“Choose Your Clubs Carefully”

Dundee United Chairman Stephen Thompson today issued a warning to parents of all young Scottish players to “choose their clubs very, very carefully”. Thompson was reacting to the decision by an SPFL Tribunal that compensation of £204,000 was due to Rangers Football Club following Charlie Telfer’s decision to leave the Ibrox club for Dundee United in the summer. His decision was influenced by the fact that he had made only one substitute appearance for Rangers in a competitive match; lasting only 20 minutes in League One when victory was already assured. However, with guidance and development received at Dundee United the player has broken through into the first team and was awarded the SPFL Young Player of the Month in a more senior league. The Dundee United Chairman said: “This judgement in our opinion will have a serious impact on the freedom of movement of some young players through no fault of their own. “Today’s decision protects clubs even in the event that those clubs are responsible for players’ careers being stifled at a critical stage in their development. “It will restrict the opportunities for some of our most promising young players to gain regular first team football and act as a deterrent to any Scottish football club which wishes to take such players on. Today’s decision is completely at odds with the stated aims of our football authorities in respect of encouraging our most promising young players to play first team football at the highest level. “It highlights the need for parents and young players to choose their clubs very, very carefully. Today’s judgement now sets a dangerous precedent that means some of our most promising young players will be deprived of the opportunity to secure a contract at a club where they have been offered a genuine first team opportunity and to improve their earnings purely because the compensation has been set at a ridiculously prohibitive level. The sum awarded to Rangers is almost seven times the amount offered to the player under the terms of his new contract with the Glasgow club. “ In recent years Dundee United has successfully developed the careers of players such as Andy Robertson, Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven, Craig Conway, Paul Dixon, Johnny Russell and David Goodwillie, all of whom benefitted from regular professional coaching and first team football at Dundee United and went on to play at full international or Under 21 level for Scotland.