Interview With Collins

[1danewhitehouse]

He was a bit bobbar though, wasn't he?

With Maguire, they were like husband a wife, at each other all the time but working well to keep oppositions at bay. When Maguire left, it showed how good Collins really was, and it wasn't that good. From all I remember he had all the attributes, but none of the applicability. Compare him, if you will with Morgan, Page, Beesley and Jags ... an CBs we have had playing for us and tell me what your comparitors are.

As for being a nice bloke, I'd rather him be a whale sized cunt but boss the penalty area. Think Hyppia and Hertzog, but bellends to a man, but their workrate and defending acumen was pretty good.

pommpey

Do you mean Henchoz? The one that spat at Warnock in the semis?


Agreed Collins ultimately not good enough. Comes across as a decent guy who did his best but his best wasn’t good enough and he was overpaid for it. Still, if people like Baxter, Brandy etc. had done their best we might not still be in this dire league.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

As one who supported Collins on here times many, not because he was a world-beater but because he was an honest player, the interview is just what I'd expect from a bloke who always did his best.

It also confirms all I worked out about Clough and what I sensed about Weir who was simply a victim of circumstances, working to the new 'austerity budget' , only here five minutes but a lot to offer which he has proved elsewhere, albeit as a No.2 as yet.

I honestly think we would be better off at this moment in time if we had kept Weir and carried on without the prince's money. That's not ungrateful to the prince, it's rather a realisation that something needs to change drastically and by now Weir, and the new model which was his brief, would be bearing fruit or it would have failed by now; my guess is that it would be something special by now but we'll never know. Yes his signings were poor but they were cut-price and would never have had the financial effects that some of these other characters have had overpaid on 3 year contracts.

Personally I now realise that I was wrong about Danny Wilson, you can't hear so many good things about a bloke from serious pros and quality people, without realising the man did a very good job with us under difficult circumstances.

I wanted Weir to succeed as much as anyone and in theory, I bought into what he was trying to do. But the reality is that had he stayed, it’s very likely we’d have been relegated. After the summer of austerity he brought in Lappin, King, Baxter and Flo and it didn’t improve matters. The team just didn’t play with any intensity or aggression under him.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

There's one obvious truth he's avoiding in these comments. Clough thought he wasn't good enough and decided to bomb him out. He was right about that too - quite clearly, Collins wasn't good enough.

That's a different issue to why he didn't let him back in when we had a centre back shortage, but there's no mystery as to why he was dumped.

It would explain dropping him from the starting 11. It wouldn’t explain dropping him from the squad altogether and making him train with the kids.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Didn't Collins tiurn down loan moves in order to "fight for his place"? A place he was unlikely to get back.

All of a sudden he's a good honest pro and , shock horror, used as a stick to beat Clough with despite him being poor from day one.

As for winning more headers, Morgan?

I don't think anybody is denying that he was poor, I said as much in the first sentence of my previous post.
But being shit doesn't warrant being treated in the disgraceful manner he was.
Just tell them honestly that they aren't in your plans. Maybe if Clough hadn't been an arsehole about it then Collins could've accepted those loan moves rather than hoping in vain for a place in the team.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Do you know I watched him closely too. He won the most defensive headers in his own box from opposition set pieces than any other player I can remember these past 15 years, including Maguire who was exceptional. He was exposed when the opposition was on the break but he would always be there when the opposition had got to the bye-line. He would often be last man standing when the game had got beyond us. He was always good for a goal from our own set-pieces or at least a serious go for the crosses. So many of our players trot up for our set pieces and go through the motions and never get near the ball. Morecambe away in the League Cup under Weir I think, Collins sub, injury time headed goal for the winner when we'd not got near them all night. That's a player who means it rather than just turns up like so many do. Always the one to clap the fans at away games regardless of results. Always the one to show feelings. Always the one to try his level best. .Not the best player, not even for one game, but always there amongst the honest tryers.

IMO Collins was rarely amongst the worst 5 players in our team, week in week out. Think about that perspective. He was never one of our biggest weaknesses.

Agree with this but ultimately, his lack of mobility means that he couldn’t adapt to our new way of playing. The 352 set up means that defenders will often end up one on one with a breaking forward and means playing a high line. This doesn’t tie in with Collins strengths at all and during the Burton game he was playing in George Long’s lap meaning we couldn’t get anything going at all.


After the Shrewsbury game, he came in for a lot of flack but if you look back at it, he didn’t do much wrong. He won pretty much all of his defensive headers but the midfield 2 (Hammond and Reed that day) got nowhere near the 2nd balls and were completely overrun. Add to that the fact Freeman and Baxter just sauntered about with minimum effort down the right side. We then started playing very rigid and defensively which suited his game and he improved for a while (Bar a couple of embarrassingly bad moments v Coventry that he got away with).


