Let's roll..
Well-Known Member
I hope it's not true want to see him play for us for sure always been a fan.
Bayern Munich and city in for Kai Kennedy in January window.Todays Papers say.
- Thread starter Let's roll..
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Michael Mols
Well-Known Member
It’s on the daily record website.
Thanks. I'll not see it then. Not giving them the hits.
Heisenberg
Well-Known Member
He’s under contract so they can either pay top dollar or gtf.
buffalosoldier
Well-Known Member
Two clubs with unlimited wealth. £10m with a 10% sell on, or £5m with a 20% sell on
bucephalus
Well-Known Member
Rangers face a battle to hold on to teen sensation Kai Kennedy with Bayern Munich and Manchester City among the clubs looking to sign him.The 17-year-old has impressed in the youth ranks at Ibrox and regularly trains with Steven Gerrard’s first team, although he is yet to make his debut.
Now Rangers could struggle to keep him beyond his current contract if two of European football’s richest clubs step up their interest.
Kennedy has a deal until the summer of 2021 and Rangers are locked in talks with the teenager in a bid to extend that deal. But if no agreement can be made the club are in a reasonable bargaining position for a fee. Serie A side Roma have previously been in contact over a move and are believed to still be keeping an eye on the diminutive winger.
Kennedy burst on to the scene with impressive performances in the Alkass Cup in Qatar in February as Rangers lifted the trophy and was also vital in their Youth Cup success against Celtic. Kennedy was recently included in the first-team squad for a 3-1 win over Hamilton in November but was eventually left out of the 18 selected.
On the day Gerrard said: “He earned the right to be the 19th man. People look at Kai like he’s this wee player who doesn’t belong with men but he’s trained like a man all week. He’s been the most consistent and he’s a fabulous little player. It wasn’t just a token gesture because he’s a kid. It’s also to send a message to some of the players who are outside the 18 that Kai was next from what I saw the majority of this week in training. He deserved to be out there.”
Rangers could also face a similar problem with defender Leon King. The highly-rated 15-year-old is in talks with Rangers but knocked back an initial contract offer and is interesting Manchester City and Chelsea.
Now Rangers could struggle to keep him beyond his current contract if two of European football’s richest clubs step up their interest.
Kennedy has a deal until the summer of 2021 and Rangers are locked in talks with the teenager in a bid to extend that deal. But if no agreement can be made the club are in a reasonable bargaining position for a fee. Serie A side Roma have previously been in contact over a move and are believed to still be keeping an eye on the diminutive winger.
Kennedy burst on to the scene with impressive performances in the Alkass Cup in Qatar in February as Rangers lifted the trophy and was also vital in their Youth Cup success against Celtic. Kennedy was recently included in the first-team squad for a 3-1 win over Hamilton in November but was eventually left out of the 18 selected.
On the day Gerrard said: “He earned the right to be the 19th man. People look at Kai like he’s this wee player who doesn’t belong with men but he’s trained like a man all week. He’s been the most consistent and he’s a fabulous little player. It wasn’t just a token gesture because he’s a kid. It’s also to send a message to some of the players who are outside the 18 that Kai was next from what I saw the majority of this week in training. He deserved to be out there.”
Rangers could also face a similar problem with defender Leon King. The highly-rated 15-year-old is in talks with Rangers but knocked back an initial contract offer and is interesting Manchester City and Chelsea.
dereksmallsloyal
Well-Known Member
This process of talent hoovering by the mega rich clubs is appalling - Chelsea and City are particularly bad for it in England. It needs to be properly regulated or banned altogether.
We do it to clubs in Scotland.
Yankeeger
Well-Known Member
Tad early for drinking chief
Blue Goose
Well-Known Member
If he's that good why are we not in a position to give the lad a run out, even as a sub? Genuine question and not a dig.
Barrymoped
Well-Known Member
I know. But for me there should be a squad limit on youth teams to prevent this sort of thing, the sheer size of the youth squads at big clubs is unreal, most of them don’t get a chance to develop, and the team who started them off get very little in terms of a development fee.
I think it’s a UEFA wife thing that needs to be tackled for the good of the game in general
It's potential they're buying. That's all.
