Mellon gone and Hughes incoming

[offshore_arab83]

The emphasis on young players is strange.

Surely anyone who knows anything about football knows that you can't just chuck a big group of young players and expect to be competing at the top end of the table. You need experienced players capable of guiding these young players through when there form drops.

The McNamara 2014 team had a good group of young players in it but only 2 of those had been plucked out of nowhere really. Gauld and Souttar (who only properly broke into the 1st team the season before) and they were eased in and out of the team due to the other players we had in the squad. Guys like Armstrong, Dow and Gms had at least 2/3 years within the first team in a good team before they were ready to be the key players. Russell and Goodwillie were the same before them. We very rarely just through young players in and expect them to compete. McNamara in 2016 decided Spittal, Fraser, Connolly, Telfer, Zwick, Donaldson etc were all ready to be key players when they clearly weren't. They needed another season at least of being back up to better players.

I am all for young players getting their chance but 1. if they are good enough and 2. if we develop them correctly. Don't just chuck them in because we want to look good. That normally backfires.

good post daz

[cybershed]

I know that but the amount of stuff that comes out about how great our Academy is and then the sudden emphasis on wanting to bring through more young players is concerning as this is 2016 all over again. Throwing young players with good potential in an average squad. There's only 2 of the young players who should be looking to be key players for next season. Appere and Chalmers. Those two have been in and around the squad for a few seasons and should be ready to push on and make a bigger impact within the squad.

Guys like Mochrie, Graham, Neilson, K Smith, Meekison etc all very good players by the looks of it. If they are squad players then great, get them involved but if we are trying to force these guys into the first team it will end badly. Allow them time to develop.

Agreed. Appere and Chalmers look to be ready to push for a 1st team Tangerine jersey. Some of the others should be getting 1st team experience on loan elsewhere but still training with Utd during the week. Whilst a couple of them should maybe be getting chances to appear for us from the bench.

We could do with a couple of good seasoned pro's in though. A winger and an central attacking midfielder IMO.

[BudMill90]

Agreed. Appere and Chalmers look to be ready to push for a 1st team Tangerine jersey. Some of the others should be getting 1st team experience on loan elsewhere but still training with Utd during the week. Whilst a couple of them should maybe be getting chances to appear for us from the bench.

We could do with a couple of good seasoned pro's in though. A winger and an central attacking midfielder IMO.

This is what Mochrie, Neilson, Fotheringham, Freeman, Graham, Cooney, Meekison, Hoti all did in stages last season. I'd be surprised if any go on Loan next season (apart from probably Cooney who didn't get a lot of game time on loan) as I think the club will want to them to get given a chance to see what they can offer.

The thing with the current United squad, assuming no one leaves, is that we are probably 2/3 players away from easily being top 6 level. A centre half to play beside Edwards that is at his level or better, a central midfielder to play in beside Fuchs, and then a out and out winger to play on the left and we have a team that looks like this:

Benji
Smith, Edwards, New CB, Robson
Chalmers, Fuchs, New CM, New LM
Shankland, Appere

I know that team is just off the top of my head, but if all of those new signings are at the level of Edwards & Fuchs then that is a line-up that I'd be confident with going onto most games. Yes, we could do with better full-backs, but the positions I have mentioned are of more importance at the minute.

So then you bring the youngsters in and you are maybe playing Mochrie or Meekison in behind Shanks. Or you put Fotheringham out left mid. Or Freeman comes into one of the fullback slots.

Could one of the young CB's fill that slot beside Edwards all season? I wouldn't be so sure and would want much stronger, experienced full backs to be 100% happy with Edwards and Smith/Neilson/Graham as a centre back pairing. But we saw last season that the Premiership isn't as difficult a place as we think at times. Yes there were some brutal matches but we also got a clean sheet against Celtic with Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson as the back 4. We got 4 clean sheets against Aberdeen with all of the previously mentioned guys plus Neilson and Connolly in there too. So it's not like we are coming up against top quality teams every week.

The most important thing is that we bring in a 2 or 3 players to improve the current starting 11. I'd rather have Courts as manager plus these 3 new players, than McInnes but not make any new signings. I know thats not a situation that is likely to play out, but you know what I mean.

It's a massive summer and we can't afford to mess up recruitment. For me, its more important that the head coach appointment.

[JUSTaway]

Agree with above posts, utd should always be about promoting youth where possible, but only with safety net of a decent first team at your disposal.

