The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pars do have reasons to see a bright future
In troubled times at Dunfermline, they have a head of youth development building for a brighter future. Courier sports editor Eric Nicolson heard his vision for the Pars . . .
CA N WE ignore three successive months of wage delays at Dunfermline Athletic? Dismiss the multi-million pound debt? Pretend that Pars players haven’t run out of tape to hold their socks up on a matchday and gone chapping on the door of their opponents?
Oh, and that can’t be an administration cloud with the threat of torrential liquidation hanging above East End Park, can it?
Because, the thing is, if we’re allowed to put the Pars’ perilous financial predicament to one side, there’s a lot to be optimistic about.
A club that is a living, breathing (just) example of how to jeopardise a business, is also a shining light of hope for Scottish football. Irony probably doesn’t do it justice.
While the Dunfermline directors have been plugging spouts of water that are now turning into geysers, their head of youth development, Stephen Wright, has been embedding an under-age set-up, which, if the club stays afloat, will be the envy of many of their rivals.
Teenagers coming through their system, like Shaun Byrne, have already made an impact in the first team, after being promoted from the under-20s, and there will be more following their lead, according to former A berdeen, Rangers, Dundee United and Scotland defender Wright.
Unfortunately, though, all that other debt crisis stuff can’t be ignored, as much as Wright would like to. “The coaches are asking questions about what’s happening, the parents are asking questions ,” he admitted.
“Shortterm, it probably doesn’t affect us, but longterm, it doesn’t really look good for the image of the club and trying to attract players, coaches and scouts. It’s concerning. “I’ve been here three years. We, basically, started from scratch and
we’ve got it to a place where we now need to take it to the next level.”
Since he was recruited on the recommendation of former Tannadice team-mate, Jim McIntyre, Wright has sought to build bridges in the local community, where there used to be mistrust, and cement a reputation. A ll of this with the aim of making Dunfermline the home of choice for promising young players in the Fife area and beyond. A nd he’s succeeding.
The talent drain to nearby Hearts and Hibs has been stopped, and the “next level” Wright referred to would be to establish a school of excellence.
“We’ve looked at the schools project that the likes of Dundee United and Celtic have and we think we’ve got a chance of doing it in Dunfermline,” he pointed out.
“It wouldn’t be as structured and resourced as those two clubs, but maybe a diluted version.
“We’ve built really good relationships with local boys’ clubs, which was tough at first. Two of our coaches go round the five high schools in Dunfermline, offering their services. We’re trying to put things back into the local area.
“What Celtic and United do is try to get the kids to one local school. That’s something we could do because Dougie Coulston (one of their coaches at younger age level) is a PE teacher at St Columba’s. We’ve spoken about getting the kids there, so they’d be getting coached every day by Dougie, doing their schoolwork and then coming to us at night time.
“The model could be there if we’ve got the resources behind us and a wee bit more structure. “We’ve got plans and are seeing the fruits of that with the under-20 team doing well and players breaking through into the first team. The standard has never been higher.
“There are guys knocking on the door of the first team – some have got there already – and then there’s the younger ones knocking on the door of the under20s.”
The pick of the bunch is a centreback, for whom there are particularly high hopes. To some trained eyes, he’s out-performing Danny Wilson at a similar age when the Liverpool defender was breaking through at Rangers.
Wright, who is currently overseeing a winter training camp for his under20s in Cyprus, said: “We’ve got one 16-year-old, Lewis Martin, who is now a mainstay in the under-20s.
“He’s a centre-half who has played
“We, basically, started from scratch and we’ve got it to a place where we now need to take it to the next level.” Stephen Wright
against Shefki Kuqi at Hibs and Richie Vernon against A berdeen and held his own against them. You’d usually say it’s easier to introduce a kid up front or out wide, but he’s done well in the area of the park where it’s toughest.
“We’re always striving to make the youth department stronger, but I’m really pleased at how far we’ve come and where we’re at now.”
Wright never played under Sir Alex Ferguson at A berdeen, but the influence Scottish football’s Godfather had on his career has been profound all the same.
The reference point for how a young footballer should be treated at a professional club is his own relationship with the iconic Manchester United manager.
“We’ve got to sell the club the best we can and make sure we have the core values that I was brought up with at A berdeen,” he said.
“It was fantastic there. I signed a schoolboy form at 13, after being spotted playing in a field at Hamilton. I used to go up in the school holidays for a week.
“Every day we’d train in the ash car park next to Pittodrie, with Alex Ferguson watching a lot of the time, and at the end of that week, before the bus left to take us back to the west, he would take us into his office one by one. He knew our names and would ask us how we were getting on.
“He’d always take an interest. A nd if the first team had a game in the west, he’d
always make sure there was a ticket for me and my dad and give it to us personally at the ground.
“I went down to see him a few years ago to get a tour of Carrington (United’s training base).
“I was introduced to the Rooneys and Ronaldos as one of his old Aberdeen players, so he was still making me feel quite important.
“I’ve set up another trip in February with a couple of our younger teams.”
Just as Sir Alex used to at Aberdeen, first-team coach Jim Jefferies is paying close attention to the under-age teams at Dunfermline. Byrne is proof of that.
“Jim Jefferies is at every under-20 game,” he explained.
“He even came up to Dingwall for a youth cup game. He’ll give the boys their chance when the time is right.
“People don’t realise how big an impact it has on a young player to meet a manager or a first-team player.
“Numerous international players have helped us out with training – Steve Crawford, Scott Booth, Gordon Durie – as well as our own guys like Josh Falkingham, Joe Cardle, Andy Barrowman and Andy Kirk.
“When they watch and speak to 11-yearolds, it’s something the kids will always remember.”
Wright waited until he was 24 and had several seasons of first-team experience with Aberdeen before he moved on to Rangers for a six-figure fee.
It’s not a career path that many youngsters who catch the eye of bigger clubs would follow, though. Most are in a hurry. Another north-east prospect, winger Ryan Fraser, would appear to be the latest example.
“I don’t know too much about Ryan’s situation,” Wright admitted. “Only what I’ve read.
“But I heard Stuart McCall speaking about Jamie Murphy recently. He played something like 200 games before leaving Motherwell and will probably kick on after his move to Sheffield United. It was the same with James McCarthy.
“I think, when you’ve got 150 firstteam appearances under your belt, you can consider yourself established and mature enough to move away.
“It’s tempting to see the bright lights and go too soon. I see it when I’m trying to persuade an under-11 or under-14 to come to Dunfermline. Maybe the boy or his parents see the bright lights of Murray Park (Rangers) or Riccarton (Hearts).
“It can be better to learn your trade locally. And if you’re good enough at 15 or 16, you’ll go to a big club.”
If and when Dunfermline launch their share issue, they’d be well advised to market it round Wright, his coaches and young footballers and the promise they bring of better times ahead. That would be a future worth buying into.