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Stevie Mallan


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Hmm....there was another ex Saint midfielder that had stats that appeared to have St Mirren fans making a mess of their pants. Andy Dorman. Remember him? Went to Crystal Palace before plummeting through the English leagues. What a talent huh?

Funny that I could have sworn I saw him playing for New England in the MLS the other night. If that's a plummet we are all fuked !

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Funny that I could have sworn I saw him playing for New England in the MLS the other night. If that's a plummet we are all fuked !

I thought he left there, is he still playing for new england ? if he is i will go and stalk him when they play the whitecaps :S

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Could any one?

Seriously what's your point? That Scottish football is crap and all of our so called stars like Stevie May, Leigh Griffiths, Scott Allan and Garry MacKay-Stevens can't hack it down south.

Yeah - I've repeatedly said it. The Academy system in Scotland has failed the game. Mark Wotte led Scottish Football down the wrong path and as a result a lot of taxpayers money and sponsors money has been pissed away on a youth system that is anything but fit for purpose and which to date has only managed to boost the egos of a bunch of kids who really shouldn't have been anywhere near professional football.

Mallan is indicative of the crap being produced and I find it utterly embarrassing to see people who are old enough to remember what a decent midfield talent used to look like fawning over this kid like he's the new wonderkid. He's an extremely average performer in an extremely poor Scottish Championship. St Mirren should have snatched at Dundee's £60k if that was indeed what was on the table.

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Define "couldnt make it " He was a regular starter at Bristol Rovers & went back to Palace after his loan ended. He then Chose to go back to America .

Bristol or America ..... hmmm let me think about it !?!?

I should have known better than to class playing poorly for a struggling fourth tier English club as a failure to St Mirren fans these days - where Gateshead cast offs are hailed as top signings. :rolleyes:

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Hmm....there was another ex Saint midfielder that had stats that appeared to have St Mirren fans making a mess of their pants. Andy Dorman. Remember him? Went to Crystal Palace before plummeting through the English leagues. What a talent huh?

Stuart, are you suggesting that Dorman wasn't talented or a terrific player for St Mirren?

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Hmm....there was another ex Saint midfielder that had stats that appeared to have St Mirren fans making a mess of their pants. Andy Dorman. Remember him? Went to Crystal Palace before plummeting through the English leagues. What a talent huh?

Stuart, are you suggesting that Dorman wasn't talented or a terrific player for St Mirren?

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I should have known better than to class playing poorly for a struggling fourth tier English club as a failure to St Mirren fans these days - where Gateshead cast offs are hailed as top signings. :rolleyes:

But Dicko.....you're a St Mirren Fan.????

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Yeah - I've repeatedly said it. The Academy system in Scotland has failed the game. Mark Wotte led Scottish Football down the wrong path and as a result a lot of taxpayers money and sponsors money has been pissed away on a youth system that is anything but fit for purpose and which to date has only managed to boost the egos of a bunch of kids who really shouldn't have been anywhere near professional football.

Mallan is indicative of the crap being produced and I find it utterly embarrassing to see people who are old enough to remember what a decent midfield talent used to look like fawning over this kid like he's the new wonderkid. He's an extremely average performer in an extremely poor Scottish Championship. St Mirren should have snatched at Dundee's £60k if that was indeed what was on the table.

I'm sure you could point to players brought through both EPL and lower english league team academies that can't hack it in the big time (or biggish time). I agree that Scotland has stopped producing real talent like Gemmel, Robertson, Dalgliesh, but that happened years ago.

Judged by the standard of his peers in the Scottish game, Mallan is outstanding, as were, McGinn and McLean. He is kind of an identikit Scottish youth player, need and tidy good technique, lacking a bit physically and athletically. But he does have something over and above that, a bit of the vision thing, that cockiness that we used to have and a good finisher. If he can add tactical awareness, hard work and a bit of physicality to his game then he could be Scotland international class.

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Who was the last young midfielder we had that scored goals at this level in scottish football? Charlie Adam? 25 league appearances 5 goals. What happened to him?

I do think the wee man is far from the finished article (he seems to have some lapses in concentration leading to giving the ball away easily) but what do we expect?

The only thing that I think might hold him back is his size as he's not massive. His knack for scoring goals is something that makes him an asset. I wish that he didn't have to carry an entire team, it would be good to be able to rest or sub him for his own protection at times but it's not an option.

He's my favourite saints player this season by a mile.

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Who was the last young midfielder we had that scored goals at this level in scottish football? Charlie Adam? 25 league appearances 5 goals. What happened to him?

I do think the wee man is far from the finished article (he seems to have some lapses in concentration leading to giving the ball away easily) but what do we expect?

The only thing that I think might hold him back is his size as he's not massive. His knack for scoring goals is something that makes him an asset. I wish that he didn't have to carry an entire team, it would be good to be able to rest or sub him for his own protection at times but it's not an option.

He's my favourite saints player this season by a mile.

Ok - you remember Charlie Adam. IIRC he was 18 years old when we saw him score from the half way line for Ross County at Love Street. He tried it two more times in the same match. He moved to St Mirren a year later and although his absolute talent was obvious, he really was often a stand out in a midfield, he was often unfairly accused of being unfit or lazy.

Now compare him to Mallan. Do you REALLY see a player of equal ability? I don't. Adam was miles ahead and it was always pretty obvious to me that he'd go on to do well in his career. I wouldn't say I'd have expected to see him play for Liverpool but Stoke City and Blackpool always seemed about right. Mallan? Forrest Green? Gateshead? Certainly nowhere near League 1 never mind the Premiership.

