and I'd like to see them doing a bit better.

**MWHIBBIES** · 20-12-2017 03:04 PM

Damn, maybe we did have a bigger budget after all.

No sympathy for them after their conduct for 3 years. Hope they go down and stay down. Shame for the kids of course, hopefully find new clubs.

***Billy Whizz*** · 20-12-2017 03:06 PM

Is this the downside of Project Brave?

**Ozyhibby** · 20-12-2017 03:06 PM

There are clubs in the premier league who do very little in the way of youth development and spend all their money on the first team so you can see why Falkirk have made the decision.

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**JDHibs** · 20-12-2017 03:08 PM

They are getting rid of the whole decent thing about the club. Theres been a continual conveyor belt of talent coming through.

Its kept them going over the years with the sales of players, Vaulks, Arfield, Kingsley etc etc.

The way that league and how competitive it is throwing all their eggs into 1 basket is stupid and could cause very costly if 2 or 3 years go by and they arent promoted!

Its the academy players i feel bad for! Hopefully they get sorted somewhere else

**ancient hibee** · 20-12-2017 03:09 PM

I presume this is the joint effort with the other senior clubs in the area which probably Falkirk were the major contributors to.Will the whole thing collapse now?

***The Modfather*** · 20-12-2017 03:10 PM

Hopefully more chance of us now picking up youngsters in Falkirks catchment area.

**Ozyhibby** · 20-12-2017 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by Right Said Frank

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Hopefully more chance of us now picking up youngsters in Falkirks catchment area.

The yams location may help them with that.

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**JIm** · 20-12-2017 03:18 PM

It's an interesting move. There's no doubt that the model they will move to should be far more financially viable for them. I believe it to be quite similar to Brentford down in the Championship where they also disbanded the full youth setup. They now invest that money on picking up players at a later stage in their development, say from 17 years old and putting them straight in to the development squad. They then have a group of ready made players progressing through the ranks that have perhaps been released by the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle etc etc. Many of the current Brentford first team have progressed through this system and are now first team regulars

I think more teams will move to this model and financially for many it makes sense particularly up here in Scotland. They will still be running with the Community Teams so there's still a potential pathway their if they get it right and improve the level of coaching within this section.

**Famous Fiver** · 20-12-2017 04:02 PM

No sympathy for Falkirk. Full stop.

Another Airdrie as far as I am concerned and can disappear into the lower reaches indefinitely.

Arrogance personified with no sign of respect, led by Houston.

I have no love for the present incumbent Hartley either.

**~~The_Horde~~** · 20-12-2017 04:03 PM

Probably be our fault somehow.

**thebausburst** · 20-12-2017 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Famous Fiver

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No sympathy for Falkirk. Full stop.

Another Airdrie as far as I am concerned and can disappear into the lower reaches indefinitely.

Arrogance personified with no sign of respect, led by Houston.

I have no love for the present incumbent Hartley either.

This 100%, horrible club

**Brooster** · 20-12-2017 04:31 PM

Long may they continue on the slippery slope.

**Albanian Hibs** · 20-12-2017 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Famous Fiver

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No sympathy for Falkirk. Full stop.

Another Airdrie as far as I am concerned and can disappear into the lower reaches indefinitely.

Arrogance personified with no sign of respect, led by Houston.

I have no love for the present incumbent Hartley either.

That's where I am at. Horrible club.

***lucky*** · 20-12-2017 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Ozyhibby

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There are clubs in the premier league who do very little in the way of youth development and spend all their money on the first team so you can see why Falkirk have made the decision.

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It’s time the SPLF made it compulsory that clubs spend a % of turnover on youth development. Too many clubs just don’t care about developing our national game.

***bigwheel*** · 20-12-2017 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by Famous Fiver

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No sympathy for Falkirk. Full stop.

Another Airdrie as far as I am concerned and can disappear into the lower reaches indefinitely.

Arrogance personified with no sign of respect, led by Houston.

I have no love for the present incumbent Hartley either.

