The Hotel End

I know how much we're all loving our team at present so best have a match thread.

Along with Exeter they are unbeaten in the league... guess we'll systematically take them apart?

So much depends on how we perform at home .
We are set up to be resolute away and steal a result .
We cannot play that way at home and not all teams will give us the space Plymouth did .
Hopefully we can be a bit more imaginative in our play and bring the crowds back .

I do appreciate the gist of what you’re saying (and I can’t recall being a cobblers fan as being this boring for a while) but I didn’t think that Plymouth particularly gave us room to play, it was just a high energy, front foot performance and the early goal and then the quick response to the equaliser boosted confidence?I’m just clinging to the hope that the Plymouth game wasn’t a one off but I think the absence of Watson is more significant than we might think.

This will be an attrition game like last season's fixture, I suspect.

Whilst I agree with your observations I also think the really successful teams may change tactics for who they are playing but not because it’s simply home or away - why should they? - ok the pitch may play a little differently but they are meant to be professionals - as for home vocal support, well that’s complete rubbish as we get much better vocal support at away games than the sixfields library. For me a manager who consistency plays a different (ultra defensive) game away from home is one who will at best achieve mediocrity and has an aging 30 year old grasp of tactics.

We simply cannot play the same at home as we do away . I think we pretty much tried that last season and it didn’t work. Furthermore , people won’t put up with it at Sixfields on entertainment grounds alone .
Crowds have been dwindling for some time and that’s one of the reasons .
I also hope that the Plymouth performance wasn’t a one off and that we continue to play in that vein. Nothing would please me more but KC’s track record suggests otherwise I think .

I think the vocal support is similar in terms of people. It’s just that at away games all of the vocal people are generally sat together under one (often fairly small) stand as opposed to being split by the stands (e.g. north stand/west stand).

I don’t suppose anyone has seen an update on McCormack - I thought he was supposed to have played in a behind closed doors match this week but I haven’t seen anything from the club?

If McCormack isn't fit then Turnbull needs to play in Midfield,Wharton and Goode can hold down central defence. Where as I find S.Mcwilliams to be irratic in midfield, he puts himself about but does not offer the protection that Turbull or McCormack do. This would go a long a way to stopping us getting overrun like we did in the 2nd half against Bradford.

Shaun is nowhere near fit enough for centre mid, his best position is full back which he is back up at best.
Turnbull is miles ahead of Shaun in every department.
I’m going 3-1 to the sheep molesters.

people don't give the Welsh enough credit for inventing the condom it's just a shame they didn't take it out of the sheep first

The situation with McCormack must worry Curle.
He was a high profile signing and must be on a decent wedge . Yet he missed pretty much the whole of pre season and then played when clearly not fit .
Who knows when he will return and how long he will last for when he does !

I saw a stat saying Newport are unbeaten in their last 17 League games and their last League defeat was..............at Sixfields in March !! Home banker then.

We're in the twilight zone right now.
Curlio is winning the odd 1 or 2 just to keep his job. But its going to be a lower to mid-table finish if he stays.
His tactic's are not the best and he's pretty useless.

However saying that I have a good feeling about this one

2-1 Cobbs Willo and The Hoskmeister

I agree with this . Curle is just about keeping his head above water with the odd result .
A mid to lower table finish will not be acceptable to anyone though .
I predict a bore draw on Saturday

Respect the point!

Newport ain't conceded since first game of the season so head says 0-1 loss...
but being Cobblers we'll probably (hopefully) win it!

You remind me of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. No substance in your predictions; a one way negative opinion on the Manager and end up forecasting a victory in a difficult fixture. Seems to me you are torn between supporting the team and the negative obsession you have with the current Manager.

It’s testament to what a great job Flynn has done at Newport especially bearing in mind they lost 2 or 3 of their best players and seem to have effectively replaced them and maintained continuity. I was hoping that Lincoln might have poached him before Saturday but I’m not sure if they’re still interested or not - it just shows what recruiting the right manager does for a club.

You don’t miss an opportunity to enlighten all on your personal view of the manager. If the side plays well you have a very grudging appraisal of the Manager. After a period of time you lose credibility with your repetitive mantra. Of course you are entitled to an opinion but to mislead many on here with your persistent negative views suggests you are not a bona fide supporter but somebody with a grudge against current NTFC staff/management.

