Joe Jones: Adam Collin should be wary of getting too cocky

I think the delay in releasing the ball must be an instruction from the management team or surely they would tell him to get rid ASAP. It must be really difficult to hear all the criticism especially when the team win with a clean sheet but I believe he’s best served keeping stum, you’ve got to have a thick skin sometimes if you are a footballer.

I actually watched KN 'clap' him many times last Saturday for hanging on to the ball, so I believe you're correct that he's 'following management directions'. When the Pavis crowd got annoyed at his delay, KN turned and held his arms aloft as if to say 'what's wrong with that', before turning his back on them, so one can assume AC is merely doing his bidding to slow things down.

On the 'cocky' side: a fan on Twitter (Neil?) criticized him on his 'clean sheet' stuff this week, and AC effed and jeffed at him (lots of times) in a truly vile way! Unfortunately, I don't think he's yet 'mature' enough to have learned that a little humility goes a very very long way, particularly when you've let in so many, fumbled a lot, appear to have a huge problem holding on to the ball and your kick looks like youre sporting a broken ankle!

On Fitzsimons... He's 23 years old, worked as a Builder a year ago and has gained confidence taking over and (imho) making a difference, when it mattered. He made a (23 year old's) mistake. (One I might have made too, had opposition players grabbed my nuts/elbowed me, at every single opportunity!) And, I for one, believe he's learned from his mistake and it'll never happen again.

However, I'm concerned that there seems to be a 'churlish' management attitude towards anyone seen as a 'wrongdoer', i.e. JF not "knocking on his door wanting to play" so teaching a 31 year old professional footballer 'a lesson', by continually benching him when he's often the fastest player we have against opposition and RF, sitting on the bench, watching AC make mistake after mistake, but still not being given another chance, etc., etc.,

I also don't know how, as a Manager, you show your 'displeasure' at mistakes some make, but blatently ignore the stupidness of others, i.e. Stead having to travel half-way up the pitch to remove Duffy from the face of the Referee a few weeks ago, but still didn't get benched...or the constant dives that most opposition and officials have come to expect whenever he's on the pitch?!*

Suppose it's a bit like a parent who has lots of kids? Not wanting to favour one, when there's twenty-odd others in the family. I know I try to be fair with my foslings, and I think I'm doing alright. But I DO think that sometimes, just sometimes, there's a definite and palpable 'favouritism' in team selection and if I can sense it, I doubt it's being missed in the Dressing Room...and therein might lay all the talk of late, of 'back chat' and dissatisfaction, there?

Who knows, eh?

I just hope it's not too late to get us where we all thought we might be at Christmas. Let's hope so, eh?

COYP!