James McPake insists Dunfermline’s youngsters should be inspired by Josh Edwards’ departure – and claims he would ‘love to lose them all’ in glamour moves.
Edwards brought to an end five years with the Pars when he joined Charlton Athletic last month in a deal worth almost six figures.
McPake did not want to be denied the services of the left-back. But he accepts that ambitious youngsters cannot be held back in their careers.
And he believes others will view Edwards’ transfer south of the border as evidence the Pars can be a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
McPake reckons the likes of Ewan Otoo, Kane Ritchie-Hosler and the freshly-injured Matty Todd are all likely to attract suitors in future.
“I would love to lose them all,” said the East End Park boss candidly.
“I genuinely mean that. I’d love [clubs] to be up every week and bidding for them because the only way that they are going to be doing that is if we are being successful.
“It’s probably not what the fans want to hear. But I’d love to develop them, help them and watch them [move on] – but only if they go to England.
“Unless they get a big move to Celtic, Rangers, Hearts or Hibs or Aberdeen, something like that. Then you can deal with it, with no disrespect to other clubs.
‘Hopefully everybody has that wee buzz’
“We get the scouts list through every week and when they are coming back for the next home game, that’s great for the football club.
“I don’t mean financially, but it’s exactly what I probably said that we wanted to do when I came in on the first day.
“And it is not just the young ones. Hopefully everybody is in there with that wee buzz and that wee bit between the teeth.”
Whilst accepting Dunfermline’s place in the football food chain, McPake is convinced the Pars can offer the perfect environment for players to prove themselves and develop their game.
“Maybe there has been a penny drop moment,” added McPake, “where a few of them have said, ‘I fancy a bit of that’.
“They’re maybe saying, ‘If I perform for Dunfermline, if I work hard every single day and just give everything I’ve got, what’s to say I cannot have a great couple of years for Dunfermline or go and move on elsewhere?’.
“When we have 5,500 fans here every second week it’s a good place to play football. We know that.
“But also we want to push them. Give me another year with the ones mentioned and I’d love to sell them all next summer.
“That would mean that we’d been very successful on the pitch, good in training and lucky with injuries.”