After we sold off all our gems last time we filled the squad with youngsters who either weren’t good enough or weren’t ready. We should have accepted the club would go with plan B for a couple of seasons, seasoned proven pros until the next batch of kiss were ready. Instead their development was hampered coming into a struggling team with Toxic atmosphere. Results in youth development taking a hit and we sell youngsters for Cheap Clause they havent developed potential and were desperate for Cash as relegated.

Need to walk before we can run. Courts himself wont be a name to attract players, but If he was taking over couple of seasons Down line and we were established top 6 club on the up, would ne less important, club would sell itself.

[BackRowArab]

This is what Mochrie, Neilson, Fotheringham, Freeman, Graham, Cooney, Meekison, Hoti all did in stages last season. I'd be surprised if any go on Loan next season (apart from probably Cooney who didn't get a lot of game time on loan) as I think the club will want to them to get given a chance to see what they can offer.

The thing with the current United squad, assuming no one leaves, is that we are probably 2/3 players away from easily being top 6 level. A centre half to play beside Edwards that is at his level or better, a central midfielder to play in beside Fuchs, and then a out and out winger to play on the left and we have a team that looks like this:

Benji
Smith, Edwards, New CB, Robson
Chalmers, Fuchs, New CM, New LM
Shankland, Appere

I know that team is just off the top of my head, but if all of those new signings are at the level of Edwards & Fuchs then that is a line-up that I'd be confident with going onto most games. Yes, we could do with better full-backs, but the positions I have mentioned are of more importance at the minute.

So then you bring the youngsters in and you are maybe playing Mochrie or Meekison in behind Shanks. Or you put Fotheringham out left mid. Or Freeman comes into one of the fullback slots.

Could one of the young CB's fill that slot beside Edwards all season? I wouldn't be so sure and would want much stronger, experienced full backs to be 100% happy with Edwards and Smith/Neilson/Graham as a centre back pairing. But we saw last season that the Premiership isn't as difficult a place as we think at times. Yes there were some brutal matches but we also got a clean sheet against Celtic with Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson as the back 4. We got 4 clean sheets against Aberdeen with all of the previously mentioned guys plus Neilson and Connolly in there too. So it's not like we are coming up against top quality teams every week.

The most important thing is that we bring in a 2 or 3 players to improve the current starting 11. I'd rather have Courts as manager plus these 3 new players, than McInnes but not make any new signings. I know thats not a situation that is likely to play out, but you know what I mean.

It's a massive summer and we can't afford to mess up recruitment. For me, its more important that the head coach appointment.

No issues with that line up. Only change I'd make is Appere out wide and someone else in behind Shanks. I think Smith and Neilson rotating in and out alongside Edwards (and/or Reynolds) is perfect.

[JUSTaway]

This is what Mochrie, Neilson, Fotheringham, Freeman, Graham, Cooney, Meekison, Hoti all did in stages last season. I'd be surprised if any go on Loan next season (apart from probably Cooney who didn't get a lot of game time on loan) as I think the club will want to them to get given a chance to see what they can offer.

The thing with the current United squad, assuming no one leaves, is that we are probably 2/3 players away from easily being top 6 level. A centre half to play beside Edwards that is at his level or better, a central midfielder to play in beside Fuchs, and then a out and out winger to play on the left and we have a team that looks like this:

Benji
Smith, Edwards, New CB, Robson
Chalmers, Fuchs, New CM, New LM
Shankland, Appere

I know that team is just off the top of my head, but if all of those new signings are at the level of Edwards & Fuchs then that is a line-up that I'd be confident with going onto most games. Yes, we could do with better full-backs, but the positions I have mentioned are of more importance at the minute.

So then you bring the youngsters in and you are maybe playing Mochrie or Meekison in behind Shanks. Or you put Fotheringham out left mid. Or Freeman comes into one of the fullback slots.

Could one of the young CB's fill that slot beside Edwards all season? I wouldn't be so sure and would want much stronger, experienced full backs to be 100% happy with Edwards and Smith/Neilson/Graham as a centre back pairing. But we saw last season that the Premiership isn't as difficult a place as we think at times. Yes there were some brutal matches but we also got a clean sheet against Celtic with Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson as the back 4. We got 4 clean sheets against Aberdeen with all of the previously mentioned guys plus Neilson and Connolly in there too. So it's not like we are coming up against top quality teams every week.

The most important thing is that we bring in a 2 or 3 players to improve the current starting 11. I'd rather have Courts as manager plus these 3 new players, than McInnes but not make any new signings. I know thats not a situation that is likely to play out, but you know what I mean.

It's a massive summer and we can't afford to mess up recruitment. For me, its more important that the head coach appointment.

