Mayenda was there for half a season, with 1 manager. Mayenda went on loan and came back a better player, it's not always about getting loads of minutes its about the experience and learning what it takes to be a pro - he did that so it was 100% wroth it. Who knows if he would have broken through last season without that loan move. He went on loan and after that he kicked on as a player for us, that's a good thing for me We can't just keep players around the squad just because we have good coaches, it gets to a stage that players need to play senior football
It's also life experience. Moving away to new, unfamiliar areas, with different approaches and ways of living, training and playing, brings about maturity. It's vital for our younger / fringe players.
Spot on I think once players get into their 20s they need to play 1st team football. Yes they'll learn alot from our coaches on the training ground but they need matchday experiences. I really like the look of Harrison jones at the minute but if he doesn't feature much for us again this season he will be 22 with little to no senior minutes. Players need to play minutes, our 2 most successful academy players in henderson and Pickford, both went out on loan and got valuable experience which massively helped them kick on. I totally agree that a bad loan can massive impact a player as well, but that comes now with knowing the person and knowing how they'd deal with that. I use Mayenda as an example as hes clearly got the personality that a loan would have definitely helped him when he went to Hibs. He didn't get the minutes he or us would have wanted in his few months there but he came back a better professional by all accounts and it gave him a platform to kick on with us. Would he of done that without the loan, maybe but the facts are he went on loan and when he came back he massively kicked on
My final point on loaning players out, as don't want to derail the match thread further. Loaning players out isn't guaranteed to help them but neither is keeping that at the club when they get dont minutes plus a coach will not want a huge squad to keep happy or have to big of a squad for training drills etc It's about knowing the player and doing what is best for them and their careers. I would hate to keep a player for too long and it impacts their next move, as teams are always wary of signing players of a certain age that haven't played much senior football I do think quite a few of our players will go out on loan to get the exposure I think they need to have long successful careers either with us or in the game itself Time will tell if those moves help them or not Great team performance last night tho and I look forward to Saturday
He'll be absolutely fine getting tagged in like a big hoss for games against class sides. Be like tagging in Batista.
Ive never been sold on Seelt, particularly given his high price tag (remember when 2 million was a lot?) but I am becoming a convert. I think he might have a higher ceiling than Ballard. He has impressed me with his technical skills in pre season, passing and dribbling seem excellent. He’s bulked up an already tall frame, without seeming to lose his speed. I think he’s a dark horse to start against West Ham instead of Ballard alongside a new signing at centre half. Nevertheless I expect Ballard to start instead, because experience matters and it is a big game. What a cracking loan signing someone will get if we do let Seelt go out.
He's Spanish and had already played league games in France ... ... I doubt he really learned much about from being up the road in Edinburgh tbh. By all means send our young players out on loan but they have to be much better than that. You said it yourself to be fair and didn't seem too impressed at the time, "Loans are great but for me , we are becoming a team that's buying and spending money, to then loan players out. Not improving the immediate first 11 so progress seems to slow or halt. When I say zero chance, I mean zero chance to impress here, in our first 11. I mean Mayenda looked canny, then just loaned out. Then we go and buy a player in the exact same position, similar age with nearly zero mens experience for another million. If this pattern continues , Mundle will probably be out on loan in the summer."
I'm coming round to the idea of a nasty little 'Vardy style' goal poaching 6 yard finisher tbh ... ... as things stand I could see our wingers scoring more than our CFs. That's fair enough providing the goals are shared out and our interplay results in chances being created.
Game of two halves, both exciting for very different reasons, the new signings all look oven ready, and what prospects we have comming through in Zak, the Jones boys and Lavery they all, as expected shone brightly last night. As did Seelt, again , and how people can say Roberts played well I do not know , also maybe big dan is missing O/9 plugging the gaps now that little dan seems to have lost his way somewhat.