Leon King - 15yo in Scotland U17s

Was at the Heart and Hand Live show last week, with his Rangers coach Kevin Thomson as the guest.

He said the young lad was one of the best he's seen at the club and he is a very quiet lad, but always puts in the graft and willing to learn with a tremendous skillset.

Said out of ALL the ones he's coaching, he could go all the way
 
It would be nice to think we were bringing through players up there with Gilmour, but was Billy not signed up to a deal with Nike or something when he was 11. Worst kept secret in youth football he was up there with Europe's best for his age group
 
As an aside I remember hearing Stephen Hughes was better than Barry Ferguson at a young age and also Ross Perry better than Danny Wilson, was there anymore?
 
Thomas Bryce said:
As an aside I remember hearing Stephen Hughes was better than Barry Ferguson at a young age and also Ross Perry better than Danny Wilson, was there anymore?
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This is one of the weird things that people say related to youth football. Another is 'his brother was an even better player but never made it.' Generally a lot of shite.

I know someone who was heavily involved with Scottish youth football from the 90s to mid 2000s and says Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher are the two biggest certs he saw play. Were always head and shoulders above everyone at that level.

As an aside, Stephen Hughes was a decent footballer but never pushed on physically and didn't seem to have the best lifestyle. He played against us for East Fife in the lower leagues and despite being done and a haddy, still had more ability than some of the shite we were playing.
 
A great achievement, but to compare him to Billy Gilmour is absolute nonsense. Totally different types of player with totally different physiques.
Certainly Leon is being pushed and has agents pimping themselves around him and his family.
Rangers are certainly not hiding him and are pushing him forward in to older squads to raise his and their profile.
A good prospect but, like so many others just let him develop.
 
Thomas Bryce said:
As an aside I remember hearing Stephen Hughes was better than Barry Ferguson at a young age and also Ross Perry better than Danny Wilson, was there anymore?
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Ross Perry ...Jesus Christ what a thought!! Where is he now, Dumbarton?
 
Hope he makes it with us so we can get the "Arsene Wenger" bit of the song blasting oot the tannoy when he scores a goal.
 
Leo_Ger said:
This is one of the weird things that people say related to youth football. Another is 'his brother was an even better player but never made it.' Generally a lot of shite.

I know someone who was heavily involved with Scottish youth football from the 90s to mid 2000s and says Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher are the two biggest certs he saw play. Were always head and shoulders above everyone at that level.

As an aside, Stephen Hughes was a decent footballer but never pushed on physically and didn't seem to have the best lifestyle. He played against us for East Fife in the lower leagues and despite being done and a haddy, still had more ability than some of the shite we were playing.
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Remember that game very well simply because of Stephen Hughes that day - he was easily the MOTM.

Always think it is very difficult to guage how a youngster will develop - we've had many superstars in our youth ranks who have disapeared without a trace. I sincerely hope the lad (Leon King) and others are as good as those in earlier posts are saying, to have someone who could be as good as Billy Gilmour would be fantastic as the sogns so far are that Gilmour is going to make it big with Chelsea.
 
Leo_Ger said:
This is one of the weird things that people say related to youth football. Another is 'his brother was an even better player but never made it.' Generally a lot of shite.

I know someone who was heavily involved with Scottish youth football from the 90s to mid 2000s and says Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher are the two biggest certs he saw play. Were always head and shoulders above everyone at that level.
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I was at school with Barry as well as living a few doors down from him. Our primary school team was unbeatable and it was all him, even at 11 everyone knew he would make it. He was an absolute stand out. Interestingly there was another lad who was very good too and I believe he fell away from it after he moved schools.

All the local kids used to play football on the grass at the park, as you do, and he ran circles round everyone including the older lads. He was a complete wanker at times but he was so good he could be! Was great to see him go on to captain the club, it was all he wanted as a lad.
 
barcode said:
Central Defender
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Then we definitely need to give him proper time to develop, learn and grow. It's one thing giving a 16/17 year old midfielder a chance around the first team for experience, it's another putting a young defender who could get pushed about in the same spot.

Sometimes when you lose players like Gilmour, new stars come through. It's the circle of life.
 
SuperGers07 said:
Was at the Heart and Hand Live show last week, with his Rangers coach Kevin Thomson as the guest.

He said the young lad was one of the best he's seen at the club and he is a very quiet lad, but always puts in the graft and willing to learn with a tremendous skillset.

Said out of ALL the ones he's coaching, he could go all the way
Click to expand...
oranje-viola said:
Meant to be even more of a prospect than Gilmour was at a similar stage according to those in the know
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Cue leeches like Chelsea and man city.
 
Scarlett said:
I was at school with Barry as well as living a few doors down from him. Our primary school team was unbeatable and it was all him, even at 11 everyone knew he would make it. He was an absolute stand out. Interestingly there was another lad who was very good too and I believe he fell away from it after he moved schools.

All the local kids used to play football on the grass at the park, as you do, and he ran circles round everyone including the older lads. He was a complete wanker at times but he was so good he could be! Was great to see him go on to captain the club, it was all he wanted as a lad.
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lawmuir???
 
We WILL lose more to clubs down south, that's going to happen.

