Jordan is still young and has been a stalwart for us even at his young age. His performances have dipped a bit and I think he deserves a rest and being taken out of the pressure cooker where he has very ably shouldered responsibility beyond his years and experience. I'm certain he will come back all the better for not being automatic first choice for a while. He's a hell of a young player.
He's played around 100 games and been good or better in at least 90 of them.
Even if you accept that Ba, Diarra, Kashi and Jackson are better midfield options than Jordan, which is debatable anyway, modern football is a squad game and with Diarra and Jacko being well into their thirties and unlikely to play or be able to play all matches the versatility of Cousins has a vital role to play.
Just as a lot of underperformers played much better yesterday with a different formation so Cousins might do better in that set up.
Henderson said how highly he rated Cousins, and Solly, and Jordan was player of the year last season.
He's not been at his best this year but he has a lot of qualities that we can utilise.
In a better, more settled and confident side he could show those qualities more often.
We already know he is a decent player.
Why the rush to write him off so quickly?
Because it's his turn. The usual 'Jackson's legs have gone' comments won't work because he's scoring, Fox got an assist, Ba had a decent game, Watt was dropped, who else are people going to completely write off?
easy to write a player off on the back of a few bad / indifferent games. Games that 7 or 8 of the players were probably equally shit. One decent team performance and all of a sudden there is no place for the boy in the team.
He may not be the swashbuckling midfielder that everybody would love to see, but whenever I've seen him play he does a good job. Since he's been in the team - a period when the team has more often than not struggled, he has often been the stand out player, and spent a lot of game time stuck out on the left, where he is wasted.
Easy to dig a player out when he's not in the team.. Ba or Cousins?. I know who i'd pick.
He has had a quiet few games recently. He had been a constant in a team which has had more than its share of injuries and changed in tactics and formations. Like any position the partnership players form with the person alongside them is key. Cousins has had his fair share of central midfield partners and has not benifitted at all from that.
I don't understand why he's suddenly not a good enough centre midfielder to some. Surely he has proven himself in the last two years?
I don't think people are writing him off, but what seemed unfair to me was the likes of Ba, Bergdich, Sarr, Reza etc being criticised for poor performances while Cousins was let off as he too has been poor this season.
JC's performances, as the rest of the team, have been below par recently but after 18 months of being one of our better players he is due a bad spell. I look forward to him coming back stronger.
A fantastic achievement to have played 100 games by the age of 21. Jordan has been a great team player having played RB,CM,RM and Left mid for the team. Talking with my football head now and not just my Heart ? If Cousins wants to be first choice Centre mid then his passing will have to improve or to go on and play in the Prem any time soon. What will help, is having Diarra just behind him so he can go on the surging runs because no other mid field players we have at the moment has the legs to get up and back like Jordan. Just a blip, and having 3 weeks without a game will do JC a world of good and the best is yet to come. Fingers crossed.
Thinking outside the box as i do ? the other option would be If Solly's injury kept him out for a few games.
I would like to see Cousins and Homes-Dennis as attacking full backs or defending if under the cosh ! With Bauer and Sarr (don't turn into Bramble) as CB's With Diarra as the defensive mid fielder. Kashi or Ba and Jackson in central mid field and JBG like yesterday in the front of the diamond With Simon and Reza us the front 2. This formation could work at home, away i would doubt.
If we have 3 games in a week then the subs of Watt,KAG or Lookman up front, Moussa in mid field,or Fox at the back, The Jan window like last season will determined where we finish, as a couple of championship player are needed big time to cover for the constant injuries we suffer.
It's not long ago that we were singing 'he's one of our own, he's one of our own, Jordan cousins he's one of our own'
And he is, and he's good and he is versatile. I am not sure what position he will end up in bit his touch is good and improving, he has a fantastic work rate and defensively he has good awareness. Needs to take more surer touches and strikes to deliver on his promise as an attacking midfielder
For the record I've never rated him as a centre midfielder, as said above I hope I'm proved wrong, I think he got POTY because of his endeavour, work rate and the fact he's one of our own. Game of opinions.
For the record I've never rated him as a centre midfielder, as said above I hope I'm proved wrong, I think he got POTY because of his endeavour, work rate and the fact he's one of our own. Game of opinions.
Can't believe some of you he is class we don't deserve him. Gives it all
Same people that were saying Jacksons legs were gone last year
Always find that comment, funny about JJ, he never had any pace to lose. He is fantastic at attacking the ball thou, whether from corners or the tackle that put the ball into row Z yesterday when we were trying to kill time late on.
Cousins is in a strange position. My tuppence worth is:
1. He is a good, young versatile player who is "one if our own" and gets cut a lot of slack/cops a lot of stick in equal measure because of that.
2. Perhaps more than anyone in the last two years he has taken one for the team by playing out of position without complaint. So much so that it is actually now debatable what his best position is as he has not had a proper chance to grow into one.
3. Despite points 1 and 2 above, it is possible that JC is not the world beater a lot of people thought and even more people hoped. The extent to which he's been dragged down this season by the general malaise is questionable but it may well just be that he's just a good player and not a great one.
4. His versatility is going to be his saviour this year. He can't get into Saturdays starting line up if everyone plays to their best. However, JJ is not going to play every game and, for my money I'd have THD in for Fox. In these circumstances Cousins becomes a very important first choice. And that's before injuries.
In summary, he's not the Messiah. And, fortunately for us, he's not even a naughty boy. He's a good, solid young player.