Yes if we can keep siegrist, Edwards, Fuchs, shanks, and strengthen in certain Areas, some youngsters emerging to make impact, team could be ok next Season. If Courts appointed, Onus totally on ashgar to give him the tools. Recruitment Massive, nightmare scenario we loše some of these players, and recruit poor.

[BudMill90]

Yes if we can keep siegrist, Edwards, Fuchs, shanks, and strengthen in certain Areas, some youngsters emerging to make impact, team could be ok next Season. If Courts appointed, Onus totally on ashgar to give him the tools. Recruitment Massive, nightmare scenario we loše some of these players, and recruit poor.

100%

Look at 2015/16.

Players that left:

Keith Watson
Calum Butcher
Jarek Fojut
Rado Cierzniak
Nadir Ciftci

Players we replaced them with at the start of the season:

Zwick/Szromnik
Donaldson
Durnan
Bill McKay
Aaron Kuhl
Darko Bodul

There are more but I'm about being sick just typing those names.

If the players that left all stayed, we would never have been relegated in 2016. We could have lost Nadir and still stayed up, but losing Butcher, Watson, Fojut and Rado were a nightmare for us. Then you have Paton, Dixon, Erskine all getting major injuries that ruled them out long terms at the start of the season and we were always right up against it.

Benji, Edwards, Fuchs and Shanks are our most important players (by a country mile btw) so if any one of them leave, we CANNOT rely on anyone else at the club to replace them. We need to recruit players close to or above their level.

As for the rest of the squad, I feel all other players who were in our 'best' 11 all have fairly able replacements already at the club. Full back for example, Freeman and Sporle aren't miles away from Smith and Robson.

[darrenshedtastic]

Recruitment is massive every year. For me the young players who should be looking to be key players for us next season should be Appere and Chalmers due to their development of being in and around the squad.

Freeman could be a decent shout for backup full back but he hasn't played much so possibly sending him on loan again could be more ideal for him. Cooney also worth another loan he didn't play much at Raith. If it's me, Neilson goes on loan again and Graham stays as back up for CB. He is older and had more loan spells (Elgin and Cove) so might be further ahead in his development. plus he is left footed so would be an ideal backup for Reynolds. K.Smith is an interesting one as he is very highly rated but he is still very young so do we keep him in and around the squad? or give him a loan somewhere so he plays? interesting to see what happens.
I'd only want us to sign a defender if they come in and are better than what we have.

Mochrie is a squad player for me but depends if we brought in another wide/creative player. Maybe worth giving him another loan but in the championship? Glass coming back from long term injury so will be expecting him to get a loan. Hoti (who knows) Meekison probably should be put on loan. Same with Fotheringham.

Id be looking for a quality defender (probably left back) a winger/creative player and a target man are the main ones for me. with Graham, Freeman, Mochrie? making the step up to be squad players

[darrenshedtastic]

100%

Look at 2015/16.

Players that left:

Keith Watson
Calum Butcher
Jarek Fojut
Rado Cierzniak
Nadir Ciftci

Players we replaced them with at the start of the season:

Zwick/Szromnik
Donaldson
Durnan
Bill McKay
Aaron Kuhl
Darko Bodul

There are more but I'm about being sick just typing those names.

If the players that left all stayed, we would never have been relegated in 2016. We could have lost Nadir and still stayed up, but losing Butcher, Watson, Fojut and Rado were a nightmare for us. Then you have Paton, Dixon, Erskine all getting major injuries that ruled them out long terms at the start of the season and we were always right up against it.

Benji, Edwards, Fuchs and Shanks are our most important players (by a country mile btw) so if any one of them leave, we CANNOT rely on anyone else at the club to replace them. We need to recruit players close to or above their level.

As for the rest of the squad, I feel all other players who were in our 'best' 11 all have fairly able replacements already at the club. Full back for example, Freeman and Sporle aren't miles away from Smith and Robson.

Losing a spine of the team either leaving in that summer or being out mainly due to injury was more of the downfall for our relegation than the SA/GMS saga imo. Losing those 2 were massive for that season but the following season we had the chance to move on from it. but by not replacing that spine meant the team was poor and had nothing about it to get itself out of the problem we were in. We resorted to chucking in youngsters who weren't ready or not good enough and signing loans/free agents to get us out of trouble

[Jim_Jam]

Micky Mellon wanted to go in a different direction to Dundee United strategy -

I would like this explained to me.

Which direction did Mellon want to go? (I don't mean England)

Bring in some of his own players and faze in youth?