Collins had his faults and had to go but was also held accountable by some for things that weren’t his fault.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Sitwell, I respect your right to rate Coutts very highly, even to say he gets stronger in the final stages of the games. If you believe that you post it. I post what I believe too, and by the way, we are conceding loads of goals still now that Collins has left. I'd rather have an honest trier in my team any day than those who don't try very hard but are talented, you know, like your mate Baxter. No idea if you were a Clough fan or are an Adkins fan, but I do respect your willingness to back Coutts like you do, because that's positive.

I’m sure I read yesterday that in games Baptiste has played in, we have the best defensive record in the league? That would suggest we aren’t shipping loads of goals since Collins left. Just Easter week when we were missing Edgar and Baptiste we conceded 5 in 2.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I believe there's a player in Coutts too but the team has to be able to treat him like a luxury and be set up to tolerate his lack of pace, stamina, mobility and a tackle. Given the right partners and the right role he could be 'the man' who makes the whole team tick along. I didn't say 'catch fire' but certainly function smoothly. He would always need workhorses and creative final third players. Indeed he would be lucky to find the right team to play in actually, but if he did, he could be excellent at what he does.

Coutts has qualities but limitations that make it hard to accommodate him. What I don like about him is the fact that he is very at ease on the ball. It’s not a trait that many of our players have. He can get his head up, find a bit of space and play a pass. In this way he reminds me of Kevin McDonald. But, his weaknesses are similar to McDonalds but even more extreme. I think he gets about the pitch and competes physically even less than McDonld did and contributes less in the final 3rd.



If McDonald is the poundland Pirlo (as he was described recently by a Wolves dan) Coutts is the penny version. Sadly, despite all that, he’s still probably good enough to warrant a first team place with what we have.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Almost untouchable in that respect in recent memory, rarely beaten in the air and could send the ball like a missile with his power.

Not bad for a bloke under six foot.

Shaun Murphy was also immense in the air.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I don't think anybody is denying that he was poor, I said as much in the first sentence of my previous post.
But being shit doesn't warrant being treated in the disgraceful manner he was.
Just tell them honestly that they aren't in your plans. Maybe if Clough hadn't been an arsehole about it then Collins could've accepted those loan moves rather than hoping in vain for a place in the team.

Maybe Clough did tell him? Who knows? You'd think professional pride would mean he'd want to be playing in games wherever I wonder if he asked Clough why he wasn't in the team and if not why not? Diegos almost made a Twitter career out of such questions.

 

[BushBlade]

It's just struck me that there's no real endorsement for Adkins in this article. There's mention of Collins' return to the fold under Adkins but no endorsement of his quality as a manager despite the big debt he owes him for re-instating him. There's big praise for Wilson and also a view that Weir had a lot to offer, Clough gets a blasting but significantly what we would hope to hear about Adkins' qualities is not covered; that's not overlooked by mistake in an article such as this.

Reminds me of an Adam Lallana interview last December in the Daily Telegraph ( good article and still on google) which covered the player's big influencers in his career; Pardew got a brief mention, Klopp got a big mention as his current manager, Pochettino was the main man but Adkins ( who managed Lallana for years at Southampton) didn't get a mention.

I look for positives in articles like these and make mental notes when they are not there.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...uthampton-for-sticking-with-Nigel-Adkins.html

It would explain dropping him from the starting 11. It wouldn’t explain dropping him from the squad altogether and making him train with the kids.

It's the old school way of telling someone to stop taking the club's money and fuck off.

Old school approach was 'I don't have to justify myself to you, I'm the boss, you do what I say'. Doesn't suit our touchy feely HR based modern management techniques but is still used in the armed forces and the like.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Maybe Clough did tell him? Who knows? You'd think professional pride would mean he'd want to be playing in games wherever I wonder if he asked Clough why he wasn't in the team and if not why not? Diegos almost made a Twitter career out of such questions.

Well I'm glad he's committing himself to some sort of career at least. But that's another story...

 

[The Crab]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...uthampton-for-sticking-with-Nigel-Adkins.html

It's the old school way of telling someone to stop taking the club's money and fuck off.

Old school approach was 'I don't have to justify myself to you, I'm the boss, you do what I say'. Doesn't suit our touchy feely HR based modern management techniques but is still used in the armed forces and the like.

Touchy feely HR, just like ours with a Soupcon of Mein Kampf. Wrong thread I know but.............TWATS.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Coutts has qualities but limitations that make it hard to accommodate him. What I don like about him is the fact that he is very at ease on the ball. It’s not a trait that many of our players have. He can get his head up, find a bit of space and play a pass. In this way he reminds me of Kevin McDonald. But, his weaknesses are similar to McDonalds but even more extreme. I think he gets about the pitch and competes physically even less than McDonld did and contributes less in the final 3rd.



