cambsno
Youth team star
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Post by cambsno on Jul 9, 2024 12:24:34 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. Surely we keep both him and Digby? They can fight to play alongside a more creative mid and give us different options, may be some games we want to play with two defensive mids as well.
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danboyb
Youth team substitute
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Post by danboyb on Jul 9, 2024 12:37:10 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. Surely we keep both him and Digby? They can fight to play alongside a more creative mid and give us different options, may be some games we want to play with two defensive mids as well. Providing we bring in at least 2 Midfielders then I wouldn’t have Digby or Cousins starting. Digby would be on the bench, Cousins in the stand, I don’t think that’s great for anyone. Obviously things can change with injuries, loss of form etc, but I just don’t see Cousins starting unless we hit real problems. I’d also rather see someone like Hoddle given a place on the bench ahead of him.
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imp566
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Post by imp566 on Jul 9, 2024 13:12:59 GMT
Surely we keep both him and Digby? They can fight to play alongside a more creative mid and give us different options, may be some games we want to play with two defensive mids as well. Providing we bring in at least 2 Midfielders then I wouldn’t have Digby or Cousins starting. Digby would be on the bench, Cousins in the stand, I don’t think that’s great for anyone. Obviously, things can change with injuries, loss of form etc, but I just don’t see Cousins starting unless we hit real problems. I’d also rather see someone like Hoddle given a place on the bench ahead of him. I still see a role for Cousins in the team, if he can match some of the early performances he put in when he started (I have mentioned Portsmouth (H) above, that was a quality showing) However, they need to be the norm, not the exception, he needs to cut out the goal conceding mistakes that were prevalent in the second half of the season and play to his strengths.
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Bendigeidfran
First team star
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Favourite CUFC match: CUFC v Gateshead 18/05/14
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Post by Bendigeidfran on Jul 9, 2024 13:33:20 GMT
It'd be nice to have both to be able to rotate the team, rather than running them into the ground. There's not too much between Digby and Cousins in the type of player they are, so it wouldn't mean a drastic change in styles to accommodate either. We go on all the time about squad depth, so having 2 DMs who, let's be honest, will be doing a lot of defending, isn't really a huge burden. Of course, a lot will still depend on who we can put next to them.
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jwills61
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Up The U's
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Post by jwills61 on Jul 9, 2024 14:02:02 GMT
I try to be as balanced and objective as possible when assessing players performances but I can’t find a good word to say about Cousins last year.
He really was dreadful.
Yes there were plenty of mitigating circumstances in terms of the changing managers, the performance of the team as a whole etc
But as a senior player with pedigree and presumably on a good wage he was very disappointing.
He was directly responsible for at least 3 goals being pinched from him on the edge of the box and in games where we needed leadership and experience when things were going wrong, he went missing.
I know everyone was bad against Lincoln but I still remember when he stopped running after one of their midfielders as he advanced to the edge of the box ahead of goal number 5 or 6 or whatever it was.
I’m sure he’s capable of a lot better and has clearly done so in his career to date but I won’t hide away from the fact I’ll be disappointed if we start the season with him.
There’s much better ways to spend that wage. I’d imagine the club feels the same way, it’s just about whether we can offload him.
The fact he triggered the extension clauses suggests probably not.
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Post by kentishu on Jul 9, 2024 15:23:39 GMT
Cousins is a class act at this level and was picked pretty much the whole time by Monk, despite the collective wisdom of nearly the entire message board, so I doubt that is going to change for the season ahead.
He was rusty coming back from injury but worked himself back in to form and was one of the reasons we didn't get relegated.
Kentish
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danboyb
Youth team substitute
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Post by danboyb on Jul 9, 2024 15:32:45 GMT
Class acts don’t keep repeating the same mistake on a game by game basis. He did improve under Monk (as did Digby) but i wouldn’t read much in to the fact that both were picked regularly once Monk came in.
We didn’t exactly have huge competition in that area. Thomas and Simper were injured, Hoddle also was recalled and promptly got injured, May and Lankester weren’t trusted. It’s an area that we must upgrade in and I personally think Cousins will struggle to make the squad, let alone the team, should he remain here.