It always baffles me how we generally always seem to be playing catch up to teams like Newport County. Since they've come into the football league they've hardly struggled. With an average home gate of around 3000 a week they've managed to put some decent squads together over the years and had a few close calls with the playoffs. The more I see certain teams do well the more I think there is something wrong with the club, something deep-rooted which pre-dates both the current coaching staff and ownership.

Anyway, onto Saturday. Will be a tricky one against a side who I imagine will be full of confidence. Expecting Jamille Matt to be a real handful, always been quite impressed by him whenever I've seen him play. Think Newport will be well coached and very difficult to break down. Having said that, our performance levels seem to go up a bit when we're expected to struggle.

1-1, Willo to net again.

I’m not going to get into a personal, boring dispute with you Evers but I can assure you I have no grudge at all with the staff or management at the football club ! I have close friends at the club and also regularly stand up for KT in some situations but not all . I also often praise players, like we all do.
I am not keen on KC or his methods but have no grudge and want him to succeed .

Why do you feel it necessary to judge everyone? If somebody comes on here with 'persistently negative views' then that is up to them. It doesn't stop you presenting persistently positive views if you want. More often than not your posts concern your views on the legitimacy of individuals posting an opinion if it doesn't correspond with your own. If they did it would make it a very boring place to visit. My humble suggestion would be that you express your opinions on the thread title without following fascistic tendencies.

I hope some people take note that Newport are owned by their Supporters Trust, proving it can work. The only team above them in League 2, Exeter City, are also Trust owned ! They both get smaller gates than us, food for thought ?  ;)

It's a good point - however I suggest the malcontents would soon be asking for more than just a well run club flirting with promotion and occasionally achieving L1 status.

Personally I think a Trust/Fan owned club can work in the lower divisions but looking at the ridiculous wages in Championship and above is not going to work at that level.

I am not judging anybody which by your ad hoc comments is something you are adept at! I also do not persist in pointless positive views particularly in the current climate. You are merely engaging in a narrative which suits your personal agenda. I too have an opinion and am entitled to question those who persistently criticise the club/manager and staff. The operative word here is ‘persistently’ ; of course the persistent ones are entitled to do this ; as I or you can do.
On a more serious note you use the word ‘fascistic’ which I utterly deplore and strongly reject. Under the circumstances please withdraw that accusation which is totally unfounded and certainly not in the spirit of this forum.

That’s a very good point well made .
Someone earlier in the thread referred to why we seem to continually under perform against our peers . It’s worth considering our main shareholders live abroad most of the time these days and see things from a distance. In a fan owned club , it is lived and breathed .
I’m no great advocate of the model but you have to say there are benefits .

Which brings us back full circle and begs the question is anything progressing behind the scenes with the trust as it’s gone very quiet over the last few weeks? Things at the club seem to be in stasis both on and off the pitch. I like the suggestion of of Director of Football who would oversee all things particularly in terms of player recruitment which means that the constant merry go round of new managers coming in and being lumbered with other people’s signings might be avoided.

Bit of a pipe dream that but use of stasis why not in limbo, inactivity or even equilibrium : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN2KqhLRsss

Whilst true you can also argue that we have never been relegated out of the football league either. I think that’s quite an achievement in this day and age? Whilst I am not suggesting this is the ultimate standard to attain for the club, my view is that we are currently performing slightly above par? As I said not something to be totally content with, but perhaps worth considering in the context of a discussion regarding the performance of the club in recent years?

By the way, 2-0 to us, but only if Turnbull plays the holding role?

It has always puzzled me why they called it New South Wales here in Oz? I’ve just had an epiphany.

Good Morning Cobblers fans!

I thought I’d best pop in and say hello! However as it’s 05.30 in the morning I might get in and out without being noticed! Obviously this is one of the highlights of my season as my team play here in Northampton, where I live. I don’t remember seeing County win at Sixfields though so expectations are somewhat cautious despite current form of both sides.
I’ve only seen Newport once this season, first game of the season, we let in two goals, we haven’t conceded since. I guess I’m going to jinx that record then!
We seem to be playing quite aggressively these days, chasing lost causes and challenging hard in 50/50 situations ( also in 40/60 ones too unfortunately!)
We all thought losing key players, mostly defensive, would set us back this season but Mike Flynn has recruited well.
Mike Flynn is the key to our current success, and our undoing this weekend could well be as a result of all the speculation of his possible leaving for the Lincoln job. We know it’s going to happen sooner or later but it will be a big loss when it does.
All in all I’ll settle for a draw today, that way it keeps my old mam happy too, big Cobblers fan and will be listening at home. Five of us attending from the Northampton branch of the Newport County Supporters Club, whatever the result today I wish the Cobblers improved fortunes for the rest of the season!

