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Zach Mitchell - Sept 2025 on a season long loan to Hibernian (p22)
Comments
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Great post, the first goal came down the right, some good one touch and runs but should have been stopped. The second which is what everyone is pointing two is down to being ahead of the forward and not putting into the stands rather than going towards our own keeper and getting out muscled. If an audio was available you would probably here silence from Zach's team mates, contrast that with someone like Bob Bolder, you could hear him shout 'AAAAWWWWAAAY' from the other end, it's one of AMB's faults and it probably wouldn't have come from Laqeretabua. Good defending is a team effort, both of those youngsters need to learn that.Garrymanilow said:20 for a centre back is a baby. He did everything last night that a young centre back does that helps them learn but causes them not to be trusted by managers. Getting wrong side, not communicating with his teammates, getting drawn to the ball and letting his man run. It's no accident that when Zach did play last season for us before he got injured it was at right back. The same for Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa at first, a lot of future centre backs get put at fullback or in midfield where their mistakes are punished less. It might even have been worth putting Gillesphey in the middle and the youngsters either side of him rather than ask Zack to do the difficult job of marshalling the middle when he had two inexperienced teenagers outside him on the right, which is where the first two goals came from. I don't think you can draw a lot of conclusions from his performance last night beyond him doing pretty much what every young centre back does regularly at first team level. He looked good against Southend at RB, I wouldn't write him off just yet. Loan him out and let him make his mistakes and learn in a different environment.2 -
I don’t think many have claimed we’ll be instantly wowed the moment he plays CB, it’s that he’s a player with clear potential._uptheaddicks said:
Let's analyse his performances according to what we see. Also, there's little value in citing a RB performance against a National League side in a friendly.Garrymanilow said:20 for a centre back is a baby. He did everything last night that a young centre back does that helps them learn but causes them not to be trusted by managers. Getting wrong side, not communicating with his teammates, getting drawn to the ball and letting his man run. It's no accident that when Zach did play last season for us before he got injured it was at right back. The same for Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa at first, a lot of future centre backs get put at fullback or in midfield where their mistakes are punished less. It might even have been worth putting Gillesphey in the middle and the youngsters either side of him rather than ask Zack to do the difficult job of marshalling the middle when he had two inexperienced teenagers outside him on the right, which is where the first two goals came from. I don't think you can draw a lot of conclusions from his performance last night beyond him doing pretty much what every young centre back does regularly at first team level. He looked good against Southend at RB, I wouldn't write him off just yet. Loan him out and let him make his mistakes and learn in a different environment.
His followers have constantly said that we will be wowed when he gets to play his preferred position, CB. He's played RB, RCB and CB and looked equally poor in each (sadly).That potential is still there, a few bad games for us here and there doesn’t change that. He impressed in the SPL last season, we know he’s done well above u21 level.
Young players especially CBs are expected to make mistakes and be inconsistent. As we’re now in the Championship and having struggled last night it makes sense that he gets either a L1 loan or another in the SPL.
I remember Solly and Konsa didn’t convince everyone early on. Solly eventually settled in the first team and won POTY two years in a row, and Konsa moved up to the Championship and only spent a year there before becoming a PL player.
He’s still only 20, far too young to write off a CB who’s already had a couple of loans at a decent level.9 -
It is funny as fans how extremist we are when evaluating our youth. There is a segment of fans who significantly overrate them and then fans like myself who see this and overreact and are probably too harsh on our judgments.
Zac is anytime example of this. He struggled significantly at Colchester. Half the fans blamed Colchesters manager for not using him properly. Half the fans said he was rubbish. He did well in the SPL last year and a lot fans were saying he should be the primary backup at CB. He struggles yesterday and suddenly he is non league standard.
i think a more reasonable interpretation is that he is not ready for the championship but could potentially do well at a league one or two loan which is probably the best for his development.
what is his potential upside? personally I think he can be a solid league one defender but doesn’t have the pace or physicality to make it in the championship. Others can disagree and may say championship upside but hopefully the craziness of talk of selling him for millions to a premier league side or talk of playing in the Isthmian in a few years can be tempered5 -
Off the top of my head and currently playing in the PL, at the age of 20:
Dan Burn - Yeovil (League 1)
Ezri Konsa - Charlton (League 1)
Adam Smith - MK Dons (League 1)
Ben White - Newport County (League 2)
Adam Webster - Portsmouth (League 2)
All defenders and mostly were owned by the club they were playing for at the time. Mitchell may need another loan but to write him off as ever even eventually being capable of playing at Championship level might be somewhat premature. He's only had 31 starts in league football and we should remember that he "lost" half of the season before last when he was prevented from playing for anyone (including U21s) because of that change in manager at Colchester.
