THE issue is the same today as it has been for quite some time. The solution remains just as difficult to find for Rangers.
Tommy Wilson spent years trying to mould players fit to wear the jersey at first team level at Ibrox out of the raw talents that arrived through the gates of Auchenhowie.
Every kid shared the same dream, but the realities of life at Rangers were very different. It was survival of the fittest, may the best man win.
The likes of John Fleck, Andy Little and Danny Wilson were early success stories, while a host of players would make their breakthroughs during the journey back from the Third Division.
More recently, Leon King has emerged as one to watch under Giovanni van Bronckhorst's guidance, while Rangers also have high hopes for a handful - including Alex Lowry and Adam Devine - of players that have shown promise and that they could have what it takes. If they do, it won't just be Rangers that benefit.
Wilson left Glasgow to take up a position with Philadelphia Union in 2013 and is now Director of Player Development for the side that sit top of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer.
Back home, the fortunes of Steve Clarke remain of particular interest. Wilson was a team-mate of the Scotland manager at St Mirren as they made their names in their respective full-back berths.
Any national boss can, of course, only choose from the pool that is available. And that makes Rangers' desire to produce their own and promote from within a source of interest far beyond Ibrox.
"I am obviously a little bit detached from it," Wilson told Herald and Times Sport. "I have followed how the national team are doing.
"Archie Gemmill worked with the national team and now Scot has his role with the 21s. I have got an interest in seeing how our young players are progressing.
"For the national team, we have always been pretty competitive at the younger age groups. I follow it as much as I can and there seems to be a lot of talented young players breaking through.
"At our club we are investing so much in youth development, we don’t have any option and we can't go out and spend £10million on a player. The young lad Brenden Aaronson, who just signed for Leeds United from Red Bull Salzburg was ours, we sold him after he came through our academy from 12 years old.
"If you are committed to that model, you back your judgement and put your faith in the players. At the top clubs, that is the challenge for the guys working in development and they want players in the Rangers or Celtic first team. It is not easy to make that happen and it wasn’t easy to make that happen when I was there either.
"I followed the B Team debate. Anything that provides opportunities for young players to get to the next level is what is going to make the difference.
"That would be, for me, the most important thing and clubs that are investing in talent have to have a pathway for their young players to perform at the top level."
Wilson's move Stateside opened doors and expanded his ideas and horizons and the situation he finds himself in now draws parallels with the one he had and left behind with Rangers.
The further up the league ladder you operate, the higher the bar is raised. For those at the bottom that are reaching up, it is a make-or-break situation.
Players that emerge at Auchenhowie must ultimately now be of a European standard and being able to hold your own in a domestic squad is no longer good enough for Ibrox hopefuls.
Wilson said: "The club has stability in the sporting department structure. You usually find when that happens for a sustained period of time that there is success because there is belief in them.
"I look at some players now who we released at the academy when I was there because Rangers were and are a Champions League club and some of them have gone on to have outstanding careers. There is always a challenge of how you get young players over that threshold and into the team.
"At my club, it was easy for a number of years but it is harder now. Union are at the top of the league, whereas before they were an up and coming club.
"Now they are attracting a better level of player, it is harder for the young players to get in. They are Union born and bred but it is harder for them to get into our first team now because the level is higher. There is no easy solution to that.
"The higher the bar, and I am sure Giovanni will continue to raise the bar at Rangers, the more difficult it is. There is an expectation that you win every game just about so it makes it way more difficult for a young player to break into that environment."
The years after Wilson made the move to Philadelphia proved productive for youngsters as the likes of Lewis Macleod, Fraser Aird and Barrie McKay made the most of their opportunities in the lower leagues. It was a time of limited investment and little forward planning, though.
The blueprint drawn up by Craig Mulholland, the Head of Academy, has been added to by the vision of Ross Wilson since his appointment as Sporting Director. Time will tell if the foundations for a brighter future have been laid at Auchenhowie and Ibrox.
Wilson said: "When you chop and change all the time, it is the same with managers, coaches and players, then you never get an identity.
"I speak to Craig often enough to know how things are. He usually phones me when they win something! I have had enough calls from him to know that they are doing well.
"We worked together for a number of years. I met Craig when his brother played for me with the Glasgow schools select.
"I know Ross Wilson from his time at Falkirk when I was involved in player development with the Scottish FA and Rangers. It is great to see two Scottish guys there at the helm.
"I work with some German guys and they were very confident the Bundesliga clubs would beat Rangers out of the Europa League last season and unfortunately that happened in the final.
"I have been back a few times when I come back for a break or holiday. I usually go into the club and there are a lot of people there who were there when I was there.
"There is a continuity in their staffing and that is a big part in why they have been successful. They certainly look a different club now to the club that I left."
