Sorry to say but he is a passenger in a team who cannot afford any passengers,imo.
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Sorry to say but he is a passenger in a team who cannot afford any passengers,imo.
Like many others I thought he was ace when he first started playing for us, scoring goals for fun and spraying worldy passes around, but we were playing cup ties against lower teams with poorer defenders and poorer keepers and when we got into league games he began to come up short (just like Simon Murray). Defenders know his shooting capabilities and close him down so that he can't get a shot away. If he has to play, then like an earlier poster suggested, we need to let Newell take the corners while Mallan lurks outside the box looking for a pass or clearance to come his way. Having said that I have now concluded that IMO he just doesn't cut it.
Although I dislike giving up on a player, he has surely been given enough untaken opportunities to stake a claim and so I agree that he should be moved on.
His haircut distresses me too. :greengrin
I think he played far too deep last night as Murphy was given a free role. I want to see Mallan just behind the strikers. He was honking last night though but so were most of the team. Murphy gave the ball away almost as much as Mallan and is even worse defensively. No point dribbling past people and then playing a terrible ball. I like Mallan but similar to Scott Allan he isn't the right type of midfielder for us. We need less specialised midfielders who can get forward but also defend. Newall is the closest we have to that as Gogic is a specialised defensive mid.
We appear to be still in the phase we were in at the later stages of Lennon's reign when we had good players but no real system of play. I'm not writing Stevie off just yet. He still has attributes but like Scott Allan and Jamie Murphy he is a man short when we don't have the ball. The issue is that is far too often these days as we are passive when the other team has the ball(obviously with Murphy and Mallan in midfield or being out numbered) and we are so wasteful when we do get the ball. Our possession stats usually read well, 65% last night, but to my eye that possession is in our own half mostly and we seem to lose the ball very cheaply when we get into the opposition's half usually without a cross or ball into the danger area. We struggle to keep pressure on other teams because of that and it allows them to have countless breaks which, without Gogic, are proving fatal. Last night Saints second goal is an example of what I mean. Nisbet gives it away and a few seconds later Wotherspoon scores without a Hibs Player making a challenge.
If we had a more energetic midfield around him, he'd work. Gogic and Newell aren't that though.
Again, I think the biggest problem is that we play Gogic every week. We don't expect to be, and aren't under the cosh every week, which is when that type of player shines. Our deepest lying midfielder should generally be the trigger for our attack.
Mallan has a role to play if we have the opposition under pressure and pinned into the a deep line of defence. Now Doidge is on the bench and we're playing 3 mobile forwards who can get in behind defences, we're crying out for Scott Allan.
I'm really hoping Magennis can come in and be that energy and drive we need. I'd like us to sign another in that mould if we have any intention in playing 442 again.
Hes been here over 2 years now. Offered very little other than his first 4 months. Seriously, he isn't going to work at all. He isn't very good.
Last night is utter proof of this. We broke the press, got it to him, he gave it away. Repeat for entire first half. Honestly, if he couldn't shoot he'd be fighting relegation/in championship.
If Mallan leaves he'll go to a team like motherwell or St Johnstone where the rest of the midfield will do his running for him and he'll be the main man like Allan is at us.
I don't think we're in position to carry his deficiencies if we want to be challenging at the top regularly. But to suggest he isn't a good player is utter nonsense. Is he good enough to play every week in the kind of Hibs team we want to see? I don't think so. But I dont think Gogic is either. I do think they both have scenarios and particular games they will shine in though.
If you want to be a great Hibs midfielder, you have to be technically sound and physically competitive, not either or. Otherwise, be prepared to be dropped for certain games.
I think Mallan is the kind of player you need to build a team around to accommodate him. He just doesn't have the energy or mobility to be his own work horse. Is he good enough to justify building a team around? I'd argue probably not, certainly not in the way an on form Scott Allan is.
He's not a terrible player but I just don't see how he fits into a midfield, without free kicks I would struggle to name a really stand out attribute he has. He doesn't excel at anything that makes him indispensable. Our best midfield of recent times was McGeouch, McGinn and Allan and it's very easy to name what each of them brought to the party. With Mallan I think that's far harder to do. It's not the NFL, we can't have a specialist kicker.
He is a decent player. Decent players won't always start for us but will be needed in the squad. We as a club can't afford to have 22 players in the excellent bracket as they are expensive and also not normally happy to be a squad player. We need players like Mallan in the squad.
Best eyebrows in the league by far. Looks like he'd be more suited to playing 7s.
I think there is actually a decent footballer in Mallan somewhere, he can pass well (at times) and he can hit superb free kicks, but he doesn't coax out enough of his talent and he opts for the easy sideways or backwards pass when it really is not what we need ...
A few seem to be of the opinion that he doesn't lack effort, and that's fair enough but I disagree if I'm honest.
When he plays I frequently find myself thinking he's not putting 100% in, there were multiple times last night where a 2nd ball dropped between him and another player and he doesn't even go for it. One time in particular that he started 2 yards closer to the ball than Newall but it was Newall who got there first in a tackle with a St J player while Mallan stood by and watched.
I think he's lazy without the ball and far too static when we have it.
Quick comparison between him and Allan in all competitions played for Hibs:
Mallan-
6,749 mins
20 goals
17 assists
Allan-
7,505 mins
16 goals
34 assists
Not terrible reading considering over 3,000 minutes Allan played for us were when we were playing in the Championship.
Don’t get me wrong, I would start Allan over Mallan when both fit but I think Mallan hasn’t done bad for us at all.
I was involved in a wee debate last week about Mallan and replied "Mallan was pish, I thought he was miles of the pace never closes anyone down and when he does make tackles he gets booked, He scores the odd great goal but needs to get some speed into his play. You obviously see it different" Quite a few defended him which is fine everyone to their own, unfortunately maybe I am just tuned into look for the effort he puts in, rather than what he contributes.
I think one of the issues around Mallan is the wider composition of our midfield. We have such a lack of legs, particularly in the middle, so we can’t afford a luxury player like Mallan or even Allan.
Stood out in a poor St Mirren and got a decent move to England, I think he's regressed since his 1st season, last night his passing which is generally good was very poor, hate to say it but he may just be bottom 6 level.
Hes miles off the pace at minute.
He must be one of the slowest midfielders in the league.
Would he get a game for any other side in top 6? Absolutely no chance.
Hes obviously trying and not meaning to be so bad but last nights performance was tip of iceberg.
If we are genuinely looking to regularly finish in top 4 we need alot better in squad never mind starting 11 than Mallan.
Chances of getting rid of one our top earners will be slim as no one will pay the type of doh he is on here and with 18months left on his contract the balls in his court.
Hes proved to be another expensive mistake from our recruitment team.
I find it incredible the number of people saying that we're not a top 6 side and we don't have top 6 players when we're currently sitting 3rd/4th.