When will we start trusting our Youngsters?

[johncrobertson@]

We have one of the best Youth Programs in the country and yet we don’t seem to trust them. McIntyre McAllister Kegwa all deserve a run and yet Johnston doesn’t seem to give them a run. It’s a better option than continually playing the same players because they come under a category of being experienced!

[easty]

Mccallister only turned 17 a couple of months ago

[Allant1981]

We have one of the best Youth Programs in the country and yet we don’t seem to trust them. McIntyre McAllister Kegwa all deserve a run and yet Johnston doesn’t seem to give them a run. It’s a better option than continually playing the same players because they come under a category of being experienced!

Why do they deserve a run? Just because they are young?

[hibee1875]

We have one of the best Youth Programs in the country and yet we don’t seem to trust them. McIntyre McAllister Kegwa all deserve a run and yet Johnston doesn’t seem to give them a run. It’s a better option than continually playing the same players because they come under a category of being experienced!

Are we not all saying Miller needs a run at RB? Should he drop out for Megwa?

[johncrobertson@]

He looked impressive in a recent appearance as a substitute

[johncrobertson@]

Jimmy O’Rourke made his debut at 16 in a European match against Utrecht. There just doesn’t seem a pathway for them at present.

[hibee1875]

Jimmy O’Rourke made his debut at 16 in a European match against Utrecht. There just doesn’t seem a pathway for them at present.

There is thought. We’ve seen them off the bench the end of last season and start of this. We saw Megwa start yesterday.

They’ll play if they’ve proved during they week training they deserve to start. Not because they’re a promising youngster.

[number9dream]

It’s a risk and we’re in such a cutthroat league which makes managers risk averse… How many Premiership managers lost their jobs last season? Around 50%? More?
Ideally, you drop one or two young players in at 3-0 up with 30 mins to go, but how often does that happen?
You’d like to think if any of these guys were outstanding talents they’d already be in, so we just have to be patient and hope they can stay focused and fight for a place further down the line.
McAllister looks promising, although it’s a big step up.

[The Modfather]

Mccallister only turned 17 a couple of months ago

Motherwell beat us with a 16 year old playing the full 90 in midfield.

[Unseen work]

We have one of the best Youth Programs in the country and yet we don’t seem to trust them. McIntyre McAllister Kegwa all deserve a run and yet Johnston doesn’t seem to give them a run. It’s a better option than continually playing the same players because they come under a category of being experienced!

Weird time to start this just over 24 hours after Megwa started his first game for us.

[johncrobertson@]

Weird time to start this just over 24 hours after Megwa started his first game for us.

First game exactly!!

[Allant1981]

First game exactly!!

Out of interest how many times have you seen the 3 guys you mentioned play?

[cubehindthegoal]

Are we not all saying Miller needs a run at RB? Should he drop out for Megwa?

At the game yesterday, I felt Miller was a necessary change at right back., the young lad was very raw in my opinion. Newell was the main change needed though. What worries me is that perhaps our youngsters aren’t as good as we think, we seem to have a reasonable and consistent standard, but what you want is two or three stand outs, and I’m not sure we have that, although I admit I have only seen those who have appeared in the first team so accept I could be way off in that judgement ?

[johncrobertson@]

Gary O’Connor 18. - Scott Brown 17 - Derek Riordan 18 - Steven Whittaker 18 when they made their debuts. We need to give our youngsters an opportunity and trust them. We keep seeing the same mistakes from our senior professionals over and over.

[johncrobertson@]

Out of interest how many times have you seen the 3 guys you mentioned play?

I’ve seen a number of the games they have been involved in.

[Unseen work]

Gary O’Connor 18. - Scott Brown 17 - Derek Riordan 18 - Steven Whittaker 18 when they made their debuts. We need to give our youngsters an opportunity and trust them. We keep seeing the same mistakes from our senior professionals over and over.

If any of them were near those guys ability I think they’d get a game.

Megwa done fine yesterday and even then he was getting heavily criticised by some which was way OTT.

They deserve a chance if they’re good enough and ready, the guys on the pitch may not be brilliant Johnson sees them every day. I think if any of them were yet he’d give them a chance.

[MagicSwirlingShip]

When they come back from their loans?

[The Modfather]

If any of them were near those guys ability I think they’d get a game.

Megwa done fine yesterday and even then he was getting heavily criticised by some which was way OTT.

They deserve a chance if they’re good enough and ready, the guys on the pitch may not be brilliant Johnson sees them every day. I think if any of them were yet he’d give them a chance.

Unless it’s in a managers remit they are unlikely, certainly Hibs managers, to give youth a chance over more experienced players given the short term nature of football. Is Johnson, for example, likely to blood a youngster and persist with them when it might be the following season where we see the benefits of doing so and the manager isn’t there by that point to see the benefits. Or play a steady eddie instead for the short term benefit.

[Golden Bear]

Maybe the young guys don't get a fair crack at the whip because the Manager doesn't want to gamble as he perceives his own job could be at risk if things go wrong.

[johncrobertson@]

Maybe the young guys don't get a fair crack at the whip because the Manager doesn't want to gamble as he perceives his own job could be at risk if things go wrong.

Agree totally GB

[Skol]

Sometimes youngsters need carefully introduced as well. Remember Callum booth.

It is a difficult situation for any manager and we cannot take too many risks. Megwa had a chance yesterday as did the other two in the Groningen game. I think they will appear as subs as I remember brown O’Connor and riordan all had similar introductions as subs before becoming starters.

[BoomtownHibees]

When they are good enough

[Pretty Boy]

Tbf to Johnson he gave Delferriere a shot at the start of the season and frankly he deserved to be dropped. Megwa came in yesterday and did well so will likely get other opportunities. Both Harbottle and Miller are youngsters and have featured this season as well albeit they aren't our 'own'.

I'm going to say that Johnson isn't failing to pick youngsters out of some kind of spite. It's in his interests that we perform well and our results are good and he'll be picking the team he feels gives us the best chance of doing that. As it stands there is obviously a feeling the youngsters in and around the 1st team don't offer more than the more experienced heads.

[Iain G]

I’ve seen a number of the games they have been involved in.

Is that 1 game or more? I mean 1 is a number 😛