Coutts

[Bladepicker]

Not sure if you mean the play off game at Swindon (where I felt he was pivotal in turning it round from 3-0 down),

Exactly that game. He was instrumental in turning it around as you say, was it the build up to Balham's goal where he received the ball while marked by two of their men and in controlling the ball and turning beat them both with one move? Admittedly I had seen him play for Derby a few times (Mrs Bladepicker is a Rams fan) and so I knew what he was capable of, but moments like that showed his quality for us.

Glad he has got his fitness back and has turned in that sort of performance week in week out.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I was Coutts biggest critic & those who know me will certainly vouch for that, but over the last 2 months he's been our most improved player of the season.

Now if he could add a goal threat to his play then he'd be a proper proper player.

I was right behind you and totally agree.

I do wonder though if a critique of him would be fairer if I hadn't actually seen him play recently?

 

[Sean Thornton]

Yes I'm that much of a drama queen I might:
* Compose a self pitying flouncing thread announcing my departure from the forum only to return the next day
* Sell my 'season ticket' mid way through the season like a good fair weather plastic
* Repeatedly cry to the site moderators because everyone's picking on me

Pretty pathetic wouldn't you agree?

Enjoy the rest of the thread.

Don't do it Pete, you'll look a right twat.

 

[Bladesway]

You've admitted yourself in the original post how you didn't think much to Coutts before the last few games, if not just the last game. It's the minuscule time period you're using to base your opinion on his miraculous upturn in ability that has made you go from giving him away for free to definitely keeping him that makes your original post a bit of a ridiculous and overly dramatical one.

I'm with you on it being more than just a few games. Lets extrapolate that out to your time on here. You have been on here several months, you have behaved like an arsehole throughout ruining the forum almost single handedly. What do I deduce from this? You are an arsehole. Thanks for fucking up what was a great place to be.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I said last season he just wasn't ready - playing him from August to Christmas in a push to get him match-fit would've been acceptable but to play him every minute of every game in the run-up to the play-offs, when he was so clearly "off the pace", was desperate stuff from Clough and, in my mind, wasn't right. We know Clough was a stubborn chap and it was infuriating but given his progression this season, it's a shame Clough didn't see the fruits.

In contrast, Clough's faith in Coutts was based on faith that he'd recover from his injury and get better with time. Adkins' faith in Hammond seems baseless given his age (and temperament).

I think Adkins’ faith in Hammond is more about his temperament than anything else. He seems to believe that having a character like Hammond about the place is a good example to the rest of the team and will help them to become better professionals. That’s something you only get to see by working with these players day in day out. Hammond has some attributes that he brings to the team but his immense lack of pace worries me. I’m not sure who’s slower out of him and Higdon.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Not sure if you mean the play off game at Swindon (where I felt he was pivotal in turning it round from 3-0 down), but that one and Barnsley away are exactly the two games that came to mind where I thought he was outstanding. Without his injury, he'd be at a much higher level than L1.



I can understand why people didn't rate him last season, based on some of his early (unfit) performances. You'd have to have very little understanding of football, or not be quite the full shilling, to continue to argue that he's not up to much.

I agreed he had ability when I saw him last season. What worried me about him was whether his contribution could ever be enough due to his restricted mobility and reticence to make tackles. I thought the injury might have finished him. These aspects of his game have improved this season and his confidence seems to have grown. He now plays with a bit of a swagger and is looking the part.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

I'd just like to say how much I agree with Barney.



However, I'm not a ginormous retard, so I can't.

 

[Chezzy Blades]

Coutts has been a shining light recently in the general malaise of shit that we've had to put up with.

He looks a good footballer in a side that are struggling to play any decent football for more than 10-15 minutes a game at the moment, and when we're at our hoofing, deep, panicking worst he's the only one who actually looks comfortable with the ball at his feet and doesn't treat it like a bomb.

There's no debating that Bristol, Swindon and Barnsley away aside last year he was very poor, but there's also no debating that the stuff we're seeing from him at the moment is far more than being in good form, now he's fit he's probably our best player.

I still think we might get more out of him in centre midfield longer term, allowing us to bring in an out and out winger to play on the right, but we have bigger issues to address before that.

 

[bladesman3]

Done is dog poo

U kidding???

 

[Deaneandagana]

I was right behind you and totally agree.

I do wonder though if a critique of him would be fairer if I hadn't actually seen him play recently?

I saw him away at both Port Vale & also at Bradford and boy he was poor, I'd pretty much given up on him after that, but clearly, given hindsight, he wasn't fit - but he & Billy are now our leading lights.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Not sure if you mean the play off game at Swindon (where I felt he was pivotal in turning it round from 3-0 down), but that one and Barnsley away are exactly the two games that came to mind where I thought he was outstanding. Without his injury, he'd be at a much higher level than L1.



I can understand why people didn't rate him last season, based on some of his early (unfit) performances. You'd have to have very little understanding of football, or not be quite the full shilling, to continue to argue that he's not up to much.

And Wallace is twice the player that Coutts is, unfortunately whilst Coutts seems to be getting near to match fitness, Wallace has fallen short.

Wallace would have been a hero if he'd pulled it off.....








.....until we sold him