Coutts,freeman

[Cerberus Blade]

I'll say in now.

Based on last season, keeping match fit, and having his Scottish mucker next door to him, Coutts will prove to be one of the best, if not THE best CM in the division.

UTB

Tha too late. I said it before the start of last season. I was definitely in the minority on here at the time. Also said Scougall and Done weren't good enough too and had no future at the club.

I can make some predictions about players for this coming season an' all if you like? But I won't spoil the surprise. It involves strikers though - and as a little teaser I will say this...

2 will be too old and slow
1 will be plagued with injuries and only make about half the games
1 will be found out to be just too lightweight to cut it at this level
1 will be a revelation

and then we'll all be saying at this time next season..."If only we'd gone out and bought another good young striker to play alongside X, we'd have probably got auto".

 

[Chali 2na]

Exactly........and we want to add EELto it? EEL next season will be as bad as Wilson last season.

UTB

I think Wilson did a good job as cover

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I think Wilson did a good job as cover

I didn't see Wilson put a foot wrong tbh. Mind you, I only saw him about 4 times - but Wilder seemed to quickly think he wasn't up to the mark and that was that really. I wonder if he will be another one that comes back into the team through necessity and ends up being a star? From what I've seen, I'd rather have Wilson than that Mr T impersonator from Wolverhampton. If there's one thing I think will bugger us up next season more than anything, it will be relying on that great lummox in central defence. Surely Wilder can see that? Let him stop in the West Midlands and eat orange chips.

 

[Chali 2na]

Tha too late. I said it before the start of last season. I was definitely in the minority on here at the time. Also said Scougall and Done weren't good enough too and had no future at the club.

I can make some predictions about players for this coming season an' all if you like? But I won't spoil the surprise. It involves strikers though - and as a little teaser I will say this....

 

[Chali 2na]

I didn't see Wilson put a foot wrong tbh. Mind you, I only saw him about 4 times - but Wilder seemed to quickly think he wasn't up to the mark and that was that really. I wonder if he will be another one that comes back into the team through necessity and ends up being a star? From what I've seen, I'd rather have Wilson than that Mr T impersonator from Wolverhampton. If there's one thing I think will bugger us up next season more than anything, it will be relying on that great lummox in central defence. Surely Wilder can see that? Let him stop in the West Midlands and eat orange chips.

Each to their own, I disagree

 

[Grizzly blade]

What if they aren't able to make the step up and they're on the books for 3 years. Hopefully not the case but you need to have a plan in place for these things.

The mess under Clough was instigated by happily dishing out 3 and 4 year contracts, let's not forget that.

What utter bollocks.
3/4 year contracts under Clough? Which ones are we struggling to get shut of now?
I think you will find we have NO players we can't get rid of that were signed by Clough, in fact we are hoping that 3 of his signings sign a new contract at the moment! Many contracts during his tenure were contracts with options of another year in OUR favour!

Now if you were talking about Collins and Doyle.....signed by Adams on ludicrous money!

 

[DronnieBlade]

Tha too late. I said it before the start of last season. I was definitely in the minority on here at the time. Also said Scougall and Done weren't good enough too and had no future at the club.

I can make some predictions about players for this coming season an' all if you like? But I won't spoil the surprise. It involves strikers though - and as a little teaser I will say this...

2 will be too old and slow
1 will be plagued with injuries and only make about half the games
1 will be found out to be just too lightweight to cut it at this level
1 will be a revelation

and then we'll all be saying at this time next season..."If only we'd gone out and bought another good young striker to play alongside X, we'd have probably got auto".

Yes.

A very small minority

UTB

Ps if your revelation is Lavery, prepare to be disappointed !

 

[DronnieBlade]

Tha too late. I said it before the start of last season. I was definitely in the minority on here at the time. Also said Scougall and Done weren't good enough too and had no future at the club.

I can make some predictions about players for this coming season an' all if you like? But I won't spoil the surprise. It involves strikers though - and as a little teaser I will say this...

