Question Possibly being a Rangers feeder club - opinions?

[Morty01]

It should be common knowledge among SZ users and our fanbase in general that George Taylor, one of the consortium members, is also part-owner of Rangers.

This possibly opens up the door for loans from and friendlies with the club, which would be great. However, my mates aren't too keen on the idea of becoming a simple feeder club/Rangers reserve team.

 

[danbowen]

This is a difficult one. For me I’d love to have a close tie with a big club to get a decent friendly. My issue though is most SPL players are probably at very best league one standard. For context a very good centre back from the SPL went to Colchester in January so on that youngsters from rangers are going to be no where near the standard we need. Happy to have commercial decisions but wouldn’t want us having too many loanees as I feel we could be shafted by having to give them certain amounts of playing time even if they are crap.

 

[LCBB72]

Make a great testimonial for Kevin Maher Southend United v Rangers

 

[flangejackrabbit]

I think the occasions where Rangers youths would improve our first team won't be that common.

 

[stewart]

yeah we could possibly send a few loanees to Rangers to help them improve, maybe Bridge the gap between them and us .

 

[* ORM *]

As long as it’s not Nile’s Rangers

 

[pottster]

This is a difficult one. For me I’d love to have a close tie with a big club to get a decent friendly. My issue though is most SPL players are probably at very best league one standard. For context a very good centre back from the SPL went to Colchester in January so on that youngsters from rangers are going to be no where near the standard we need. Happy to have commercial decisions but wouldn’t want us having too many loanees as I feel we could be shafted by having to give them certain amounts of playing time even if they are crap.

I'd quite happily take league one quality loanees at this point!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

This is a difficult one. For me I’d love to have a close tie with a big club to get a decent friendly. My issue though is most SPL players are probably at very best league one standard. For context a very good centre back from the SPL went to Colchester in January so on that youngsters from rangers are going to be no where near the standard we need. Happy to have commercial decisions but wouldn’t want us having too many loanees as I feel we could be shafted by having to give them certain amounts of playing time even if they are crap.

Yes we have signed 3 very good players from the SPL since the Cowleys came in, as you mentioned Riley Harbottle from Hibs (Loan), they signed him from Notts Forest for a fee on a 3 year deal but I don't think it is working out for him up there, he did very well for Mansfield in our league last year and already it sounds like we would like to sign him outright, he is loving it here too. We also have Jayden Richardson from Aberdeen (Loan) and have signed Connor Wilkinson for a fee from Motherwell. We also signed our former loanee Owura Edwards outright in the summer from Bristol City, he had been on loan to Ross County last season. There are lots of very decent players up there who would improve most teams in your division and leagues one and two.

 

[Richard Hearn]

Having an arrangement for loaning players is one thing, being a "feeder" club is something else again.

The concept of "feeder" clubs is a complete anathema to me. What are they but glorified reserve teams?

Whilst I have no desire for SUFC to ever enter the seventh circle of Hell that is the Premiershite, becoming an actual feeder club would signal a complete lack ambition.

 

[Maldon Blues]

I would love a link in some way, but probably more in terms of playing fixtures. It's not been unknown for Rangers to host lower division English opposition at Ibrox! Although a good crowd at Roots Hall would be terrific.

I love Scottish football (currently trying to complete the 4 leagues!), but realistically the standard of young players won't compare.

Rangers B finished second in the Lowland League, fifth tier in Scotland, last season. The Lowland league may not be short on entertainment or a will to play good football but in terms of ability it's a very long way from matching England's tier 5. Indeed I believe Blues would compete in the Scottish Championship comfortably with our current squad.

I watched Celtic B play West Ham U21s earlier in the season and they were thumped 5-0 and really were a very long way second best. You'd assume Celtic and Rangers have the crop of Scottish talent.

Of course there'll be some at a young age who would be good enough, but I'd expect them to be too close to first team consideration to be sent out on loan.

More established players, like those who've gone to Colchester, perhaps. But realistically we're looking at clubs other than Rangers for those.

 

[Mad Cyril]

In a few seasons we will be playing at a higher standard than most of the opponents Rangers play in the SPL.

Maybe the arrangement should be the other way around?

 

[Shrimperjohn]

I think we can set our sights higher than Rangers ….

 

[Liam AAS]

As long as they improve the squad, yes. I have no problem with (broadly) any scheme that means more points come the end of the season

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

From a strategic point of view we need to concentrate on developing our own than developing another club’s players.

It might be beneficial in the short term but developing our own who we have under contract is better for us. We need to sign, develop and sell youngsters. It was when we stopped doing this under Brown that we started our calamitous slide down to the NL. It was only by selling the young players we’d developed that we’d been able to subsidise the high wages of all the big name signings.

One of the secrets to how we exceeded expectations earlier this season was the continuity from the previous season. Players know what runs their teammates make (the Bridge back heel to Fonguck). Having players come in for a month or two you don’t get that nearly as much. And when it works it’s only ever a temporary solution. Take for example our last loanee from those two sides. We signed him expecting him to tie us over until Callum Powell was fit again. But after a month Charlton recalled him and left us in the .

I’m not entirely opposed to loanees (and tries before you buys are great) but I’d rather give opportunities to the next Oli Kensdale or Coker who we can develop and sell for a profit. I’d hate to see a team of loanees and to lose that connection we have with the team (or at least had before they lost 3 games). For me the role of loanees should mainly revolve around adding replacements in the case of injuries.

ps Would we be able to sign Rangers’ players outside of their transfer window?

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

I'm still having therapy from signing the Australian captain from the SPL!

Barry Manilow's forehead moves more than he did!

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

In a few seasons we will be playing at a higher standard than most of the opponents Rangers play in the SPL.

Maybe the arrangement should be the other way around?

Not sure they'd want that after having Bilel. Though I did see him play really well for them away at Airdrie and they won 1-0 ... then he was sent off after the game for "an incident"!

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Make a great testimonial for Kevin Maher Southend United v Rangers

And all the pubs in town!.

 

[LCBB72]

And all the pubs in town!.

Imagine 20.000 Rangers supporters hitting Southend .

 

[Thundersley Blue]

Wouldn't want to be in a position where we had to take players. However, it might be useful if we had first choice on any players Rangers wanted to loan out.

 

[BoyWonder2]

It should be common knowledge among SZ users and our fanbase in general that George Taylor, one of the consortium members, is also part-owner of Rangers.

This possibly opens up the door for loans from and friendlies with the club, which would be great. However, my mates aren't too keen on the idea of becoming a simple feeder club/Rangers reserve team.

There is a difference between a feeder club and an affiliate club.

We wouldn’t become a feeder club. Essentially giving up our “gems” to Rangers and them giving us their players to get them ready for their first team.

I’d like to become an affiliate club however. A link up that allows us to get first dibs on some players on loan, or a heads up for those up for sale. We’d always want the final say as to whether we take these players. We can then give them the heads up on our “gems”. If Cards was up attracting bids, we could say to Rangers about it.

The idea of us having a pre-season friendly would be good, be excellent to host a big club like that. Also, a link up behind the scenes, as displayed by our recent visit up there. Ideas bounced between the two clubs of things that have worked, things that haven’t and so forth.

A link up between us and Rangers would be more beneficial than it would be a waste of time.