Appearance fees for our best players

[Phil Thomas]

I have got my freshly prepared olive branch here.

Phil,

I felt it was obvious to all I was talking about current "top" players not ones from the past, no matter how recent.

David (and Daniel) Deary do indeed play for the same club as me (Greenwood) but in a different division playing for a different team.

The endgame strategy stuff was never intended to be a replacement in any shape or form for existing coaching. As I have said many times before, I am a limited player but am ok if I simply stick to this stuff. Different players are more comfortable with it than others. Kai Pannwitz took to it quicker than Alan Tate, Kirsty McCusker took to it quicker than Gary Gillespie.

When I came to your house to give an endgame strategy lesson to Matthew and Daniel, you were constantly interrupting and not allowing me to do my training correctly. I politely asked you not to say anything (in front of your boys) as It was them I was trying to give the lesson to.

I now unreservedly apologise if you were offended by me asking this of you.

Now, let's move on.

Robin.

I wasn't going to post again on this thread but Robin's posting quoting above deserves an Olive branch in return.

The route that Robin in taking with increased coaching activity using coaches round the age of 20 is a logical extension of previous IJD activity. The inititiative dererves support from all. However, no IJD will ever have the time to supervise such a scheme personally. Paul is fortunate that he the enthusiasm and available time that Robin can bring to this position.

Brief comment or two on recent posts here and on a recently active thread.

There is a general desire to improve playing standard of Scotland top junior players. In order to know if policies are working or not measurements have to be made with numbers and not with words. Those numbers have to come from the CS grading system.

And now a prediction.

When the July 2012 grades come out, I will compare them with the July 2011 and earlier grades and tell the notice board readers how much good has been done by Robin's efforts. Given the quality of the coaching skills of those recent junior getting involved I predict that the measurable benefit will be substantial. The credit I will attribute to Robin and the new coaches.

Yes I do know many other people put much work in but in the grand scheme of things the sum total of their efforts is near constant year upon year.