ucandomagic
Active Member
I like Coutts and he has had a great season but he was not as good yesterday. Glad you noted his poor attempts to win the ball I counted 3 or 4 times when it was a 50-50 challange and he simply did not go in. He was badly at fault for the first game. Do not think Fleck was as good yesterday either but did more off the ball work than Coutts.
I do not think it was one of Hanson's better games. Indeed last two I have seen at Rochdale and today he has been poor but his work and presence does make a difference ad softens them up for when Lavery comes on also.
I thought EEL was ok but he gets drawn to the ball. Sometimes it works and he makes a good tackle but quite a few times the ball is of course played across and he has little awareness of where men are. He left an unmarked man twice second half and they should have scored on both bit fired over.
It's easy for Coutts to look impressive when the opposition sit back and he has space to spray the ball around, which he is extremely good at.
However, when the pressure is high, when there is less time on the ball and the game is more physical Coutts is way less effective. He's just not that kind of bloke.
People say that's because of his previous bad injury, but in the heat of battle you just don't think about that - look at how Tel Kennedy and James Wallace still piled in after bad injuries.
Overall, he will be great in some games and not in others. I reckon he'll probably get pulled quite a few times next year, and might even be second pick to Samir. Also, from Tufty's interview I wouldn't be surprised if Holmes was playing for us either! He was certainly good yesterday.
UTB