James Collins

[Saturn5]

Can't fault his work rate but he struggles to control the ball when it's played up to him and Doesn't get in the Box quick enough following any link up play. He has already missed several good chances this season so the only way he is getting 20 goals is if he has another 423 chances 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Ian Buxton's Bat said:

There's a fine line between letting defenders know you are there and silly free kicks.

I think a lot of this comes down to what they refer to in rugby as the ref 'seeing a picture' i.e. they decide early on in the game who they are going to award free-kicks to in 50/50 battle situations (penalties in rugby) and then pretty much always give things one way.

I agree with you and the previous poster re Collins' positive attributes but one area where he could improve is by keeping the aggression in the challenges but being less gobby, less arm-wavy and sulky when a free kick is given against him.

It sometimes seems to me that big, ugly hard defenders (who look like butter wouldn't melt...) get the refs on their side early doors and Collins is then up against it.

A lot of the refs we have are pretty rubbish but, if I were them, I'd be tempted to give 50/50s in the direction of the player not giving me lip. The quiet "think you got that wrong ref" approach by Fozzy or Hourihane probably is more effective.

Judging by the one that was given against him quite late yesterday whereby the Notts defender anticipated and blocked Collins' run, and the scene ended resembling a man being leapt on by an enraged gorilla (the latter being penalised by the ref), I think you're probably spot on with this analysis!

I agree - there's the approach that the ones who make the most noise are hardest to ignore, but refs are the ultimate authority (certainly at our level) and if they make up their mind about you, you're done.

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Saturn5 said:

Can't fault his work rate but he struggles to control the ball when it's played up to him and Doesn't get in the Box quick enough following any link up play. He has already missed several good chances this season so the only way he is getting 20 goals is if he has another 423 chances 

I think he'll get to 20 goals (barring injury or replacement in January), possibly with fewer chances than 423.

I still think he's decent for this level, especially when we play to his strengths and don't let him play to his weaknesses!

[MadAmster]

1 hour ago, jameso said:

I echo all of your points above. I've said elsewhere that if we ever put him up for sale, other (good) teams in our league will be interested, because he has a lot of good qualities, especially at this level.

Now, how do we stop him from giving away silly free-kicks in every game he plays? That's enough to shut me up. It's been going on too long and I can't understand why he keeps doing it.

If I could answer that question I wouldn't only have the UEFA B licence I'd be employed by a prof club coaching it out of him 😉

Having thought about it, maybe a stern "keep on doing that and you'll be on the bench at best" might work.

 

[YorkshireRam]

43 minutes ago, TINMANTED said:

nobody can question collins effort and work rate,but,as some sugest on here,for collins to score 20 goals this season,it would mean he has missed 60/70 clear cut chances a half decent striker would score.i would sooner have a clinical striker who ambles about over a worker with little ability in putting them away

This isn't true. Collins so far has a goal conversion rate of 26% with shot accuracy of 47%. Compare this with Bishop who many consider to be the best striker in the league- 28% conversion & 55% shot accuracy.
So Collins isn't particularly wasteful, his conversion rate is currently higher than both Jonson Clark-Harris and Alfie May, who many were clamouring for after we were linked in summer for around £1m... 

5 in 11 aren't the stats of a striker who has ''little ability in putting them away''

[Gerry Daly]

Should we have(or could we have had) two red cards last night? One for Collins blatantly smacking that guy on the top of his head and the other for Sinley's wild, reckless, late and totally unnecessary challenge where he smashed that kid into the sidings right under us?  

[Walkley Ram]

I'd like to see him in the box more. I've lost count of the amount of attacks we make where he's drifted deep or gone out wide. It's a credit to his work rate that he's willing to put the hard yards in, but I feel it comes at the cost of him being in the right place at the right time. There's no use him picking up the ball on the wing, looking up and seeing nobody in the box. I'd much rather the wide players did that work, and he was the option for the ball into the middle.

He's a big bloke, defenders must hate challenging him for the ball when it goes into the box. He'd be the perfect hold up player if he could add that to his game. Be in the right place to receive a pass, keep the ball, play in sibs or barks or NML when they arrive.

I think at times he's trying to over complicate things, and it's not helping his case.

 

[Anag Ram]

Collins is like many others in the squad. He has strengths and weaknesses.

His strength is effort and teamwork. 

His weakness is awareness, discipline and technique.

The three don’t necessarily outweigh the two.

He’s frustrating because one imagines that any forward’s natural desire is to score goals yet he doesn’t get his body in the right positions to do so.

Any self-respecting Derby fan should want him to do well.

I joke about him but I love it when he proves me wrong.
 

 

[Ghost of Clough]

His general play was very good last night. Some good touches to release the likes of Barkhuzien around the half way line. Needs to figure out why all composure was lost when in and around the box though. Unlucky not to score the overhead kick.

[Srg]

1 minute ago, Anag Ram said:

Collins is like many others in the squad. He has strengths and weaknesses.

His strength is penalties, effort and teamwork. 

His weakness is pace, control, passing, athleticism, composure, awareness, discipline and technique.

