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Scottish Sun
38 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Premiership clubs' foreign signings and Gilmour, Ferguson and Hickey going abroad are worrying signs says Bill Leckie
Our man questions what makes domestic managers look overseas for their stars instead of into their academies HOME DISCOMFORTS Premiership clubs' foreign signings and Gilmour, Ferguson and Hickey going abroad are worrying signs says Bill Leckie THERE are no airs and graces about them. They have hunger and ambition. Advertisement 3 Jim Goodwin fielded a Dundee United team without a single Scottish starter on Thursday Credit: PA 3 Billy Gilmour moved to England then to Italy to get his chance in senior football Credit: Reuters 3 Lewis Ferguson started out at Aberdeen but moved to Bologna instead of staying in Scotland Credit: Getty They appreciate the chance they've been given. Jim Goodwin's explanation of why he put his European hopes in the hands of a busload of foreigners should make every young Scottish footballer sit up and take notice. Advertisement But in the wake of a night when he fielded the first team in Dundee United's competitive history without a homegrown starter, there was another line that should also have cut every chairman, manager and coach in the land to the quick. The one where he admitted his imports 'aren't used to being pampered by academies'. Wow. What an indictment of a system that was supposed to feed our national sport for generations to come, but which is instead providing us with little more than scraps. If that sounds harsh, then check these numbers from games involving our top 12 teams over the past few days. Rangers started two Scots — John Souttar and Findlay Curtis — against Panathinaikos in the Champions League on Tuesday. Advertisement Celtic went with four against Ajax the following evening in Tony Ralston, Dale Murray, Kieran Tierney and Callum McGregor, but of those, only the last two will be first picks once the real stuff starts. Hibs fielded four in the Europa League on Thursday night, Aberdeen had two against Ipswich on Friday. Hearts had six starting Scots against Sunderland on Saturday, while Killie had seven against East Fife and Livi six against Kelty Hearts. Huge thunderstorms at Ajax vs Celtic St Mirren and Dundee played three each against Ayr and Montrose, and Motherwell used just the two in Friday's friendly against Hertha Berlin. Of our entire top flight, only newly-promoted Falkirk kept the flag properly flying, playing ten Scots against Spartans on Saturday along with Brad Spencer, born in London to a Glaswegian dad. Advertisement That means of 132 players lining up at kick-off, only 50 qualify for that national team we're meant to be supplying. So we can grumble about the route Goodwin and United have gone down, as we've heard so many do since that Conference League tie last Thursday. Or maybe we can look at the key reasons why it's getting tougher and tougher for homegrown talent to make it on their own doorstep. Reasons which, while hard to hear and harder still to swallow, the Tannadice gaffer appears to have hit squarely on the head with his reasoning behind his signing policy. One which has taken him to the Netherlands, Croatia, Finland, Macedonia, Sweden and Australia rather than Netherlee, Cupar, Falkirk, Montrose, Sauchie and Auchterarder. Advertisement Because, for me at least, in bigging up the positive traits of a job-lot who fly in the face of everything the legendary Jim McLean put in place during the club's heyday, Goodwin is also giving our academies and the sort of players they produce their character. What he seems to be saying is that our youngsters DO have airs and graces about them, that they DON'T display the same hunger and ambition, that maybe they aren't as appreciative of the chance they've been given. Most damning of all, though? Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! That they've got used to a set-up that pampers them. I wouldn't imagine for a moment he's claiming our academies aren't fit for purpose. Advertisement I also wouldn't dare suggest that he doesn't believe there are any good Scottish kids coming through. But it seems crystal clear that he doesn't believe they're producing the right kind of talent, physically or mentally, for our domestic game. Ask yourself how many are playing regularly for your team. Then ask yourself why so many, from Billy Gilmour to Lewis Ferguson to Aaron Hickey and more besides, have decided the only way to achieve their potential is go abroad and pretty much learn the game from scratch. Of course, Scottish teams playing without any Scottish players is nothing new. Advertisement It was March 2000 when Rangers did it for the first time, starting a 0-0 draw against St Johnstone with an Overseas XI. Stefan Klos, Lorenzo Amoruso, Arthur Numan, Andrei Kanchelskis, Gio van Bronckhorst, Rod Wallace, Jorg Albertz, Claudio Reyna, Tony Vidmar, Seb Rozental and Tugay. Difference was, you could