Sorry to harp on this stripes but you said cotch found himself in space more than lids in this role ,so do I understand you as intimating that cotch has been more effective? Again the stats do not back this up or am I missing something. Interesting to note also about lids saying he had trouble with a tag. Have you ever heard a player say they did it easy against a tag? And I believe lids had to say something along the party line. My personal belief is Rawlings was putting pressure on quite a few players BUT not necessarily always the ones who really needed it , Wallace also.
Dogged, I'm not suggesting Cotch won more of the ball but more-so that Cotch has better better coped with a tag. Lids played as an outside midfielder until 2009 when he started to move more into the packs and subsequently broke a finger I believe whereas Cotch is piling in under the packs already. Lids had the fitness and pace to carry the ball down the wings while Cotch has been underdone yet still performed well.
My stance is that Cotch is better at breaking a tag than Lids was. I suggest this is the case because Lids and the coaches stated this assertion directly and he was moved to the wing, forwardline and backline to avoid a tag. Cotch has never been shielded regardless of his current health. He has been educated through training, off-field strategising and on-field structure and experience.
The stats show Lids has had more of the ball but he was a ball carrier and a goal scorer while Cotch is an inside playmaker who has never had a preseason or injury free year. This year will may well get our answer to who can break a tag more consistently and perform better under such continuous scrutiny if Cotch does finally train unrestricted and have an uninterrupted year.
By the way, Lids has not been a designated midfielder this year so how has he taken over the focus of this topic so exclusively ???
Stripes
