As above.

Bryn Morris has not turned out to be ‘as advertised’. Described as a journeyman midfielder at the beginning of the season, he seems to have found his feet at Newport County. This season, he has made more appearances and scored more goals for a club than at any other point in his League career. Is this Coughlan’s influence, a player reaching maturity, or a bit of both? He does have his limitations (he was largely anonymous against Mansfield and Stockport) but I think he’s been a bit of a revelation this season.

Kevinmoorefellover wrote: March 17th, 2024, 4:05 am Bryn Morris has not turned out to be ‘as advertised’. Described as a journeyman midfielder at the beginning of the season, he seems to have found his feet at Newport County. This season, he has made more appearances and scored more goals for a club than at any other point in his League career. Is this Coughlan’s influence, a player reaching maturity, or a bit of both? He does have his limitations (he was largely anonymous against Mansfield and Stockport) but I think he’s been a bit of a revelation this season.

I find it interesting how through the season to me we have moved from shorter passes to longer, and thus players like Morris and Lewis and SPH who can deliver accuracy over the longer distances, are coming to prominence. Also Paine providing for Morris to cross against Morecambe.

Perhaps that is GC giving certain players more freedom, based on likelihood of good delivery rather than a pass being cut out, and creating a counter attack.

Kevinmoorefellover wrote: March 17th, 2024, 4:05 am Bryn Morris has not turned out to be ‘as advertised’. Described as a journeyman midfielder at the beginning of the season, he seems to have found his feet at Newport County. This season, he has made more appearances and scored more goals for a club than at any other point in his League career. Is this Coughlan’s influence, a player reaching maturity, or a bit of both? He does have his limitations (he was largely anonymous against Mansfield and Stockport) but I think he’s been a bit of a revelation this season.

I think there could be many reasons for this. I suspect that the most likely is that Morris was never actually a 'journeyman' and that rather than accepting these labels we should allow the player a settling in period before passing judgement. I also wonder whether his anonymity against Mansfield and Stockport had anything to do with Bennett playing in defence and so there was more reliance on Morris to 'anchor' the midfield. Or it could just be that the opposition midfield were superior to County's.

I would agree though that Morris generally has a decent game. Consistency isn't often seen at this level. Those that consistently perform well generally find themselves playing at a higher level. But it is good to see someone from midfield chipping in with goals and always good to see someone have a shot from distance...

Morris's career hasn't developed to plan. He captained England at 4 different youth levels up to and including u20. But he is still only 27 and we have him under contract for next season. A shrewd signing by GC.

By the end of October, I really wanted Morris to be sidelined. His game was too negative, constantly looking for the cautious option of turning behind him instead of instigating a move forwards. Too often he seemed unaware of an opponent behind him and surrendered possession. The game at Notts Country was a prime example, but we were collectively poor that night. He has certainly improved since then and Iis now a key player. He takes up intelligent attacking positions and his shooting technique is excellent.

That strike yesterday was magnificent

excessbee wrote: March 17th, 2024, 4:40 pm By the end of October, I really wanted Morris to be sidelined. His game was too negative, constantly looking for the cautious option of turning behind him instead of instigating a move forwards. Too often he seemed unaware of an opponent behind him and surrendered possession. The game at Notts Country was a prime example, but we were collectively poor that night. He has certainly improved since then and Iis now a key player. He takes up intelligent attacking positions and his shooting technique is excellent.

I think the ball backwards is a common complaint when you have a team trying to play the ball around (and probably around or through their opponents). It's one of my pet hates in football, mainly because there is almost certainly always a more positive ball forwards instead. But I guess we should be thankfully that County don't tend to split the defenders for goal kicks and attempt to play out from the back. That would be madness...