Finlay Pollock

[tartofmidlothian]

It seems like he's the most likely of our young lads to break through at this moment. I didn't see it tonight, heard he was good, what do those who were watching think?

[Berra than you]

Just now, tartofmidlothian said:

It seems like he's the most likely of our young lads to break through at this moment. I didn't see it tonight, heard he was good, what do those who were watching think?

Thought he was very calm on the ball even with one or two opponents close to him. He can drive with the ball and also had a couple of good recovery runs in the first half. One minor point would be his decision making could be faster/better. But that's an age thing. He looks a very exciting prospect, I hope he gets more game time with us, and perhaps we don't loan him out.

[A_A wehatethehibs]

He was terrific and had a fantastic attitude. A long hard road ahead for him, a few tough battles against experienced, game Cove players but in terms of a debut, you can't ask for much more. Some really nice passes, good movement and should have scored. 

[Pans Jambo]

Hope this lad makes it. He was excellent tonight & deserves to be recognised as having a really good game. 
I remember seeing another young lad who had “Broony” in his pocket. Went to his head and now hes nowhere really. 
Pollock looked like he was 24 tonight. Hope he has the support to keep his heed screwed on & feet on the ground. 
Exciting talent. Looking forward to seeing more of him. 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Pans Jambo

[cookieboy]

certainly looks the real deal and think he should not go anywhere on loan and stay part of the first team squad 

[Maroon Sailor]

It seems to be the thing to loan young players out but how many of them come back all the better for it ?

 

Can't remember Paterson and Hickey being loaned out.

[RustyRightPeg]

Should stay part of the first team squad. I like his enthusiasm to run past Boyce and get in behind, it’s a dying art nowadays. Not seen it since the likes of Lampard / Gerrard. 
 

Obviously at 17 he’s still very raw but we have good experienced pros in the first team squad that can help him. 

[WT Laurie]

5 minutes ago, RustyRightPeg said:

Should stay part of the first team squad. I like his enthusiasm to run past Boyce and get in behind, it’s a dying art nowadays. Not seen it since the likes of Lampard / Gerrard. 
 

Obviously at 17 he’s still very raw but we have good experienced pros in the first team squad that can help him. 

Thought he was excellent 

[Jambo92]

Didnt look out of place, will make mistakes but pleasing things is he trys things rather than the easy pass backwards which a lot of youngsters do.  There is a lot of options in Centre mid and expect us to bring in more before end of window so probably wise to put him out on loan to keep developing.  

[RustyRightPeg]

1 minute ago, WT Laurie said:

Thought he was excellent 

 

So did I. 

 

Not to be understated Naismith's potential influence on the lad. Looks like he's gonna play like Naismith did latterly in his career, arriving late into the box, like a number 10. 

[heartsfc_fan]

Literally just turned 17 the other week. Mad.

 

He looks a prospect. Dare I say a bit more physically ready than a young Harry Cochrane was at that age?

[Debut 4]

17?  Jeez.  Obviously very very early days but on evidence tonight, this lad looks ahead of his years.  Nice balance to his movement on the ball , not afraid to go into tackles and his actions always seemed positive. 
 

What struck me is his awareness.  Always having a look over his shoulder before he receives or retrieves the ball.  Already deciding what he’s doing with the ball before he gets it or what he has to do in relation to what’s happening around him.

 

Good signs. Let’s hope he just keeps going from strength to strength. 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Debut 4

[Jambof3tornado]

I was more impressed 2nd half thought he was getting more involved then he got hooked. Such is life. More physical than cochrane but right now he's just full of potential.

 

Not sure whether a loan would be better than fighting experienced players for starts.

 

Time will tell.

[Cruyff]

Early days yet but he's clearly got the right attitude and talent. He seemed to cope physically against senior pros and will only get stronger and better. Good learning experience for him tonight. No pressure on him. 

[Bongo 1874]

Best player on the park for me, and we have a few more that can make the step up. 

 

Please don't loan him out. 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Bongo 1874

[Steve]

Was impressed with how he did on Saturday as well, was everywhere! Great prospect 

[Jambof3tornado]

6 minutes ago, Bongo 1874 said:

Best player on the park for me, and we have a few more that can make the step up. 

 

Please don't loan him out. 

Whats the setup for reserves etc this season???

[Pasquale for King]

16 minutes ago, Jambof3tornado said:

I was more impressed 2nd half thought he was getting more involved then he got hooked. Such is life. More physical than cochrane but right now he's just full of potential.

 

Not sure whether a loan would be better than fighting experienced players for starts.

 

Time will tell.

A few months playing for Hartley would surely help his progression. 

[Jambof3tornado]

Just now, Pasquale for King said:

A few months playing for Hartley would surely help his progression. 

Exactly what we said coming away. If he's loaned out make it to someone that knows how to improve him!!

[BEDNAR BOY]

Grounded young lad with a very supportive and sensible family, great work ethic and think he’s got a great chance.