Phil in Northampton

Can't you just pin this somewhere on your profile? Reckon it will save you hours in finger work

For Melbourne to make the comment that he thinks we have performed slightly above par demonstrates that successive owners of the club have been allowed by supporters to set ambitions so woefully low.  Beds is right on this aspect but it doesn't only apply to the Thomas era. 

Burnley is a reasonable example of what can be achieved at a club that represents a town about 25% the size of Northampton in population terms.  Not so many years ago it was a few minutes from losing its EFL place. Now it commands a place in the Premier League. The reason is it has learned from its mistakes and has good owners, all locally born and Burnley supporters, and good management appointed by the current board.  Contra NTFC with its main owner who has made an appearance at about 3 matches in fast approaching 4 years and his front "football man" who turns up at the club a couple of times a month.  Managerial appointments (only 5!) during their tenure have been awful with the jury currently out on KC.  Small wonder that we find ourselves in 18th position in the basement division. 

Tomorrow we host supporters owned Newport who sit 2nd in the table with debt free supporters owned Exeter at the top.  The conventional privately ltd company owned business model isn’t working at NTFC but I fear it will take a financial crisis to change things.   

So, any update on the Trust masterplan? Seems very quiet after the initial fanfair...

All well & good stating what should happen but what is actually happening behind the scenes? I'm a lifetime Trust member & have heard nowt!

Continue this discussion on the ReDev thread please...

That’s not what you said on Exiles Forum ;D 8)

Good Afternoon Everbrite!

Not sure which bit you may be referring to? My guess is the score line, in which case on a one off visit you may be confused. You see , every game I have £1 with Ladbrokes on Newport winning 4-0 hence in all my Exiles Grandstand pre match comments I predict 4-0, regardless of my real thoughts based on form etc. It’s just a tongue in cheek running joke. To illustrate this here are my comments copied from our forum prior to the Port Vale game.     


 4-0 is my preferred score today, a nice 66/1 will pay for next weeks tickets at Sixfields


 I hope that explains the difference!


Phil in Northampton

And you remind me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. A morbidly obese man who likes to wear women's clothes..

(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120320064603/disney/images/0/0f/Queen_of_Hearts_official.jpg)

Listen everbrite I am happily married and free of lice (currently) so there is no space for extra-curricular activity. I am very concerned that you are unwilling to persist in positive views and see them as pointless. Your loss is ungainly.

There's a game on today, an opportunity to extend our home league unbeaten run.... COYC 🇱🇻

Big win needed today, and for some reason we always seem to perform at home against teams doing well in the league.

Agree with the mention before of Turnbull in midfield, he bosses things in there and we have a more than adequate CB in Wharton who can play alongside Goode.

Wonder if we get to see Egli Kaja today, be great to have a wide option on the left other than Adams/Hoskins out of position.

Agree with all of that, same as Plymouth please high press COYC

Get in there!!!

I feel a rout coming on.

You'd better have a lie down then.

I'm sure you can get a cream for that.  I hope it gets better soon.   >:D >:D >:D >:D

Afternoon. Talk about in and out. Feel this season might be very much WLWLWLWLWLWLWLWLWLW

Hello Was.

No Dr. Feelgood again then. Part timer!

Turgid.....bar the goal.
They’ve had one ruled out for offside and...that’s all!

I'll take a scabby win tbf

My feeling of a rout has cleared up.

Any better second half. Are we holding on or going for the second?

A lie down for 20 minutes or so always helps when you feel a rout coming on.

Get in there!!!

Curlio the legend!!!!

Hi

Bloody hell. Was was worried sick!

I need Newport to score for my bet to come up. I'm only saying.

Was has always been a worrier!

i dont

Come on Newport. £72.67 is £72.67!  ;D

2-0 FT..sorry Baldy
Good solid performance. Now lets get some fecking consistancy

A good win. Looks like we won't be eating this week though. ;D

Great result, but I was disappointed with Newport today, being second in the league.

