Agree with your overall point. We should be doing a lot more on this front. Aberdeen seem to be having a lot of success this season.

But for me I would either have Stirton and SCH Harding playing regularly in the first team next season or bin them. They have been around the first team long enough now. If they are going to be good enough, they will be. Stirton has already had a very successful loan in league 1. SCH has already played a lot of first team games for us. I think both of them are significantly better than players that have played ahead of them this season.

Shedtastic wrote:

I don't think Stirton is ready to play for us, no where near ready, his first touch is abysmal for example, lets remember he couldn't get a game for a relegation threatened Airdrie.

 
Yep my opinion also

Last edited by Arabdownsouth (07/5/2026 1:12 pm)

JerryDungle wrote:

Slotbadger wrote:

Agree with your overall point. We should be doing a lot more on this front. Aberdeen seem to be having a lot of success this season.

But for me I would either have Stirton and SCH Harding playing regularly in the first team next season or bin them. They have been around the first team long enough now. If they are going to be good enough, they will be. Stirton has already had a very successful loan in league 1. SCH has already played a lot of first team games for us. I think both of them are significantly better than players that have played ahead of them this season.

 
Neither are at a stage where it’s shit or bust. I don’t think either is ready to be a regular starter for us though, particularly in Stirton’s case. Both should be loaned to a good club that suits them. Sam to a top-end championship team like Dunfermline or Partick Thistle, Stirton either to low end Championship team or upper end of league one. The key is that they play games every week though.

What I don’t like is us recalling them for weeks at a time to sit on the bench cause we’re short. If they’re going out on loan, then leave them out on loan, retain the ability to recall them in January of need be, but no more fucking then about week-to-week, that’s no good for anybody, they need somewhere stable to play for extended period.

 
Hopefully a good bottom end championship team like Kilmarnock even

I don’t know what the plan for guys like Stirton and SCH are tbh, I thought Stirton would get more time on the pitch than he did this season. I thought he deserved it because of our striker situation, there has been too much messing about with his game time and where he is one week like has been said

I don’t think Stirton is good enough for the first team yet but I don’t understand him being going to play for Airdrie now, when he has done nothing and has failed to make an impact with the minutes he has been given (which is worrying) instead of at least keeping him on the bench considering we only have one proper striker, sounds silly calling Watters a proper striker.

For me sending SCH on loan on to the championship next season is the right choice but it makes me question why he never went on loan this season or why Goodwin is making the point of trying to get him in the starting 11 towards the end of the season when he’s just gonna take a step back in a sense to the championship. We need to be smarter with the players we send out on loan, more so with the co-operation deal. 

I know it’s good to have the option to bring them back and forth if needs be but it’s not ideal for the player.

18-19, you should be out on loan to a junior team in Dundee.

19-20, you should be in league 1 or league 2.

20-21, you should be in the Scottish championship.

I think trying to say where people should be at different ages is daft.

We'd bite Falkirk's hand off for Barney Stewart (noting we did get first refusal on him before he went there).  He was playing for his Uni at effectively Junior level until he was 20, half a season with Dunfermline at 21 and now seemingly Premier level.

I watch a lot of lower league and EoS Prem football and some 18-19 yr olds wouldn't physically be able to handle playing competitive mens football at that age.  They are still growing/filling out up until 21/22 yr old.  One of my son's mates (18) is on the books at Falkirk (1st team squad) and currently on loan at Berwick Rangers in the Lowland league (Strollers last year).  He's a centre mid and I think the Lowland league is exactly where he should be at that age.  I am sure that McGlynn thinks that too!

The issue we have with Stirton is there is far too much expected of him.  I'd give him a season at Lowland/L2 level and if that goes well then do a Barney and get him another half season at Championship and then see if he is ready for the step up.   At that point he'll just be turning 21.  Stewart is 22 now! 

I noted that the club put some press out on Davie Dodds recently which made it clear he didn't really become the striker he ended up being until he was 23/24 yrs old.  Are we really willing to ditch a potential Doddsie 3 or 4 years earlier than that?

The Dodds press was no mistake.  Let's take the pressure off Owen.  If he makes it, great.  If he doesn't, at least make sure we've given him the chance to develop correctly.

Last edited by Finn Seemann (Yesterday 1:57 pm)

RogerTheAlien wrote:

Fergivicious wrote:

RogerTheAlien wrote:

18-19, you should be out on loan to a junior team in Dundee.

19-20, you should be in league 1 or league 2.

20-21, you should be in the Scottish championship.

IMO, if you're Jr-level at 18/19, there's very little chance you'll even be close to good enough for Utd. 18-21, you should be at Championship level, maybe League One, but you've got to be performing, i.e., Charlie Dewar. 

I think it's been quite a farce how few players have been ready for 1st-team going back like 10 years? Not rhetorical, but genuine, who's a player who has 'made' it from academy to First team and succeeded? This is an open question, not directed solely at yourself RTA.



 

 
Louis Appere played Saturday ammy at 16, at 18 he went on loan to Broughty United. It’s a grounding a lot of players need.

 
Both these posts spot on Roger.  Louis Appere to me is the perfect example of what we should be doing with academy players.

Knew a boy who was pals wi Appere at school (bell baxter I think?) who said when he went out to Broughty he realised how much he needed to bulk up to deal with the physicality, and being set that far down the leagues also gave him a point to prove. Was training with United during the day, going to the gym, then training with Broughty at night and took the same attitude on to the pitch for Broughty.

Exactly the sort of grounding most players need. Not wasting away playing 15/30 minutes here and there for Cove Rangers, Kelty etc.

United23 wrote:

For me sending SCH on loan on to the championship next season is the right choice but it makes me question why he never went on loan this season or why Goodwin is making the point of trying to get him in the starting 11 towards the end of the season when he’s just gonna take a step back in a sense to the championship. .

Agreed, on both accounts.

Sam and Owen should have been on loan all season to clubs where they played 40+ games, if possible.

I too, btw see little benefit in playing them in the remaining Premiership games just because they're young or Academy graduates, only to then undoubtedly send them on loan next season because they're 'not ready'.

If we know with absolute clarity that they're 100% not ready now, then what are we doing? Just play your strongest XI in every remaining game and then start afresh in 26/27 with a better plan for both.

P.s. i'm ok with both coming on as subs of course, but again, why start them if there are better players in our arsenal?

It's pointless and frankly performative, particularly given how we've managed their development this season i.e pathetically.
 

At the start of this season we had an injury crisis which prevented us from putting the younger players out on loan. This was partly due to us having too small a squad especially with European involvement. Despite signing a full team of players it still wasn't enough numbers wise even though we were unlucky(?) to start the season without Fatah, Watters, Pappoe, Graham, Strain, Nammo, Sapsford and Trapanovski. The finger of blame for that has to go to the Chairman for giving too small a budget and Goodwin for doing whatever he did to the players in pre season to cause so many hamstring injuries. The young players at Utd are stuck in limbo.

Last edited by lifesanocean (Today 10:54 am)