Lucas

[adamstag]

on this particular issue -

The problem isn’t lucas akins.

The problem is nigel clough

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

When you are looking for something, it’s the only thing you can see.

He didn’t play any worse than others tonight.

I think he's definitely worse than some he's keeping out of the team.

I feel for the bloke, because he must know he's playing poorly & sometimes if you try too hard nothing works.

I agree with that. What is the bloke meant to do. Usually surrounded by three opposition players with no space around him. Balls lumped up aimlessly to him and no support within 30 yards, he’s not superman. I don’t rate him as a goal scorer but with someone playing off him he can lay a ball off. It shows how isolated he is as he’s stopped chesting the ball as no one is close enough to pick it up.

[scotsstag]

on this particular issue -

The problem isn’t lucas akins.

The problem is nigel clough

Clough can't give him two new feet to control the ball....

[arsene wengers coat]

The Akins experiment has failed.

[MTFCMusings]

When you are looking for something, it’s the only thing you can see.

He didn’t play any worse than others tonight.

I think he's definitely worse than some he's keeping out of the team.

I feel for the bloke, because he must know he's playing poorly & sometimes if you try too hard nothing works.

I agree with that. What is the bloke meant to do. Usually surrounded by three opposition players with no space around him. Balls lumped up aimlessly to him and no support within 30 yards, he’s not superman. I don’t rate him as a goal scorer but with someone playing off him he can lay a ball off. It shows how isolated he is as he’s stopped chesting the ball as no one is close enough to pick it up.

Control the ball every now and again would be helpful. His first touch is dreadful. He’s not quick, he’s not strong, he can’t head the ball.

[Curry 9 Brace 7]

Hartigan was worse than Akins tonight, and Akins was hopeless

[adamstag]

The Akins experiment has failed.

you’d like to think when oates comes back….

[Stag95]

Hartigan was worse than Akins tonight, and Akins was hopeless

Akins had 33 touches of the ball, made 5 successful passes with a total pass completion rate of 27.8%. He lost all 6 of his duels, didn’t make a single tackle and couldn’t trap a bag of cement tonight.

Hartigan wasn’t good but there’s no doubt who was the worst player on the pitch. Clough needs to give him a break from the team, his confidence is clearly shot and it can’t be a good feeling for those on the bench not getting opportunities instead of him.

[Chacawab]

Hartigan was worse than Akins tonight, and Akins was hopeless

This! But I don’t see a Hartigan thread? He was hopeless and yet was in his preferred position (his only position)

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

When you are looking for something, it’s the only thing you can see.

He didn’t play any worse than others tonight.

I think he's definitely worse than some he's keeping out of the team.

I feel for the bloke, because he must know he's playing poorly & sometimes if you try too hard nothing works.

I agree with that. What is the bloke meant to do. Usually surrounded by three opposition players with no space around him. Balls lumped up aimlessly to him and no support within 30 yards, he’s not superman. I don’t rate him as a goal scorer but with someone playing off him he can lay a ball off. It shows how isolated he is as he’s stopped chesting the ball as no one is close enough to pick it up.

Control the ball every now and again would be helpful. His first touch is dreadful. He’s not quick, he’s not strong, he can’t head the ball.

I agree Mussy but he shouldn’t be the fall guy for inept selection and tactics. I do think he’s strong enough when up against a single opponent though but a lack of support allows the opposition to swarm him.

[PEAR CIDER]

Hartigan was worse than Akins tonight, and Akins was hopeless

This! But I don’t see a Hartigan thread? He was hopeless and yet was in his preferred position (his only position)

Because he's not shoe horned into a team week in week out regardless of form.

[Sneag]

Hartigan was worse than Akins tonight, and Akins was hopeless

This! But I don’t see a Hartigan thread? He was hopeless and yet was in his preferred position (his only position)

That's probably because Hartigan has only played around a dozen games & hasn't been hopeless in 11 of them.

[Conker]

Hartigan had a mare equal to Akins; but as this is the Akins thread and considering he’s someone I stick up for, I’ve got to admit he was absolutely dreadful. He was unable to hold the ball up, win any physical duels, and utterly hopeless bar the odd header he won in the second half. Clough deserves criticism for playing up upfront alone without even Lapslie behind him too, by doing that he made it much more harder for Akins and the fact it took nearly a hour for him to change it was very concerning.

[scotsstag]

When you are looking for something, it’s the only thing you can see.

He didn’t play any worse than others tonight.

I think he's definitely worse than some he's keeping out of the team.

I feel for the bloke, because he must know he's playing poorly & sometimes if you try too hard nothing works.

I agree with that. What is the bloke meant to do. Usually surrounded by three opposition players with no space around him. Balls lumped up aimlessly to him and no support within 30 yards, he’s not superman. I don’t rate him as a goal scorer but with someone playing off him he can lay a ball off. It shows how isolated he is as he’s stopped chesting the ball as no one is close enough to pick it up.

Control the ball every now and again would be helpful. His first touch is dreadful. He’s not quick, he’s not strong, he can’t head the ball.

I agree Mussy but he shouldn’t be the fall guy for inept selection and tactics. I do think he’s strong enough when up against a single opponent though but a lack of support allows the opposition to swarm him.

To be fair spbs it's his terrible first touch and ball control that allows opposition to swarm him.

[MTFCMusings]

When you are looking for something, it’s the only thing you can see.

He didn’t play any worse than others tonight.

I think he's definitely worse than some he's keeping out of the team.

I feel for the bloke, because he must know he's playing poorly & sometimes if you try too hard nothing works.

