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Petulant Potts

Petulant Potts

lagerlout

lagerlout

Joined
Apr 1, 2005
Messages
708
There seems to be some mixed opinions on the suitability of playing Potts in the number 10 role.


So, in response, as Potts made an appearance in all our friendlies against Premier opposition, I would like to present some examples of his play in these games.

Firstly, two similar situations with similar outcomes but with totally different responses !
In both cases, PNE were in the attacking half and in possession on the left touchline.

Burnley friendly : Andrew Hughes has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left ‘ position... so Hughes pushes the ball forward , into space, anticipating that Potts would sprint forward on a diagonal run to the bye line. What happened ? Potts,stopped, never made the run and just turned and looked ‘ daggers’ at Hughes . Move broke down and we lost possession.

Sheffield United friendly : Scott Sinclair has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left’ position ... so Sinclair passes the ball to Potts’ feet... this time not into space. Potts had started to move forward probably expecting the ball to be passed into space. What happened ? Potts checks his run and rudely remonstrates that he wanted it pushing forward into space.Move broke down and we lost possession.
The commentator, who was disgusted, remarked “ I don’t like to see that in football - a player reprimands a team mate that way “
Considering Sinclair was playing really well, both in attack and defence, there is no way that Potts should have publicly disrespected a team mate like that. Many PNE players comment on the great team spirit within the club so we don’t need behaviour like that ... I hope he made an apology !

Member sf stated that he didn’t see any of the Everton friendly ( regarding Potts ) , so I thought I would present , for him, a statistical breakdown of his playing performance.
So I will present Potts’ contribution during the Everton friendly >>>>
Note: the figures in brackets ( ) are for the SECOND half !

PASSES >>> FORWARD 2 (2) SIDEWAYS 0 (1) BACK 6 (8) FAILED 2 (1)
TACKLES >>>. WON 1 (0). LOST 6 (5)
HEADERS >>>. WON 0 (0). LOST 1 (0)
SHOTS AT GOAL >>> 0, (0)
DRIBBLES ( PAST OPPONENT ) >>> 0 (0)

For sf ‘s benefit ... a collection of opinions on Potts’ Everton performance from other Forum members :-

York White .........“ an absolute stinker “ and “ needs to be doing far more - just going through the motions “
California PNE...... “ really piss poor “
Thracia. ................”Potts ambles forward slowly until he is easily dispossessed “

I have read that one of the contributors on this forum believes that “ Potts trumps Alan Browne in athleticism “ and that he is a “ tremendously versatile player “

I will point out that if you want to see a real “ number 10” performance from last season... bring up the Leeds v PNE ...game from Boxing Day 2019.... when our hard pressing style frightened the life out of the eventual champions... and on their home pitch. Making a massive contribution in closing their defenders down was Alan Browne ( he actually makes tackles ! ) ... and then after Maguire made a great defensive tackle, the ball was swiftly moved forward by Pearson, feeding Nugent who found the sprinting Alan Browne who finished clinically with his left foot . Our move of the season ? .. probably - but just reflected AB’s ability in the No. 10 position.

I won’t add my opinion on Potts as no doubt you can guess what they are .. !
 
Potts was fairly anonymous on Saturday, so a bit unfair to use that particular game as evidence. And last season he was a relative bit player (a product of our over-stocked midfield) without the benefit of a full run in the team.

But he was one of our best players in the mini-season. He does look quite ungainly at low speed, gets the ball caught under his feet a bit. And despite his 'size' I don't think he's the hard-man, big tackling type. But get him going in full flight with his long legs stretching out and he looks more than useful.

(As for the attitude thing, I agree, I saw it and didn't like it)
 
lagerlout said:
There seems to be some mixed opinions on the suitability of playing Potts in the number 10 role.


So, in response, as Potts made an appearance in all our friendlies against Premier opposition, I would like to present some examples of his play in these games.

Firstly, two similar situations with similar outcomes but with totally different responses !
In both cases, PNE were in the attacking half and in possession on the left touchline.

Burnley friendly : Andrew Hughes has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left ‘ position... so Hughes pushes the ball forward , into space, anticipating that Potts would sprint forward on a diagonal run to the bye line. What happened ? Potts,stopped, never made the run and just turned and looked ‘ daggers’ at Hughes . Move broke down and we lost possession.

Sheffield United friendly : Scott Sinclair has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left’ position ... so Sinclair passes the ball to Potts’ feet... this time not into space. Potts had started to move forward probably expecting the ball to be passed into space. What happened ? Potts checks his run and rudely remonstrates that he wanted it pushing forward into space.Move broke down and we lost possession.
The commentator, who was disgusted, remarked “ I don’t like to see that in football - a player reprimands a team mate that way “
Considering Sinclair was playing really well, both in attack and defence, there is no way that Potts should have publicly disrespected a team mate like that. Many PNE players comment on the great team spirit within the club so we don’t need behaviour like that ... I hope he made an apology !

Member sf stated that he didn’t see any of the Everton friendly ( regarding Potts ) , so I thought I would present , for him, a statistical breakdown of his playing performance.
So I will present Potts’ contribution during the Everton friendly >>>>
Note: the figures in brackets ( ) are for the SECOND half !