Great win today irrespective of performance?
I'll have to keep away from radio Northampton more regularly if thats what it takes to get a win.

A wins a win.....but boy was it boring!!

We did what we needed to and nullified Newport, who were very poor.

Chances few and far between, neither keeper made a save of note, but 3 points on the board.

That glass is so half empty

Hopefully see many of you down the A1 at Stevenage on Tuesday.

Controlled performance today. Now we need to get more players around Williams to consistantly create chances, game after game!

Boring 2-0 win, shouldn't complain, but wasn't much of a watch.

Assume it was a bad day at the office for Newport,  didn't really show anything at all.

Agree 1st half but not 2nd, I actually really enjoyed that! 😄

There were flashes of good intricate football threatening to break out of the morass of dull predictable error-strewn hoofball. Can't complain about the 3 points though which we fully deserved as we made Newport look pedestrian.

Turnbull was outstanding in defensive midfield even managing to carry the ball out of defense on occasion. I think they can send McCormack back cause he's only going to be needed if Turnbull gets injured. Committed performances by A.Williams, Goode, Hoskins and Shaun up to his injury, but need a bit more from some of the others.

Maybe a corner has been turned today. Nowhere near as good as the standard of the Plymouth match but maybe that was down to the opposition, but as they say if you can win ugly there is every chance of progressing in this league.

Good win topped off with a deserved goal for Hoskins and a clean sheet for Dave.

I also noticed Jimmy Savile risen from the grave among their supporters.

Nope, its about more than the three points for me....that's all!

Good Evening

As football fans we all know how our team can let us down, you guys probably more so recently than County fans, and for me obviously it’s a little more painful today! Cobblers did enough to win today albeit that didn’t need to be much. How much the manager speculation has affected the players no one can tell, but they certainly didn’t perform at their best today.

It’s only football... it’s not real life, so it doesn’t matter that much!  Football is escapism from real life and it’s troubles and tribulations. When it goes well it’s great, when it goes badly it affects ones mood for a short while but it’s not that serious really.

Well done Cobblers, hopefully your season will improve from here and who knows where we both will be come the last game of the season. I really hope that either teams success or failure of the season doesn’t ride on that game!

I always enjoy popping in here when our teams meet, and look forward to the next time we do battle!

Phil in Northampton

Dreadful game. Brilliant result.

It wasn't a dreadful game. It was a performance that was controlled and enough as more Tyson sufficient. Superior to the opposition throughout the pitch. Thoroughly deserved,the better team won comfortably.

Another thing is that comment highlights why fans should never ever be near running the club.

There is no doubt the better side won - pretty easily too. We could have had more with shots flashing past their right hand post! Williams played well and deserved his goal, two full backs played ok so no grumbles there as well. Harriman looked taller than it said on Wiki. Cornell safe as houses all game which must damage the opinion of some on here. Midfield ok with Lines occasionally looking if he can play a bit; impressed with McW who tried very hard to fulfill the missing Watson but its a pity he sometimes finishes a good passage of individual play. For me the back 4 plus Turnball won us the game making Newport look very ordinary. Adams had some good moments showing off his individual skills; Hoskins played well took his goal withal the aplomb of a finisher. Williams was a tireless worker and also deserved the goal. On Williams I just wish he would hold the ball up better than he does but I accept that their bull of a centre half was fouling him for most of the game.Strange referee; let a lot a go or not as the fancy took him. Even stranger were some of the negative comments by some who were there, only a couple mind you who succumbed to Cobblers traditional trait. Stevenage should be interesting!
 

+ Hurrah!

Agree with that, I wasn’t as bored in the last 2 home games.
Hope Shaun’s ok seems he has a heart problem.

Plymouth?
You are a fake account and it's about time people realised

I take some credit for the win, Cobbs always do ok when I'm out of the country! Due to land 9.15 Tuesday evening in Birmingham hope Stevenage game doesn't go t*ts up then!

Christ Manwork. If you and I Agree there is hope for mankind!

Thought it was a very professional team performance .... Look forward to seeing many more 🙂
 

excellent performance. Looking forward to Tuesday night. This team has a lot of potential to be really good. I can feel something good on the horizon....

