Head of Academy, Craig Mulholland, has called for a Rangers ‘B’ team to be entered into the SPFL whilst taking part in a Q+A on the Rangers Youth DC Twitter.
The Gers enjoyed a silverware-laden 2019 at youth level, with various age-group sides winning league and cup competitions.
Perhaps most notably, the U18s won the Scottish Youth Cup, while the Reserves took home the SPFL Reserve League title.
However, the club opted to withdraw from the latter competition this season, citing too much fluctuation in the competitiveness of fixtures.
There’s a firm belief that the club’s best young players should be playing against other top youth sides, or, preferably, against men.
It’s a move that the authorities haven’t entertained as yet, but when asked by a fan what he would do with a £50m budget for the Academy, Mulholland stressed that forcing it through would be the priority.
“One of the things we would prioritise would be the creation of a Rangers ‘B’ team playing in the SPFL,” he said on the Rangers Youth DC Twitter.
“We believe this is a fundamental and critical part of our player pathway which is missing and would be a catalyst in realising positive outcomes from all of the other new and innovative work that has taken place over the last few years.”
Verdict
While success has abounded at youth level recently, some Bears are becoming frustrated at the lack of evidence of progression from the Academy ranks to the first team.
With Ross McCrorie currently on loan at Portsmouth, no recent Academy graduates are regulars under Steven Gerrard.
The argument is, that if youngsters were able to get regular tough, competitive football in the lower levels of the SPFL, it would help to bridge the current gap between the highest levels of the Academy and the first team.
Many players benefitted this season from an extended run in the Challenge Cup, as the Young Gers defeated multiple senior sides from across Britain to reach the semi-final stages.
That run suggested a Rangers ‘B’ side would be able to compete if allowed into the league system – as is commonplace in Spain – with such a move surely improving the chances of the likes of Kai Kennedy and Nathan Patterson making it big.
An apparent lack of willingness from the authorities, though, suggests any such development is still some way off.