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I'm sure you could point to players brought through both EPL and lower english league team academies that can't hack it in the big time (or biggish time). I agree that Scotland has stopped producing real talent like Gemmel, Robertson, Dalgliesh, but that happened years ago.

Judged by the standard of his peers in the Scottish game, Mallan is outstanding, as were, McGinn and McLean. He is kind of an identikit Scottish youth player, need and tidy good technique, lacking a bit physically and athletically. But he does have something over and above that, a bit of the vision thing, that cockiness that we used to have and a good finisher. If he can add tactical awareness, hard work and a bit of physicality to his game then he could be Scotland international class.

Of course you could,.but you could also name many squads worth of young English players who would walk into a UK Squad way before you'd even come close to naming any produced through the Scottish Leagues. The chasm between what is being produced through the respective youth systems in Scotland and England has never been wider in my lifetime. Indeed, as I've pointed out before, we've been at the stage for years now where top flight Scottish clubs have been trawling the English lower leagues for English nationality players to put in their team ahead of local lads. Look at Inverness for the classic example. A squad built with players from Tranmere Rovers, Stockport County, Cambridge United and Luton Town amongst others - and we're not talking about kids on the way up - we're talking about players who've been around a bit and who have struggled to be what must be less than 200th - 300th best in their position in their country. Yet still they hold starring roles at a club that finished last season as the third best in Scotland!

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None of which describes me. I'm very much on topic, I'm posting MY VIEW of an overhyped footballer who hasn't been very good in a league full of shite and I'm not expecting any argument since I'm absolutely correct.

You on the other hand are clearly off topic and trying desperately to provoke a response which stupidly I have given you. Well done on your trolling :rolleyes:

I think your views on Mallan are unfair. He is playing his first full season in the first team and has given a return of 11 goals from midfield. The pressure has also been there with his lack of experience, to make things happen going forward.

For a team who has massively under achieved , a midfielder in double figures to me is an asset

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Ok - you remember Charlie Adam. IIRC he was 18 years old when we saw him score from the half way line for Ross County at Love Street. He tried it two more times in the same match. He moved to St Mirren a year later and although his absolute talent was obvious, he really was often a stand out in a midfield, he was often unfairly accused of being unfit or lazy.

Now compare him to Mallan. Do you REALLY see a player of equal ability? I don't. Adam was miles ahead and it was always pretty obvious to me that he'd go on to do well in his career. I wouldn't say I'd have expected to see him play for Liverpool but Stoke City and Blackpool always seemed about right. Mallan? Forrest Green? Gateshead? Certainly nowhere near League 1 never mind the Premiership.

I remember watching Charlie Adam away to Stranraer on a Tuesday night and he was by far the worst player on the park of 22 players. Look where he is now.
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Of course you could,.but you could also name many squads worth of young English players who would walk into a UK Squad way before you'd even come close to naming any produced through the Scottish Leagues. The chasm between what is being produced through the respective youth systems in Scotland and England has never been wider in my lifetime. Indeed, as I've pointed out before, we've been at the stage for years now where top flight Scottish clubs have been trawling the English lower leagues for English nationality players to put in their team ahead of local lads. Look at Inverness for the classic example. A squad built with players from Tranmere Rovers, Stockport County, Cambridge United and Luton Town amongst others - and we're not talking about kids on the way up - we're talking about players who've been around a bit and who have struggled to be what must be less than 200th - 300th best in their position in their country. Yet still they hold starring roles at a club that finished last season as the third best in Scotland!

I in agreement with Stuart on this point

Having watched Tranmere for 20 years and there recent decline to Conference level with crowds of over 5000 they could still out muscle most Scottish teams in the Transfer market - yet they choose not to as there is an abundance of talented hungry youngsters and seasoned pro's to choose from without plundering the Scottish talent

So the model employed by Terry Butcher at Inverness signing players from the English lower leagues and making them a success in Scotland is a simplistic one but also a successful one.

Ash Taylor at Aberdeen and David Raven at ICT are just two current Rovers players employing their trade north of the border.

Even both of the ugly sisters are seeing value for money signing players from lower leagues south of the border.

I hope Mallan stays for a few more years and develops for a few more years - then gets his big money move to Tranmere!!!!

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As much as it pains me to say it, SD has made a pretty reasonable argument that the level of player now being produced through the youth system in Scotland is average compared to the past.

Where is the vision, where is the trickery, where is the devastating pass.

Yes McLean, McGinn and Mallan are maybe a cut above a number of other youths coming through the youth system, but they don't hold a candle to some of the 18 to 22 year olds' I remember from the 60's, 70's and early 80's.

Stevie Mallan would probably do himself some good by staying with Saints one more year and developing a bit more and then Saints let him move on up the tree a bit, be it with Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen or a 3rd tier club in England, because yes that is the level of the Premier division in Scotland.

Personally if I had a kid that was as 'talented' as any of the three above I wouldn't advise any of them to move to either of the Glasgow bigots as they would then become fringe players with little game time, and they would become tainted with the ever-lasting smell that pervades east and west Glasgow. Where McGinn & McLean have gone at least allows them to develop under a slightly bigger club background without the unnecessary pressures that are added playing for either of the Glasgow twins.

Where I do disagree with SD however, is that I wouldn't remotely advise SM to sign or consider signing for a team like Dundee, who are no better in structure than Saints and have a history of over-spending and see-sawing between the leagues.

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My feeling is that Mallan will go on to have a Lappinesque (decent but unspectacular) future in the game.

Getting a transfer fee for a player today is a bit of a black art but I see no reason to accept an offer less than the development fee we will be due and that, barring injury, I am confident we will receive.

Edited by Bud the Baker
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