RedMatchday interview with Neil Cooper
If the senior side hasn’t delivered on the early season promise this term, Aberdeen’s Under 20s have been in terrific form from start to finish, finishing second in the Clydesdale Bank Youth League, scoring 77 goals along the way, far more than any other team in the division, while still posting one of the best defensive records.
That said, youth football isn’t about trophies, it’s about producing new Andersons and Millers, Leightons and Jacks. That is what makes this current crop so special, and so encouraging for all those involved in the AFC youth development programme – not only do we have a fine team, we have a string of good individual players throughout the whole Academy, from U16 level through to the U20s, many of whom are already making an impact on the first team. Neil Cooper, the epitome of an unsung hero, is the man in charge of the U20s.
“To finish second in the league speaks volumes for the players. They have all worked really hard and their quality has been really good. I could not be more pleased with all the boys.
“When I was sitting in the dressing room in Inverness after our final game I spoke to a couple of the boys and we started thinking about the games where we dropped points. Kilmarnock was the first game we lost, down at Rugby Park. It might be something to do with the long journey, but we did not play particularly well in the first half and found ourselves a couple of goals down. We missed a couple of really good chances at the start of the second half and, although we got a goal back, we still had to chase the game and they got a third goal.
“Hamilton beat us down there when we actually had a number of first team players involved but did not play well, St Johnstone beat us more recently on a plastic pitch in terrible conditions, so when you look back, there are a number of games we could have done better in, but I suppose everyone does that at the end of a season. Overall you have to look at the fact we finished not that many points behind Celtic, a side that have a far bigger budget than us, a team that buys in players from all over the place, even at our level. Our games against them were very close. They beat us 1-0 in Brechin when we played particularly well but could just not get a goal, and then in the game down there we drew 1-1 but were the better team and passed the ball about really well.
“Saying that, the games we did lose are also important for the boys’ education. It showed the lads there is still a lot of work to be done. There is a big gap between the first team and the U20s and it shows how hard you have to work every week. You cannot let your performances drop at any time. All the games this season have been hard games. You have to work really hard to start with and then you can show your quality after that.
“At the start of each season the players have to think to themselves, “I want to improve. I want to play at a higher level than I did the season before”. That is the way young boys have to look at it especially this summer because when they come back there is going to be a lot of competition for places next year.
“The quality this season has been very good so you have to try and get above the boys who are ahead of you, whether it be guys trying to get into the first team or the younger members of our squad trying to get into the U20 side. The club does not owe them anything. You have to earn the right to get in the team. The only thing this club has done is give them the opportunity. They have to grasp that opportunity with both hands. To be fair the players have done that this season.
“With the size of the squad nowadays, everyone has to keep improving or they will not make it. On the plus side though, the smaller squads gives youngsters a better chance to progress if they impress the manager. Derek and Tony try and come to all the games and they showed by playing Craig Storie that they will give the young players that chance. Craig is still only 17 and will be a great player in the future.
“Others have to wait a bit longer. Nicky Low has been different class during his time at the club, every day in training he is always up for it. His performance levels are always very high, he sees things quickly, he can deliver a pass and his set pieces are excellent so it is great to see involved with the first team because no one has worked harder at this club than Nicky. All the players at the club are very pleased for him as well because they all know how hard he has worked. You must never lose heart. It has been shown at this club that you do get an opportunity so it is in the players’ hands. You have to do what Nicky has done, put in the performances, the effort, and keep improving and show you really want it. We are trying to develop players with the quality needed but also players that have a hunger and desire to succeed.
“A lot of the boys have shown a great attitude and they will get a chance. Stephen O’Neill, Craig Murray, Declan McManus and Cammy Smith have all been involved in the first team squad and a lot of the other boys have been very consistent. It can sometimes be hard if one boy gets up ahead of another one but everyone in the team wants them to do well because it might give more opportunities to those coming up behind them. They have to realise though that they cannot all get a game at the same time. The manager has to win games so he will pick and choose carefully when the young boys will get promoted.
“Football is all about opinions but those who have not been given a chance yet have to keep knocking at the door. You cannot get down or distracted just because someone has got a chance before you. You have to keep working hard and absolutely make sure when your chance does come along that you are ready to take it. You can have no excuses if you do not take your chance. Look at Joe Shaughnessy. He was thrown in when we had a number of injuries. He was put into an unfamiliar position but still went out and did a job and showed the manager that he could be relied upon. You do not get many opportunities in football if you are a young lad unless you are exceptional. So when that chance comes along, you have to make your mark. You cannot be overawed, you have to embrace it. You have to be confident, not over confident, but believe you can do your job to a high standard.