If McDonald is the poundland Pirlo (as he was described recently by a Wolves dan) Coutts is the penny version. Sadly, despite all that, he’s still probably good enough to warrant a first team place with what we have.

I've thought of Coutts in comparison with Kev MacDonald too. Very similar elegance about him, in a fairly bulky frame.

In the same way that Hammond had the best game I'd seen him have in a United shirt last Saturday, so did Coutts. Most importantly he was shooting when he got the opportunity, & he was crossing & playing incisive (& not so incisive...) passes: he was productive.

And, same as with Hammond, if Coutts somehow replicates that form (seen in embryo form against Walsall) into the future, he'd be truly valuable.

Maybe the system/philosophy/call it what you will is finally coming together & getting the best out of the disparate parts of the squad?

 

[Lane Ender]

Not joking ,just my opinion ,Long has progressed from shit to a bit better than shit ,he has no presence still whatsoever ,good shotstopper but that's it. I think Howard is a far better keeper with a better record this and past seasons. However I think he has to move on as too many of the crowd will jump on his first mistake and confidence plays too big a part. First and most important signing this summer for me would be a keeper ,if its not a new manager.

Long was never shit just too much too soon he went out on loan and has come back a promising keeper.
Always a good stopper now commands his box lot better in the air (odd error now and again)
You were right(i agreed with you) about Hill and Baxter and I,m with you with Coutts but you are wrong about Long

 

[Lane Ender]

Shaun Murphy was also immense in the air.

Great CH what a find

 

[Sean Thornton]

I've thought of Coutts in comparison with Kev MacDonald too. Very similar elegance about him, in a fairly bulky frame.

In the same way that Hammond had the best game I'd seen him have in a United shirt last Saturday, so did Coutts. Most importantly he was shooting when he got the opportunity, & he was crossing & playing incisive (& not so incisive...) passes: he was productive.

And, same as with Hammond, if Coutts somehow replicates that form (seen in embryo form against Walsall) into the future, he'd be truly valuable.

Maybe the system/philosophy/call it what you will is finally coming together & getting the best out of the disparate parts of the squad?

Is MacDonald the new Sharpe or the new McGuire?

Told last night he may have burned his bridges at Wolves. New Michael Brown maybe?

 

[Sothall_Blade]

It would explain dropping him from the starting 11. It wouldn’t explain dropping him from the squad altogether and making him train with the kids.

How else do you get an unwanted top earner to leave and free up some wages?

Collins said he would have done anything to win back his place in the side. But that doesn't seem to have included knocking on the manager's door and asking for a man to man chat.

Maybe promising to try harder to follow team instructions instead of doing his own thing?

 

[JohnDenver]

It would explain dropping him from the starting 11. It wouldn’t explain dropping him from the squad altogether and making him train with the kids.

From my half arsed knowledge of professional football, I gather a lot of managers like to keep any player who might be unhappy out of the group entirely. As Collins' United career was effectively over under Clough, I guess that was the logic?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Is MacDonald the new Sharpe or the new McGuire?

Told last night he may have burned his bridges at Wolves. New Michael Brown maybe?

New Michael Tongue.

 

[Grappler]

Not bad for a bloke under six foot.

Shaun Murphy was also immense in the air.

So was poor old Tel Kennedy

 

[Bartleby]

Enjoyed reading that and the other accompanying articles, which also make a point that I'd often suspected myself - that our local journalists were a bit intimidated by Clough. Possibly goes back to the memories of his dad, who must have been a very scary prospect for an interviewer - but then he had summat to back the arrogance up with.

 

[Woodwardfan]

At the end of the day Collins had a good salary paid by United which I'm sure he appreciated and he did his best and nobody can ask more than that. One manager didn't pick him but all the others did and the man can always hold his head up high when he visits Bramall Lane and he will always be welcomed back I'm sure as a time served Blade.

It's the future that matters and we don't know whether we will play a Back 3 or a Back 4, a high line or a deep line and we certainly can't be sure that we can name one single name of the players on the team sheet for our first game next season, be it a Back 3 or a Back 4.

Let's hope the future will deliver to us what we hope for.

 

[sheffielder]

In fairness a very decent and a candid read.

http://www.viewfromthejohnstreet.co...e-failed-to-win-promotion-to-the-championship

What was candid about it? Is anyone actually saying that Collins has got no clue why he was ditched by Clough. There are many stories so one must be close to the mark. You could say this interview is hiding the real truth...