You are a fake account and it's about time people realised

Thought we played professionally through the game. Defence played well just wish we had pressed more for further goals which is why I think some felt it was boring. Will travel to Stevenage with more confidence now

You rumbled me old man.

I actually enjoyed the game although frustratingly I fell asleep with about 5 or so minutes to go. However, this should not be taken as a reflection on the game, more on the fact that the local off license has started selling Boddingtons. On a separate note yet another example of master punditry from down under!

Do you get many English ales down under?

With Founders 'Dirty Bastard' why would you need to?

I wasnt talking to you.

A controlled and highly-effective performance.

Curle had obviously done his homework on Newport and nullified them extremely effectively. I can't recall them having any kind of shot of note, let alone a shot on target. McWilliams appeared to be playing further forward than usual, as a kind of advanced-pressing midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, probably as a deliberate ploy to stop them building moves from deep. (As others have said, fingers crossed that he's OK.)

In the first half we dominated the game but looked disjointed and lacking in fluency and width. IMHO Hoskins and Adams were playing too narrow and too deep and whenever either full back got the ball in an attacking position there was a noticeable lack of a 'line ball' on the overlap leading to a lot of hoofball and crosses from deep.

The difference in the second half was that Lines got on the ball a lot more and started pulling the strings in the final third and Adams and Kaja went much further out to the touchline to give us some genuine width, with Hoskins looking menacing in the middle. There were some very effective counter-attacks, with Lines and Adams leading the charge. Personally I would be tempted to play Kaja in the same role on Tuesday. He missed a decent chance to make it 3-0, but the very act of playing a proper right winger opened up space for us and increased the fluency.

Goode was immense at the back and even made some marauding Harry-Maguire-esque style forward runs. The team should be built around him and Turnbull (who excelled at DM), with Wharton an extremely able partner in the centre.

Williams gave another lone-striker masterclass. His workrate and guile are excellent for this level.

Eventually I'd like us to become a team who impose our own agenda on the opposition, rather than being set up to nullify their strengths. However, I'll conclude by saying that Curle is making good progress and that I'm more optimistic about our prospects than I have been for a long time.  










 

Back to back deserved home wins in another controlled performance again. Went with a mate who hasn't seen us since the 70's ! He was impressed with what he saw and wants to go again. From 1 to 11 all played their part. Keep us this kind of performance particularly in the upcoming fixtures and we'll continue to climb the table. Well done KC and all.

More likely you are!

Fantastic result.

We have some real quality on the side, with some wonderful touches and moves.

I’m starting to warm to Hoskins, so things must be on the up. Well done lads.

Not really, Guinness and Boddingtons is about it from our way(given Guinness is Irish obviously). I have even resorted to occasionally drinking Mythos which you can get as well. You’ll have to ask Cat if you want a critique of the local beer, he’s probably tried the lot? Anyway, enough of that what about my spot on prediction???

To be like the octopus who predicted the World Cup a few years ago we need your Stevenage prediction?

Would like to nominate Newport's sub Jermine Matt for the 'Most Pointless Sending off at Sixfields Ever' award. Came on with half an hour to go, offered nothing and then got himself cautioned for a second ridiculous foul on Martin and his total inability to stop mouthing at the referee. He then deliberately fouled Goode but moved away quickly to prevent any bother and I could not but help thinking he had learn his lesson from his previous caution. But no, he was not to be denied, another pointless foul on Turnbull in a non threatening position and off he went. What did all that achieve? If I was his manager he would be in for a very hard time from me. Still he was absolute rubbish as a player so I can't think he will be missed whilst suspended. Anyway, good win with plenty of positives, it all made for a pleasant afternoon.

I’ve got a lot of respect for Flynn (not so much for his diamonds reject assistant Hatswell who spent most of the game desperately trying to get Turnbull sent off) but for him to say that “the first goal was a definite foul” and then the way they both carried on after the second goal making out that their diving number 10 had been fouled smacked of clutching at straws.

Another really good home performance again, we totally nullified any sort of threat and made them look really ordinary. Didn't look anywhere near a top 2 team, so hats off to KC and the players for such an accomplished afternoons work. Everybody played well, Goode is going to become a real fans favourite, the captaincy has really matured him into a very good defender. A special mention also for Turnbull, who not only had an excellent game , kept his cool despite being targeted when on his yellow card. Need to back this up with a result Tuesday and things will be looking up and we will be gaining some momentum.