“There is plenty that I have been happy with this season. The last two seasons, the training sessions have been really good, high tempo, quality sessions. They have a great work ethic and all the players are very good technically, with a good touch. We have a lot of creativity in the group – you don’t score 77 goals if you are unable to open teams up. That is a great achievement to score that number of goals, especially as we have lost our two main strikers,Declan McManus and Cammy Smiths for international get togethers, and Cammy has also been in the first team squad for large parts of the season.
“Declan (25) and Cammy (16) have scored the majority of the goals, but goals have came from all over the park, there has been a good spread from defenders and midfielders. All the boys have contributed from setting chances up as well.
“As well as being top scorers in the league we have the third best defensive record. Danny Rogers in goal has been excellent all season, so have our central defenders Scott Rumsby, Michael Rose and more recently young Scott McKenna who has come in. Our two full-backs, Craig Murray and Craig Duguid, have done exceptionally well and typify the work rate that the team produces. Not that it is just down to the defenders, everyone in the team works hard at closing players down and covering back.
“I am very optimistic about the squad we have for next season. Neil Simpson. Colin Grant and Peter Weir have been working hard and have given me six new recruits who will be joining us after the summer, including Scott McKenna. That will give us a squad of 18 including two goalkeepers. They are coming into a good, happy squad. All the boys mix well together and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with them again next season. We may lose boys to the first team but that is a good thing, that is the main aim at the end of the day. That is why I am here”.
Getting boys into the first team is something Neil has been doing very successfully for a long time. Neil was a youngster at the club himself during the late 1970s before spending time in England with Barnsley and Grimsby Town and then with St Mirren, where he won the Scottish Cup in 1987. After hanging up his boots, he has spent almost 20 years at Pittodrie as Youth Coach – his time split by a short but successful spell as manager at Forfar.
“I don’t like comparing this squad with previous squads or with past players. For decades, this club has produced players, many who have gone on and played a lot of games for various team at various levels. This club spends a lot of money on Youth Development and will give players an opportunity. As a parent you look at that and you want your son to come to a club like Aberdeen.
“During my time, I have seen many changes to the Youth setup in Scotland. We started off as a non competitive U18 league, where you were allowed two over age players. The problem was that certain teams were more concerned with winning trophies than producing young players and would play two 20 year old strikers and we would have two raw 16 year old centre-halves. Over the years the years, different things have been tried. There was a U20 league where you could have three reserve players in the first half and then three different ones in the second half, but that was too many to be honest. Then we had the U19 league with no over age players and then this season we have gone back to an U20 league which I believe has been good. Some weeks we were playing against an experienced team as you are allowed three over age players, but I feel that is the right amount. Other weeks you would play against a younger team. If youngsters want to go on and play at first team level, then it is a good experience for them in their development to play against a few experienced pros.”
“The main thing it has done is allow players who were too old for the 19s to still be involved. I think there were players in the past who were let go despite having a lot of promise because they were not yet ready for the first team squad. Some players develop physically later than others. Being able to hold onto players for that extra year could make all the difference with one or two boys. That does not mean they can take it easy for a year, they have to keep improving and some will still go out on loan. Going out on loan has its benefits but it is not always ideal. For example, this year when our first team had all our injuries, we could not pick boys who were out on loan. What if Joe had been on loan? Would he have got his chance?”
One player who did get his chance was Ryan Fraser. It seems a very long time ago now but Ryan was a member of the U20 squad and played in their pre-season games before being called up to the first team. After a brief spell in the side he was soon on his way down to England, a massive blow for everyone at the club. Who knows how things might have panned out this season had we not lost the winger?
“Losing Ryan Fraser and Jack Grimmer and Fraser Fyvie was hard because I know how much money goes into bringing through a player and how hard people work within the Youth Academy. If you are developing players but big clubs are coming along and taking them away, there is very little compensation really. The money you get is peanuts for clubs south of the border so there is little or no risk for them. We would obviously want to take a player, have him in the first team for a number of years then sell him on for a good price. For the club to get very little compensation from the fee is not fair. It does not compensate all the hours the coaches have put in, all the work the scouts have done on cold winter’s days finding the player in the first place.I think all that clubs like Aberdeen can do is try and get players on longer contracts earlier to protect yourself as best as you can”.
The all too brief summer break comes along now, but very soon Neil will be back in harness, looking to build on the good work done this season. He’s already looking forward to it.
“I am still enjoying it. Football is my passion. It is the thing I always wanted to do. Luckily I managed to play for a number of years before getting involved in the coaching side. I still have the same passion. The minute I lose that passion to come to work in the morning, I will jack it in. I am paid by the club and the directors along with the Youth Academy to get players through to the first team. I am proud of the work I have done, just as everyone involved with the Youth Development at Aberdeen Football Club can be proud of their contribution.”
