ANGE POSTECOGLOU has responded to reports that suggest Scottish teams are looking to reconstruct the football pyramid, with SPFL sides creating a league for their B teams.
The proposed conference league would have the opportunity for teams to get promoted and relegated and would slot in between League Two and the Lowland/Highland. The plans have caused quite a lot of controversy in clubs lower down the divisions, effectively relegating the Lowland/Highland league sides.
Celtic, The Rangers and Hearts currently have teams in the Lowland League, but the agreement is only for this season, and will have to be renewed in the summer, if there are plans for them to remain there. The benefits are clear to see for Celtic, but other teams aren’t pleased with the agreement.
The Celtic boss admitted he understands the concerns of the teams affected, but insists that it’s important for the young players to get the opportunity to play at a higher level each week. He said: [The Daily Mail]
“I do think it’s important there are opportunities for the lads just below the first team to play competitive football. We have certainly benefited from the B team playing in the Lowland League. They get really good exposure.
“I think, when you look at youth development around the world, you look at Spain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, the second sides are all involved in competitions. Obviously, it’s a bit more challenging here because it’s not as big a country, but I think it helps to find places in competition for these players to aid their development.
“You can always put them out on loan, but if you can provide that level of competition for them in-house, it helps with their progression. The ones who don’t make it at our clubs will go elsewhere to play, they might filter down the pyramid anyway, but they’ll have a better understanding of the game, which will help their careers here or elsewhere.”
