Paul Coutts

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Then there's also the small matter of playing for his future with him being in the last year of his contract.

Ahhhh the old final year of their contract scenario.

It's amazing how so many players play their best ever football as their contract comes up for renewal.
Ched Evans was poor value during his first 2 years then as his contract came to a close he simply got better and better towards the end of the season.

Playing for you and your families livelihood sharpens the mind and seems to make players perform at their max. Anyway well done to Coutts.

I've rated his ability from day one, very comfortable on the ball and passes to feet but he's always played the short simple ball, No penetration, rarely shot at goal. lacked pace and a little fitness. Reminded me of a great 5 a side player who can't transition properly to playing the 11 a side game. Pleased he's raising his standards because midfield is our most concerning weak area.
 

Ahhhh the old final year of their contract scenario.

It's amazing how so many players play their best ever football as their contract comes up for renewal.
Ched Evans was poor value during his first 2 years then as his contract came to a close he simply got better and better towards the end of the season.

Playing for you and your families livelihood sharpens the mind and seems to make players perform at their max. Anyway well done to Coutts.

I've rated his ability from day one, very comfortable on the ball and passes to feet but he's always played the short simple ball, No penetration, rarely shot at goal. lacked pace and a little fitness. Reminded me of a great 5 a side player who can't transition properly to playing the 11 a side game. Pleased he's raising his standards because midfield is our most concerning weak area.

To be fair to Coutts, they do say he is the best in training. Apparently had an assist two weeks ago off one of the 5 a side boards
 
Difference being ,Coutts has been held back by a serious injury and is taking time both physically and mentally ,Baxter has self inflicted his own career downturn ,and lets see how long if ever he recovers it. I think Baxter was hugely over rated and was always either brilliant or shit dependant on if he got lucky with blind passes which either look great or 90% of the time give the ball away. Conversely I have always thought Coutts to be a very talented player ,struggling to overcome his injury as much in his mind as his knee ,hopefully he can now have faith in it and we will see a top player evolve. A good manager helps ,Adkins put a lot back during his nightmare stay at the club.


Some valid points there but just a couple of counter-arguments.

1. I don't think it's as simple as lucky blind passes. I think they are risky, speculative passes that won't come off as often but that you have to be a bit brave and have confidence in your own ability to play.

2. I'd be more sympathetic to Coutts' plight if he wasn't joking with Scottish reporters about being constantly fined for being overweight.
 
Whatever it is, Coutts is an example of a player who was written off as above, when the reality is he is a good player who is more than capable. And instead of hounding him out, like the manager has with others he has deemed as having a poor attitude, he has won over the manager and made himself a role in this team.

I disagree with this. Coutts is playing for one reason only - we are desperate. There is no one else to play central midfield thanks to the club failing to bring anyone in and Fleck being injured. He only got on the field in the first place as we were losing 3-0 at half time and the game was over.

He hadn't won the manager over. There was no choice (well, there was Louis Reed, but that's even worse).
 
I disagree with this. Coutts is playing for one reason only - we are desperate. There is no one else to play central midfield thanks to the club failing to bring anyone in and Fleck being injured. He only got on the field in the first place as we were losing 3-0 at half time and the game was over.

He hadn't won the manager over. There was no choice (well, there was Louis Reed, but that's even worse).


The manager openly stated that he had been very impressed with Coutts and Freeman after a few weeks of pre season. He had placed them on the transfer list based on last seasons performances, as well as to free up money for adding his own players.
Coutts was brought on, and given his chance. He has taken it. Freeman likewise!

Fleck has remained on the bench, suggesting that Coutts may well be keeping him out of the side.
Much as I like the idea of playing both to complement the other, neither at the moment have the energy to add what Basham brings to the team so selection may well stay as it is.

So has he won the manager over now? Other players at the club were given the chance in pre season and nothing changed for them, they were released, sold, moved on. Others have been left out of the loop completely like Wallace.
Give Wilder some credit, he has managed to get the lad playing to his potential.
 
