Paul Coutts - I got it wrong

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?


i hold nothing against him for last season. i dont think it was particularly attitude with coutts he played as though he didnt trust his body and expected it to break down. hence he seemed to not try/care. i just think wilder hss given him the confidence to trust himself more
 
dazzlingblade said:
i hold nothing against him for last season. i dont think it was particularly attitude with coutts he played as though he didnt trust his body and expected it to break down. hence he seemed to not try/care. i just think wilder hss given him the confidence to trust himself more
Click to expand...
That's how I saw it, that his injuries had taken their toll. I thought it might also be attitude but with his history of injuries it was difficult to distinguish what he wasn't able to do and what he couldn't be arsed to.

I think it's been a combination of a full pre-season and good management from Wilder, both man management and using him to do a job that suits him.
 
Classic case of the S2 hoards not being able to see beyond crunching tackles, winning headers and running around like a headless chicken. We love all that shyte !!

Well done on "coming out" Barney lad.

Golden boots Coutts been different gravy all season and, in the face of stiff competition (this season) from several others, is my first name on the team sheet and has been since last season. Absolutely vital in this Wilder side and how we set up.

You will probably be able to count on one hand in a full season how many times he has lost us possession of the football. No mean feat, even when it's going sideways, which I have no problem with at all.

UTB
 
I think the need for humble pie probably depends on exactly what was said about him. He was fully deserving of criticism last season. However, the things to criticise were his workrate, fitness, athletic ability etc. If people said he was shit technically, or an all-encomassing “he’s shit” then yes, they were wrong. If they just criticised the things he was doing badly at the time, that’s probably justified.
 
coaxingstar71 said:
I was of the same opinion but he changed my mind during last season when I saw glimpses of the player we are now seeing every week. In fact I posted a thread saying he seemed to be an enigma because it was obvious he had the ability but his work rate let him down. Although he's still not the hardest worker, his work rate has improved dramatically and therefore he's a much better player. Technically, he's one of our best players.
Click to expand...



He had a spell over xmas last season where he was excellent for about 3-4 games (when Brayford returned) but then dropped off again.
 
DronnieBlade said:
Classic case of the S2 hoards not being able to see beyond crunching tackles, winning headers and running around like a headless chicken. We love all that shyte !!

Well done on "coming out" Barney lad.

Golden boots Coutts been different gravy all season and, in the face of stiff competition (this season) from several others, is my first name on the team sheet and has been since last season. Absolutely vital in this Wilder side and how we set up.

You will probably be able to count on one hand in a full season how many times he has lost us possession of the football. No mean feat, even when it's going sideways, which I have no problem with at all.

UTB
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right. Disdain for cowards, shirkers and lazy bastards has always been a trait at beautiful idyllic S2. Long may it continue.

Droit Au But.
 
Tyler Durden said:
Is the correct answer.

Unfortunately the Court Of Forum Opinion had already decided as early as September that Golden Boy was going to be flavour of the season despite playing well for 2 months out of 20 and being "too bored" to apply his apparent skills previously.

Meanwhile we have players who have consistently delivered the goods yet getting any appreciation is like pulling fucking teeth.

Funny old world innit?
Click to expand...

Funny that you can come up with "players" who have consistently delivered the goods.
Take Billy out of the equation and who has performed for more than this season?
Only players that can be considered are Long, Freeman, Basham, Done, Scougs and McNulty. Weren't they all shit last season as well? Freeman is the only one guaranteed a start and he is in exactly the same boat as Coutts..
All the rest are this season only types so we haven't seen them perform under the man with the Golden CV. Perhaps they'd have been shit as well.
 
Grecian2000 said:
Funny that you can come up with "players" who have consistently delivered the goods.
Take Billy out of the equation and who has performed for more than this season?
Only players that can be considered are Long, Freeman, Basham, Done, Scougs and McNulty. Weren't they all shit last season as well? Freeman is the only one guaranteed a start and he is in exactly the same boat as Coutts..
All the rest are this season only types so we haven't seen them perform under the man with the Golden CV. Perhaps they'd have been shit as well.
Click to expand...

Good point actually.

Could well be that Our Billy is the only true professional we have.
 
BushBlade said:
If the performance of players isn't affected by their manager, why do we keep changing managers?
Click to expand...

Well it's a results business, and the manager is the focal point on which to attribute failure or success. Sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly. For the record I've been dead against several sackings in the past few years.

You can blame managers for bad signings and bad tactics but a true professional desires to be at his best all the time and to apply himself fully.
 