We just have to hope that:

1. Enough do play for first team
2. We get enough compensation to ensure youth system grows and grows
 
Marstonbear said:
We've got good prospects at all the age groups now
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Isn't Lowry in the same age group as King? I've not heard of King until this thread if I'm honest but the names of Lowry, Kennedy and Young-Coombes keep coming up as our next 'bright young things'. Mebude from the older age groups as well.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Isn't Lowry in the same age group as King? I've not heard of King until this thread if I'm honest but the names of Lowry, Kennedy and Young-Coombes keep coming up as our next 'bright young things'. Mebude from the older age groups as well.
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There's a fella on twitter who promotes names every week with list endless , everyone is the next big hope. getting there then staying there is the biggest step
Patterson, O'Connor, Maxwell, McPake ,McClelland, Kennedy, Dickson, Dapo, Young- Coombes
King, Ewan, Fraser, Lowry, McKee, Palmer & Kelly

that list of names is only over last 3 weeks , great that club is bringing the talent on , lets not get too carried away with social media gossip and see how the young guys progress within next few year, I am sure our club don't want another Billy Gilmour episode
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Isn't Lowry in the same age group as King? I've not heard of King until this thread if I'm honest but the names of Lowry, Kennedy and Young-Coombes keep coming up as our next 'bright young things'. Mebude from the older age groups as well.
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Lowry is a 2003
King is a 2004
Both were at the recent 2002 tournament we won.
King played for our U20's a few months ago as a 14 year old.
 
Yankeeger said:
There's a fella on twitter who promotes names every week with list endless , everyone is the next big hope. getting there then staying there is the biggest step
Patterson, O'Connor, Maxwell, McPake ,McClelland, Kennedy, Dickson, Dapo, Young- Coombes
King, Ewan, Fraser, Lowry, McKee, Palmer & Kelly

that list of names is only over last 3 weeks , great that club is bringing the talent on , lets not get too carried away with social media gossip and see how the young guys progress within next few year, I am sure our club don't want another Billy Gilmour episode
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Leon King (who seems to have been called Leon Thompson at some point) was in the Alkass Cup u17 squad, though only 15. That says a lot for him. I believe he is highly rated by @elfideldo who does a blog on our youths and posts regularly on here. There were quite a few u16s in that squad as well, many of whom impressed, including Lowry and, especially, Young-Coombes. Here is @elfideldo pen-pictures of those in that squad for anyone who missed it.

https://rfcyouths.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/the-alkass-international-cup-squad/

Social media has nothing to do with putting our kids in the spotlight. Rangers actively keep an eye on the youths at the top level in England and they keep an eye on us. I know for a fact (from a Hibs 'source') that at a recent Hibs v Motherwell youth match there were scouts from Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton, Dhims and Rangers there. They don't need social media to know the up-and-coming talents.
 
It’s brilliant having the potential talent
It’s finding a way not to stop there development

Like seeing how they can do in the first team at 18
We in general as a support are terrible to our youths ,in particular the ones that break through
Very little patience gets shown
Especially if we’re chasing a game or a win

Young Middleton burst on the scene pre season
Afew good sub appearances
People want him to get an opportunity
Struggling in some matches
The knifes come out

Hardest thing in the world ,is to be a decent youth product at rangers

That being said ,can’t remember off the top of my head ,who we’ve let go that have gone on to be crackers

Maybe some on here will know better
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Leon King (who seems to have been called Leon Thompson at some point) was in the Alkass Cup u17 squad, though only 15. That says a lot for him. I believe he is highly rated by @elfideldo who does a blog on our youths and posts regularly on here. There were quite a few u16s in that squad as well, many of whom impressed, including Lowry and, especially, Young-Coombes. Here is @elfideldo pen-pictures of those in that squad for anyone who missed it.

https://rfcyouths.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/the-alkass-international-cup-squad/

Social media has nothing to do with putting our kids in the spotlight. Rangers actively keep an eye on the youths at the top level in England and they keep an eye on us. I know for a fact (from a Hibs 'source') that at a recent Hibs v Motherwell youth match there were scouts from Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton, Dhims and Rangers there. They don't need social media to know the up-and-coming talents.
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There’s been active scouts from England since 50s at least so what’s your point
 
Yankeeger said:
There’s been active scouts from England since 50s at least so what’s your point
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You pointed to a list of names from social media, said we shouldn't get carried away by social media gossip and finished by saying we don't want another Billy Gilmour episode. All true of course. However, it read to me that you were suggesting social media gossip had a part to play in Gilmour's departure. It didn't. If I've misunderstood you then fair enough.
 
S.londonbear said:
Still need to work out how we push these youngsters into the first team.
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True, but the biggest challenge is first to make sure these youths don't turn out to be shit senior players. Let's face it, Scottish footballers have been shit for decades now. Today we fielded a team trounced by kazakhstan. One thing Scottish football appears not to suffer from is an abundance of talented young footballers unable to break into senior football due to an abundance of talented seniors.
 
Earl of Leven said:
We WILL lose more to clubs down south, that's going to happen.

We just have to hope that:

1. Enough do play for first team
2. We get enough compensation to ensure youth system grows and grows
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We should look at radical reforms of our professional League and having a minimum amount of academy players is one of them. Less likely to leave if they're in the first team, problem at Clubs like ours is we don't have time for these players to develop quite often so they either get snapped up by a Club with more resources to be shipped about the place for monetary gain or they do make the first team but can't hold down a place due to inexperience and the simple fact that they need time.
 
I don't like commenting on younger youth players but Leon is no longer a secret. He is up there with the best 15 year olds to emerge at Rangers - Ferguson, Fletcher, Miller, Gilmour.

First saw him playing up a year as an eleven year old against a very good Club NI side. It is rare the top EPL sides show any interest in Scottish kids Gilmour was a rare exception unusually we have another so soon in Leon.

Big decision when he is 16, will have the pick of EPL clubs if he wants that, hopefully will see his immediate future at Rangers.
 
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