2 will be too old and slow
1 will be plagued with injuries and only make about half the games
1 will be found out to be just too lightweight to cut it at this level
1 will be a revelation

and then we'll all be saying at this time next season..."If only we'd gone out and bought another good young striker to play alongside X, we'd have probably got auto".

Don't see you much on this thread CB ?

Just a few visionaries who clearly know better

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/coutts.40564/

UTB

 

[Barney]

What utter bollocks.
3/4 year contracts under Clough? Which ones are we struggling to get shut of now?
I think you will find we have NO players we can't get rid of that were signed by Clough, in fact we are hoping that 3 of his signings sign a new contract at the moment! Many contracts during his tenure were contracts with options of another year in OUR favour!

Now if you were talking about Collins and Doyle.....signed by Adams on ludicrous money!

You weren't around when we had a massively bloated squad full of shite signed by Clough that we had to gradually get rid of then? While in the mean time this was stopping us winning games and being promoted. Then Adkins rocks up and adds to it.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

What utter bollocks.
3/4 year contracts under Clough? Which ones are we struggling to get shut of now?
I think you will find we have NO players we can't get rid of that were signed by Clough, in fact we are hoping that 3 of his signings sign a new contract at the moment! Many contracts during his tenure were contracts with options of another year in OUR favour!

Now if you were talking about Collins and Doyle.....signed by Adams on ludicrous money!

Brayford cost a huge fee is on massive wages and transfer-listed.
Done didn't come cheap and is on the transfer list.
We had to pay up James Wallace last year after his 3rd year extension in HIS favour.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Brayford cost a huge fee is on massive wages and transfer-listed.
Done didn't come cheap and is on the transfer list.
We had to pay up James Wallace last year after his 3rd year extension in HIS favour.

Brayford is still our player and is 2 days on the list.
He won't be short of takers.

Done was a good servant and a part of a successful side last season. He won't be short of takers.
Wallace....give you that one but it was the persistent injuries and not his ability that killed it.

The post claiming Clough filled the squad with players on 3/4 year deals and stuck with them is absolute crap. For a start, a 3 year deal is usually the norm at all clubs. Clough s transfer dealings were no worse than Anyone else. Certainly compared to us having such dross as Collins and Doyle right until their contract ran down and we couldn't shift them!

 

[Grizzly blade]

You weren't around when we had a massively bloated squad full of shite signed by Clough that we had to gradually get rid of then? While in the mean time this was stopping us winning games and being promoted. Then Adkins rocks up and adds to it.

Name the players he signed that were shite, that took huge salaries and hung around as nobody else wanted them. Compare that to Adkins who brought in one player in Sharp that was any benefit to the club at all....he even offered Long a huge contract that Wilder had to put right!
Clough was far from the huge problem he was made out to be, and considering the season and a half he had his tenure is more than likely to have seen a transfer profit than loss considering he sorted Murphy out, signed Adams for peanuts, and brought in Coutts and Freeman for next to nowt plus Bash for nowt!

 

[BushBlade]

If you allow a manager to go out and sign a load of players in the JTW then sack him at the end of the season, it's inevitable that his replacement won't want to use all the players. It always happens. It's exacerbated when the manager is signing players who have played for him before and are loyal to him. Not only does the manager not want to use the players, the players might not want to play for the manager.

It wasn't just Clough who got things wrong.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Name the players he signed that were shite

Higdon, McEveley. Add to that the season's loan of Sammon as it was a done deal under Clough even though he signed the dotted line under Adkins. There were other gems like Lappin (loan) who must rank as one of the worst players I've ever seen.

 

[BushBlade]

Tbf, I could do a list of shit players Bassett signed but it wouldn't prove he was a shit manager.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Tbf, I could do a list of shit players Bassett signed but it wouldn't prove he was a shit manager.

It was Grizzly who asked the question re-Clough.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

In the 2014/15 season Clough signed 22 players. Our season finished with us conceding 5 goals at Swindon with a centre-back pairing of Alcock-McEveley.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Higdon, McEveley. Add to that the season's loan of Sammon as it was a done deal under Clough even though he signed the dotted line under Adkins. There were other gems like Lappin (loan) who must rank as one of the worst players I've ever seen.