Fans can be split into a number of catagories with regards to past views on Coutts:
  • "He clearly has ability, but his poor form is because he physically hasn't recovered from his injuries – give him time"
  • "He clearly has ability, but his poor form is because he simply isn't trying – get rid of him and his bad attitude"
  • "He's playing badly because of the simple reason he's not very good – get rid"
  • "He's not been playing badly – none of you know-nowts can spot what a good player looks like any more"
I was very much in the 2nd category, and strongly wanted rid of him last summer. I make no apologies for that based on his career with us till that point, and obviously with the benefit of hindsight it would have been a terrible mistake to have got rid. In my defence though, Wilder transfer listed him on day one for presumably similar reasons... Delighted to be wrong on this.
 

Grecian2000 said:
Funny that you can come up with "players" who have consistently delivered the goods.
Take Billy out of the equation and who has performed for more than this season?
Only players that can be considered are Long, Freeman, Basham, Done, Scougs and McNulty. Weren't they all shit last season as well? Freeman is the only one guaranteed a start and he is in exactly the same boat as Coutts..
All the rest are this season only types so we haven't seen them perform under the man with the Golden CV. Perhaps they'd have been shit as well.
Click to expand...

I'd say Basham has always been a model pro and put a shift in for the team but is not as skilled as some. Done too. The difference with Coutts and to some extent Freeman was that they seemed to have a bad attitude which, touch wood, they seem to have rectified.
 
Maidenhead said:
Sorry Barney but I'm with sitwell

Coutts is the best footballer at the club but he can't do everything himself.

He was in a similar situation to Glenn Cockerill many years ago but hopefully we are turning corner and he will really blossom now
Click to expand...

Barney said:
Assuming you're not joking, It's alright having "feelings" that players will or will not go on to play well/not so well, but I really don't know how anyone can categorically state something like that when there is no evidence to back it up. These last 2 games aside, where he has been better, goals, assists, performances, everything goes against him. The mind boggles.
Click to expand...

I nailed my colours to the mast a long time ago
 
Thing is, no one knows what's going on in a player's life and what affects their behaviour. I'm not making excuses, they're paid to do a job to the best of their ability, but if ever a much used term was applicable - it's all about confidence - then this says it all in four short words.

We're a funny lot us Blades, we've waited ages to get to this point, yet here we are, complaining and attempting to point fingers of blame. By all means, knock yourselves out and adopt a position of moral superiority, but it seems to be such a waste of energy, especially when we're doing so well and should be celebrating that fact. How many times have I read we're Champions elect this season, always from opposing fans, and you just know they'd give their eye teeth to be where we are. I guess the need to moan and whinge is ingrained, so beware any gifted players who might consider signing to the Blades, you won't necessarily get an easy ride from some quarters!
 
LoughboroBlade said:
Fans can be split into a number of catagories with regards to past views on Coutts:
  • "He clearly has ability, but his poor form is because he physically hasn't recovered from his injuries – give him time"
  • "He clearly has ability, but his poor form is because he simply isn't trying – get rid of him and his bad attitude"
  • "He's playing badly because of the simple reason he's not very good – get rid"
  • "He's not been playing badly – none of you know-nowts can spot what a good player looks like any more"
I was very much in the 2nd category, and strongly wanted rid of him last summer. I make no apologies for that based on his career with us till that point, and obviously with the benefit of hindsight it would have been a terrible mistake to have got rid. In my defence though, Wilder transfer listed him on day one for presumably similar reasons... Delighted to be wrong on this.
Click to expand...

I've pretty much always been in 1. Just glad the injuries have cleared enough for him to show what he can do.

I never read the Star, but a few weeks ago my local Chinese had a copy as I was waiting for my takeaway and the United piece was an interview, of sorts, with Coutts.
He claimed he didn't think he was doing anything too different this season to last BUT now when he receives the ball he has about 5 options whereas last season he was lucky to have one as players were hiding (can't remember if he used that word or that's how I read it). I think he's exaggerating but as a passer you're pretty well fucked if you don't have colleagues prepared to get into space to receive.
 
Just to clarify... 1st season was Clough's fault, 2nd season was Coutts' fault, this season it's down to Wilder?
 
Tyler Durden said:
Well it's a results business, and the manager is the focal point on which to attribute failure or success. Sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly. For the record I've been dead against several sackings in the past few years.

You can blame managers for bad signings and bad tactics but a true professional desires to be at his best all the time and to apply himself fully.
Click to expand...
But if a manager uses bad tactics, asks players to do things they're not good at, then it makes the player look shit. If he doesn't explain to players what their role is, if he doesn't work on it properly in training, if he gives confusing and mixed messages to players, chops and changes sides without any apparent consideration to the benefits of continuity, the players look shit.
Weir made Harry and Murphy look shit.
Even Billy wasn't as good under Adkins as he is under Wilder and was hopeless under Blackwell (and great under SOD in the same division).
Under Furphy, we got relegated with a side who'd finished 6th the previous season.
I just don't think it's right to ignore the contribution of a manager in getting the best out of players, they're humans, not robots.
 