The manager openly stated that he had been very impressed with Coutts and Freeman after a few weeks of pre season. He had placed them on the transfer list based on last seasons performances, as well as to free up money for adding his own players.
Coutts was brought on, and given his chance. He has taken it. Freeman likewise!

Fleck has remained on the bench, suggesting that Coutts may well be keeping him out of the side.
Much as I like the idea of playing both to complement the other, neither at the moment have the energy to add what Basham brings to the team so selection may well stay as it is.

So has he won the manager over now? Other players at the club were given the chance in pre season and nothing changed for them, they were released, sold, moved on. Others have been left out of the loop completely like Wallace.
Give Wilder some credit, he has managed to get the lad playing to his potential.

Coutts was not moved on because his wages are astronomical for a league one midfielder. Same with James Wallace.

I give Wilder credit for getting good performances out of Freeman, though again, he didn't have a choice, did he?

Fleck is not fit. If Coutts continues to start at his expense when he is fit, perhaps then we can say Coutts has won the argument.
 
It's quite interesting to see people disagreeing so openly when they probably actually agree.

There seem to be 2 points which are getting mixed up.

Coutts' footballing ability and Coutts' effectiveness on a matchday.

Ability - he can clearly pass a ball accurately and with the right weight. He can shield a ball and not lose possession and he can take a ball out of the sky and have it under control in an instant. None of these leads to any end result. If him having football ability and skill was all that counted then we may as well sign, is it Laurent Garnier, the keepy uppy guy. Having tekkers (my new word) isn't sufficient.

Effectiveness - He's not been effective for the first few years. It's not just his inability to trouble the scorers, his inability to create goals, it's the fact as Wilder alluded to, he becomes a passenger too often in games. Be that not taking enough responsibility far up the field or halfheartedly tracking back.

Fact is though, for all those such items which require greater application, he's started to put the hard yards in and his ability is now starting to tell.

Quite simply, for the first time in a long time, he seems to give a shit and as a result his performances are reflecting this.

To me, both Sitwell and Alcoblade are equally right - From Sitwell's perspective there is a player in there and he's starting to evidence this. From Alcoblade's perspective, it's the first time the application has been sufficient for his natural ability to be evidenced.
 
Regardless of what ever "put-downs " are heaped upon our long-suffering fans, I believe that they do appreciate a decent football player who can be "effective" for us on the pitch ........

A football player who is not "effective" on the pitch is like a chocolate teapot ....... it may look great and stylish but its fu**ing useless at its job.

I believe that Coutts will receive the accolades and praise that he deserves as soon as he deserves them .....regrettably in football, which is a results business, you have to be "effective" and deliver an end product.

Once his statistics start to show some assists and hopefully some goals and he is genuinely "running the midfield" ........ then, he will receive the adulation from the supporters.

Until then, like others such as Scougal and Duffy ........ they're chocolate tea pots ;)

UTB & FTP
 
The only myth is that Coutts has been shit for the last 20 months when he has co.fortably been our best footballing midfielder and has put in some brilliant performances.

His fitness has let him down but never his ability.




Not just fitness. Determination, bravery, tenacity etc. All missing from his game in the most part.


When things are going well, he can display his quality. When it gets tough and we need to dig in, all too often he doesn’t.


I hope that will change under Wilder but it has certainly been a factor in his time here so far.
 
Swindon away in the play offs, Barnsley away twice, Burton away, Fleetwood at home, Worcester at home.

6 games off the top of my head where Coutts was head and shoulders above any other player on the park and many at the time of those performances (even his biggest critics) acknowledged it.

However, one below par performance later and its all forgotten and he's been shite the last 20 months? Simply not true.


Surprised you didn’t mention Bradford at home last season where he was excellent. Same with Donny at home. He’s certainly had some good games, he just hasn’t applied himself consistently for a period of longer than about a month before slacking off again. Wilder said he had to have words with him at half time about not becoming a passenger on Sunday. There are clearly issues with his mentality. I don’t think many dispute his ability.
 