McEverley was prone to the odd shocker, and also the odd very good game. I seem to recall a few shockers early doors for mr so Connell. Higdon....awful. No doubt a panic buy....never said he was perfect.
And the Sammon deal....no person has confirmed it was a Clough signing. He signed months after Clough left.

Lapping on loan for what a couple of months? Scraping the barrel here seeing as he came as a cover loan. As for one of the worst? Did you miss Williams? Baxter the keeper? Woolford? Many players far worse for me.

But I'm far from saying Clough was perfect. He wasn't. But the crap some state about him spending huge amounts when the fact is he didn't have a budget the same as Adkins, plus claims his signings were crap when many were shafted by one of the worst managers in Adkins. A little bit of balance is all I ask for.


Oh...and I also said expensive too!
McEverley wasn't expensive, Lappin? Alcock did a job for low cost.

 

[Rodley]

McEverley was prone to the odd shocker, and also the odd very good game. I seem to recall a few shockers early doors for mr so Connell. Higdon....awful. No doubt a panic buy....never said he was perfect.
And the Sammon deal....no person has confirmed it was a Clough signing. He signed months after Clough left.

Lapping on loan for what a couple of months? Scraping the barrel here seeing as he came as a cover loan. As for one of the worst? Did you miss Williams? Baxter the keeper? Woolford? Many players far worse for me.

But I'm far from saying Clough was perfect. He wasn't. But the crap some state about him spending huge amounts when the fact is he didn't have a budget the same as Adkins, plus claims his signings were crap when many were shafted by one of the worst managers in Adkins. A little bit of balance is all I ask for.


Oh...and I also said expensive too!
McEverley wasn't expensive, Lappin? Alcock did a job for low cost.

Clough signed a high volume of players, many of which didn't perform under him or weren't in positions we needed. Given the numbers we signed and presumably even if they had middling wages and signing on fees, the numbers add up to a large total. I'd say he was heavily backed - certainly in the context of L1.

Tactically he was negative and didn't know how to win a game, let alone a league (he almost through away Hasselbanks lead at Burton).

He wasn't as bad as Adkins, but for L1 he had an embarrassment of riches and failed to deliver.

 

[Rodley]

Brayford cost a huge fee is on massive wages and transfer-listed.
Done didn't come cheap and is on the transfer list.
We had to pay up James Wallace last year after his 3rd year extension in HIS favour.

Ben Davies
Kieran Wallace
Andy Butler
JCR
McGahey
Higdon
Etc

 

[Grizzly blade]

Ben Davies
Kieran Wallace
Andy Butler
JCR
McGahey
Higdon
Etc

Expensive were they? Play offs? Did Adkins manage that, or two cup semi's? And how long did those expensive player score hang around like what was originally suggested. I assume all of these were 3/4 years as you said or at least given that length of contract?

 

[Grizzly blade]

Clough signed a high volume of players, many of which didn't perform under him or weren't in positions we needed. Given the numbers we signed and presumably even if they had middling wages and signing on fees, the numbers add up to a large total. I'd say he was heavily backed - certainly in the context of L1.

Tactically he was negative and didn't know how to win a game, let alone a league (he almost through away Hasselbanks lead at Burton).

He wasn't as bad as Adkins, but for L1 he had an embarrassment of riches and failed to deliver.

The "fact" you raised was that Clough filled the club with players on 3/4 year deals that were expensive.

I'm not going over his management style etc again but needless to say when he arrived we needed pretty much a full squad and quickly or we were going down to L2. Now you can talk about huge costs, totals paid and yes, compared to many his budget was big. However, it is also a fact that there were at least 3 clubs who's budget was bigger. If you want to know how I know this drop me a message.
He needed to get in numbers, some worked some didn't. He also worked well within the budget he was set by the owners, while having to deal with players called Doyle and collins who were the highest earners on his arrival along with the biggest waste of talent I've ever seen for united. Just let that sink in....those two were the highest earners with Baxter.