Developed well in to the game tonight and always looking to get on the front foot and play forward whenever he can.

Gutted not to score.

I feel he’ll get some game time those season ahead of some more experienced players.

I’m  also sure that  playing alongside the experience of Andy Halliday in the centre of the park helped him enormously tonight.

Halliday MoM performance and a great performance by Pollock too and he’s a Jamba to boot and knows what it means.

 

 

[kingantti1874]

Loans simply haven’t worked. The kid can play for us no problem

[Kiwidoug]

1 hour ago, Pans Jambo said:

Hope this lad makes it. He was excellent tonight & deserves to be recognised as having a really good game. 
I remember seeing another young lad who had “Broony” in his pocket. Went to his head and now hes nowhere really. 
Pollock looked like he was 24 tonight. Hope he has the support to keep his heed screwed on & feet on the ground. 
Exciting talent. Looking forward to seeing more of him. 

That Cochrane and Macdonald saga just about makes me cry in frustration.  They absolutely treated Celtic with contempt and we all thought we had unearthed a couple of gems.

 

Not to be.

 

Best of luck to this young chap.

[Jambof3tornado]

9 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

Loans simply haven’t worked. The kid can play for us no problem

But we cant play them all. Surely we need to work out why the loans dont work and sort the problem. I'm not saying its right to loan him by the way but its always going to be game time at the right club over half dozen sub appearances for me.

[Bongo 1874]

22 minutes ago, Jambof3tornado said:

Whats the setup for reserves etc this season???

A lot of them go out on loan, but can be available to play for the reserves if included in loan deal,with covid this has probably been restricted but. 

 

I would like to see us give Denholm, Pollock, and Smith game time this season. 

 

Henderson i feel can play a massive part this season too. 

 

This is why I wanted Naismith to play atleast 2 more seasons the knowledge he can pass onto all three is massive, and I hope Robbie allows him to give them tips etc. 

 

And hope he is allowed to help the playing side of things. 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Bongo 1874

[jamboinglasgow]

1 minute ago, Jambof3tornado said:

But we cant play them all. Surely we need to work out why the loans dont work and sort the problem. I'm not saying its right to loan him by the way but its always going to be game time at the right club over half dozen sub appearances for me.

 

The problem is there is not a one size fits all way of developing players, some will respond to going out on loan, some are ready for first team. I do think under Naismith we will tailor the best development process for each player.

[Pasquale for King]

22 minutes ago, Jambof3tornado said:

Exactly what we said coming away. If he's loaned out make it to someone that knows how to improve him!!

The commentators reckoned they will be looking for loans, suppose it depends on whether they want him and how Logan got on up there last season. 

[Cruyff]

12 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

Loans simply haven’t worked. The kid can play for us no problem

Agree. No point in punting him out on loan. Maybe 10-15 games first team and reserve games. Of course, it's productive for him to play games with his age group too so he can learn the role/traits we want him to bring to the first team. 

[Jambof3tornado]

1 minute ago, jamboinglasgow said:

 

The problem is there is not a one size fits all way of developing players, some will respond to going out on loan, some are ready for first team. I do think under Naismith we will tailor the best development process for each player.

I hope we do. People are already bumping Pollock up expectations wise as we did with cochrane. If naismith can do as good a job in his new role as he did on the pitch we will reap the rewards.

[vegas-voss]

1 hour ago, tartofmidlothian said:

It seems like he's the most likely of our young lads to break through at this moment. I didn't see it tonight, heard he was good, what do those who were watching think?

Only seen the first half.The lad looked very good and didn't look out of place at all.

[OTT]

He didn’t look out of place. I hope he’s kept around the first team and given a chance to push for inclusion in the match day squads.Can’t help but think so much loaning out isn’t always the best idea. 

[Unknown user]

1 hour ago, Maroon Sailor said:

It seems to be the thing to loan young players out but how many of them come back all the better for it ?

 

Can't remember Paterson and Hickey being loaned out.

 

Different things work for different players, our Captain and manager both went out on loan from Hearts and had good careers

[johnthomas]

29 minutes ago, vegas-voss said:

Only seen the first half.The lad looked very good and didn't look out of place at all.

I actually thought he struggled a bit .

Had the feeling he can and will play better . Seemed to be more attuned in second half . Never hid .

 

 

[GarryJ-o-s]

1 hour ago, heartsfc_fan said:

Literally just turned 17 the other week. Mad.

 

He looks a prospect. Dare I say a bit more physically ready than a young Harry Cochrane was at that age?

I think (like Henderson?) he was both a good football and rugby player during his teens which may have helped his physical shaping.

[Hungry hippo]

Technically good and shows a lot of promise. Halliday's strong performance beside him helped him tonight so it was an ideal first start.

 

I think it's unlikely he'll go on loan as he will get regular game time (at least coming off the bench) if he keeps up that level.