I agree with that. What is the bloke meant to do. Usually surrounded by three opposition players with no space around him. Balls lumped up aimlessly to him and no support within 30 yards, he’s not superman. I don’t rate him as a goal scorer but with someone playing off him he can lay a ball off. It shows how isolated he is as he’s stopped chesting the ball as no one is close enough to pick it up.

Control the ball every now and again would be helpful. His first touch is dreadful. He’s not quick, he’s not strong, he can’t head the ball.

I agree Mussy but he shouldn’t be the fall guy for inept selection and tactics. I do think he’s strong enough when up against a single opponent though but a lack of support allows the opposition to swarm him.

Nobody swarmed him when he smashed a cross out for a throw in.

[broomo]

I thought he was poor again tonight but also feel it's getting a bit too much on here. There is one poster in particular who rarely posts anything on the forum other than to abuse/hammer/ criticise Akins.

I've never been one for hammering a player at any club or on any forum I've ever been on. I just don't see what folk hope to achieve by it.

[adamstag]

I thought he was poor again tonight but also feel it's getting a bit too much on here. There is one poster in particular who rarely posts anything on the forum other than to abuse/hammer/ criticise Akins.

I've never been one for hammering a player at any club or on any forum I've ever been on. I just don't see what folk hope to achieve by it.

The only problem with akins is clough.

It’s boring, it doesn’t work, he doesn’t score, he doesn’t contribute.

To play 451 at home with him uptop is bordering on negligence from a managerial perspective.

We mark players out of 10, if i were marking clough out of 10 tonight he’d be lucky to score 2.

Given that we’ve lost 1 at home in the last year that’s a remarkable thing to say but tonight’s tactics were bordering on crazy

[Conker]

I thought he was poor again tonight but also feel it's getting a bit too much on here. There is one poster in particular who rarely posts anything on the forum other than to abuse/hammer/ criticise Akins.

I've never been one for hammering a player at any club or on any forum I've ever been on. I just don't see what folk hope to achieve by it.

Honestly saying he was poor is a huge understatement.

[DogsDoDahs]

Im not a fan of Akins but its not his fault he gets a starting place for most games. I do not recognise him as a striker. If that is the case we are effectively starting a home game with no recognised striker in the up front and the proper striker at centre half. If this formation and selection is the same against swindon we will lose the match. I would rather see Gale and Swan start with lapslie in behind them. I would bet we would have more than 2 shots on target in 90 minutes of football. Akins needs time off at least 2 games to get his act together before he loses his confidence totally.

[georgefostersbeard]

I thought he was poor again tonight but also feel it's getting a bit too much on here. There is one poster in particular who rarely posts anything on the forum other than to abuse/hammer/ criticise Akins.

I've never been one for hammering a player at any club or on any forum I've ever been on. I just don't see what folk hope to achieve by it.

I have defended Akins as nauseum but he was so poor tonight and has not earned his selection recently (other than he is fit to play in a, small squad with injuries.
With the additional substitutions I cannot see how he stayed on other than Clough would him to also drop to the back.
Swann couldn't play a full 90 but he could have done a half each with Gale and been more effective than Akins has been in most games this season. And I say this as the person that other season ticket holders around me look at when he does something awful because I always try to champion him. But he is beginning to make bizarre mistakes quite regularly

[Billy the fish]

I thought he was poor again tonight but also feel it's getting a bit too much on here. There is one poster in particular who rarely posts anything on the forum other than to abuse/hammer/ criticise Akins.

I've never been one for hammering a player at any club or on any forum I've ever been on. I just don't see what folk hope to achieve by it.

I have defended Akins as nauseum but he was so poor tonight and has not earned his selection recently (other than he is fit to play in a, small squad with injuries.
With the additional substitutions I cannot see how he stayed on other than Clough would him to also drop to the back.
Swann couldn't play a full 90 but he could have done a half each with Gale and been more effective than Akins has been in most games this season. And I say this as the person that other season ticket holders around me look at when he does something awful because I always try to champion him. But he is beginning to make bizarre mistakes quite regularly

It all comes down to a small depleted squad that many of us thought (new) would happen but Clough. He can’t drop Akins we haven’t the personal I’m sorry but Gale and Law are not near the starting 11 for a reason they aren’t good enough and should ideally be out on loan gaining experience. There’s no doubt Cloughs negligence to insist on running a small squad in the last two transfer windows is starting to hit home. While I’m on one who the scouted Hartigan ? Dead ball specialist my back side …

[Conker]

If you remember against Doncaster he did a good job holding it up, but since he just gets moved out the way very easily - considering he’s not got pace, or a good touch, if he’s not winning the physical battles he has very little left to offer.

[stag324]

When we went on our run last year we were playing with a diamond and playing through the middle and using Macca to create most of our chances.

We also played a high press game before the Jan changes.

This season, with a back 3 has seen us avoid the midfield more and just hit the ball up to Akins and hope he lays it off.

This has worked to large extent but when it hasn’t, it’s because of Atkins being poor and when he’s poor he really is poor.

The problem is Clough doesn’t bring him off he just moves him around the pitch in the hope he comes good.

Cloughs ‘love in’ with Akins is the issue not Akins

[Chrisuknottm]

There was a point in the second half when Akins found himself with the ball on the right as we were attacking....players in the middle waiting for a cross... he literally hit it over everyone and out for a throw in on the far side near the Bishop Street stand. People around me broke into a spontaneous round of sarcastic applause.

A professional footballer of his experience should be able to trap the ball without it bouncing off 10 metres, cross a ball to the general area of a colleague, be a goal threat...... he is none of those at the moment and hasn't been bar on a couple of occasions away from home.

[oldweststander]

I feel the more the supporters moan about Akins the more Clough will play him to try and prove a point.