Ahhhh the old final year of their contract scenario.

It's amazing how so many players play their best ever football as their contract comes up for renewal.
Ched Evans was poor value during his first 2 years then as his contract came to a close he simply got better and better towards the end of the season.

Playing for you and your families livelihood sharpens the mind and seems to make players perform at their max. Anyway well done to Coutts.

I've rated his ability from day one, very comfortable on the ball and passes to feet but he's always played the short simple ball, No penetration, rarely shot at goal. lacked pace and a little fitness. Reminded me of a great 5 a side player who can't transition properly to playing the 11 a side game. Pleased he's raising his standards because midfield is our most concerning weak area.



Shame that theory didn’t work last season for Howard, Alcock, Collins, McGahey, McEveley, JCR, Cuvelier, Baxter, Flynn, Higdon, Sammon etc.


We’d have walked the league!
 

Been reading back through this thread and I agree with those who say that Coutts has obviously not been a consistent performer, for whatever reason whether it be injury, playing to instructions not suited to him or general attitude and fitness, however he simply hasn't been shite for the whole time he's been at the club and then is suddenly playing well.

To be honest, he's had a good couple of games recently, no different to last season when he had a good spell playing in front of Brayford, but he needs to produce this form more consistently and hopefully the manager has found a way of getting the best out of him, which I don't think can be said for either Adkins or Clough.

What is not in question is that, technically, he's probably the most gifted player at the club. Let's hope that can be harnessed to be more effective for the team on a consistent basis - as suggested by Darthblade
 
So basically he used to be shite but at the moment he's alright......he still might be shite in the next few weeks but by the same token he might be alright.

So let's just let him play and see what he does and judge him on his current performances, which so far have been encouraging, and I believe that will continue.

UTB
 
I think the vast majority recognise the need for ability. It's just that many also recognise that without athleticism, desire, bravery etc. ability will only take you so far.

Yes, I am one of those many. Ability remains the primary and overriding requirement though. This I know, because I have seen Luton Shelton...
 
Yes, I am one of those many. Ability remains the primary and overriding requirement though. This I know, because I have seen Luton Shelton...


Pep Guardiola identified him as Valarenga's biggest threat when they were playing Barca a few years back.

Frightening pace. But equally frightening lack of understanding of the game of football. Remember him at Old Trafford all those years ago causing all manner of problems. Shame he didn't kick on for us.
 
Pep Guardiola identified him as Valarenga's biggest threat when they were playing Barca a few years back.

Frightening pace. But equally frightening lack of understanding of the game of football. Remember him at Old Trafford all those years ago causing all manner of problems. Shame he didn't kick on for us.
Valarenga must be utter shite then.
 
Pep Guardiola identified him as Valarenga's biggest threat when they were playing Barca a few years back.

Frightening pace. But equally frightening lack of understanding of the game of football. Remember him at Old Trafford all those years ago causing all manner of problems. Shame he didn't kick on for us.

Well, he couldn't. That's because, for all his pace and athleticism, he was a rubbish footballer, which is, of course, my point.
 
Valarenga must be utter shite then.

I think the threat was that he would run so fast as to freeze time, rather like Superman and The Flash, so that any proper footballers in his team could outplay the statuesque men of Barca. I cannot imagine any other perceived threat from this non-footballer.
 
I deliberately left that bit out as he still has some way to go..............he is heading in the right direction though.

I feel the only options we have before us is gove the chant to Coutts or sign Emile Heskey on a free...

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Not just fitness. Determination, bravery, tenacity etc. All missing from his game in the most part.


When things are going well, he can display his quality. When it gets tough and we need to dig in, all too often he doesn’t.


I hope that will change under Wilder but it has certainly been a factor in his time here so far.

That's true. He did close someone down to win a throw that lead to the equaliser on Sunday though. Hopefully he realises this.
 

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