PASSES >>> FORWARD 2 (2) SIDEWAYS 0 (1) BACK 6 (8) FAILED 2 (1)
TACKLES >>>. WON 1 (0). LOST 6 (5)
HEADERS >>>. WON 0 (0). LOST 1 (0)
SHOTS AT GOAL >>> 0, (0)
DRIBBLES ( PAST OPPONENT ) >>> 0 (0)

For sf ‘s benefit ... a collection of opinions on Potts’ Everton performance from other Forum members :-

York White .........“ an absolute stinker “ and “ needs to be doing far more - just going through the motions “
California PNE...... “ really piss poor “
Thracia. ................”Potts ambles forward slowly until he is easily dispossessed “

I have read that one of the contributors on this forum believes that “ Potts trumps Alan Browne in athleticism “ and that he is a “ tremendously versatile player “

I will point out that if you want to see a real “ number 10” performance from last season... bring up the Leeds v PNE ...game from Boxing Day 2019.... when our hard pressing style frightened the life out of the eventual champions... and on their home pitch. Making a massive contribution in closing their defenders down was Alan Browne ( he actually makes tackles ! ) ... and then after Maguire made a great defensive tackle, the ball was swiftly moved forward by Pearson, feeding Nugent who found the sprinting Alan Browne who finished clinically with his left foot . Our move of the season ? .. probably - but just reflected AB’s ability in the No. 10 position.

I won’t add my opinion on Potts as no doubt you can guess what they are .. !
Click to expand...
Cheers for that Alan, are you signing a new contract or not?
 
post lockdown and pre season before Everton he has looked the part - just like he did when he played against us for Barnsley - in the 10 role.

but he wont be first choice there so can he play RW ? Not really but he isnt hopeless out there.
 
Had a shite game vs Everton, but there's a player in there, and he provides options. A number of good performances, but mostly on the right.
 
The opening post shows a lack of understanding of football. You seem to imply Potts should decide once and for all if he wants every ball to feet or in space. Each scenario is different and requires different distribution. Now I'm not suggesting you don't understand football , just pointing out a flaw in your comment
 
lagerlout said:
There seems to be some mixed opinions on the suitability of playing Potts in the number 10 role.


So, in response, as Potts made an appearance in all our friendlies against Premier opposition, I would like to present some examples of his play in these games.

Firstly, two similar situations with similar outcomes but with totally different responses !
In both cases, PNE were in the attacking half and in possession on the left touchline.

Burnley friendly : Andrew Hughes has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left ‘ position... so Hughes pushes the ball forward , into space, anticipating that Potts would sprint forward on a diagonal run to the bye line. What happened ? Potts,stopped, never made the run and just turned and looked ‘ daggers’ at Hughes . Move broke down and we lost possession.

Sheffield United friendly : Scott Sinclair has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left’ position ... so Sinclair passes the ball to Potts’ feet... this time not into space. Potts had started to move forward probably expecting the ball to be passed into space. What happened ? Potts checks his run and rudely remonstrates that he wanted it pushing forward into space.Move broke down and we lost possession.
The commentator, who was disgusted, remarked “ I don’t like to see that in football - a player reprimands a team mate that way “
Considering Sinclair was playing really well, both in attack and defence, there is no way that Potts should have publicly disrespected a team mate like that. Many PNE players comment on the great team spirit within the club so we don’t need behaviour like that ... I hope he made an apology !

Member sf stated that he didn’t see any of the Everton friendly ( regarding Potts ) , so I thought I would present , for him, a statistical breakdown of his playing performance.
So I will present Potts’ contribution during the Everton friendly >>>>
Note: the figures in brackets ( ) are for the SECOND half !

PASSES >>> FORWARD 2 (2) SIDEWAYS 0 (1) BACK 6 (8) FAILED 2 (1)
TACKLES >>>. WON 1 (0). LOST 6 (5)
HEADERS >>>. WON 0 (0). LOST 1 (0)
SHOTS AT GOAL >>> 0, (0)
DRIBBLES ( PAST OPPONENT ) >>> 0 (0)

For sf ‘s benefit ... a collection of opinions on Potts’ Everton performance from other Forum members :-

York White .........“ an absolute stinker “ and “ needs to be doing far more - just going through the motions “
California PNE...... “ really piss poor “
Thracia. ................”Potts ambles forward slowly until he is easily dispossessed “

I have read that one of the contributors on this forum believes that “ Potts trumps Alan Browne in athleticism “ and that he is a “ tremendously versatile player “

I will point out that if you want to see a real “ number 10” performance from last season... bring up the Leeds v PNE ...game from Boxing Day 2019.... when our hard pressing style frightened the life out of the eventual champions... and on their home pitch. Making a massive contribution in closing their defenders down was Alan Browne ( he actually makes tackles ! ) ... and then after Maguire made a great defensive tackle, the ball was swiftly moved forward by Pearson, feeding Nugent who found the sprinting Alan Browne who finished clinically with his left foot . Our move of the season ? .. probably - but just reflected AB’s ability in the No. 10 position.

