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Zach Mitchell - Pg.9 New contract to 2027 (+1yr option)

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  • i think that amount of matches for a kid his age is a good return. 

    Being left out and fighting your way back into the side is all part of life of a footballer isn’t it ? This experience may stand him in good stead if it happens later in his career. 

    This. Having to fight to get his place back won’t do him any harm at all.
  • Exactly. I thought it would be wise to list the appearances and bring some balance to the debate.
  • It was not my intention to  point the finger at anyone at Charlton regarding this issue, to indicate that our club had managed this poorly or that we should seek a positive resolution. 

    It appears that this is the way that a season long loan works - end of.

    And will continue in this manner until the season ends.

    But I was commenting on the total volte face once the Cowleys arrived. A virtually ever present player (and EFL L1Apprentice of the year 2023) was seemngly sidelined and until recently, I had assumed that he had suffered a significant injury.  

    However, I believe that Steve Avory clarified the situation when at the Bromley Addicks Q & A , stating that Zach has been a casualty of the increased number of loanees recruited in the January window & the limit of such players allowed in the matchday squad. 

    Should Zach's absence be due to a downturn in his performance, then it would be understandable but looking at the stats, I think the U's victories  have halved since he's been sidelined..... 

    As CE posted, I understand that Steve Avory is in regular touch with Zach and we can but hope that this experience will only  increase his determination to show Nathan his obvious qualities once pre season arrives. 
  • It an example of how managerial instability impacts players.

    In this case it was a loan but it could just have easily been a permanant.

    ZM was loaned out by Holden to Garner.

    Appleton wouldnt have seen him at all so would be unlikely to recall him but even if he'd wanted to he was himself sacked and replaced by Jones, who also has probably never seen Zach play.

    Meanwhile, Garner was sacked. His replacement, Etherington, played Zach but Cowley, his 6th manager of the season, has dropped him.

    Not great for Mitchell but not surprising he's not everyone's choice though no fault of his own.
  • edited March 9
    It does appear that Cowley has new ideas, different formation and system, as well as bringing in new signings to play his preferred systems.

    If Zach is a casualty of that, well .... that's football.  Valuable experience too and he should be able to learn from it. 
     
    Young development age players are loaned to clubs in order to toughen up, grow and mature into the game.


  • I struggle to see a downside in terms of gaining insight and experience for Zach in this loan. Even a spell being dropped after a decent run of games can be learned from.
    I also caution against people seeing a promising player like Zach as being the immediate answer to all our problems.
    Let the development continue steadily is what I would be looking for.
  • Disappointing end to his loan spell much like Watson with us.
    He will hopefully have learnt a lot anyway and use the disappointment as a motivation.  
    I rate him highly, his lack of pace is his one weakness.but his reading of the games looks top class.
    Like you say, I hope he signs an extension. No reason why he wouldn't as we have given him opportunities and he isn't yet sufficiently proven to command big wages elsewhere you would think.
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  • Zach will have learnt an awful lot from this season. I've always thought that centre backs mature later than other positions anyway, as the position replies on strength and nous.

    With his ball skills, he can definitely do a job in midfield 
  • Points taken, Athletico Charlton. 

    Maybe my heart has ruled my head to some degree but I would be interested to learn how the Cowleys dealt with Zach when they arrived and his situation at Colchester completely changed. 

    Maybe not the loss of a whole season but unless his injury impacted substantially on the 2nd half, I trust Zach was fully included as a squad member albeit not a 1st team player. 

    Guess we'll have to wait & see...

    ...but in SA & NJ, I trust.
  • Zak was training at Sparrows Lane today, as was Aaron Henry.
    He was also at 'The Valley' watching the u21 game.
  • Zak was training at Sparrows Lane today, as was Aaron Henry.
    Fantastic. Best news for a while ! Thanks 

    And you, clive.
  • Kap10 said:
    995632 said:
    I'm sorry if I've missed this being mentioned elsewhere but what is the point of Zach being at Colchester if he's not being used - he's not been in Colchester's squad since 13th January and missed the last six games because they have too many on loan - he might just as well come back and play for our U23s and train under Jones' guidance given that he might well be needed for us next season. 
    We cant recall him though can we... Could only do that in January

    Depends even if we even had the option to recall him in the loan agreement.
    That might well be the case - if Cowley has no intention of playing him, though, I'm not sure whether he couldn't still play for our U23s and/or train with us. We have seen that happen with players sent to Non League clubs but that might be the difference. Whatever the situation, I think that we should think carefully before sending another player to Colchester and/or a team under Cowley's management. The kid has been sent to learn by playing games not to sit in the stand watching. 


