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Post by Andrewlang on Jul 7, 2024 17:05:20 GMT
I'm ok with it. The more laid back vibe when speaking to fans is the right approach I think. Certainly far easier on the ear than some of the corporate waffle that accomponies some of our other press duties.
Relaxed and informal for the fans and professional bullshit for the suits. Seems like a nice balance to me.
Andrew
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imp566
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Post by imp566 on Jul 7, 2024 21:12:55 GMT
One thing I did notice, he was asked about the players that he has retained and who have signed extended contracts, naming Brophy, Kachunga, Jobe and Kaikai, but no mention of Cousins staying for the extra year. Deliberate, or just missed off the list?
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Post by cuoutside on Jul 8, 2024 8:39:36 GMT
One thing I did notice, he was asked about the players that he has retained and who have signed extended contracts, naming Brophy, Kachunga, Jobe and Kaikai, but no mention of Cousins staying for the extra year. Deliberate, or just missed off the list? Forgotten his nickname so couldn’t mention him.
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imp566
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Post by imp566 on Jul 8, 2024 8:41:54 GMT
One thing I did notice, he was asked about the players that he has retained and who have signed extended contracts, naming Brophy, Kachunga, Jobe and Kaikai, but no mention of Cousins staying for the extra year. Deliberate, or just missed off the list? Forgotten his nickname so couldn’t mention him. Aah, of course!
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Post by Mike Osbourn on Jul 8, 2024 9:44:19 GMT
Didn't mention Morrison or Andrew either, did he? I think there might be an effort to read too much into all of this, personally.
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imp566
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Post by imp566 on Jul 8, 2024 9:59:02 GMT
Didn't mention Morrison or Andrew either, did he? I think there might be an effort to read too much into all of this, personally. May well be. But the job of the comms man is to cover as many bases as he can and leave no questions out there!
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Post by Andrewlang on Jul 8, 2024 10:01:17 GMT
Yeah, agreed.
Cousins is/was clearly a very good player so theres reason to hope he can kick on next year. I think it's the midfield balance that was our bigger issue before any individual last season, both Digby and Cousins need the same sort of player alongside them I feel.
We'll see, I wouldn't be surprised if we move him on but I'm not expecting it.
Andrew
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danboyb
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Post by danboyb on Jul 8, 2024 10:15:54 GMT
I wouldn’t be surprised if Cousins was told he’d be better off looking elsewhere because he won’t be a regular here. Nothing came up that suited him, we got to the end of June and he re signed here.
If we sign the targets we want then he will find himself well down the pecking order so I hope for everyone’s sake that he’s moved on, one way or another, by the end of Aug.
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martinjohn
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Post by martinjohn on Jul 8, 2024 10:30:49 GMT
What's the evidence that we don't want Cousins?
Other than a muted announcement on social media?
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Post by svh on Jul 8, 2024 10:33:54 GMT
The evidence will be in our recruitment for CM. Let's wait and see what happens but I suspect he will be cover for Digby or sent out on loan.
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martinjohn
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Post by martinjohn on Jul 8, 2024 10:39:42 GMT
I do find this baffling.
When he was bad, he was really bad, and this seems to be all most people can remember.
But when he was good, he was one of our best players. He was one of our best players under Monk, although perhaps not consistently. Against Charlton at home he was imperious, as well as a string of other games around that time.
The problem for me was more the formation - Digby and Cousins can't be a thing next year. But Cousins at his best is a far superior player than Digby.
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Post by amberandy22 on Jul 8, 2024 10:42:57 GMT
I do find this baffling. When he was bad, he was really bad, and this seems to be all most people can remember. But when he was good, he was one of our best players. He was one of our best players under Monk, although perhaps not consistently. Against Charlton at home he was imperious, as well as a string of other games around that time. The problem for me was more the formation - Digby and Cousins can't be a thing next year. But Cousins at his best is a far superior player than Digby. Spot on post.
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whiteswan
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Post by whiteswan on Jul 8, 2024 10:43:11 GMT
It would be awesome if we could go into the season with Digby not being our first choice centre mid. I think that would be progression.
Great lad, great attitude, great engine, but it’d be great if we could find a bit more quality in that part of pitch.
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imp566
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Post by imp566 on Jul 8, 2024 11:13:57 GMT
I do find this baffling. When he was bad, he was really bad, and this seems to be all most people can remember. But when he was good, he was one of our best players. He was one of our best players under Monk, although perhaps not consistently. Against Charlton at home he was imperious, as well as a string of other games around that time. The problem for me was more the formation - Digby and Cousins can't be a thing next year. But Cousins at his best is a far superior player than Digby. The first match I saw him play, Portsmouth (H), I was amazed that we had a player of his quality. He read the game well, intercepted so many passes and was always in the right place to break up play/make tackles. Yes, he played deep, in front of the back 4, but I guess that was because Portsmouth were high-flying and on a great run of results. He totally nullified anything going through the middle that night, alongside Digby. A similar set up that Southgate favours with two sitting midfielders (let's not open that can of worms on this thread though!) The main issue that caught Cousins out last season was his dallying on the ball, thinking he had more time than he did and losing possession, deep in his own half, instead of taking the 'safe' option and clearing it long. Whether that is his style or orders not to go long, I have no idea, but he was either caught in possession or had passes intercepted far too often last season that led to goals conceded; in essence, teams scouted us and saw that as a weakness they could (and did) exploit. Remove that from his game and we still have a very classy player on our hands - that could be improved by having players in the team making themselves available for a pass, giving him options, rather than sit and wait for a pass to come to them. Movement off the ball is so important in football!
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Post by getoffmyland on Jul 8, 2024 11:20:39 GMT
That was an issue for us as well...movement. We seemed quite static a lot of times. We really need a young, ball hungry midfielder, that put himself around. Digby, Cousins are not that person.
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