Grecian2000 said:
I've pretty much always been in 1. Just glad the injuries have cleared enough for him to show what he can do.

I never read the Star, but a few weeks ago my local Chinese had a copy as I was waiting for my takeaway and the United piece was an interview, of sorts, with Coutts.
He claimed he didn't think he was doing anything too different this season to last BUT now when he receives the ball he has about 5 options whereas last season he was lucky to have one as players were hiding (can't remember if he used that word or that's how I read it). I think he's exaggerating but as a passer you're pretty well fucked if you don't have colleagues prepared to get into space to receive.
Click to expand...
^^^^This! How many likes can I give you?
 
BushBlade said:
But if a manager uses bad tactics, asks players to do things they're not good at, then it makes the player look shit. If he doesn't explain to players what their role is, if he doesn't work on it properly in training, if he gives confusing and mixed messages to players, chops and changes sides without any apparent consideration to the benefits of continuity, the players look shit.
Weir made Harry and Murphy look shit.
Even Billy wasn't as good under Adkins as he is under Wilder and was hopeless under Blackwell (and great under SOD in the same division).
Under Furphy, we got relegated with a side who'd finished 6th the previous season.
I just don't think it's right to ignore the contribution of a manager in getting the best out of players, they're humans, not robots.
Click to expand...
Absolutely completely agree. Even as a fan, you've got to realise there's a bigger picture. If a player is out of form or appears to have a lax attitude, there could be any number of factors at play.

Manager tactics or playing style unsuitable.
Carrying injuries.
Whole team apathy apparently in Coutts case.
Lack of confidence.
Too many changes in personnel - I notice Freeman's attitude has been mentioned in the thread. The poor guy didn't know whether he was coming or going under two successive managers. Is it any wonder he wasn't always in top form?

There are any number of reasons for poor performances, but I don't believe any player goes out on the pitch and thinks I'm going to play garbage today.
 
Coutts wasn't a bad player under Clough or Adkins, he was mismanaged. He'd pick up a knock every 2 games which would keep him out of action for 2 games. Ironcially there were a lot of "knocks" back under both those managers, we hardly see that under Wilder, well apart from Clarke.

Dare I say this, but maybe Wilder would have got the best out of Hammond too, had he still been here.
 
Barney said:
Bit of humble pie for me here and anyone else who fancies taking a bite. It's no secret that I have been one of his biggest critics, which was mainly based on his performances under Clough and Adkins and I was initially surprised by his sudden remarkable upturn in form under Wilder, and to be fair I didn't think he'd be able to sustain it and said so.

But I must say I was way off with that, he's managed to sustain it incredibly well and as we all know he's now a really important part of what has been and what will hopefully also end up as, a promotion side. All aboard the Coutts express to the Championship.
Click to expand...


I must admit I was exactly on the same wavelength, although I did see talent, I found impossible to forgive, in fact I put him on a par with Hammond . Paul please forgive me, I know I have sinned.
 
Grecian2000 said:
I've pretty much always been in 1. Just glad the injuries have cleared enough for him to show what he can do.

I never read the Star, but a few weeks ago my local Chinese had a copy as I was waiting for my takeaway and the United piece was an interview, of sorts, with Coutts.
He claimed he didn't think he was doing anything too different this season to last BUT now when he receives the ball he has about 5 options whereas last season he was lucky to have one as players were hiding (can't remember if he used that word or that's how I read it). I think he's exaggerating but as a passer you're pretty well fucked if you don't have colleagues prepared to get into space to receive.
Click to expand...

Absolutely nailed it, Coutts won't waste the ball, if there's no one available to pass to he won't just hoof it. Now he has Fleck, Duffy, Freeman etc to pass to he's in his element. I actually think that Fleck wouldn't play half as well without Coutts feeding him the ball but who cares as long as they all keep doing what they are doing. I also think that Wilder has them all playing in the roles that suit them and they all enjoy playing for him, long may it continue.
 
The injury he suffered was horrific, and Clough shouldn't have signed him when he was still at an early stage of coming back from it. He is now looking like the player everybody expected him to become earlier in his career, and the last couple of seasons are in no way his fault.
 

I can't believe all this talk of his 2 crap years we had before this season.

Firstly, it was only 1 and a half seasons we had him before this season.

His first half season we signed him not long after he had recovered from a serious injury which kept him out for the best part of a year. Yes, he wasn't very good but he also clearly wasn't fit and was struggling mentally. He did gradually improve slightly though and by the end of the season was playing OK.

Last season he wasn't that bad at all IMO. He was a victim of Adkins chopping and changing the side all the time, but I would say was one of the better over all performers of last season in a truly woeful side.

How about just enjoying and appreciating having such a classy footballer in our team. Yes he's not perfect, that's why he's playing in league 1 with us. However, I'm fairly confident that if we win promotion this season he would look even better in the championship.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom