DO you remember the game Whack-A-Mole?
It was an attraction which could be found at the funfair or in an amusement arcade. You would enthusiastically grab a hammer and be the very picture of concentration waiting for one of the little blighters to pop up.
Great fun could be had and if you got to the end of your shot having whacked them all, there would be a sense of satisfaction. Mission accomplished.
For those against the introduction of Colt teams to the SPFL, the debate feels a bit like Whack-A-Mole although there is no end in sight and it would appear those running the game are simply waiting for our arms to get tired.
They will be waiting a while. Every time the subject is brought back to the surface, the reaction from most, if not all, lower-league fans is no. No, no, no. The answer’s still no.
As well as being remarkably persistent, the SFA and SPFL top brass are both blind and tone deaf. If they are not ignoring the poor attendances from dozens of Irn-Bru Cup matches involving Colt teams, they refuse to listen to what supporters are telling them.
This has been third season of Scottish Premiership ‘B’ teams taking part in a competition which was originally an opportunity for clubs outwith the top flight to win a piece of national silverware, although the presence of ringers from England’s National League, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can be contested another day.
That’s because no one is suggesting Boreham Wood or Bohemians are admitted to the SPFL league ranks but there is a desire and a determination to have Colt teams participating on a weekly basis.
It’s important to remember that clubs have the final say on this issue. The highly-paid executives may have influence but it’s the votes of the likes of Aberdeen and Annan Athletic which matter.
Most clubs have kept their own counsel in public but what they think privately may be a different matter; certainly the strength of feeling against any Colt teams proposal will have been noted.
Of course, it’s not enough to just say no. It should be, but it isn’t. In any case, there are perfectly valid reasons why fans of lower-league clubs don’t want to see their favourites competing on a first-team playing field with glorified youth sides.
The presence of youth teams absolutely devalues and demeans the competition. It sends a message that some clubs in the SPFL matter more, in that they can field two sides. It also says that football in the lower leagues matters less.
Fans have not turned out for the aforementioned Irn Bru Cup games and there is now three years of evidence of this.
There were 266 at Annan’s first-round win over Celtic Under 21s in August when, on the same night, more folk turned up at Shielfield to watch Airdrieonians beat Berwick Rangers. Hearts U21s attracted 344 for their tie with Ross County but there were over 100 more at Stair Park for Stranraer’s game against Partick Thistle.
Any suggestion that Colt teams will be a financial win for hard-up part-time clubs is bogus.
It’s then about making sure young Scottish players at top clubs get first-team experience. Great idea. Even better, this is already catered for. Premiership sides can send their starlets to lower-league outfits for just that.
There are dozens of examples over the years where this has worked. Aberdeen’s Stevie May scored goals for fun at Alloa Athletic and Hamilton Accies before getting a crack at it with St Johnstone. Chris Cadden got into the Motherwell team after helping Albion Rovers win the League Two title in 2015.
Colt teams apologists point out that it would be better for young players to learn alongside their team-mates at that level so they can get used to a certain style of play and develop under the coaches at the club who would have complete control.
This has always been one of the more spurious arguments when it is far better for a young player to gain vital first-team experience with men against men, where he can learn different styles of play, as well as how and what it means to win.
And should many of these young players not make it at their top-flight club, they have at least experienced life outside the bubble rather than been stuck in the one environment. They may be able to make it at a lower level.
But they have ‘B’ teams in the likes of Spain and Germany? Yes, they do. They also have 20 and 18-team top-flights but every time a bigger Premiership is suggested, the idea cannot be shut down quick enough.
These nations’ football success may, in part, be down to having ‘B’ teams but they are not the silver bullet. Bigger populations, more coaches and better facilities help these countries produce fit, strong, smart, technically-gifted footballers.
At lower-league grounds across the country, I’ve never encountered a fan who wished that they were playing a Premiership side’s Under-21s that day instead of facing a proud club rich in history, tradition and firmly rooted in its community.
It doesn’t matter whether it is Colts in League Two, Colts in a new SPFL League Three or Colts in the Lowland League with the opportunity of promotion - the message from fans is clear. It’s about time this Whack-A-Mole machine was switched off permanently.
Colin Paterson is editor of the Kilmarnock Standard and a matchday football reporter for the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. A Doonhamer, he is currently on a season-long road trip taking in Scotland's stadiums. He was at game 33 in the first week in January 2019. It's 50-50 whether or not he makes it until the end of the season. You can follow his travels here and find Colin here on Twitter.
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