Slobear
Well-Known Member
Always the wife's fault these type of things
chucknorris
Well-Known Member
It's ok. Weve got brandon barker tied down for that position for 3 years.
GR6Ger
Well-Known Member
Not sure that will change anything. Clubs like these coming and offering a player big money will still be a problem.
It will change something, because these players will see how they can develop their career at Rangers. Right now, they can’t.
AllyRFC
Well-Known Member
*shudders*
Because we would rather sign the likes of Brandon Barker and play him instead. Not saying Kennedy should have played at the weekend but in other games where we have been 3 or 4-0 up it was the right time to start introducing him and get him first team minutes.
It's time now to ship out the deadwood surrounding our team and replace with,Kennedy,Kelly,Patterson,Mebude and the rest .If we don't we are going to lose them ,as well as the coaching staff who are doing a magnificent job.Other clubs do it (including the mentally challengeds).Polston,Docherty,King,Barker,Halliday and the likes are simply holding up our youths progress
90minsofmadness
Well-Known Member
He's still just 17. Mebude got a run out last year, mcpake has had a couple run outs. They young guys are getting a chance or two but there not quite developed enough yet.
They've no exactly got more chance of a game at man city or Bayern.
55 and counting
Well-Known Member
Agreed.All this talk about how great our youth team is and the results mean nothing in real world football. We haven't brought through youth players to any great degree since before Souness.The odd 1 here and there is is the exception not the rule.Gerrard for all the talk of bringing in young talent hasn't really blooded any of them either ,even in very winnable cup games.
55 and counting
Well-Known Member
Aye but Bayern and City will be paying them mega £ to not play 1st team games.Plus it will look better on their CV when they inevitably get released and go lower down the English league's.Chance of getting a shot at a decent Championship team after that.Failed to make it in Scottish league with Rangers? Lucky to get a Scottish championship team.
Maybe he can develop into a player who can trap the ball?
chucknorris
Well-Known Member
Careful. I got slated for saying the same last week.
Let's roll..
Well-Known Member
I agree ,but the Bayern of this world will always have pull on any youngster.
GovanFront4
Well-Known Member
Exactly. Low risk deal for them considering the cash they have.
GovanFront4
Well-Known Member
People said that about Billy Gilmour.
Yankeeger
Well-Known Member
Gerrard is toeing the party line with youth comments when clearly he won’t play them or make them the 18th man
55 and counting
Well-Known Member
As Big Buff has said similar on this thread if we want to keep young talent our only hope is to become a Scottish version of Ajax and actually play young talent from our youth system.
Because all these teams can pay young boy 5/10 k a week(and the rest) to not play the 1st team games so it's a no brainer for them imo our only pitch to them is playing them in 1st team and developing them.We currently don't give them that and haven't for generations.So as it stands we're not offering them much to stay.
Because all these teams can pay young boy 5/10 k a week(and the rest) to not play the 1st team games so it's a no brainer for them imo our only pitch to them is playing them in 1st team and developing them.We currently don't give them that and haven't for generations.So as it stands we're not offering them much to stay.
PortoyMortoy
Well-Known Member
He had Middleton as well and still chose to bring in players like Barker. If a guy who has made a impact away to Spartak Moscow and Villareal gets pushed to the side for a player who's done very little in his career he's never going to give a guy like Kennedy or McPake a proper chance for a few years unless he's forced to which im starting to think the club might have to do
AllyRFC
Well-Known Member
Id like to think SG is thinking that this season is too important to give the kids a chance but i see nothing in Barker and never have.
I dont like to bad mouth our own players but he is just not good enough imo.
Would much rather give the younger guys a chance than him.
Let's roll..
Well-Known Member
Shouldn't have to be forced if he's as good as SG says.
PortoyMortoy
Well-Known Member
Mebude got a a half hour off the bench in the final game of the season and hasn't played since. McPake got about 20 minutes in a Europa league tie that was over before it even kicked off. These aren't proper chances, proper chances are getting regular appearances off the bench and maybe even a odd start to see if they're ready. 53 minutes combined for the two tells you nothing unless they'e dreadful
55 and counting
Well-Known Member
Barker looks as if he doesn't think he's good enough to play for us.Wether he is or isn't is another debate.He's no confidence whatsoever looks really nervous and has no conviction with anything he's trying to do.
