I think it?s more our system and the lack of forward / forwards attacking the middle - front and back post
He does appear to struggle Chris with final delivery however we give him ball and basically say there you go beat 2/3 men -
Wednesday for me was the first time in many games we looked to play the ball forward for wide men to go onto and a lot of that was because Cullen had been told to change tact and be less negative.
The wide men need the right ball / support - runners to take men away and an option that forces them to make the pass - if they had that then I?d agree about criticism for Koleosho and the others but up to know we criticise him and imo anyway he makes mistakes because he?s forced to go at 2/3 players as we don?t offer unless it?s backwards.
Interestingly I watched Forest yesterday ( mauled by Bournemouth) and their wide man kept going at people and trying just as Koleosho does - he failed many times but I?d guess he wasn?t slagged off but encouraged for being a wide man and trying to go at people.
It?s heart breaking when you think we had wide men JBG who never tried to go past a man but was championed by many - when we do have a young boy 19/20 willing to have a go at people - he?s *******ised ( it makes me wander sometimes) the lad is learning but he?ll never learn if everyone s on his case constantly for getting part of his game wrong.
Agree wholeheartedly with your post army88 but the lad needs a mature coach like Parker to put his arm around him and coach the bad parts of his game out of him.
SD had a great practice of doubling or trebling up to attack a player, Parker needs to do the same when Koleosho is in possession. I remember when Klopp famously complained about a young TAA getting the targeting treatment from a Dyche team in a 1-1 draw at Anfield when Arfield gave us a 1-0 lead.
Maybe he's just not good enough, he wouldn't be the first young lad to burst on to the scene and then fade away. He reminds me a bit of John Murray back in the 60s, he looked a world beater in his first dozen games, he even gave Bobby Moore a bit of a chasing one afternoon on Turf Moor, it didn't last but he had a decent enough career lower down the Leagues after he left us.
I'm more optimistic than you on this one mon ami. I would seriously suggest he has a couple of hours a week with a sports psychologist to make the lad believe how good he actually is.
One Friday night many moons ago I met a Peterborough supporting mate of mine in a game we eventually lost 2-1 to the Posh. Burnley came out in white tops, claret shorts and sky blue socks and for the first 20 minutes we battered the Posh. Paul Smith was shredding the Peterborough defence and when we went one up my mate said, "Christ it's like watching Real Madrid!"
A Posh defender soon put the boot into Smith, a bit like the Wolves defender did against Koleosho and next news Smithy was sold to the Owls (I think!). Is Koleosho getting kicked out of the game?A bit like Benson?
![]()