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Post by svh on Jul 9, 2024 15:36:22 GMT
Cousins is a class act at this level and was picked pretty much the whole time by Monk, despite the collective wisdom of nearly the entire message board, so I doubt that is going to change for the season ahead. He was rusty coming back from injury but worked himself back in to form and was one of the reasons we didn't get relegated. Kentish He isn't a class act and Cousins was only picked because it was him or Adam May who has just dropped to the conference.
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Post by Andrewlang on Jul 9, 2024 15:37:00 GMT
"Cousins is a class act at this level and was picked pretty much the whole time by Monk, despite the collective wisdom of nearly the entire message board, so I doubt that is going to change for the season ahead.
He was rusty coming back from injury but worked himself back in to form and was one of the reasons we didn't get relegated"
Picked ahead of a long term injured Thomas, two players later transfer listed, and a 17 year old. I do agree too much is being read into his low key contract extension announcement but it's also easy to see how it's possible to continue spinning the narrative.
I wouldn't call him a class act myself, but he's not as bad as some make out either. I'd like to see him alongside a player that suits him, we saw the benefit of that on Digby in 2022/23 when McCandless signed.
Andrew
Edit - McGrandles. The other guy went into the Alaskan wilderness and died.
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Post by funkymonk on Jul 9, 2024 16:40:52 GMT
Supertramp.
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Post by artvandelay on Jul 9, 2024 16:44:33 GMT
Cousins obviously has ability, given the appearances he has made at a higher level, but he was dreadful at times. The penalty he gave away at home to Lincoln was some of the laziest defending I've seen, before we go onto his bizarre penchant for trying to beat players on the edge of the box. I think he may well suit how Monk has previously tried to play the game but there would need to be huge improvements in application and consistency.
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Post by zx10racer22 on Jul 9, 2024 17:23:49 GMT
No, he wasn't great last season. But....
Much like Brophy, he may not be the first choice of the message board "experts", but you don't get to spend a decade playing regularly in the Championship and winning a League One title if you are not good enough to improve League One relegation candidates. Which is what we are.
Form is temporary. Class is permanent. He can be a huge player for us this season.
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Post by headersontarget on Aug 29, 2024 21:43:48 GMT
Wondered if anyone else has noticed that Monk's press conferences seem to have improved significantly? Was a little bit worried about his demeanour in front of the camera in the first weeks after he joined us, but perhaps he was just rusty after a couple of years away from the spotlight.
In the face of what must have been a stressful few weeks, especially with injuries and his squad unfinished, I think I've been most impressed by his calmness.
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Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage
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Post by Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage on Aug 29, 2024 22:00:59 GMT
Wondered if anyone else has noticed that Monk's press conferences seem to have improved significantly? Was a little bit worried about his demeanour in front of the camera in the first few weeks after he joined us, but perhaps he was just rusty after a few years away from the spotlight. In the face of what must have been a stressful few weeks, especially with injuries and his squad unfinished, I think I've been most impressed by his calmness. Never too bothered by such things, really comes down to results on the pitch. When we were doing well people loved Bonner's analytical pragmatism but people found it unambitious when we weren't. Harris could be galvanising when going well but deluded when it wasn't. Monk seems fine, not particularly captivating but some dry humour in there.
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Post by zx10racer22 on Aug 29, 2024 23:06:32 GMT
Wondered if anyone else has noticed that Monk's press conferences seem to have improved significantly? Was a little bit worried about his demeanour in front of the camera in the first weeks after he joined us, but perhaps he was just rusty after a couple of years away from the spotlight. In the face of what must have been a stressful few weeks, especially with injuries and his squad unfinished, I think I've been most impressed by his calmness. I agree. At times last season he had a slight look and demeanor of someone coming into work after a three day drinking session, tired, red faced and unshaven. And I'm not having a pop when I say that, because it's not like I'm a candidate for the cover of GQ magazine either, but just as an observation he seems much more relaxed, fresh and engaging so far this season. And to be fair, he was probably more likely to have been knackered as he'd been up all night trying to work out how to stop the rot after 0-6 and 0-4 back to back defeats, rather than a drinking session. Although anyone getting leathered after those games could be forgiven.
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