PortoyMortoy
Well-Known Member
Exactly, i feel like i go on about Barker too much and i have nothing against the lad or any of the ones i mention in the same subject but handing him a 3 year deal when he''s done very little over his career is the type of stuff you expect from 3-5 years ago. Barker hasn't done anything Middleton wasn't capable of doing, im sure if McPake was given a opportunity we could say the same for him as well. Guys like Polster and King also are in the same category as Barker. Instead of giving these spots that only get the odd bit of playing time to a youth player who can still help out the youth team when not getting a game for the first team, we give them 2-3 year deals (I know King is a loan) and block any potential academy players that play in the same position game time. It's only once they get to a age of a guy like McCrorie and they still find themselves being a rotational player or even not playing at all that we should be loaning them out to get games. Right now for example, McPake is in a situation at Dundee where he's playing at a poor level, under a poor manager and wont be gaining much from it, while instead he could have been here playing against teams like Porto home and away if a player like Barker wasn't signed
But we don't know that we'll be 3 or 4 nil up before we have to decide who is on the bench.
And as good as Kennedy is at youth level, if the game doesn't go as hoped for and we need someone to change it, he's not the best option. That's what you need on the bench first and foremost.
Gerrard isn't daft here.
The fact is, football has changed a fair bit in terms of physicality in the last 20 years. This isn't a "typical Scottish attitude" thing at all, it's just the way sports tend to go when the science improves the way that it has.
Not so long ago, tennis was all about the younger guys and you were considered done by your late twenties. Now, it takes until mid-twenties for most to get to the required level physically. The odd exception to the rule only really proves the point.
Football is on a similar path. McPake looks much bigger and stronger than most at his age in our youth team, but still looks like a little boy next to our first team players. Middleton was lucky he had filled out somewhat, as was McCrorie, but after them we don't have anyone ready just yet for regular games at first team level.
The old "if you're good enough, you're old enough" phrase no longer applies in the way that it used to. We only need to look at players like Cochrane and Hickey at Hearts, who are struggling at that level despite obvious talent, or how easily talented young players currently at Hamilton can be bossed out of games, to see why we need some patience.
Look at the current top nations at youth level. Not only are they talented, but their players are also gifted physically. People will point to Messi, Iniesta and Xavi and say "your attitude means they'd never have made it", but they were more than physically capable of handling that side of the game, they just happened to be a bit shorter.
No one at Rangers is deliberately holding players back. We just don't have a number at the right stage of their development. In a couple of years time, that'll change.
That's true what you say but for home games against the likes of Hamilton St Mirren then 1 or 2 should be on the bench for me give them that experience of being involved around the first team on match days. If we're comfortable in games then bring them on and give them experience of playing at Ibrox.
I know Gerrard has been very vocal in the past though about younger players having to earn the right to play in the first team and must be better than what is already in the first team which I would say is the right approach for me. For me at the moment due to having so much deadwood at the club there is no pathway for the younger players.
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PortoyMortoy
Well-Known Member
Then why have celtic been able to do it so easily over the last few years against those same hammer throwers?
CaptainCourageous
Well-Known Member
I don't know how we find that pathway when we are so desperate for success.
Unless they are of a special talent, then they aren't going to get game time. Having said that, we would be better introducing lads like Kennedy than signing dross like Barker, which are absolutely pointless signings that just bloat the squad further.
This season has been a total outlier in terms of the number of goals we've scored in matches.
Not so long ago there were numerous complaints about how we couldn't break down teams who sat in a low block. Our management team agreed. They have to plan for worst case scenarios when it comes to making who makes the bench.
I had concerns that our squad was too big during the summer transfer window and many disagreed. When players like King, Edmundson, Docherty, Polster and Halliday have spent most of their time in the stands, not to mention guys like Stewart and Barker not being hugely involved in all honesty, it's easy to see why we can't just sacrifice a spot or two on the bench for younger players to gain a little bit of experience here or there.