    "think that we should think carefully before sending another player to Colchester and/or a team under Cowley's management. The kid has been sent to learn by playing games not to sit in the stand watching."

    This seems to be exactly what a vengeful Man Citeh have done - sent us Fiorini to punish us for not playing Tedic, and ultimately Charltonising him so much they almost immediately sent him back to his first club on a free...
    On Mitchell, surely it should be about how much he has learnt and developed over the season rather than just the last few months.

    Steve Avory is aware and said that Zak had rung him when he was first dropped to discuss the situation as he'd never been dropped before and wanted to know how to deal with it.

    It's not ideal but we've not played loan players plenty of times and still are.

    On Fiorini, it seems to have become accepted fact that Man City forced us to take a dud as some sort of punishment/revenge for sending back Tedic but isn't it as likely that Appleton and/or Scott wanted Fiorini, maybe as a replacement for Tedic or maybe just because they rated him, as he'd been as success under MA previously.  MA certainly talked him up as a great signing at the time.

    Turns out he is actually a worse signing that Tedic but our use of the loan market has been pretty poor under Scott regardless.
    Subjective comment as I have not looked back, but it feels like our use of the loan market since the golden season of 2018/19 has been pretty poor. Gallagher in 2020 was obviously a star but otherwise more duds than successes!!
    Definitely more misses than hits, but I think that is partly the nature of loans - low risk as you are not buying the player, and some are in as cover rather than for the First XI.

    20-21 Millar, Maatsen and Shinnie were all decent
    21-22 Famewo and Lee were pretty good (certainly initially dropped off towards the end)
    22-23 Rak-Sakyi was one of the best we've had in recent times and Sessegnon was competitive

    This year there haven't really been any stand outs.
    Doesnt overly bother me to be honest... I prefer it that the likes of Bakinson | Watson | Ladapo are around IF we need them, rather than relying on them.

    Nothing more irritating than trying to plan for the next season, knowing there is a strong chance we'll be without our best player(s) before the previous season has even ended.
    Agree, Loans should be useful support rather than being our out and out best players. If they earn their place as a starter every week, great but I don't want 5 guaranteed starter loanees, it hinders us growing a strong side that can progress together... 
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  • Talk of loans makes me think they have to be much better that our academy players (like Zach) waiting in the wings, or why not have a peep at our own in the first team?

  • The young players who I think will be the least nervous are Bower, Kedwell, Mitchell, Enslin, Fullah and M'Bick.
    Casey I think is in a zone of his own.
    I think other players if around the first team will have more of a psychological battle.
    One difficult to assess future wise is Adigun.
  • seth plum said:
    The young players who I think will be the least nervous are Bower, Kedwell, Mitchell, Enslin, Fullah and M'Bick.
    Casey I think is in a zone of his own.
    I think other players if around the first team will have more of a psychological battle.
    One difficult to assess future wise is Adigun.
    Adigun’s 21 in December, running out of time if he wants to stay here long term. Could be like Thomas, someone who works his way up the leagues. He’s on loan at Welling which might help him win a deal at that level if we release him.
  • Swisdom said:
    Zach is still very highly though or around the club and it’s not impossible he will be in the first team next season.  He is that good!
    Thanks for your backing, Swisdom.

    Fair bit of support from those of us who've watched him play regularly. 
  • Scoham said:
    seth plum said:
    The young players who I think will be the least nervous are Bower, Kedwell, Mitchell, Enslin, Fullah and M'Bick.
    Casey I think is in a zone of his own.
    I think other players if around the first team will have more of a psychological battle.
    One difficult to assess future wise is Adigun.
    Adigun’s 21 in December, running out of time if he wants to stay here long term. Could be like Thomas, someone who works his way up the leagues. He’s on loan at Welling which might help him win a deal at that level if we release him.
    Welling and their fans rated him highly 
  • We met Zach's Mum when we went to last season's LSC final where he was captain. 

    Have to agree that he's  impressed us from the first time we saw him play too.
  • I have confidence that in pre season Nathan Jones will realise just how much potential Zach has. If he’s good enough he’ll get his chance under NJ.
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