I won’t add my opinion on Potts as no doubt you can guess what they are .. !
Click to expand...
Your description of the goal against Leeds is wrong.
Maguire made the tackle some 20 yards in his own half.
Barky picked up the loose ball and fed Pearson who gave it Potts.
Potts played it straight back and Pearson threaded the pass to Barky who was now deep in their half.
He played a first time ball to Browne.
BOOM!!!!!
GREAT TEAM GOAL.
Nugent nowhere near.
 
Not done a lot for a long time imo, some people love him, yet to see it, yet I can see the potential.

Everyone's got a gut feeling!
 
Crucial for Alex to find his right role.

I've seen him in some games where he surges across the pitch like a god. And I've seen him float around pointlessly like a right duck egg.

He had a good end to last season. Hope he builds on that.
 
You won't add your opinion on Potts, Which Preston North End player have you been slagging off
 
I think the problems with Potts are twofold, he seems to play when he feels like it and it's difficult to define his best position.
Ability yes, suitable maybe.
 
Always feels like he's trapped in two minds - think Alex likes to use him to start the hard press. He has the physical attributes of an enforcer. But a 10 is creative, and I always think he has that in his head when he's playing the role. It's hard to play both parts.
 
This isn't a just another 'next pne_online target' thread, as is the usual response to any critical analysis of a popular player, whilst for others it's acceptable to slag off often. Potts comes into that category of let's not see it go to waste.
Yeah he was decent at the end of the season, where we dropped points for fun and threw away a playoff spot, he was ok in that spell that saw us throw it away. He's got enough capability to be a top end championship player but we don't see it anywhere near often enough, and he's afforded a lot of leeway. Bullshit imo, he's not even close to his potential, that's a massive disappointment.
 
Last edited:
Not sure what’s wrong with telling your teammate you wanted it to feet as opposed to into space or vice versa. Part and parcel of the game really, if he’s pointed to feet or checked his run, surely he’s within his rights to have a word when the ball goes into space. Not sure it’ll ever get mentioned again off the pitch ever again between the players.
 
lagerlout said:
There seems to be some mixed opinions on the suitability of playing Potts in the number 10 role.


So, in response, as Potts made an appearance in all our friendlies against Premier opposition, I would like to present some examples of his play in these games.

Firstly, two similar situations with similar outcomes but with totally different responses !
In both cases, PNE were in the attacking half and in possession on the left touchline.

Burnley friendly : Andrew Hughes has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left ‘ position... so Hughes pushes the ball forward , into space, anticipating that Potts would sprint forward on a diagonal run to the bye line. What happened ? Potts,stopped, never made the run and just turned and looked ‘ daggers’ at Hughes . Move broke down and we lost possession.

Sheffield United friendly : Scott Sinclair has possession and looks up to spot Potts in the ‘ inside left’ position ... so Sinclair passes the ball to Potts’ feet... this time not into space. Potts had started to move forward probably expecting the ball to be passed into space. What happened ? Potts checks his run and rudely remonstrates that he wanted it pushing forward into space.Move broke down and we lost possession.
The commentator, who was disgusted, remarked “ I don’t like to see that in football - a player reprimands a team mate that way “
Considering Sinclair was playing really well, both in attack and defence, there is no way that Potts should have publicly disrespected a team mate like that. Many PNE players comment on the great team spirit within the club so we don’t need behaviour like that ... I hope he made an apology !

Member sf stated that he didn’t see any of the Everton friendly ( regarding Potts ) , so I thought I would present , for him, a statistical breakdown of his playing performance.
So I will present Potts’ contribution during the Everton friendly >>>>
Note: the figures in brackets ( ) are for the SECOND half !

PASSES >>> FORWARD 2 (2) SIDEWAYS 0 (1) BACK 6 (8) FAILED 2 (1)
TACKLES >>>. WON 1 (0). LOST 6 (5)
HEADERS >>>. WON 0 (0). LOST 1 (0)
SHOTS AT GOAL >>> 0, (0)
DRIBBLES ( PAST OPPONENT ) >>> 0 (0)

For sf ‘s benefit ... a collection of opinions on Potts’ Everton performance from other Forum members :-

York White .........“ an absolute stinker “ and “ needs to be doing far more - just going through the motions “
California PNE...... “ really piss poor “
Thracia. ................”Potts ambles forward slowly until he is easily dispossessed “

I have read that one of the contributors on this forum believes that “ Potts trumps Alan Browne in athleticism “ and that he is a “ tremendously versatile player “

I will point out that if you want to see a real “ number 10” performance from last season... bring up the Leeds v PNE ...game from Boxing Day 2019.... when our hard pressing style frightened the life out of the eventual champions... and on their home pitch. Making a massive contribution in closing their defenders down was Alan Browne ( he actually makes tackles ! ) ... and then after Maguire made a great defensive tackle, the ball was swiftly moved forward by Pearson, feeding Nugent who found the sprinting Alan Browne who finished clinically with his left foot . Our move of the season ? .. probably - but just reflected AB’s ability in the No. 10 position.

I won’t add my opinion on Potts as no doubt you can guess what they are .. !
Click to expand...

I can't believe I just read that. Ye Gods!!
 
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