[RS86]

2 hours ago, Maroon Sailor said:

It seems to be the thing to loan young players out but how many of them come back all the better for it ?

 

Can't remember Paterson and Hickey being loaned out.

Neilson is probs the best example of someone who actually benefitted from a loan. Walker to Raith too maybe. But agree the vast majority don't seem to benefit. They drop down the leagues for experience and are underused.

[Uncle Buck]

A very neat and tidy player. Ran himself in to the ground, and was understandably knackered.

 

Only thing I would say is he seems a bit lightweight but that’s to be expected at his age - he certainly gets stuck in though.

 

I like him.

[Greedy Jambo]

He's only getting a game cos we were all moaning about the lack of youngsters. 

give it a few months and he'll be loaned out to derry city rovers. 

[tartofmidlothian]

Interesting to note he's a Stewart's Melville pupil, and a good rugby player too. Henderson as well.

 

https://www.esms.org.uk/news/smc-pupil-finlay-pollock-makes-heart-midlothian-fc-debut

[Dazo]

I see the kickback rewriting of young players performance has started. 
 

Very young and miles away from competing for a starting spot. Average first half, far better second half is how I’d say he played. 
 

Best player on the park ? 😂 Bongo getting his darts ready to Chuck at neilson if the kid goes on loan no doubt. 

[David McCaig]

Pollock seems like a more complete player than either Harry Cochrane or Andy Irving both of whom had strengths balanced by glaring weaknesses.

 

Ironically Pollock seems to be the direct beneficiary from both Cochrane and Irving rejecting their contract offers.

[John Findlay]

Just let the laddie get on with it. He will have bad performances, average performances, good performances, and very good performances. Let's not kick him when he has a bad one. There is obviously a belief in the club that Finlay can make it. Let's us leave him and the club to it.

[Lfhearts]

9 hours ago, Bongo 1874 said:

Best player on the park for me, and we have a few more that can make the step up. 

 

Please don't loan him out. 

No we don't, he had a decent hour still don't expect to see him much in first team, but keep them interested keep them hungry it's that simple.

[Braminho]

30 minutes ago, John Findlay said:

Just let the laddie get on with it. He will have bad performances, average performances, good performances, and very good performances. Let's not kick him when he has a bad one. There is obviously a belief in the club that Finlay can make it. Let's us leave him and the club to it.

 

[A_A wehatethehibs]

2 hours ago, Dazo said:

I see the kickback rewriting of young players performance has started. 
 

Very young and miles away from competing for a starting spot. Average first half, far better second half is how I’d say he played. 
 

Best player on the park ? 😂 Bongo getting his darts ready to Chuck at neilson if the kid goes on loan no doubt. 

 

He was good in the first half I thought, very bright.

 

Made possible by a very strong experienced performance from Halliday who done the dirty work impeccably, but not seen any more praise for Pollock than what he deserved. He played well, hurt the opposition, and did not look out of place at all. Very comfortable on the ball.

 

Nobody credible would suggest he's a contender for a regular start at this stage, but he could get there by the end of the season, I expect he could hope to start say 10 games across the league and cups, hope so anyway, plus get a decent number of minutes from the bench as well. From there it all depends on what type of performances he puts in. 

Edited July 14, 2021 by A_A wehatethehibs

[GavK1012]

Impressed last night with him, but we have been impressed so many times before....so hopefully he is treated in a manner more fitting of a talented youngster and not lauded too much or written off to boot....promising start for him, keep head down young man, humble and hard working 🙂

[Dazo]

1 minute ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

 

He was good in the first half I thought, very bright.

 

Made possible by a very strong experienced performance from Halliday who done the dirty work impeccably, but not seen any more praise for Pollock than what he deserved. He played well, hurt the opposition, and did not look out of place at all. Very comfortable on the ball.

 

Nobody credible would suggest he's a contender for a regular start at this stage, but he could get there by the end of the season, I expect he could hope to start say 10 games across the league and cups, hope so anyway, plus get a decent number of minutes from the bench as well.

I thought he was better the 2nd half. Definitely grew into the game imo. 

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Would keep him in and around the first team until just before Christmas. A whole season for these guys can be tough though, perhaps if loaned better to give him an extended break through harsh winter months and let him go out late January. 

 

A spell with the first team would be good, unlike others before, appears to have a decent build for his age, dont think he will be phased either. Early days but looks very capable

[DS98]

Looks a prospect. Bags of energy and a great attitude. Decision making was poor at times but that will improve with experience.
 

At 17 my decisions were White Lightning or Strongbow. 

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

He looked confident, showed for the ball well, passing was about 75% accurate. He was inches away from scoring after getting into space well in the box. You have to take the opposition into account but I would say that was the most promising performance from a youngster since Hickey. If we don't push him too quickly, as we maybe made did with some of the young players no longer at the club, then he is one who could make a big impact

[Sertse]

What positions can he play? Considering his age he was impressive, didn't look out of place at all last night