Too late to start the youngsters?

[Slobbo]

Given that the board, management and fans seem to have accepted that some (although hopefully not as many as reported by the media) of our first team players will go in January, I can't help but wonder why we've not been giving more first team experience to some of the youngsters being lined up as replacements?

I think we all know there will be very little, if any, money available for new signings. So maybe the likes of Rapnik, McGowan, Templeton, Husband & Brown should have been given a bit more exposure to the first team environment. Not starts necessarily, but 20-30 mins. That way they're less likely to be like rabbits in the headlights when asked to step in to the breach if we lose some of the current certain starters. I know they've featured on the bench more frequently of late, but it just seems like an opportunity missed not to have brought them in to the fold when there's not a huge pressure of expectation hanging over them.

[scabber]

yes it would have been good to give them some first team action, but since we have been hanging on at the end of every game we have played this season ,weve never had the chance

[Slobbo]

True, but the pressure of defending a one goal lead with 20 mins to go is easier than the pressure of keeping the club in the top 6 with half a season left. And the lessons learned from the less pressurised situations would have stood them in good stead for the bigger pressures looming at the end of January.

[Rods]

sink or swim maybe is the feeling

[IMA MAROON]

sink or swim maybe is the feeling

 

Would that be fair?

[Spellczech]

sink or swim maybe is the feeling

 

We, as a group, need to rein in our expectations of all our players - put simply we are too critical and too quick to criticise. Obua has only played a few games and these have been interspersed with periods of injury; Mole got about 3 games this season before the abuse began; Wallace gets it tight regularly...Elliot was the last player to get a long period of opportunities before he got more than constructive critisism. That leaves only Driver as a young player who has not had a great deal of criticism...

 

We should be making allowances for hotheadness from Zaliukas & Wallace as they are still young players, as is Jonsson...

 

There is a thread criticising Patullo in the Scotsman for criticising Zaliukas without having seen the video evidence and not printing a retraction, but there were plenty of posters on here calling for Zal to be axed last Saturday and Sunday...

 

Sometimes I envy Hibs their "flair" as it allows for mistakes, losses and a bit of breathing space for young and new players to adapt and get up to speed. We are wrong to cast aspersions at their delusion about the "flair" as the "flair" excuse is brilliant...I wish we had similar! Unfortunately we are a bit brighter than most Hibbies, and seem incapable of self-delusion for the betterment of the team...The self-proclaimed "realists" on this site are their own worst enemy IMO and, sadly, really bad for the club too

[jamboinglasgow]

sink or swim maybe is the feeling

 

That is what they did at hibs and though some worked alot sank without trace. In my opionon it is not a wise system, there are some players who may be great but throwing them in at the deepend will make them panic and confidence is forever hit.

 

I fancy that even if we lose some good players, Csaba has already planned replacements who can help out the younger players. There is no point throwing a young player on simply to give them experence if the match is high pressure and a goal could change the fortunes.

[CF11JamTart]

Gary Naysmith, Paul Ritchie and Alan McLaren were all called into action pretty young.

 

Naysmith's debut might have been in the League Cup semi against Celtic, after we had 4 red cards at Ibrox.

 

Yup - we had **** decisions against up well before most of us knew where Lithuania even was.

[Slobbo]

We, as a group, need to rein in our expectations of all our players - put simply we are too critical and too quick to criticise.......

Sometimes I envy Hibs their "flair" as it allows for mistakes, losses and a bit of breathing space

 

I agree that a lot of Hearts fans have proved to be too critical too quickly, we should make allowances for the more inexperienced players who're still learning their trade instead of castigating them for every mistake they make until the crescendo of abuse destroys their confidence completely.

But I don't envy being stupid enough to require a cloud of delusion and mythology to enable me to realise this. That form of existence draws no envious glances from my eyes.

 

I believe that Csaba should have had the foresight accelerate the developement and experience of some ready replacements for some current top team stars, and been bold enough to draw the criticism for their mistakes. But then, I've seen nothing thus far to suggest that I shouldn't trust his undoubtedly better judgement on such matters, so I'll look on with interest now to see if he's played his cards right....