The enigma that is Paul Coutts

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Ricky said:
Che's pace... where has it gone?

He should be offering an option in behind the defence, he should be an outlet, but it seems he's afraid to be direct nowadays and he struggles to outrun average paced defenders. He's got better at receiving the ball to feet and holding it up, but he doesn't excel in any area technically and he'll have to improve a lot more in that regard to compensate for his loss of pace.

I don't know why he's got slower, my guess is that it's due to his body type and the way it's naturally developed having done conditioning work with a professional club for 18 months. But I suggest he works on losing a bit of weight and working with a running coach. His athleticism was his main asset and he needs to get it back.
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Been saying that about Che's pace since the start of the season Ricky, when it looked as if he'd been on the weights pre-season

He's definately lost half a yard and it's not done him any favours
 



Neat and tidy midfielders are simply no good in this division. you need powerful box to box types who can do everything 'quite' well.. good all rounders
hammond.. good positional sense.. passes too short .. too slow
coutts.. great skill.. nice feet.. can't take players on. nesh
flynn.. tidy.. muscled off the ball all the time.. can't tackle a paper bag
none of them score goals.
players required must run a bit.. tackle a bit .. pass a bit .. score a bit. there are loads of these players in the lower divisions.
 
coaxingstar71 said:
I agree, I can't understand why people don't get it - We've got 2 forwards in Che and Billy that obviously prefer the ball played into feet, Che has a bit of pace, although was no match for Barnsleys defenders yesterday as was proved when he tried to outrun them and was quite easily caught. Neither are lightning so it's no good trying to play through balls or over the top. Therefore Coutts is playing 5 and 10 yard balls to their feet as obviously instructed to do, so they could try give-and-goes and balls 'round the corner' (as we've seen to great effect recently) - unfortunately yesterday everything bounced off Billy, hence my earlier comment of if he'd had Coutts' control..... once again, our main problem is a lack of pace, all over pitch.
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Thank god for you. Don't understand why some people cant see this. Give him a fast centre forward and he would play different passes ,or a pacy winger ,but with what hes playing with his instructions are clearly and rightly to play short balls into feet.
 
Blade58 said:
Been saying that about Che's pace since the start of the season Ricky, when it looked as if he'd been on the weights pre-season

He's definately lost half a yard and it's not done him any favours
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Same with Couvellier and Reed. These two in particular look like they have done work on their upper bodies, and I don't think it's suited or benefited either of them
 
coaxingstar71 said:
Honestly thought he was possibly the best player on the park today. He was busy, his control and first touch were first class, he played some nice balls and linked up well, but questions remain over his fitness and work rate and remarkably he is still yet to score for us.

I wouldn't knock Billy, but he's had a stinker today.
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coaxingstar71 said:
Honestly thought he was possibly the best player on the park today. He was busy, his control and first touch were first class, he played some nice balls and linked up well, but questions remain over his fitness and work rate and remarkably he is still yet to score for us.

I wouldn't knock Billy, but he's had a stinker today.
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He has the ability to be a good player but during his time, we have seen the odd glimpse of brilliance but lots of very average and poor. Leave please.
 
Sean Thornton said:
You must have missed the three times I watched Coutts take his balls, under pressure' from up in the air getting full control with the one touched as opposed to Adams who looked to be wearing octagonal boots, when he wasn't trying to kill the ball or pass it on with his shin.
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I agree with you but couldn't help a schoolboy snigger at "I watched Coutts take his balls, under pressure...." :D
 
coaxingstar71 said:
I agree with you but couldn't help a schoolboy snigger at "I watched Coutts take his balls, under pressure...." :D
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From up in the air getting full control with the one touch.

That's a class move, readjust yourself before anyone's even noticed.
 
I thought he was easily one of our better players on Saturday. Found both Sharp and Adams in nice positions but was undone by a complete lack of control by both (particularly the first 15 of the second half when Billy looked like he'd never seen a football). Found both wide men continually in space but neither of them could make any use of it.
He's, eventually, showing what he can do. A long time coming but it would be typical United to get him back to fully fit and functioning and then get rid.

If we had a list of, say, 10 players we should release he would most definitely not be on it.
 



Grecian2000 said:
I thought he was easily one of our better players on Saturday. Found both Sharp and Adams in nice positions but was undone by a complete lack of control by both (particularly the first 15 of the second half when Billy looked like he'd never seen a football). Found both wide men continually in space but neither of them could make any use of it.
He's, eventually, showing what he can do. A long time coming but it would be typical United to get him back to fully fit and functioning and then get rid.