For the record I've never rated him as a centre midfielder, as said above I hope I'm proved wrong, I think he got POTY because of his endeavour, work rate and the fact he's one of our own. Game of opinions.
God yeah lets have a bunch of players with zero workrate (Almost a team of Bouazza's) and see how well we do then!!
When did Cousins move into midfield, as I remember him as a young right back? That's where he got his youth caps
I think that his future will be more as a defender than as a midfielder .. I also agree with @ShootersHillGuru that he needs a rest .. he's played a lot of games for a lot of managers during a stressful period .. he probably has a few niggling injuries that need just rest to eradicate
I can't see how you can give Jordan stick, he fills in where needed bit like Charltons version of Phil Neville , and always gives his all.
Sure he's not had a couple of great games recently, but given the pressure him and the team have been under with management changes, its to be expected.
I'm sure he will bounce back to his best , for me i wouldn't persist with him on the left handside of midfield, its probably the fact that managers appreciate his work rate, and they know that area is currently a problem area, and he just gets on with it.
I actually liked him when he filled in for Solly recently at right back, it would be interesting to hear Jason Euell's perspective on Jordan.
Comments
Ba ... Diarra ... Jackson
Cousins ... Diarra ... Jackson
Cousins ... Kashi ... Jackson
At the end of the day you have to remember that is a very old Midfield with both Diarra and Jackson not being youngsters sadly
Even if you accept that Ba, Diarra, Kashi and Jackson are better midfield options than Jordan, which is debatable anyway, modern football is a squad game and with Diarra and Jacko being well into their thirties and unlikely to play or be able to play all matches the versatility of Cousins has a vital role to play.
We are lucky to have him and I hope we keep him.
Jordan Cousins he's one of our own
Henderson said how highly he rated Cousins, and Solly, and Jordan was player of the year last season.
He's not been at his best this year but he has a lot of qualities that we can utilise.
In a better, more settled and confident side he could show those qualities more often.
We already know he is a decent player.
Why the rush to write him off so quickly?
He may not be the swashbuckling midfielder that everybody would love to see, but whenever I've seen him play he does a good job. Since he's been in the team - a period when the team has more often than not struggled, he has often been the stand out player, and spent a lot of game time stuck out on the left, where he is wasted.
Easy to dig a player out when he's not in the team.. Ba or Cousins?. I know who i'd pick.
I don't understand why he's suddenly not a good enough centre midfielder to some. Surely he has proven himself in the last two years?
Jordan has been a great team player having played RB,CM,RM and Left mid for the team.
Talking with my football head now and not just my Heart ?
If Cousins wants to be first choice Centre mid then his passing will have to improve or
to go on and play in the Prem any time soon.
What will help, is having Diarra just behind him so he can go on the surging runs because no other mid field players we have at the moment has the legs to get up and back like Jordan.
Just a blip, and having 3 weeks without a game will do JC a world of good and the best is yet to come. Fingers crossed.
Thinking outside the box as i do ? the other option would be
If Solly's injury kept him out for a few games.
I would like to see Cousins and Homes-Dennis as attacking full backs or defending if under the cosh !
With Bauer and Sarr (don't turn into Bramble) as CB's
With Diarra as the defensive mid fielder.
Kashi or Ba and Jackson in central mid field and
JBG like yesterday in the front of the diamond
With Simon and Reza us the front 2.
This formation could work at home, away i would doubt.
If we have 3 games in a week then the subs of Watt,KAG or Lookman up front,
Moussa in mid field,or Fox at the back,
The Jan window like last season will determined where we finish,
as a couple of championship player are needed big time to cover for the constant injuries we suffer.
And he is, and he's good and he is versatile. I am not sure what position he will end up in bit his touch is good and improving, he has a fantastic work rate and defensively he has good awareness. Needs to take more surer touches and strikes to deliver on his promise as an attacking midfielder
Game of opinions.
He is fantastic at attacking the ball thou, whether from corners or the tackle that put the ball into row Z yesterday when we were trying to kill time late on.
1. He is a good, young versatile player who is "one if our own" and gets cut a lot of slack/cops a lot of stick in equal measure because of that.
2. Perhaps more than anyone in the last two years he has taken one for the team by playing out of position without complaint. So much so that it is actually now debatable what his best position is as he has not had a proper chance to grow into one.
3. Despite points 1 and 2 above, it is possible that JC is not the world beater a lot of people thought and even more people hoped. The extent to which he's been dragged down this season by the general malaise is questionable but it may well just be that he's just a good player and not a great one.
4. His versatility is going to be his saviour this year. He can't get into Saturdays starting line up if everyone plays to their best. However, JJ is not going to play every game and, for my money I'd have THD in for Fox. In these circumstances Cousins becomes a very important first choice. And that's before injuries.
In summary, he's not the Messiah. And, fortunately for us, he's not even a naughty boy. He's a good, solid young player.
Sure he's not had a couple of great games recently, but given the pressure him and the team have been under with management changes, its to be expected.
I'm sure he will bounce back to his best , for me i wouldn't persist with him on the left handside of midfield, its probably the fact that managers appreciate his work rate, and they know that area is currently a problem area, and he just gets on with it.
I actually liked him when he filled in for Solly recently at right back, it would be interesting to hear Jason Euell's perspective on Jordan.
He is still learning the game and there is no doubt he will be a top championship player.
Probably is not good enough to play prem but is definitely useful in this league.