Tiago Cukur

[Chris Black come back]

Gone straight back to play for Watford under 23s. Scored their equaliser last time out against QPR. Also scored their equaliser at top of table Bristol City before that. The match write up said “Cukur curled in a brilliant free-kick late on to share the spoils”.

[PDX_Rover]

One of the worst players I've seen in a Rovers shirt. But clearly he can do it. So his attitude stinks then?

[mushRTID]

Or he was just never ready to be the main striker for a league 1 side.
Especially a struggling one.

[jmt23]

Or do we not, and have not, until the last 5 games created chances for our forwards.  This has been an issue since DM was here and relied on Taylor Richards.

He was never the answer, and was unprofessionally over weight for the first half of the season.

The forwards we have had in the last two seasons have not all been rank bad, yet we have struggled in that area ( they have not been top level players either) but all would score goals if chances were created.

[Lifelong supporter]

Cukur had ability.
Just wasn't fit.

[ravenrover]

A big lad in a big Mesters league. Not strong enough nor good enough even at this low level

[drfchound]

For some players the step up from U23s to first team is a big challenge.

[albie]

I can't understand why Rovers thought that the lad was ready for L1.

Did we know he was not fit, and how often had we watched him before going for the loan?
With a young lad, confidence can collapse if he is expected to do too much, too soon.

Picking him week in, week out was a disaster getting worse every week, yet we continued.
I hope he builds a good career for himself in future. His loan here did no good for the player or the club.

[Dagenham Rover]

For some players the step up from U23s to first team is a big challenge.

Yup maybe all the young loanees are used to being mollycoddled and not used to a decent rollicking when things arent going well    Just a thought  

[Chris Black come back]

Someone else mentioned this the other day. Has this been the most unfit squad in our recent professional history? So few players capable of playing 90 minutes at anything like a high tempo.

[PDX_Rover]

Cuk cuk cuk Cukurbility… that’s the beauty of gas

[roversdude]

In no way defending TC but I wouldn’t have imagined the plan was for him to get as many minutes as he did. The original story was that Fej was going to be back shortly plus we had Bogle. We know how they panned out. The only decent game I saw him have was against Man City under 23’s so it could well be he’s not ready

[Sammy Chung was King]

Didn’t they get Dahlberg and his club said Cukur came as part of the loan?.

[dickos1]

No,
Cukur signed a few weeks before dahlberg

[normal rules]

Never seen such a lump of a player look so pathetic.

[i_ateallthepies]

I believe when Cukur first came to DRFC Wellens said he was 12kg overweight.  Any aspiring professional footballer allowing themselves to get into such a state during the closed season has a problem with their dedication and commitment.

[Woodhead Passer]

I believe when Cukur first came to DRFC Wellens said he was 12kg overweight.  Any aspiring professional footballer allowing themselves to get into such a state during the closed season has a problem with their dedication and commitment.

Cukur missed the whole of pre-season. He had to quarantine for a full 10 days in Netherlands from Turkey, then another 10 getting into the UK. After quarantine finished, he tested positive for COVID and had to isolate for a further 10 days. Any human would struggle to maintain their fitness from 30 days in a hotel room.

Easy to slag Cukur off from what we saw, but it was no fault of his own. The games we saw him play was essentially his pre-season. It's criminal that Wellens played him over a fit and ready Bogle.

[ForsolongaRover]

I am surprised we are still wasting time writing about him.

[silent majority]

I believe when Cukur first came to DRFC Wellens said he was 12kg overweight.  Any aspiring professional footballer allowing themselves to get into such a state during the closed season has a problem with their dedication and commitment.

Cukur missed the whole of pre-season. He had to quarantine for a full 10 days in Netherlands from Turkey, then another 10 getting into the UK. After quarantine finished, he tested positive for COVID and had to isolate for a further 10 days. Any human would struggle to maintain their fitness from 30 days in a hotel room.

Easy to slag Cukur off from what we saw, but it was no fault of his own. The games we saw him play was essentially his pre-season. It's criminal that Wellens played him over a fit and ready Bogle.

That's exactly right, he was a young lad stuck in a hotel room for weeks on end. The footballing gods aligned against him in that respect, coupled with a manager who didn't take his fitness levels seriously meant he was always up against it.
 

[pib]

If you're not fit you surely don't lose the ability to trap a ball or make a simple 5 yard pass though?

I get there were extenuating circumstances, but even then I would expect to see glimpses of a footballer, which we rarely did.

[Woodhead Passer]

If you're not fit you surely don't lose the ability to trap a ball or make a simple 5 yard pass though?

I get there were extenuating circumstances, but even then I would expect to see glimpses of a footballer, which we rarely did.

Oh I agree, he should still have been able to do the basics. I just think this particular remark was harsh under the circumstances he was in:

Any aspiring professional footballer allowing themselves to get into such a state during the closed season has a problem with their dedication and commitment.

[i_ateallthepies]

I believe when Cukur first came to DRFC Wellens said he was 12kg overweight.  Any aspiring professional footballer allowing themselves to get into such a state during the closed season has a problem with their dedication and commitment.

Cukur missed the whole of pre-season. He had to quarantine for a full 10 days in Netherlands from Turkey, then another 10 getting into the UK. After quarantine finished, he tested positive for COVID and had to isolate for a further 10 days. Any human would struggle to maintain their fitness from 30 days in a hotel room.

Easy to slag Cukur off from what we saw, but it was no fault of his own. The games we saw him play was essentially his pre-season. It's criminal that Wellens played him over a fit and ready Bogle.

12kg in a month?  give over. If at his age he has a metabolism like that he's going to struggle with weight all his life.

[Drover]

Cukur had ability.
Just wasn't fit.

Or his lack of interest/effort for us was disguised as not being fit.

[Sammy Chung was King]

None of us know if he had after affects of covid. Allied to him also being overweight it made it hard to perform.
We forget as fans sometimes, they are human beings.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Didn't Wellens claim he turned up 2 stone overweight?

Which raises three questions
1) How does a professional footballer get 2 stone over weight?
2) Did we not know about this when we signed him?
3) Or was Wellens talking b*llocks?

[Draytonian III]

He scored a winning goal on the 2nd of October

[roversdude]

It was going in though without his touch lol

[drfchound]

I would think that John Parkin was a couple of stone overweight when he was still playing.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I would think that John Parkin was a couple of stone overweight when he was still playing.

I'd say a couples being generous! Great lump used to see off a Full English on a match day.

Good feet for a big man though.

[normal rules]

Akinfenwa carries about a bit of luggage, but he is capable of doing his bit.