Cotterill & the Defence

[SwissBlade]

So many people called for Cotterill to play, yet he's played 60 mins v the pigs and 90 yesterday and I've not heard a good word about him.

He needs to sort himself out and started taking his opportunity.

When he plays well he's great, but how often have we seen him play well?

Last season we didn't have that many wingers so had to play him, but now we're loaded with wingers.

The Back four haven't been heavily criticised by anyone and from what i've seen/ heard we've looked reasonably solid at the back. But we still seem to concede sloppy goals.

Last season we had one of the best records defensively and were renowned for not giving much away at the back. This season we're way down the list.

I know we've played a lot of decent teams and had a derby, but is that the only reason?

 

[Fiery Blade]

Obviously, a new keeper makes a big difference when its down to understanding but I don't think the defence is as good this year:
Walker is not as good yet as Naughton played last year
Taylor is not the left back either Naughton or Naysmith are!
Killa has missed two games
and Bunn is new to the team
All ingredients to making the defence less solid than last year
Perhaps it is time to give Glenn Little a run down the right - cotterill is a confidence player and if Blackwell blames him in training as he did on the radio yesterday no wonder his confidence is shot!

 

[Guesty]

Cotterill has poor games, we all know that. But without Treacy and Ward he is our only real outlet and I'm sure he'll make things happen if given the games.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Cotterill has poor games, we all know that. But without Treacy and Ward he is our only real outlet and I'm sure he'll make things happen if given the games.

True, with Quinn on the left and Henderson up front on his own, the only player to beat a man and stretch the opposition is Cotterill. If they manage to double up on him, it seems to me we have a tendency to try to be camped in their half and put a lot of long balls into the box. It often leads to us being static and predictable.

Cotterill has pace, but he prefers to receive the ball to feet, and we don't often see him making off the ball runs in behind defences. Without Ward we have nobody who are good at doing this. We need at least one in our forward line who has pace and tries to run in behind defences.

By all accounts Evans haven't found his role in the team, and I'm surprised we continue to try him as an attacking midfielder.

I'm also unsure about where this attacking midfielder position leaves Harper. Is he told to playmake and stay back with Monty, forming a solid central duo, or does he have freedom to bomb forward like he did in his best years at Reading? I'm not sure playmaking from deep is his natural game, and fear he will become anonymous in such a role.

 

[gregblade]

In a way I can understand Cotterills critics, but........

People need to realise that the guy is a winger! He is nothing else! He does lose the ball, he does concede possession, but hes a winger! Its not his job to defend. Hes chipped in with a few goals and got a few assits and hes not been given anywhere near the amount of game time as Treacy has!

If the 2 full backs were better defensively the wingers would have much more freedom!

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

Wingers will always get criticised - its the nature of the position they play. Warnock was spot on a few years back when everyone was at Ifill. They either beat the man and cross and everyone goes OOOOOOH! Or they fail to beat the man or put in a crap cross and it's F'N HELL!

There's no grey area for them. They're either excellent or they're crap - which is what Cotts is accused of!

60 minutes in derby, 90 yesterday - SwissBlade says he's done nothing.

Not defending his performances but I think a look at our third goal in the derby might be worth a look to those who say he's done nothing.

That's why you persist with the likes of Cotterill. Because he will usually produce once a match however bad he plays. Once a match, he usually produces one cross that is screaming to be headed home.

Infuriating yes. Scapegoat no.

 

[Guesty]

Aye I though the same about Ifill. He chipped in with vital goals and assists to get us promoted but because of his role, lost possession more than the rest of the side. Like the best wingers he didn't go hiding when he had a bad game and kept trying to make things happen. When it wasn't working for him it just meant he lost the ball more, but when it did work he provided goals like no-one else could.

Like the older generation point out, people's minds become tainted with nostalgia because Woodward is venerated as a blades legend but did he produce week in week out? Did he bollocks. As the two previous posters have said, that's the way it is with wingers.

 

[judge]

sorry to be the one to tell you this chaps but cotterill is shit ,the sooner he is bombed out of the club the better in my opinion

 

[sitwell]

sorry to be the one to tell you this chaps but cotterill is shit ,the sooner he is bombed out of the club the better in my opinion

What a well thought out opinion, why not look at what hes good at instead of what hes bad at. Ask players like beattie hendo and evans about him. Blackwells treatment of him is disgusting ,both personally and professionally, i would have walked out long ago

 

[Bramley]

To be honest Cotterill is overrated in my opinion. Dwells on the ball and doesn't deliver. He lacks bottle as well.

