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Cotterill scored 2 tonight for wales u21 in there 2-1 win against Iceland and could have had 4

Looking at the line-up he played in the middle of a front three. I know it is only U 21’s  but a possible option for us as well?

yes Josh Thomas Joel Cotterill and Joel colwill

Meanwhile, we've had him CDM and can't score for toffee. Typical. Hopefully the updated midfield will see him start to flourish in a more attacking role.

He's our joint top scorer!

Love that!.

It's not a big number though is it  :)

He's clearly a decent player when utilised correctly. Hopefully now with Kilkenny signed we can get the best out of our midfielders.

No disrespect to Clarke but hopefully jis os not fit enough to start on Saturday and we will play Kilkenny in the more holding role and play Cotterill and Butterworth in the 2 more advanced positions, behind Glatzel (if fit) and Tshimanga, put a bit of pace in attack.

TBF he looks like the exact type of "attacking" midfielder we should be signing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dorkuP3tBuA&t=6309s

Skip forward to 46 mins and 71 mins to see his goals.

71 mins...

Looks like he could've had 4 if he was a bit more clinical

Stick him as AM behind the strikers and things will happen, is what we've learnt. CDM, what a joke.

Sorry yes I miss typed.

That’s his natural position attacking mid which is making me start to doubt that Kennedy knows how to get the best out this squad.

I soon realised this on the first game when he played Ofoborh as a number 8. I hope I'm wrong, but Kennedy just isn't it. Stubbornness and playing five at the back was Flynn's downfall, and it will be Kennedy's.

Cotterills performance last night summed up Kennedys inability currently to get the best out of this squad.

In fairness u21 might be somewhat different than adult football.

Shows his potential.
Convinced he's been playing out of position.
Don't know if that translates to doing it for us.

I think the issue was Kennedy wants a ball playing CM in front of the CB’s and Cotterill was deemed to be better at that than Ofoborh.
In the one game where Cotterill played farther forward (after Kilkenny arrived) he looked much better so hopefully will be back there on Saturday.

After Notts County Kennedy admitted that Cotterill wasn’t as comfortable there, albeit he didn’t say he had to play there because nobody else could do it.

Our squad isn’t great but it’s better than what Kennedy is currently getting out of it.

I guess the question is; how long do you persist with Kennedy? and who do you look to next?

5 games isn't long enough, I think you have to give him until the end of October before even entering the discussion.

Next. Nobody wants it.  That the issue.  Despite all the joke's he comes back more than Arnie I can't see Gunning going through the cycle again.

If, and its a big if, we lose these next 2 games then I think 7 games is enough.  Regardless on what Kennedy says we desperately need a win, 4 home defeats and 3 points from 21 is as bad a start as you can get.

I have defended Kennedy a fair bit. He's had to overhaul an entire squad and change the style of play completely.

However, even I can admit that Barrow will be hard to come back from. That's the type of game that can easily seal your fate.

Falling out with players already too. This was his downfall at Lincoln from what I heard.

I'm not even convinced a win against Newport is enough. It has to be an encouraging performance to match.

It's very early, but the vibes feel all wrong.

I'm not even convinced a win against Newport is enough. It has to be an encouraging performance to match.

This. Given that yes, we’d have taken a point from Barrow before the game, the manner in which we got it was embarrassing. On top of the games that have gone before make you seriously wonder how we’re going to survive this season.

That is assuming that 5 at the back is the choice of the manager and not those above, Garner, Lindsey, Flynn and now Kennedy have all implimented that system and it has, time after time, proven itself to not work successfully and constiantly in league 2.

Coincidence? I think not.

It’s seem very in vogue across football right now.

However, I think most of those managers have played 352 both pre & post Swindon.

Usually if a lower league club plays a set formation for reasons above the manager it’s because they are getting an abundance of loan players from a singular club who want their players to play in certain positions - as we did with Spurs way back when…

That has indeed played a part with previous manager/DoF where they sell the club to Premier league teams that we play the same style and formation that they do, hence the 352 etc previously played, as it was part of a bargaining deal to sign good top league youngsters.

This season (and last) have proven that we no longer try to sign that type of youngster, the last ones I remember recently being Barry and KKH from Villa, where we actually sign a proper highly rated Premier League youngster.

With the greatest respect to Cotterill, Freckleton, Barden and Tshimanga none of those will hit that level in the next couple of years, unlike our previous loan targets.

Also Clem has said he wants to rely less on loan youngsters and bring on our own talent....allegedly.

Mark Kennedy on Cotterill:

It was brilliant for him. Anybody representing their country is a huge honour and I was very happy he got that chance. I think he felt he wasn't going to play and because he trains how he does, he goes and plays how he does and scores two goals. It is great news for everybody. For us, Wales, Swansea, and him.

I am really confident we can put him in those areas, he scored an outstanding goal at Exeter. We think he is a really good 6 but he has the ability to score goals too.

-

So he won't be moving positions then...

I feel Kennedy and co are wrong on this personally, but who are we to say.

This! ultimately this will cost him his job if he continues to play in the style of fitting round pegs in square holes.  At the moment we look massively disjointed and a relegation outfit which should not be the case with some of the players we have signed.

This just makes me doubt that Kennedy has the ability to get the best out of this squad and I would need to see massive improvements Saturday and onwards to think anything else other than this.

I mean Cain at LWB last saturday when we have plenty of other choices? FFS!