Adam Phillips does not get involved enough and is being carried 99% of the time and has been ever since he joined the club. In the side because of his potential to unleash one into the top corner rather than his overall contribution. Reminds me very much of hourihane when he first joined us. A wand of a foot which got all the plaudits but did very little else and he too was being carried. Hourihane worked his ******** off to change from being a player who went missing for 89 minutes to a player who could control a game. I hope Phillips is able to do the same but at the moment I believe we'd be better off playing McAtee in his position and a striker up front.
Your 1st para is spot on. Your 2nd just isn’t true. And …. Phillips is not, and never will be, Hourihane.
I wouldn’t say that’s controversial. I’ve said for 18 months now that he has a knack for scoring goals, and great ones at that but honestly half an hour can go by and I’m thinking “has Phillips touched the ball?”. That happens often. He makes some good runs and scores/creates a decent amount but he disappears too much. I suppose if he did get much more involved he’d probably be playing in the championship. Maybe.
It's not controversial at all. He's brilliant for 10 mins a game. That's it, a decent manager would assess whether thus is worth it or ditch him . I'd play him every week but with the handbrake off. Collins wont
We played Kane, Connell, McAtee, Cosgrove and Cole together for 13 minutes away at Lincoln. Against a team that have dominated us for the other 167 minutes we've played against them this season we absolutely mullered them and scored twice in those 13 minutes! Collins then took McAtee off, reverted to type and Lincoln equalised. Bar the odd minute here and there we've not seen that set-up again. I've not been a 'Collins Out' person at all but it's the apparent ignorance or stubbornness or whatever other trait that prevents him trying something even marginally different that has annoyed me about him over the last month.
I think at times he is playing with a handbrake on due to negative Niel. Same as I don't think other players are playing to their full potential under him.
Not a controversial view in my eyes at all. He’s never really worth a place in the team - whilst it plays shackled in the Collins style. With freedom and with the handbrake off, more use. We are so slow, his abilities aren’t able to be utilised as there isn’t the space to have a pop from 25 yards or whip an early ball in. We have played twelve sideways passes and let everyone in the opposition get behind the ball before we get near their box generally. Nullifies his threat almost completely. He’s never going to be a game dominating central midfielder running the game. But he has attributes that we are failing to embrace this season. I know why I think that is.
He was exactly the same last season under Duff though? Before he went on his scoring run, plenty of here were asking what he brings to the team. Even on his brilliant run of goals, he was still disappearing in games.
I'd say his form dipped at the end of last season. This season he couldn't get in the side at 1st for Styles who was just anonymous, least Phillips will chip in with goals and assists. I'm not sure replacing him with macatee is a great idea problem is we have a decent starting 11 on our day after that we're struggling.
Yeah our squad has gaping holes, once exposed. Last couple of home games it’s clear we don’t have someone to come on and change a game. We bring Cosgrove on to go more direct and he did win his fair share of headers today but apart from that, there’s not much. Big summer ahead to try and mould a competitive squad whatever division we are in.
Not sure it's just him. I just think this style of sideways and backwards tripe dunt suit him. if ya watch him he lays the ball off and looks to go through to pick up the return, only to find it's done 3 passed back to Collins..we need a serious change of tactics and players released to play in a more free flowing style..
Yep best we can hope is styles gets sold and morris and Helik move and we get a decent sell on to re build will lose kane cadden and Cole for free.
