Sure if he's even struggling to make an impact in PL2 he's obviously not good enough.... never mind that his team don't play in that league, if he was good enough he'd be making an impact!!!Originally Posted by Eirambler
Its really not that complicated!!!
His team will go down as one of the worst teams to ever play in the Premier League but feels the need to publicly put down a kid making his debut. Great man management from Wilder. Could have talked with Curtis in private when you consider how Sheffield United have stunk out the PL this season.
Linked with a loan move to Peterborough United.
I think its a disappointment he wont be starting in the Championship this season. Going to L1 wouldnt have been the plan Im sure when he moved over last season.
Its really not that complicated!!!
Confirmed now, season long loan.
Looks a good move if he gets regular games. I'm sure Crafty can report back in due course?
Cian Hayes is there too, signed in the summer and a dual Fenian sounding chap from the north, so yeah I'll swing down and bring the news, until it gets cold and the CL comes on midweek anyway.
Thank-you for your service.
I went along to Peterborough / Huddersfield today, mainly in the hope Curtis would start and having been given the two shirt, he did.
Started RB in a four.
His first real involvement was a really horrible chipped panicked pass to him by a midfielder trying to break who had run into a blind alley and got turned round. He was inside his own penalty area and by the time it reached his chest, he had two Huddersfield players really close and his first touch had to be perfect, it was and he turned the play away from goal, kept the ball and edged toward the sideline, no support and two players on him, kept really good close control until one of them made contact, he went down and the ref gave the free. The stadium erupted in applause and he had got his first impression moment spot on. It was a really poor pass.
After that he tracked a run right across the box to his far post, the ball arrived at the player he was tracking and he blocked what was probably a certain goal, it was about seven yards out. In between these moments he was good on the ball, playing good forward passes which were getting his side up the field and he hit one really admirable diagonal right into the chest of his opposite side midfielder. Everything was going well and then this happened
He got left one on one with his winger, no players around them and plenty space down either side of him, the winger was left footed and likely to go on his outside, and he did & when he did Curtis got scorched, my opinion without the benefit of replays is he stood facing the winger square on and wasn't prepared for the guy going either side. Anyway, the guy had time for a cup of tea before putting the cross in, three in the middle and he missed them all, still 0-0.
Huddersfield now looked to load that flank and get at him, soon after they got another cross away from that side, he was five yards from it and didn't look to close it. Five minutes later he watched another cross go in from his position & this time it was 0-1. Soon after it was 0-2 but this one wasn't on him at all.
The remainder of the half, I noticed he didn't continue to seek the higher risk forward pass, he went square across the back four and the HT whistle was a welcome one. Early second half his side looked like they might fold and take a hiding, it was all Huddersfield, he made another goal saving challenge inside the six yard box and conceded two back post corners under severe pressure, he stood up well to be fair.
On 58 minutes he went in for a challenge and stayed down, held his leg up as though looking for cramp help, then got up and was getting into position for the throw when the board went up with his number, his day was done. He got applause as he walked by the home end but it was more sympathetic for a kid who'd had his eyes opened kinda applause.
He did certain things very well, on the ball he was really impressive and he only gave it away once that I recall. As I've said, several interventions which showed good instincts, but the crosses cannot be that easy, your RB can't have a rep for coughing up free crosses & in L1 teams will look to cross much more than they will try to play through you.
To add some context here, today he was part of a completely new back four, not ideal for a youngsters first loan at all. The CB playing next to him is a 22 year old who is probably squad filler, hasn't broken through at all and played because a signing hasn't been completed during the week and another signing is injured, he also had a really poor game.
In front of him was a really attack minded winger who didn't overburden himself helping out. A lot of the more experienced players, some given better deals in summer to keep them, Randall / Collins particularly who were both excellent last season, were both awful today. A nineteen year old Man City midfielder on loan who the club chased all summer was also poor.
Chris Conn Clarke ( Antrim ) was a heralded signing, had his choice of L1 and some Championship clubs, he did nothing and his two sights of goal resulted in weak finishes into the keepers hands. Cian Hayes came on midway through the second half and did very little, sliced one shot more than the width of the goals wide. He also looks like he's twelve.
So plenty others had bad days, but Curtis will have to tune in positionally to those crosses and stop them going in & he needs to do that quickly. Otherwise he was ok out there.
Last edited by CraftyToePoke; 10/08/2024 at 11:33 PM.