see that coming from a mile off. Rangers fans unfurl giant tifo ahead of Russell Martin's first match It had seemed a natural next step ever since Graeme Souness arrived and more especially once Dick Advocaat took charge. But to see a once self-sufficient club like United go full-on foreign for such a big game? Well, that should pull us all up a bit sharp. Advertisement As, for that matter, should the shrinking number of Scots playing on a regular basis the higher we go up the food chain. If it works as well for Jim Goodwin as it has for, say Stephen Robinson at St Mirren, where he's identified a certain mix of power, pace and stature from England, Ireland and now Jamaica that he doesn't believe is available up here, then good luck to both of them, because their only job is to win games. If seeing Scottish players fritter into the minority pretty much right across the Premiership doesn't worry anyone and everyone who's invested in our game, though? Well, don't say you weren't warned when we run out for a World Cup qualifier one day with 11 guys who all qualified through their grannies. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
St Mirren boss has 'no idea' about Dijksteel's Cork absence
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has insisted he had "no idea" of the circumstances that led to pre-contract signing Malik Dijksteel sitting out Cork City's match against Sligo Rovers on Scottish Premiership club announced on Tuesday they had agreed a deal to sign the 24-year-old Dutch winger when his contract with the League of Ireland club expires in manager Gerard Nash then claimed after Friday's 3-2 League of Ireland Premier Division defeat that Dijksteel had asked not to play against Sligo."St Mirren made a bid to take him in this window, but that was rejected by the club," Nash said. "Unfortunately, since then, Malik's agent made it clear that he was unavailable for this match for personal reasons." Robinson was asked about the latest developments with Dijksteel after his side defeated Ayr United 2-1 on Sunday to book a home encounter with Heart of Midlothian in the second round of the Premier Sports Cup."I'm not so sure he did make himself unavailable, I have no idea," the Northern Irishman said. "I'm sure, if he's under contract, he's available to play. I've not had any contact in that area, that's not my role."Malik's a Cork player until the end of their season, so that'll be other people that need to speak about that. It's certainly not my remit to be taking players before their time. "We'd love to have him, of course, but there has to be an agreement between the two football clubs."Robinson, who handed a debut to goalkeeper Shamal George against Ayr, is hoping to add more new faces to his squad but said: "Maybe we have to move one, maybe two, on before that happens."He was pleased to see Killian Phillips score his second double in two games but is wary of the recently-capped Republic of Ireland midfielder's form attracting suitors."If he keeps scoring goals, it's a real concern for us, but a good concern," Robinson said of the 23-year-old who signed permanently this summer after impressing on loan from Crystal Palace."He's continued on where he left off last season with his form and his energy. He's a driving force in the team."
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Robinson hails 'maverick' Idowu and goalscorer Phillips
Stephen Robinson hailed "maverick" Roland Idowu and two-goal Killian Phillips as their St Mirren side secured top place in Premier Sports Cup Group D and a place in the last the Irishman who joined the Buddies permanently this summer after last season's loan from Shrewsbury Town, set up both goals for his fellow 23-year-old midfielder in their 2-1 win over Ayr United."Roland, we played him just off [striker] Mikael [Mandron] and told him to float into those wider areas where the goal came from because it's very congested in the middle of the pitch," manager Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound."He was excellent. He was involved in both goals. He's a maverick, he's someone who can change the game for us and he's someone we're trying to bring into the game."Him and Conor McMenamin, Jalmaro [Calvin] when he gets up to speed, are boys that can do things we haven't had previously."As for Phillips, who has signed permanently after his loan from Crystal Palace, Robinson said: "We have worked constantly on cutting balls back and making runs and Killian is getting his just rewards and he's adding goals to the other good attributes he's got."The visiting Championship side pulled a goal back in the second half, but Robinson added: "The way we played in the first half, I thought we were outstanding. We got a little bit casual in the second half and didn't do the simple things well."We lose a goal from a set-play and the momentum swings and puts us on the back foot, but we showed the character and quality and we should have gone and finished the game off with three or four more goals."
