Neil Collins

[s35blade]

Under Clough Collins went on loan to Port Vale and made barley a handful of appearances the season before, now under Adkins he appears to be a valuable first team player. Just wondering what Adkins has seen in him that Clough couldn't and whether he's right?

Personal opinion: think he's a decent defender for League one and never got why Clough would seem to play literally anyone before him. A he'd make a much better captain than McEverley!

 

[boo radley]

I think he'd make a crap Captain. He is the only choice we have there at the moment and he's OK but he wants to blame everyone else when he makes mistakes but then when someone else does make a mistake he gives them such a public bollocking and nothing else.

 

[Captain]

Time for a Edgar/Basham CB partnership, I know it will create problems in midfield but we might Aswell get in 2 strong tackling ball winning midfielders in as trying to find quality CB.Then when the Beard returns he can take up the captaincy and galvanise the team as he did a couple of seasons ago.
Problem? Who are we going to get for the midfield, oh yeh and Baxter is Shite!

 

[SwissBlade]

Awful player. Hope we replace him asap.

 

[coaxingstar71]

Clough froze him out didn't he and made him train with the kids, the reasons for which we will probably never know. I'm not a big fan of him but at the moment, I'd rather he played CB leaving Basham in midfield. People will slate J-Mac and Baxter but I think only Freeman and possibly JCR came away from the Colchester game with any credit.

Hopefully at Bradford, we'll have the team that beat Swindon back again.

I didn't know Collins was making barley at Port Vale - I can only assume he earned his corn!

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

If one thing has proved itself so far it's that three of our back four aren't good enough. The only one that looks the part is on loan!

Dropping Basham into the back four might help out there but to me it weakens our already struggling midfield which will give us just as many problems overall. A centre half and a midfielder should have been signed in the window.

 

[sitwell]

He has been overlooked as captain by every manager he has played under ,either he doesn't fancy it or they don't trust him.

 

[Rodley]

Current Rules of being a Unitedite

1. Players out of the side are world beaters
2. If a defender puts in a decent attacking display, he should be tried out as a midfielder. This applies for any position across the team.
3. Signings by rivals are world beaters (someone suggested Leon Clarke again this week!)
4. Our signings are shite by default
5. 2 wins on the spin is guaranteed promotion
6. 2 losses on the spin the season is over
7. We used to hate Wednesday now we just hate each other

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

When the team were lethargic on Tuesday night Collins, for me, was the main instigator of a change on tempo. He led by old school example, winning strong challenges and playing with obvious drive and passion. He also carried the ball out of defence on a couple of occasions and played a great long diagonal ball to feet for one of Billy's best chances.

I'm not advocating him as captain just pointing out the major positive impact he had on the team on Tuesday.

 

[Fiery Blade]

When the team were lethargic on Tuesday night Collins, for me, was the main instigator of a change on tempo. He led by old school example, winning strong challenges and playing with obvious drive and passion. He also carried the ball out of defence on a couple of occasions and played a great long diagonal ball to feet for one of Billy's best chances.

I'm not advocating him as captain just pointing out the major positive impact he had on the team on Tuesday.

There was no major positive impact on Tuesday night .........It was a night of negatives !
However you dress it up Collins is just not good enough and when they had conceded the two first half goals his head was as low as McEverley's !

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Under Clough Collins went on loan to Port Vale and made barley a handful of appearances the season before, now under Adkins he appears to be a valuable first team player. Just wondering what Adkins has seen in him that Clough couldn't and whether he's right?

Personal opinion: think he's a decent defender for League one and never got why Clough would seem to play literally anyone before him. A he'd make a much better captain than McEverley!

For 3 seasons Collins was very good alongside Maguire, however when he's being asked to play the dominant centre half he doesn't have the physical attributes to do it. Don't think Edgar is the lynch pin either, both would do better alongside a big nasty b***ard. Collins and Sharp are the only ones in the team that are prepared to upset the opposition (by confrontation!), and for that matter their own team-mates and officials (which is needed sometimes), so for that reason Collins gets in my team.

 

[Deadbat]

The fact there is a thread debating whether Collins is captain let alone why he is still at SUFC is startling.

Simply not good enough. All this crap about he's better than anything else we have for centre back is no argument. We have been going backwards for 5 years and the likes of him, Simonsen, Doyle, Flynn have been mainstays in this spell of abject mediocrity at best. Why we are even considering whether he is good enough is frightening. He along with about 15 other players should be got rid of at the first opportunity. We need some winners and players who are on the upwards in their career. We are full of journeymans, has beens and players on their way down.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Current Rules of being a Unitedite

1. Players out of the side are world beaters
2. If a defender puts in a decent attacking display, he should be tried out as a midfielder. This applies for any position across the team.
3. Signings by rivals are world beaters (someone suggested Leon Clarke again this week!)
4. Our signings are shite by default
5. 2 wins on the spin is guaranteed promotion
6. 2 losses on the spin the season is over
7. We used to hate Wednesday now we just hate each other

Leon Clarke is no world beater but is certainly good enough to help us get out this league and as good as owt we have up front, whether he played for the pigs or not.

 

[Guesty]

Exactly, I wouldn't sign Clarke now given our options up front and our needs elsewhere but he's very good at this level and also in my opinion a better bet than Sammon.

 

[Snowman]

The fact there is a thread debating whether Collins is captain let alone why he is still at SUFC is startling.

Simply not good enough. All this crap about he's better than anything else we have for centre back is no argument. We have been going backwards for 5 years and the likes of him, Simonsen, Doyle, Flynn have been mainstays in this spell of abject mediocrity at best. Why we are even considering whether he is good enough is frightening. He along with about 15 other players should be got rid of at the first opportunity. We need some winners and players who are on the upwards in their career. We are full of journeymans, has beens and players on their way down.

Agreed but I wish it was as simple as that. We all know the problems (well some of us),but it's the solution we have to work to. During the course of a season we have to get rid of at least ten players surplus to requirements who nobody in their right mind would want to sign and who rightly or wrongly are going to hang on to their lucrative contracts and hope to be bought out. In the meantime another ten players, knowing that when the revolution comes they aren't going to be here (I put Baxter in this class), are just disinterested and diminishing their value every week. We can't get rid and we are paying huge wages. We are hamstrung by the FFP rules. Then there are the crocks who are worth nothing unless we get them playing, and it costs to get them playing.

Yes these are the problems. As Adkins said when he arrived, the squad is not good enough to get promoted. These are problems that Adkins either has to accept and get on with hence his "everybody starts with a clean slate" or he has to indulge in massive wholesale changes. Do you think we can afford massive wholesale changes? I don't and I believe Adkins knows he can't afford them. We are essentially screwed until next year. Still, no need not to support and have a laugh along the way eh? We have been shit many times before this season. I mean........I never promised you a Rose Garden.