If we had a list of, say, 10 players we should release he would most definitely not be on it.
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Completely agree, although I'm yet to be convinced he's got an all round game, scoring goals is an obvious weakness, but it's the other things, y'know those that Hammond does that apparently the fans don't see ;). I accept that you don't need to be smashing into people all the time to get the ball, Michael Carrick is a great example of that (before anyone gets all excited, I'm in no way saying that Coutts is the same player as Carrick), but I think it's his work rate, particularly getting back and helping his defenders that is a bit of an unknown. I was talking to a fan who said they just watched Coutts for 20 minutes v Walsall and he doesn't work for his team enough, well maybe, however he did seem to get on the ball a lot v Barnsley. This is why I say he's an enigma.
 
coaxingstar71 said:
Completely agree, although I'm yet to be convinced he's got an all round game, scoring goals is an obvious weakness, but it's the other things, y'know those that Hammond does that apparently the fans don't see ;). I accept that you don't need to be smashing into people all the time to get the ball, Michael Carrick is a great example of that (before anyone gets all excited, I'm in no way saying that Coutts is the same player as Carrick), but I think it's his work rate, particularly getting back and helping his defenders that is a bit of an unknown. I was talking to a fan who said they just watched Coutts for 20 minutes v Walsall and he doesn't work for his team enough, well maybe, however he did seem to get on the ball a lot v Barnsley. This is why I say he's an enigma.
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Good post but where you say he's an enigma I'd use some other choice words. :)
 
coaxingstar71 said:
F*cking frustrating c*nt?

Exactly the point of the OP - here we have a player who has obvious skill and control and should really be bossing this league and yet.........
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We can still think that and think hes a good footballer too cant we ? They aren't exclusive ,and you show me a footballer who isn't a F*cking frustrating c*nt
 
coaxingstar71 said:
F*cking frustrating c*nt?

Exactly the point of the OP - here we have a player who has obvious skill and control and should really be bossing this league and yet.........
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Indeed. If you looked through my posts regarding Coutts I have edged on the plus points for him, up until the last few months. I can't forgive him along with many others for their abject performances when we know full well they are capable of better.

From what i read recently, Alcoblade never liked him and I did, he is now coming round to the idea of him playing next season and I'm not, how opinions can change.
 
sitwell said:
We can still think that and think hes a good footballer too cant we ? They aren't exclusive ,and you show me a footballer who isn't a F*cking frustrating c*nt
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Absolutely! It's a beautiful sight to see him receive the ball and bring it under control in one fluid movement and sometimes he has that burst of acceleration and glides effortlessly past a player.
 
wizadry said:
Indeed. If you looked through my posts regarding Coutts I have edged on the plus points for him, up until the last few months. I can't forgive him along with many others for their abject performances when we know full well they are capable of better.

From what i read recently, Alcoblade never liked him and I did, he is now coming round to the idea of him playing next season and I'm not, how opinions can change.
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When he first arrived, I thought he was a nothing player, couldn't pass, couldn't run, couldn't tackle, didn't offer any benefit to the team in my opinion. Over the winter he played a few games wide right with Brayford and they seemed to have a good understanding and there was a noticeable improvement in his contribution, but since then it's been in and out. He was MOTM for me v Dingles, but I'm still not entirely convinced. I'd be willing to give him another season to see what Adkins can do with him over the summer as there is definitely a player there.
 
I'll be straight. I don't rate Coutts and never have - he was always a gamble and his advantages in no way outweigh his disadvantages and it seems to me we are endeavouring to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear here if we see him as our salvation. In his own way he is just as much of a show pony as Baxter and just as much of a luxury (minus goals and assists).

Mind you, at least he didn't live in the treatment room so much this season and he is fitter than he was (well done Adkins), Since Brayford's absence he has returned to his hot/cold former self and I've said before that playing them together helps Coutts to Brayford's disadvantage. Nor does it seem a bright idea to play him on cold, wet nights like the Blackpool away game because he doesn't seem to fancy it and goes missing. He is nowhere near the player he was at Preston and Derby to my mind.

I have not heard anyone praise his defensive work or his penetration and creativity with any credibility or conviction. He doesn't track back well, doesn't get forward enough, gets easily over-run in midfield, is a poor marker ( watch him at corners), is not athletic, hasn't got pace,cannot shoot, cannot head and does not have great vision. His commitment is questionable. He can trap a ball - woopy do - that's amazing for a professional footballer. My god we are easily pleased these days.

Having watched his passing (which is generally "ultra safe" and short - 5 yards max) even his rare forward passes generally take the pace out of attacks as he seldom passes into a player's run - he usually causes the receiving player to check their run even when the space is clearly there. He seems to think the rest of the team are as slow and unathletic as he is (as these are the only type of balls he doesn't lose possession on when he is receiving). He walks faster than he runs and in his mind there is no such thing as a 50/50, at least you would think so watching him nesh out of challenges.