I'm sick of going over the same thing with those stuck in the past making inaccurate remarks on snippets of information without full context. Nobody said he was great, but the crap spouted about him signing loads of players on long expensive contracts needs to be challenged as it is not true.
I'm certainly glad he was the manager having watched just one of his players put together a masterclass of skill and ball retention in midfield last season. No doubt you were one of the many deriding his ability and calling him crap when it's now obvious that was far from the case.

 

[Blade58]

This is good news, but no mention of Coutts or Freeman.



An article in today's Star also mentions contract offers to Basham, Coutts and Sharp, but not Freeman.

I think Coutts and Freeman are both keeping their powder dry as we are signing and being linked to multiple midfielders and wing backs

If they think they could be dropping down the pecking order, they'll be looking to get away imo

 

[EddieColquhoun]

Brayford is still our player and is 2 days on the list.
He won't be short of takers.

Done was a good servant and a part of a successful side last season. He won't be short of takers.

We might struggle to get someone to pay the wages they're on.

 

[Grizzly blade]

We might struggle to get someone to pay the wages they're on.

f


That's a fair point, but the difference is the type of person they are.
Brayford has no doubt proven money isn't his motivation. And I suspect Done is much the same. They are hardly gonna hang around if they aren't playing

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

I think it inevitable Brayford will go to Clough.
The Millers want Done,we are thinking about that situation.

 

[Rodley]

The "fact" you raised was that Clough filled the club with players on 3/4 year deals that were expensive.

I'm not going over his management style etc again but needless to say when he arrived we needed pretty much a full squad and quickly or we were going down to L2. Now you can talk about huge costs, totals paid and yes, compared to many his budget was big. However, it is also a fact that there were at least 3 clubs who's budget was bigger. If you want to know how I know this drop me a message.
He needed to get in numbers, some worked some didn't. He also worked well within the budget he was set by the owners, while having to deal with players called Doyle and collins who were the highest earners on his arrival along with the biggest waste of talent I've ever seen for united. Just let that sink in....those two were the highest earners with Baxter.

I'm sick of going over the same thing with those stuck in the past making inaccurate remarks on snippets of information without full context. Nobody said he was great, but the crap spouted about him signing loads of players on long expensive contracts needs to be challenged as it is not true.
I'm certainly glad he was the manager having watched just one of his players put together a masterclass of skill and ball retention in midfield last season. No doubt you were one of the many deriding his ability and calling him crap when it's now obvious that was far from the case.

I'm sick of people inaccurately attributing posts to me and then castigating me for it. I'll let someone else ring the 'Irony Alert' bell

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I think Wilson did a good job as cover

He was crap - that's why CW binned him off and why he hardly played.

Both he and Hussey were very average L1 footballers - it's partly why we were bottom of L1.

Considering our dominance at MK away, he was suspect even then - liked a scared rabbit receiving the ball.

UTB

 

[Barney]

Name the players he signed that were shite, that took huge salaries and hung around as nobody else wanted them. Compare that to Adkins who brought in one player in Sharp that was any benefit to the club at all....he even offered Long a huge contract that Wilder had to put right!
Clough was far from the huge problem he was made out to be, and considering the season and a half he had his tenure is more than likely to have seen a transfer profit than loss considering he sorted Murphy out, signed Adams for peanuts, and brought in Coutts and Freeman for next to nowt plus Bash for nowt!

Coutts who was shit before Wilder came along.

Craig Alcock
Jamal Campbell Ryce
James Wallace
Jose Baxter
Marc McNulty
Ben Davies
Jay McEveley
Kieron Wallace
Michael Higdon
Iain Turner
Harrison McGahey
Florent Cuvelier

 

[Chali 2na]

He was crap - that's why CW binned him off and why he hardly played.

Both he and Hussey were very average L1 footballers - it's partly why we were bottom of L1.

Considering our dominance at MK away, he was suspect even then - liked a scared rabbit receiving the ball.

UTB

I didn't say Wilson was fit for the Championship: I said he did a good job as cover

If you're judging him by his form at the start of the season, then you're being unfair. He was one of many players who were hugely disappointing at the start of the campaign.

Also, you may or may not be forgetting his goal against Oxford, which I would argue is one of the single most important goals of the season, as it earned us our 1st win when confidence was at an all time low.