Also, can't see how Blackwell has treated him badly - he was poor for spells last season and Jamie Ward is far more effective this year.

 

[Foxy]

Cotts is far too inconsistant recently. He's still only young, but he also makes a lot of poor decisions.

It's not that he's doubled up on, or identified as our only outlet, it's simple that he is either reluctant to get down the line/move into space when off the ball and often makes the wrong decision/keeps the ball too long when on it.

Despite the apparent hoofball described on the radio yesterday, time after time we tried playing down the wings... A midfielder/full back would find himself on half way with the ball, only for Cotts to come and stand 6 yards away from him instead of moving into space/getting down the line.

He can be a very good player, but until he can learn to be consistant in that, he's going to be in and out of the team and rightly so.

He isn't treated badly, he's treated how he and others should be... if he's not good enough, he falls out of favour.

 

[SwissBlade]

What a well thought out opinion, why not look at what hes good at instead of what hes bad at. Ask players like beattie hendo and evans about him. Blackwells treatment of him is disgusting ,both personally and professionally, i would have walked out long ago

Really?

I thought Blackwell has given him plenty of chances considering he's performed in only half the games he's played.

Unfortunately, for a team like us EVERYONE has to muck in defending and attacking. So as someone said earlier he's a winger and thats all we need him to do doesn't wash.

I desperately want to see him perform, but I think someone else should get their chance if he doesn't do it against Ipswich.

 

[beechblade]

Really?

I thought Blackwell has given him plenty of chances considering he's performed in only half the games he's played.

Unfortunately, for a team like us EVERYONE has to muck in defending and attacking. So as someone said earlier he's a winger and thats all we need him to do doesn't wash.

I desperately want to see him perform, but I think someone else should get their chance if he doesn't do it against Ipswich.

I agree I think he should be on the bench for Ipswich.

Right firstly i'll state it I'm not a huge fan of Cotts I don't love but I don't hate him either, however his off the bench performances have really impressed me at times this season.

When he came on in earlier games of the season he looked threatening and the extra pace he can bring in the last 20 mins of the game really can get other teams worried, some of his final balls have been great and he even showed guile in defensive duties, by not pulling his tackles or winning 50/50 balls.

Then it comes to the Derby.

(watched this on sky the day after, work the night before.)

This is when he threw all the above out the window and went back to the preformances he put in last season, (or the majority of, he was good in some games if not great) he started to shy away from 50/50 balls or even 60/40 balls in his favour often letting the pigs break and start playing those beauitful triangles that amounted to jack.
He still managed to get down the wing at times and still got a few great crosses in, one we know led to the third. My problem is when he has more time on the field. He soon becomes largely predictable, he runs with the ball on the same foot and always tends to turn in field to cut round a player and then goes back out wide. It can work at times but then he will run into 2 defenders rather than 1 and he'll try the same move instead of cutting out wide. He'll try to go through them both, sometimes his pace helps him out and he'll make it through, often it won't and he hits the second defender.
Not only that but at times he still likes to hold on to the ball to long, then when it gets stole away from him he'll stand there a bit confused instead of applying pressure to the ball he just lost, he doesn't have to win the tackle but applying pressure would help the team massively.

I will say this I have no doubt that he will contribute alot this season, but I feel he contributes best as an impact player. Because to me players don't get time to get used to him and his confidence can shine in that 20 min, and in the last 20 min he can cause problems massive ones that make he dangerous.

Thats my view on it anyway.

 

[beightonblade]

He's a nesh two hat.

 

[Bergen Blade]

I agree he's very frustrating, but his potential is great and for me it should be up to the management to compose line ups that get the most out of him. He set up a goal at Hillsborough, and our goal at Swansea also came following a good run and cross by him. He looks so dangerous in those situations.

I personally think he should be given an extended run in the side, but feel Blackwell will be on his case every time he's having a poor match. When he's having a bad day and not getting those dangerous crosses in, swap him. Put Little on and give the opposition something else to worry about.