Other than that he is fan,ruddy tastic - Pele, Best and Messi rolled into one.

I really do not understand what you see in him other than in comparison with the inept and wooden midfielders that we have saddled ourselves with. For me he would be back-up at best next season and I'd rather we spent his wages elsewhere, but I suppose we are stuck with him until the his contract ends and he'll probably be starting for us, worse luck :(.
 
Have a like. Players need to contribute to some end product and that doesn't happen enough.

It seems we would have to build the team around him to get the best from him, yet this isn't going to cure his lack of interest defensively or his ability to go missing and lack of competitivity, pace and stamina.

From the above which takes some arguing against, it makes him sound like Lee Askew? Nice tricks, flicks and control but little else.

There's not much future in attacking midfield players who don't score and don't assist.
 
I've just noticed that Coutts deserves congratulating.

The Barnsley game was his 50th league appearance for us. Despite playing in midfield - and not defensive midfield - he hasn't managed a single goal. He has now gone 80 consecutive league games without a goal dating back to 2013.

That is some achievement. He makes Monty look like Jamie Vardy.
 
Cyprus Blade said:
I'll be straight. I don't rate Coutts and never have - he was always a gamble and his advantages in no way outweigh his disadvantages and it seems to me we are endeavouring to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear here if we see him as our salvation. In his own way he is just as much of a show pony as Baxter and just as much of a luxury (minus goals and assists).

Mind you, at least he didn't live in the treatment room so much this season and he is fitter than he was (well done Adkins), Since Brayford's absence he has returned to his hot/cold former self and I've said before that playing them together helps Coutts to Brayford's disadvantage. Nor does it seem a bright idea to play him on cold, wet nights like the Blackpool away game because he doesn't seem to fancy it and goes missing. He is nowhere near the player he was at Preston and Derby to my mind.

I have not heard anyone praise his defensive work or his penetration and creativity with any credibility or conviction. He doesn't track back well, doesn't get forward enough, gets easily over-run in midfield, is a poor marker ( watch him at corners), is not athletic, hasn't got pace,cannot shoot, cannot head and does not have great vision. His commitment is questionable. He can trap a ball - woopy do - that's amazing for a professional footballer. My god we are easily pleased these days.

Having watched his passing (which is generally "ultra safe" and short - 5 yards max) even his rare forward passes generally take the pace out of attacks as he seldom passes into a player's run - he usually causes the receiving player to check their run even when the space is clearly there. He seems to think the rest of the team are as slow and unathletic as he is (as these are the only type of balls he doesn't lose possession on when he is receiving). He walks faster than he runs and in his mind there is no such thing as a 50/50, at least you would think so watching him nesh out of challenges.

Other than that he is fan,ruddy tastic - Pele, Best and Messi rolled into one.

I really do not understand what you see in him other than in comparison with the inept and wooden midfielders that we have saddled ourselves with. For me he would be back-up at best next season and I'd rather we spent his wages elsewhere, but I suppose we are stuck with him until the his contract ends and he'll probably be starting for us, worse luck :(.
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Fair enough, although I don't think anyone was suggesting he is our salvation, "fan ruddy tastic" or on a par with the footballing greats, just that he's got obvious skill and there's a player there, as you allude to referencing his time at Preston and Derby, but is enigmatic because of all the negative aspects of his play.
 
coaxingstar71 said:
For me one of the best moments of the game was where he took an awkward high ball down, controlled it and laid it off to one of our players in one fluid movement.
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One of. This was the best moment in the game...
XDPgKv.gif
 
sitwell said:
I agree with with that ,Hammond is the problem but one it looks like we are stuck with. Adkins must not pursue his obsession with him ,he is an awful excuse for a footballer.
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The lack of mobility of both is an issue. Hammond provides a platform and does the dirty work but gets overrun cos he is so slow. Coutts is elegant and skillfull but lack of pace and tenacity are an issue. It means that neither is capable of playing effectively in a midfield 2. We’d need a 3rd midfielder to be a super-athletic box to box player who can also play a bit and score goals (Brown/ Jags/ Coady type) for those 2 to work as part of the 3 man midfield. We’ve played with both Basham and Flynn in there and I don’t think either offers enough goal threat to compensate for the lack of goals from those 2.
 



Jehovah said:
He's a shining example of the shit we've been served this season. Long, J Mac, Basham, Coutts, Hammond have been awful at many times throughout the season but the odd reasonable performance results in ridiculous defences from fans. Get rid of all of them, we have been wank all season with these wannabee footballers.
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I think that’s unfair on Long. Without checking, I suspect he would have one of the higher average ratings on the player ratings over the course of the season. He was awful at Gillingham but since he came back into the team he’s been fine.
 
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