James Collins

[Ellafella]

14 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

Why has our striker stopped scoring goals?

We used to have a striker called Chris Martin. He wasn’t quick or big but he had a great brain and a lovely pair of feet. We played the ball into said feet and he would reverse it, or dink it or hold it, or flick it for runners to score. It all looked so simple. Too simple. James Collins doesn’t do any of that. Nor does he score. 

[Ram-Alf]

1 hour ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

That’s a good shout, to get the best out of the two forwards we do have. Tell Collins to stay central, leave McGoldrick in a freer role, then use two of NML/Barkhuizen/Sibley/Dobbin/Springett out wide to get at the fullbacks and put crosses in. We might lose control in midfield but that’s been lacking a lot recently anyway. 

Somethings amiss here, PW in his after match interview at Oxford said..."I tell Collins to stay in the box and not go out wide" or words to that effect...as he had a hand in the 3rd goal.

So a question for those that see Collins away from PP...why is Collins not in the box to get on the end of those "lots" of crosses 🤷‍♀️

[Magicman]

Sadly, neither is he a hold the ball up type of striker nor a goal machine. He spends too much time out of the box & has poor control to player deeper. Time get a better player next season like CKR !

[Gerry Daly]

CKR was 10 times the player Collins is. And he was on a free so there will be better players available in the summer

[Day]

Fans may not like Collins, yet he was probably the best option we had given the restrictions we had last season, failure to go up this season, we maybe in the same boat.

Why has he stopped scoring goals? He’s not Haaland playing in a Man City team. Hasn’t had as much game time recently and came back into the League 1 team which hasn’t been playing great and it’s taking time to get his eye back in. It’s going to happen.

If you recall it took him a while to get going at the start of the season. 

He’s still our second top goalscorer and 3 goals off the top 10 in the division.

[derbydaz22]

6 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

That’s a good shout, to get the best out of the two forwards we do have. Tell Collins to stay central, leave McGoldrick in a freer role, then use two of NML/Barkhuizen/Sibley/Dobbin/Springett out wide to get at the fullbacks and put crosses in. We might lose control in midfield but that’s been lacking a lot recently anyway. 

Agree 100% and that will get the best out of Collins and Didzy 🐑🐑

[FKANorwichExile]

He's scored a lot of goals in his career, but... how? I hoped we were getting someone like Clarke Harris at Posh- a top league one striker who couldn't quite cut it at Championship. Watching him, you have to wonder how he scored all those goals at Luton.

[popside ossie end popside]

21 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

Why has our striker stopped scoring goals?

Cos he's not very good to be honest. Tries hard, reminds me of Billy Caskey, (older fans will know him) ball bounces off him the same way it did  with Billy, better finisher when he gets a chance on a plate though

[plymouthram]

9 hours ago, Needlesh said:

Not quite as far GD. I do remember Bobby Campbell and Steve Biggins though. 

What about Derek Hales

[Gerry Daly]

4 minutes ago, plymouthram said:

What about Derek Hales

Hales played at the top level for us and was a bad fit with our other players. We weren't a third division team then

[Ambitious]

There is a reason Cardiff were happy to ship him for £0, yet I thought he did ok in the first half of the season. Recently, though, he's looked utter, utter garbage - 2 goals in his last 17 games, struggling to trap a bag of sand and looking more interested in causing a scrap than anything else. 

This is all at a level where a half decent painter and decorator is able to put in some decent performances. 

I hope he can turn it around, but looks like he is playing himself into Conor Sammon, Claude Davis infamy with his performances recently. 

[plymouthram]

20 minutes ago, Gerry Daly said:

Hales played at the top level for us and was a bad fit with our other players. We weren't a third division team then

Derek Hales was signed by the Rams having smashed in 28 goals in 1975/76 season for Charlton in the old 2nd Division (now Championship). He had scored 72 goals in 129 apps for Charlton and at Derby managed 4 goals in 23 apps. We off loaded him to Westham where he faired a little better by scoring 10 in 24 apps. He went back to Charlton in 1978 and scored another 76 goals in 191 apps. Most famous for having a fight with his strike partner Mike Flanagan in a cuptie with Charlton in 1979. Also famous at Derby for missing absolute sitters on numerous occasions.