The three don’t necessarily outweigh the two.

He’s frustrating because one imagines that any forward’s natural desire is to score goals yet he doesn’t get his body in the right positions to do so.

Any self-respecting Derby fan should want him to do well.

I joke about him but I love it when he proves me wrong.
 

 

FTFY

[Caerphilly Ram]

15 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

His general play was very good last night. Some good touches to release the likes of Barkhuzien around the half way line. Needs to figure out why all composure was lost when in and around the box though. Unlucky not to score the overhead kick.

Do you think that’s partly a confidence thing? Or just down to his limitations. Thinking about those strikers we’ve had in the past or those at other clubs, it’s so apparent when a players confidence is up and they instinctively take a shot on or trust themselves to get to that pass/cross first, Collins seems to be overthinking it at times which leads to things like the poor finish at the end of the Cheltenham game, albeit with a defender in attendance.

[Ghost of Clough]

1 minute ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

Do you think that’s partly a confidence thing? Or just down to his limitations. Thinking about those strikers we’ve had in the past or those at other clubs, it’s so apparent when a players confidence is up and they instinctively take a shot on or trust themselves to get to that pass/cross first, Collins seems to be overthinking it at times which leads to things like the poor finish at the end of the Cheltenham game, albeit with a defender in attendance.

A player with 5 goals and 1 assist in 886 minutes this season shouldn't be struggling for confidence?

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Gerry Daly said:

Should we have(or could we have had) two red cards last night? One for Collins blatantly smacking that guy on the top of his head and the other for Sinley's wild, reckless, late and totally unnecessary challenge where he smashed that kid into the sidings right under us?  

What did you think of Fozzie's one then?!

[Caerphilly Ram]

Just now, Ghost of Clough said:

A player with 5 goals and 1 assist in 886 minutes this season shouldn't be struggling for confidence?

Fair enough. Just wondered what your view (or others was).

I don’t mind Collins. He does a job, yes inconsistently at times, but he’ll get us some goals that will earn us some points.

[Foreveram]

Strange how he was applauded off the pitch by the majority of fans at the match last night for his contribution, but he is derided so much on here.

[HorsforthRam]

Warne has said Collins needs to be in the box, between the posts. Yet he comes for the ball deep on many occasions or runs the channel then leaving no one in the position he should be occupying. Couple this was getting caught offside too often, too many fouls all resulting in quick turnover of possession. You can see why some fans find him frustrating. The thing I don’t get, when he is “out of position” is he following instructions? If he isn’t, why doesn’t Warne sort it?

[valakari]

On 21/07/2023 at 00:49, The_Sheriff said:

 

Ok.

So he wasn't good enough last season. We have lost McGoldrick and we finished outside the play offs.

Personally i would have thought that any manager worth his salt, would have looked to bring in a better striker as our main centre forward.

I don't see the point in Washington either, although Waggy and John Jules are potentially ok.

However it still begs the question, why Collins still plays for us as our no9.

He clearly has poor finishing, poor control, poor positioning, and no class.

He runs around barging into players and giving possession away.

Yes i know he runs about..but so do i, my mates and everyone else on the parks pitches!

Surely that is not enough to play centre forward for Derby County.

Having said that, i believe some are correct..he probably does mirror the managers vision...and that would prove my other thoughts..that we have a poor manager, who is a poor fit for a big club. He has a "small club mentality", and as such, like small club players.

I hope David Clowes realises this very soon and actions changes in January.

Edited October 11, 2023 by valakari
Typo

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Foreveram said:

Strange how he was applauded off the pitch by the majority of fans at the match last night for his contribution, but he is derided so much on here.

Most fans (including me) appreciate effort, and he always gives maximum effort. Clapping doesn't mean "in every possible aspect, I thought your performance was really good during the match". Lots of fans will clap (at least a bit), perhaps unless the player has been absolutely dire.

A fans' forum is a place geared more towards thoughts than feelings (usually). Did you hear amidst the applause anyone calling out "Hey Collo! You could really bring your game on a notch or two if you'd just stop charging into defenders from behind, and keeping more central to benefit from delivery from the wings!"? I suspect not. And the fact that such views are expressed on here is not, in my view, tantamount to derision. It is more an attempt to articulate one's opinion and associated frustration about it.

[Tyler Durden]

5 hours ago, Gerry Daly said:

Should we have(or could we have had) two red cards last night? One for Collins blatantly smacking that guy on the top of his head and the other for Sinley's wild, reckless, late and totally unnecessary challenge where he smashed that kid into the sidings right under us?  

The only people shouting for red cards in the entire ground for both of them were a handful of kids behind me in the Derek Pavis stand who judging by their antics all match were high on monkey dust

[Guest]

Collins record in this division has put him on a pedestal but his last 20 goal haul, which seems to be the metric for judgment, was 2018/19. He's a big unit and has played a lot of football during his career so it's not a surprise he's not quite the JC of a few years ago. A few people have said he's the consumate pro who gives everything which is clear so we can't expect much more