Have to say, in all honesty I wasn’t that excited when we re-signed Charlie Goode but he has been outstanding in the 8 games so far. Leads the team so well and his reading of the game is brilliant. Looks a bit stronger this year too. If we can keep him and Turnbull fit for most of the season I can see us being very difficult to beat at times. I can’t even remember Newport having a single shot on target yesterday. It’s going to be a case of whether we can consistently use the ball well and regularly produce that quality in the final third.

A very good all-round performance yesterday, we looked solid and very well organised. Williams doing a lot of unselfish work up front, its good to see him getting (if you'll pardon the pun) a good run in the starting 11. There's some decent teams in this division this season, Bradford, Plymouth, Salford etc. There seemed to be a very good vibe around Sixfields (at long last) yesterday, the team looked a lot more confident and also looked a very tight knitted group. With us (fans) doing our bit as well, it could a very enjoyable season.

Happy to oblige Manny, we’ll definitely score 4, possibly concede 1, and I’ve only got 2 legs.

To echo others thoughts about the match, yesterday was an excellent all-round team performance. I was actually more impressed with it than I was the showing against Plymouth, which though no doubt also excellent, was much down to the way we pressed them and our overall work-rate which was outstanding. I was skeptical if we could produce performances like that week-in-week-out, which is why I was even more pleased with the manner in which we played yesterday as I came away feeling we could play like that consistently rather than how we set out to play in the Argyle game.

Goode and Turnbull were both outstanding, but my MOTM was Adams who I thought had a great game. Harriman looked good and Lines is growing in confidence and influence, which is great to see. I also liked the look of Kaja, who despite a couple of miss-hit crosses/shots looked quick and dangerous. Overall very promising signs from him! Everyone put in good performances though and the team really feels like it's knitting together well, with a good spirit amongst the players looking evident.

My pre-season optimism has returned and I'm believing again that a top 7 finish is possible. There is a nice run of fixtures coming up, so hopefully from here the team can put a run together and start to climb up the table. Great stuff all round!

As said before  “If you want entertainment, you could go out and get a bunch of clowns. If obtaining pleasure from matches is the only concern, then you could get rid of all the coaches and let the players go out and get on with it.”

Do you find clowns entertaining then?

That rout of yours is starting to become chronic, I fear.  I recommend a trip to your doc asap.  I would hate for it to become something debilitating.

Wishing you good health & happiness.

 ;D

I’ve seen enough, so I’ll be the first to chuck my cards on the table. With Turnbull in the holding role, Wharton and Goode at the back and Willo up top, this is already proving to be a formidable spine to the team. Keep them all firing and fit and if Adams also plays consistently well we will make the playoffs absolute minimum. Feel free to give me a kicking, but I know I’m right. What do you think about that then?

Having witnessed Col U away I’d say you’ve had an epiphany !!!

So refreshing to see us being more successful without having to lump it to a big man in the side .
I am not sure where that would leave us if Williams got injured or how that reflects on the Summer recruitment but pleased with the progression .

I agree on the Goode comment mentioned earlier, he really has exceeded my expectations so far this season. The back 4 as it was yesterday with Turnbull in front of them looks very solid. If we could bring McCormack in next to Turnbull that would be such a solid base moving forward.

Hopefully McWilliams is ok as he was excellent when he was on the pitch, really looks to be taking another step in terms of his ability on the ball.

Not trying to find a negative for the sake of it, but I cant recall seeing a target man striker as menacing in appearance as Smith who plays with such little aggression. Hes shouting at his team mates a lot and hes an absolute unit but he dosnt go up for headers with any conviction, dosnt back into the CB's to bully them etc, hopefully he can develop as we need cover for Williams.

Agreed and also a mention for Hoskins who got so much more right with an end product this game - I don’t think the comments on Smith are overly negative, rather reasonable observation - for me he is neither in the right place at the right time and his first touch is frankly poor - hopefully he will improve but Williams and Olivier are currently far ahead of him in respect to contribution and goal scoring potential.

Based on the Walsall game, the problem with McCormack is his lack of mobility really hinders the team in terms of getting upfield quickly to put pressure on the opponent.

This energy is what Watson / McWilliams / Pollock all offer alongside Lines.