RANGERS sporting director Ross Wilson insists that it is important that the youngsters on the books at Ibrox are given the chance to test themselves in Scotland’s lower leagues as discussions surrounding the introduction of Old Firm colt teams to the Lowland League continue.
Under the current proposal put forth by the Lowland League board for consultation, Celtic and Rangers would enter B teams into the fifth tier for a single campaign next season.
With no reserve league in place in Scotland, players between 18 and 21 have no clear pathway to first-team football at Ibrox without leaving on loan to gain game time elsewhere – a problem Wilson insists would be solved with the introduction of B teams outwith the SPFL pyramid.
He told Rangers TV: “We’re pleased and thankful that George Fraser, chairman of the Lowland League, has asked us to potentially consider joining the Lowland League, initially on a one-season basis. That’s something that we’ve looked upon favourably and we would potentially be interested in – if, of course, that was something that the members of the Lowland League would embrace.
“We want to test ourselves in these different scenarios. Playing in the Lowland League would provide a completely different test for the young players as well as a Best v Best games programme that would operate on top of that as well, against some of the best teams in Europe. It would be a really mixed challenge for our young players but we want to aid that transition.
Rangers Managing Director, Sporting Director and Head of Academy provide an update on our desire to enter a B team into the Lowland League. pic.twitter.com/slyKylxKlL
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 6, 2021
READ MORE: Rangers chief questions SFA and SPFL over colt team proposal
“We feel Scottish football needs to do something for that and we’re grateful to the Lowland League for stepping forward when others haven’t.
“This is a concept that is clearly to our benefit and we’ve been really open about that, albeit there would be benefits for many other people as well in our opinion. We respect that other people might have alternative views that we also need to embrace and listen to, and we will do. There might be some other opportunities that people have in mind that can position player development much further up the agenda here in Scotland.”
Managing director Stewart Robertson admitted on the club’s media channel that the hierarchy at Ibrox had been left exasperated by a perceived inaction on behalf of Scottish football’s governing bodies. Both Rangers and Celtic have been keen on the creation of colt teams for some time now and Wilson admitted that he too felt vexed with the lack of movement on the issue.
“The frustration really comes in two ways,” he added. “One, that we haven’t seen any progress at all on things that we think are to the betterment of Scottish football and player development. Those things are steeped in data and research, they’re not just concepts that we’ve plucked out of thin air. They have worked in other countries.
“The second one is that although our plans haven’t moved forward, we also haven’t seen any other plans being brought forward with an alternative view.”
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