The European football level St. Mirren FC 2024/25 thread

[medals]

I'm not knocking our under 18s or Lennon Miller but -

the step up from under 18 to our 1st team is huge. Our lad Taylor who is in the 1st team squad lasted about 50 minutes and got cramp. I'm not saying he was not competent, but I don't think he was as great as some think and i doubt he'll be used much this season. There are loads of midfielders above him in the pecking order, and I dont think SR will put him ahead of them for his development ahead of results.

By the way, I do hope he becomes brilliant. 

I was at the Scotland v Spain u21 International recently and a couple of our lads looked good (Neilson and Murray in particular) but in general most of the rest of them looked a good bit weaker than the Spanish players. Miller was OK but not a stand out by any means.

That probably suggests the level of our u21s is a fair chunk lower than Motherwell or us too.

As always only a small number of players step up to the next level.

 

[medals]

Anyone hear much from our bounce game against Hearts at Oriam yesterday other than the 3 v 2 scoreline

[capt_oats]

7 minutes ago, medals said:

I was at the Scotland v Spain u21 International recently and a couple of our lads looked good (Neilson and Murray in particular) but in general most of the rest of them looked a good bit weaker than the Spanish players. Miller was OK but not a stand out by any means.

Was that the recent Scotland v Spain u21 international where Lennon Miller was an unused sub? 

Not a surprise he wasn't a stand out all things considered.

[medals]

Just now, capt_oats said:

Was that the recent Scotland v Spain u21 international where Lennon Miller was an unused sub? 

Not a surprise he wasn't a stand out all things considered.

Ah I thought one of the midfielders was him sorry. But that also begs the question, why was he below others in the pecking order.

[TPAFKA Jersey 2]

16 minutes ago, medals said:

I'm not knocking our under 18s or Lennon Miller but -

the step up from under 18 to our 1st team is huge. Our lad Taylor who is in the 1st team squad lasted about 50 minutes and got cramp. I'm not saying he was not competent, but I don't think he was as great as some think and i doubt he'll be used much this season. There are loads of midfielders above him in the pecking order, and I dont think SR will put him ahead of them for his development ahead of results.

By the way, I do hope he becomes brilliant. 

I was at the Scotland v Spain u21 International recently and a couple of our lads looked good (Neilson and Murray in particular) but in general most of the rest of them looked a good bit weaker than the Spanish players. Miller was OK but not a stand out by any means.

That probably suggests the level of our u21s is a fair chunk lower than Motherwell or us too.

As always only a small number of players step up to the next level.

 

You may have been watching the game against Malta a few days later, which Miller did play in (and scored).

[medals]

40 minutes ago, TPAFKA Jersey 2 said:

You may have been watching the game against Malta a few days later, which Miller did play in (and scored).

No, it was the Spain match and he clearly wasn't playing.

There was a smaller made player who a friend of mine said I think that's Lennon Miller and that's where the confusion arose.

Playing Malta is obviously not the same level as Spain.

[TPAFKA Jersey 2]

18 minutes ago, medals said:

No, it was the Spain match and he clearly wasn't playing.

There was a smaller made player who a friend of mine said I think that's Lennon Miller and that's where the confusion arose.

Playing Malta is obviously not the same level as Spain.

Obviously

[glenburn bud]

1 hour ago, medals said:

Anyone hear much from our bounce game against Hearts at Oriam yesterday other than the 3 v 2 scoreline

I imagine this would have been arranged to get KVV Kiltie and possibly McMenamin some much needed game time.

[FTOF]

40 minutes ago, medals said:

No, it was the Spain match and he clearly wasn't playing.

There was a smaller made player who a friend of mine said I think that's Lennon Miller and that's where the confusion arose.

Playing Malta is obviously not the same level as Spain.

You don't have to watch Miller playing (or not playing in this case) for the U-21's to see that he's a stand out for his age.

[FTOF]

21 minutes ago, glenburn bud said:

I imagine this would have been arranged to get KVV Kiltie and possibly McMenamin some much needed game time.

Kiltie too?

[glenburn bud]

17 minutes ago, FTOF said:

Kiltie too?

I’m assuming he must be close to playing if he’s back training.

[FTOF]

3 minutes ago, glenburn bud said:

I’m assuming he must be close to playing if he’s back training.

I didn't realise McMenamin was back.

[Squirrelhumper]

2 hours ago, medals said:

I'm not knocking our under 18s or Lennon Miller but -

the step up from under 18 to our 1st team is huge. Our lad Taylor who is in the 1st team squad lasted about 50 minutes and got cramp. I'm not saying he was not competent, but I don't think he was as great as some think and i doubt he'll be used much this season. There are loads of midfielders above him in the pecking order, and I dont think SR will put him ahead of them for his development ahead of results.

By the way, I do hope he becomes brilliant. 

I was at the Scotland v Spain u21 International recently and a couple of our lads looked good (Neilson and Murray in particular) but in general most of the rest of them looked a good bit weaker than the Spanish players. Miller was OK but not a stand out by any means.

That probably suggests the level of our u21s is a fair chunk lower than Motherwell or us too.

As always only a small number of players step up to the next level.

 

David Watson has played nearly 5,000 mins of first team football at 19. Genuinely is the fittest guy in our squad. 

All players are different i suppose. 

Lennon Miller will go to the EPL when he leaves Motherwell.  They'll smash their transfer record and fair play to them. 

[Squirrelhumper]

1 hour ago, medals said:

Ah I thought one of the midfielders was him sorry. But that also begs the question, why was he below others in the pecking order.

Cos Scot Gemmell is an utter balloon. 

Watson & Miller the two best Scottish U21 players in the league last year and both subs. 

Sums that idiot up. 

[smellthepaw]

12 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said:

Cos Scot Gemmell is an utter balloon. 

Watson & Miller the two best Scottish U21 players in the league last year and both subs. 

Sums that idiot up. 

Aye, you would think he would use them against tougher opposition.By the way this is me commenting completely oblivious to how good the players are that started in front of them . I just know that Watson and Miller are very good players for their age.

[buddie06smfc]

6 hours ago, TPAFKA Jersey 2 said:

I see the U18s won again last night (5-1 in the cup against Alloa) and Evan Mooney scored another couple of goals. He seems to be scoring for fun.

Without getting ahead of ourselves, could he be the homegrown striker we've been waiting for, or if he turns out to be good, will he just be the next in line to disappear down south before he's barely kicked a ball for us?

Think there’s a bit of recency bias to this. Over the past 10 years we’ve had plenty youth players come through and make an impact in the first team before moving on. It is probably the moves and subsequent performances of the likes of McGinn, McLean, Morgan and Erhahon (probably missing others) that has alerted other clubs to our youth system. Plus these players getting moves to various other clubs will be a massive selling point of getting them in our youth academy in the first place to then earn us some money. It happens to every club up here just look at Ben Doak & Billy Gilmour as prime examples.

It can only be a good thing for us regardless of whether they make an appearance for Saints and not something to bemoan IMO.