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Bonkers to play him in the middle last night. That's the key role of the 3 CBs, where you want your leader. Something Alex Mitchell could do, as he's a more solid and vocal defender.
If we had to play him as the right CB, he'd be a significant drop-off to Ramsay BUT as long as he had Jones in the middle to organise the defence and order him around, he'd be OK, as Jones is such a great leader of the defence.
I don't know if it's a confidence thing, or instructions, but Zach isn't bringing the ball out of defence like he did when he first emerged. Indeed it was that ability which really caught the eye.5 -
Yesterday he just didn't have the movement in front of him to create space, I think that in turn knocked his confidence and led to errors and then it's really hard to turn around. A good learning moment for him thoughkillerandflash said:Bonkers to play him in the middle last night. That's the key role of the 3 CBs, where you want your leader. Something Alex Mitchell could do, as he's a more solid and vocal defender.
If we had to play him as the right CB, he'd be a significant drop-off to Ramsay BUT as long as he had Jones in the middle to organise the defence and order him around, he'd be OK, as Jones is such a great leader of the defence.
I don't know if it's a confidence thing, or instructions, but Zach isn't bringing the ball out of defence like he did when he first emerged. Indeed it was that ability which really caught the eye.1 -
He's not fit to lace Joe Gomez or Konsa's boots.Garrymanilow said:20 for a centre back is a baby. He did everything last night that a young centre back does that helps them learn but causes them not to be trusted by managers. Getting wrong side, not communicating with his teammates, getting drawn to the ball and letting his man run. It's no accident that when Zach did play last season for us before he got injured it was at right back. The same for Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa at first, a lot of future centre backs get put at fullback or in midfield where their mistakes are punished less. It might even have been worth putting Gillesphey in the middle and the youngsters either side of him rather than ask Zack to do the difficult job of marshalling the middle when he had two inexperienced teenagers outside him on the right, which is where the first two goals came from. I don't think you can draw a lot of conclusions from his performance last night beyond him doing pretty much what every young centre back does regularly at first team level. He looked good against Southend at RB, I wouldn't write him off just yet. Loan him out and let him make his mistakes and learn in a different environment.
He's too slow
His football intelligence is weak
His passing is over-rated
I've been consistent in my comments on him. He won't make the grade.2 -
One of those most frustrating things for me was his distribution. Whether that was confidence or not but he was so pedestrian and safe with his distribution (unlike Gillesphey who just kept lumping it long which was another frustration on the night)0
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Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.0
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supaclive said:Garrymanilow said:20 for a centre back is a baby. He did everything last night that a young centre back does that helps them learn but causes them not to be trusted by managers. Getting wrong side, not communicating with his teammates, getting drawn to the ball and letting his man run. It's no accident that when Zach did play last season for us before he got injured it was at right back. The same for Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa at first, a lot of future centre backs get put at fullback or in midfield where their mistakes are punished less. It might even have been worth putting Gillesphey in the middle and the youngsters either side of him rather than ask Zack to do the difficult job of marshalling the middle when he had two inexperienced teenagers outside him on the right, which is where the first two goals came from. I don't think you can draw a lot of conclusions from his performance last night beyond him doing pretty much what every young centre back does regularly at first team level. He looked good against Southend at RB, I wouldn't write him off just yet. Loan him out and let him make0
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BromleyMendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.3 -
You heard it here first people, stop judging players on how they play for us. See what they’re doing in 5 years time which has some totally relevant link to nowMendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.0 -
My money is on closer to Elewere and Ness than Konsa and Gomez.Mendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.1 -
Working in ASDA?Mendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.1 -
Yeah, but where will they be in 5 years time? 😉 Both are still young enough to progress up the leagues too.sam3110 said:
My money is on closer to Elewere and Ness than Konsa and Gomez.Mendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.0 -
Some really "sad" comments on here regarding one of our own.
A young man, whose focus in life until now has been to work hard towards establishing himself in the 1st team squad at the only club he's ever played for.
I'm sure he's faced challenges many times before, but has the strength of character to bounce back through sheer determination & belief in his attributes.
And make no mistake - they haven't disappeared over night.
Whilst I won't call out those Lifers who have felt the need to criticise Zach in no uncertain terms & without a second thought - that's their decision - I am disappointed in the way he has been effectively written off by some whose views I've respected in the past.