[GrimsbyRam]

He's been terrible for a number of games and when being as a sub, he does not influence the game.  To me, I would try him again with McGoldrick around him.  I think it's time to go three at the back (Rooney not Davies).  We can then use sibley/Bark on left and Smith/Mendez on the left.  Bird, knight and Conor in the middle.  That we if we need to change it up, we can have Dobbin and the players above not starting to run at tired players and can switch formation up

[GrimsbyRam]

Just now, GrimsbyRam said:

He's been terrible for a number of games and when being as a sub, he does not influence the game.  To me, I would try him again with McGoldrick around him from the start (simply because we do not have another option).  I think it's time to go three at the back (Rooney not Davies).  We can then use sibley/Bark on left and Smith/Mendez on the left.  Bird, knight and Conor in the middle.  That we if we need to change it up, we can have Dobbin and the players above not starting to run at tired players and can switch formation up

 

[plymouthram]

Unfortunately James Collins is under contract with the Rams until 30th June 2024.

[MaltRam]

1 hour ago, plymouthram said:

What about Derek Hales

Just before my time...but he must have been better than Collo.

[Jourdan]

Collins is obviously a confidence player and is obviously used to being a big fish in a small pond and having a team built around him and having everyone’s love.

We’ve built our team around McGoldrick and I would say this has affected Collins.

He will obviously want to play and he will obviously want to make a difference. With him, you feel he’s likely trying too hard to make an impression.

He’s becoming much maligned because he is everything that McGoldrick is not.

 

[CBRammette]

7 hours ago, Jourdan said:

Collins is obviously a confidence player and is obviously used to being a big fish in a small pond and having a team built around him and having everyone’s love.

We’ve built our team around McGoldrick and I would say this has affected Collins.

He will obviously want to play and he will obviously want to make a difference. With him, you feel he’s likely trying too hard to make an impression.

He’s becoming much maligned because he is everything that McGoldrick is not.

 

I think you are spot on with the "trying too hard" hence the being out of position etc. was same at start of season. Great away at Cambridge and thereafter now back to start of season. 

to his credit he is perhaps trying to be too much of a team player at the detriment of his own game - sorry know its not real but jamie tartt ted lasso episode springs to mind where he's told to go back to being a selfish d**k.  

[Sparkle]

On 25/03/2023 at 20:27, RoyMac5 said:

Why has our striker stopped scoring goals?

He spends more time blocking a clearance near the corner flag which is lovely but it doesn’t score goals because he is nowhere near a shooting position.

[MadAmster]

14 hours ago, plymouthram said:

What about Derek Hales

I always smile when I read "Derek Hales" when it comes to "poor DCFC players". Admittedly, he only got 4 goals in 28 appearances so the stats say he wasn't very good. We paid £440K for him. Sold him to Wet Spam for £330K. He scored 10 in 24 for them. They sold him back to Charlton for, IIRC, £100K. IMO 10 in 24 at WHU was a decent return.

Pre Derby, he was at Charlton. Scoring goals for fun. How? He had a strike partner (I still think strikers should hunt in pairs), Mick Flanagan, a 6 foot 3 striker. His knock downs and flicks on supplied some of the ammunition for Hales to score. The rest came form his running on to through balls using his electric pace over 20 yards. That was his skill set. That was his style. DCFC saw the goal stats and bought him. Once bought, we stuck the number 9 on his back and played him as the target man. Not his bag by any stretch of the imagination. His goal stats stand up everywhere he played. Except that is at Derby. We played to his weaknesses rather than his strengths and I blame DCFC for the lad's failure at the BBG.

Truth is, he only became available because he wasn't the only Hales that MF was "scoring" with. That led to a training ground fight and the transfer away.

Basically, I blame the club for Hales' ineffectiveness, not Hales.