I do think of all the deficiencies a fullback can have in his game, that’s one of the easiest to coach once it’s been identified as a weakness
Thanks a mill for that, Crafty. Was he exposed for pace? Is that a concern? It's one I sort of have.
That's a really useful report actually. Only one game obviously but it kind of reinforces the main concern I have about Curtis. I don't think he's quick enough to play full back at a high level. I think he'll end up playing centre back - as long as he's considered tall enough (I believe he's the same height as Eiran Cashin - basically right on the edge of what's considered tall enough for a centre back). Kind of the same hole Lee O'Connor fell into. I think Curtis is a better player than O'Connor, but I also think physical limitations he has no control over may limit his eventual ceiling.
The first one was more a standing position error in my fans eye opinion, he was square on & you'd usually see FBs half turned ready for the chase. The second two he just wasn't close enough in starting position to disrupt the crosser. I wouldn't term either as being beaten in a foot race & he didn't get tested that way yesterday, a straight race. The winger got away from him on the first one though yes.
They are at home next on the 31st to Wrexham & Jimmy Mc down that side. If he stays in the team I'll go again.
Thanks for that. Things he can improve quite easily with good coaching.
Started away at Oxford at RB again tonight & it did not go well, was at fault for the goal to make it 2.0, low ball across the box from the left, should have been cut out but wasn't and should never have reached the back post but it did & back there he'd had all the time in the world to pick up the only Oxford player anywhere in the vicinity & not allow a tap in. He left the guy with a tap in to kill the tie.
Seemed animated, frustrated throughout, shouting at team mates & waving his hands around plenty. Was booked on 65 & subbed straight away. Taking some flak on the forum.
Last years back four all got good moves, one to Southampton for ten million & was the only England u20 not at an elite academy. One to Sheffield United, 2.5 million, one to Hannover in Germany and the other is at Oxford & in the Championship, so there is expectation at the club because they were decent. So far it's two losses, four conceded & no goals scored.
Hopefully this gets better but it does need to. Him & the whole group I mean. Be interesting if he starts again Saturday, but Cian Hayes might, he was excellent tonight.
It's a big step up from Pat's to Peterborough, unfortunately not going over until 18 means he's playing catch up already. Hopefully Peterborough give him a decent chance over the course of the season, or he could fall further behind.
Playing mens football at a poor level at a young age in a poor coachng environment has the disadvantage of ingraining poor skillsets which are difficult to change later on. Its like the Lad who plays loads of golf with his dad but doesn't have a structured golf academy pathway , he is often "better" at a younger age but passed out by his peers over time
Funny because Umeh and O'Mahony who both went over only a year earlier could barely get a kick in the first division and yet are seen as viable options in the PL this season yet Curtis is slogging it out in league 1 despite being a regular in the premier division
Nothing to do with the level of coaching its sadly, like many before him, the result of the lad making a poor career decision so must suffer the consequences for it, whoever told him Sheffield United was a good move needs to be shot.
They in turn haven't done him any favours with the loan destination, the other defenders at Peterborough are as follows ;
18 - loan
22 - academy & struggling so far
18 - signing
23 - signing from Swedish D2
23 - signing
22 - academy
The division is a bear pit & they are all kids or academy lads getting their first real run. The club do this, it is their model, these lads do improve and move for big profits, whether it is the best place for his first loan and extended exposure is another matter, because he's not theirs and any profit won't be either, so what's their motivation to keep persisting with him & why didn't he or Sheffield United seem to weigh this aspect up ?
All that said, about LOI coaching, mens ball, academy ball, his errors so far have been, body shape wrong & allowing a cross which Huddersfield scored from, too far from the crosser two other times, and being asleep at the back post last night. They are basics, he shouldn't be getting caught like this IMO & being at Pats doesn't explain it away.
Last edited by CraftyToePoke; 14/08/2024 at 5:28 PM. Reason: Spelling OCD
Well I suspect the reason he didn't weigh up those factors is the same reason why he signed for Sheffield United in the first place...he was poorly advised or doesn't have his head screwed on.
A lot of people using the coaching he got at St Pats as an excuse seem to conveniently be forgetting one simple fact...he's spent over 6 months at Sheffield United now, surely by now they are the ones who have to accept a large share of responsibility for why he hasn't progressed, and if he hasn't progressed why did they send him on loan in the first place? If they'd transformed him in 6 months we'd be praising Sheffield United to the end and back but when things haven't gone as well its all St Pats fault...I'm noticing a pattern here.
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