You may know who you are...But you're better than this.
I'm not going to add to these thoughts tonight but if Nathan has faith in Zach's ability to "make it" at our club, then that's good enough for me. All I've ever heard from managers at all levels is that this is a player with a future here & there is no reason to believe that has changed.
I know that Zach will be disappointed at his & his team mates' performance last night ...that goes without saying, but each one of those involved will have their own battles to fight as a result. And as such, will be eager for another opportunity to show they can do so much better.
One final thought from me.
Some have posted that the way our defence was set up at Cambridge was an accident waiting to happen. Others have suggested that maybe the gaffer was trying to make a point to the owners with the make up of that matchday squad....Perhaps Zach & other of his team mates were playing to orders which would appear to contradict the way they would normally be told to do so....playing long balls to the strikers & by passing midfield for example.
Maybe Nathan " moves in mysterious ways " too.
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Big test of character for Zach now to bounce back from that performance.....I'm not writing him off after one bad performance......0
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Must've been a real confidence boost to be sent out in defense and then immediately after the game Nathan uses you as the reason why we need to strengthen in defense for the squad.Fanny Fanackapan said:Some really "sad" comments on here regarding one of our own.
A young man, whose focus in life until now has been to work hard towards establishing himself in the 1st team squad at the only club he's ever played for.
I'm sure he's faced challenges many times before, but has the strength of character to bounce back through sheer determination & belief in his attributes.
And make no mistake - they haven't disappeared over night.
Whilst I won't call out those Lifers who have felt the need to criticise Zach in no uncertain terms & without a second thought - that's their decision - I am disappointed in the way he has been effectively written off by some whose views I've respected in the past.
You may know who you are...But you're better than this.
I'm not going to add to these thoughts tonight but if Nathan has faith in Zach's ability to "make it" at our club, then that's good enough for me. All I've ever heard from managers at all levels is that this is a player with a future here & there is no reason to believe that has changed.
I know that Zach will be disappointed at his & his team mates' performance last night ...that goes without saying, but each one of those involved will have their own battles to fight as a result. And as such, will be eager for another opportunity to show they can do so much better.
One final thought from me.
Some have posted that the way our defence was set up at Cambridge was an accident waiting to happen. Others have suggested that maybe the gaffer was trying to make a point to the owners with the make up of that matchday squad....Perhaps Zach & other of his team mates were playing to orders which would appear to contradict the way they would normally be told to do so....playing long balls to the strikers & by passing midfield for example.
Maybe Nathan " moves in mysterious ways " too.0 -
People talk very highly of him but to be honest i can’t see it.
If he rises above league 1 I’ll be surprised.
Scotland is no marker for his ability, but he could gain some knowledge there I guess.
Alex is more accomplished in my opinion0 -
He's also 4 years older and has played 130 odd league games compared to Zach's 38, he should be more accomplished. Zach had a poor game but I still think his ceiling is higher than Alex'sCafcSCP said:People talk very highly of him but to be honest i can’t see it.
If he rises above league 1 I’ll be surprised.
Scotland is no marker for his ability, but he could gain some knowledge there I guess.
Alex is more accomplished in my opinion4 - Sponsored links:
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Has he ever said anything useful after any match ? It’s not a strength .SELR_addicks said:
Must've been a real confidence boost to be sent out in defense and then immediately after the game Nathan uses you as the reason why we need to strengthen in defense for the squad.Fanny Fanackapan said:Some really "sad" comments on here regarding one of our own.
A young man, whose focus in life until now has been to work hard towards establishing himself in the 1st team squad at the only club he's ever played for.
I'm sure he's faced challenges many times before, but has the strength of character to bounce back through sheer determination & belief in his attributes.
And make no mistake - they haven't disappeared over night.
Whilst I won't call out those Lifers who have felt the need to criticise Zach in no uncertain terms & without a second thought - that's their decision - I am disappointed in the way he has been effectively written off by some whose views I've respected in the past.
You may know who you are...But you're better than this.
I'm not going to add to these thoughts tonight but if Nathan has faith in Zach's ability to "make it" at our club, then that's good enough for me. All I've ever heard from managers at all levels is that this is a player with a future here & there is no reason to believe that has changed.
I know that Zach will be disappointed at his & his team mates' performance last night ...that goes without saying, but each one of those involved will have their own battles to fight as a result. And as such, will be eager for another opportunity to show they can do so much better.
One final thought from me.