I never understand why people take issue with me the persona of the manager and then dislike the club ..Houston was a very competitive and at times a hostile figure during our tenure in the championship - so I can understand why people Dislike him..but why dislike the football club ? They gave us great competition down there, and are a club that works hard with their local
Community...no Idea why anyone would have anything against the club

***Billy Whizz*** · 20-12-2017 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by bigwheel

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I never understand why people take issue with me the persona of the manager and then dislike the club ..Houston was a very competitive and at times a hostile figure during our tenure in the championship - so I can understand why people Dislike him..but why dislike the football club ? They gave us great competition down there, and are a club that works hard with their local
Community...no Idea why anyone would have anything against the club

I’ve with you on this. Town of Falkirk really support their local club, unlike a lot of other towns of similar size
Good luck to them, decent stadium, and their ground is on our door step

***greenlex*** · 20-12-2017 05:01 PM

It’s an absolute sin. Putting the club rivalry over the last few years aside Falkirk have produced some very good players over the recent past. This is not good for the game up here. The game is screaming out for a bigger league and this would seem to go hand in hand with what is happening here. TV is slowly killing the game. Really sad to see IMO

**fat freddy** · 20-12-2017 05:05 PM

Watching Houston turn them into hate figures to us was disappointing as I have always had a soft spot for them due to the amount of connections between the two clubs and the spells I spent working at their stadium and training centre at Stirling Uni.

Latapy, Hughes, Rice, May, Crunchie, McDonald, Taiwo amongst others have represented both clubs and I've always looked out for our ex players and wanted them to do well providing they aren't up against Hibs.

They are a good community club and the stadium is used by numerous groups every day, last time I was there they were helping local unemployed kids learn skills that might help them find work.

Houstons daft, attention seeking antics will be viewed as an unfortunate blip in their history, to me they are a decent, well intentioned club who provide an alternative to the huns in an area blighted by high hun toxicity levels.

***Diclonius*** · 20-12-2017 05:09 PM

They had the worst luck in that their best team for a number of years happened to coexist in the same second tier as Hibs, Hearts, Rangers and Dundee Utd.

Never liked Houston but have a wee bit of affinity for my local team and it's sad to see them in their current predicament.

**where'stheslope** · 20-12-2017 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by lucky

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It’s time the SPLF made it compulsory that clubs spend a % of turnover on youth development. Too many clubs just don’t care about developing our national game.

Your idea works for only about 6% of the SPFL, the rest are trying to make silk purses from sows ears!!!!

If youth development is the only way forward the percentage should stumped up by the SPFL not by clubs playing regularly to crowds of 1500!

It a scary sign of the way Scottish Football is going, next we'll hear that some clubs are going bust and will not be resurrected like others have.

***overdrive*** · 20-12-2017 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by JIm

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It's an interesting move. There's no doubt that the model they will move to should be far more financially viable for them. I believe it to be quite similar to Brentford down in the Championship where they also disbanded the full youth setup. They now invest that money on picking up players at a later stage in their development, say from 17 years old and putting them straight in to the development squad. They then have a group of ready made players progressing through the ranks that have perhaps been released by the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle etc etc. Many of the current Brentford first team have progressed through this system and are now first team regulars

I think more teams will move to this model and financially for many it makes sense particularly up here in Scotland. They will still be running with the Community Teams so there's still a potential pathway their if they get it right and improve the level of coaching within this section.

It wouldn’t work if all clubs took that approach.

***cabbageandribs1875*** · 20-12-2017 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by MWHIBBIES

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Damn, maybe we did have a bigger budget after all.

No sympathy for them after their conduct for 3 years. Hope they go down and stay down. Shame for the kids of course, hopefully find new clubs.

tbf i think that was down to one bitter man and his 'type' of football

**GreenCastle** · 20-12-2017 06:16 PM

Paul Hartley scrapped the youth system at Alloa.

Maybe has an influence here so more money is invested into the 1st team.

Will it affect forth valley staff etc ?

**chrisski33** · 20-12-2017 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by Billy Whizz

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I’ve with you on this. Town of Falkirk really support their local club, unlike a lot of other towns of similar size
Good luck to them, decent stadium, and their ground is on our door step

Really? I live here and theres alot more who suppirt the old firm

**MWHIBBIES** · 20-12-2017 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by cabbageandribs1875

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tbf i think that was down to one bitter man and his 'type' of football

Their fans were obsessed with us for those 3 years. Breaching the divide at Easter Road when they equalised last season, constant peado chants at Cummings, their players kicking and diving and the mutant fans lapping it up.

When Keatings scored to essentially promote us and end their title chances I was absolutely buzzing, one of my favourite Hibs goals ever. Falkirk can get absolutely ****ed.

**Brooster** · 20-12-2017 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by RagingReality

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They had the worst luck in that their best team for a number of years happened to coexist in the same second tier as Hibs, Hearts, Rangers and Dundee Utd.

Never liked Houston but have a wee bit of affinity for my local team and it's sad to see them in their current predicament.

Luck??? Did you see the handball in the play off? Get them to Falkirk.