Some have posted that the way our defence was set up at Cambridge was an accident waiting to happen. Others have suggested that maybe the gaffer was trying to make a point to the owners with the make up of that matchday squad....Perhaps Zach & other of his team mates were playing to orders which would appear to contradict the way they would normally be told to do so....playing long balls to the strikers & by passing midfield for example.
Maybe Nathan " moves in mysterious ways " too.0 -
One of the problems with a team like Tuesday is the defence haven't bedded in irrespective of their age.0
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Wonder who will be picked on if Zach goes out on loan or a pertmanent deal.
There's one every season.0 -
Zach Mitchell is certainly good enough to have a decent career as a professional footballer.
He is 20 years of age, plenty of time to become that grizzled defender people expect him to be, although I am not sure if an out and out defender will turn out to be his best position.
Watching him come through I used to think what a decent defensive midfielder he could be, what with those forward runs and all that.
Those of us speculating about his talent right now should maybe wait a little longer, males don’t completely finish their growth development until around 25, not just obvious physical growth.
In my opinion a promising young player like Zach Mitchell need support not way too early condemnation.
P.S. He didn’t cost what Kelman cost.3 -
What is useful to say after a match? His comments were accurate that the team didn’t perform and that we’re light at the back in terms of squad depth.wmcf123 said:
Has he ever said anything useful after any match ? It’s not a strength .SELR_addicks said:
Must've been a real confidence boost to be sent out in defense and then immediately after the game Nathan uses you as the reason why we need to strengthen in defense for the squad.Fanny Fanackapan said:Some really "sad" comments on here regarding one of our own.
A young man, whose focus in life until now has been to work hard towards establishing himself in the 1st team squad at the only club he's ever played for.
I'm sure he's faced challenges many times before, but has the strength of character to bounce back through sheer determination & belief in his attributes.
And make no mistake - they haven't disappeared over night.
Whilst I won't call out those Lifers who have felt the need to criticise Zach in no uncertain terms & without a second thought - that's their decision - I am disappointed in the way he has been effectively written off by some whose views I've respected in the past.
You may know who you are...But you're better than this.
I'm not going to add to these thoughts tonight but if Nathan has faith in Zach's ability to "make it" at our club, then that's good enough for me. All I've ever heard from managers at all levels is that this is a player with a future here & there is no reason to believe that has changed.
I know that Zach will be disappointed at his & his team mates' performance last night ...that goes without saying, but each one of those involved will have their own battles to fight as a result. And as such, will be eager for another opportunity to show they can do so much better.
One final thought from me.
Some have posted that the way our defence was set up at Cambridge was an accident waiting to happen. Others have suggested that maybe the gaffer was trying to make a point to the owners with the make up of that matchday squad....Perhaps Zach & other of his team mates were playing to orders which would appear to contradict the way they would normally be told to do so....playing long balls to the strikers & by passing midfield for example.
Maybe Nathan " moves in mysterious ways " too.
In terms of Z Mitchell. I think a league one or two loan is the next thing for him. He’s got the ability on the ball that’s needed but he’s not tough enough yet to boss an attacker in the way Jones now can (who’s 29). Somewhere like Tranmere, Grimsby or Walsall who have good coaches and a good set up would be perfect for him.I think as mentioned above, Ben White should be his inspiration. They’re similar type players and he was playing in League 2 at his age. As was our own Kayne Ramsey.0 -
I’ve stayed out of this debate to date. I’ve never seen Zack play for any of the youth teams whatever age that may be. Therefore, I can only judge him on his limited first team appearances. From those though I really can’t see what all the fuss has been about. He looks nothing special to me. I hope he comes good, I really do as I like to see our home grown players progress to the first team and beyond, but at the moment I really don’t see it.4
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I haven't seen him for a couple of years, but as a youngster he used to come forward a lot, probably too much for a CB, and was quite effective offensively. There was talk then about his best position possibly being in midfield, although he said he preferred CB. I wonder if this is an option.1
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Do you not understand how developing academy players works?AberystwythAddick said:
You heard it here first people, stop judging players on how they play for us. See what they’re doing in 5 years time which has some totally relevant link to nowMendonca In Asdas said:Let’s revisit this thread In 5 years time, and see where he is.0 -
He was being criticised for weeks before the game on here.Talal said:
And there are comments like this every season. He's not being picked on, people are commenting on a poor performance. It's pretty standard stuff on a forum.Crusty54 said:Wonder who will be picked on if Zach goes out on loan or a pertmanent deal.
There's one every season.
It is standard stuff on the forum for a whipping boy every season.
It's clear there was a pretty bad midfield performance in front of him.3
