Player Ratings - Northampton A

[crodonilson]

Poke 6 - At fault for the first goal and looked shaky afterwards but turned in a much improved second half display.

Whing 5 - Didn't look match fit but put his rustiness aside he put a shift in and gave the great effort we come to expect from Whingy.
Elphick 7 - Kept very busy, positionally occassionally exposed but reasonably solid.
El Abd 8 - Standout performer, didn't really put a foot wrong and didn't let his head drop when we went two down and 10 men.
Painter 6 - Not his best performance but composed on the ball, too good for this level.
Baz 6 - Plenty of effort but yet to get up to the speed of English football.
Sparrow 6 - Petulant way to get sent off although slightly harsh. Keeps it simple and looks a quality addition from his time on the pitch.
Battipiedi 7 - Looks a real livewire, could be a great find from Gus.
Dicker 8 - Marshalled the troops superbly, biting into tackles and rarely wastes the ball.
Hart 4 - Nothing of note, our worst player.
Holroyd 6 - Didn't really get any opportunities in front of goal but was busy and kept the two centre halves under constant pressure.

Subs:
Bennett 7 - Another energetic display but sadly in a losing cause.
Navarro 6 - Lets hope his injury is not too serious, improved us when he came on.
Smith 7 - Plenty of industry and a solid performance from Smithy.

Support 7 - Superb numbers and a noisy and boisterous start to the game, sadly had little to shout about during the game but always stayed behind the team. How many were the travelling audience?? Looked full from where I was sitting.

 

[Pantani]

Poke - 3 Dreadful debut. Needs to get his confidence back soon or we may as well get rid as he inspires no confidence in the defence. The new Smith.

Whing - 4 Gets one mark more than Poke for effort. At fault for the second goal, repeatedly lost possession rarely won a tackle. Time to go for Whingy, unfortunately.

El Abd - 7 Our best player. Won tackles, intercepted several passes, looked like he wanted to be there which unfortunately made him an exception to most other players.

Elphick - 6 Looked shakey, he seems to panic too easily. Should lose his place to Greer on Saturday.

Painter - 5 His worst performance in an Albion shirt by some margin. Although he was exposed because of the wingers poor positioning in the first half.

Dicker - 6 Our second best player, usual cultured touches and neat football. Did not really create anything though.

Sparrow - ? I am leaving Sparrow's mark until I see the sending off incident again. He was ok up until then.

Battipiedi - 6 Good in spells. Will need more time to adjust to the pace of football in this country.

Holroyd, Hart, Baz - all 4 for the first half. Hard to tell who was playing where. They did not manage to keep possession when they got the ball, they especially did not cover effectively when we lost the ball, both full backs had a nightmare as a result. Baz in particular needs to work on his positional sense.

Hart - 5 Second half. Ran around a lot.

Nav - Hope he is not out for long, suspect he may be.

Smith and Bennett - 6 Although neither played particularly well, you could see the difference it made having wingers who could retain possession and take up sensible positions, for that reason they get a 6.

 

[severnside gull]

Poke 3 - an England goalkeeper in the making such was the quality of his first half howler and I predict his Albion career will go the same way as Green's and Carson's England careers! The first goal wasn't a deflection. He tried to blame Elphick for blocking his line of sight but I was behind him and saw it all the way. It just dipped and his hands were a foot above the ball as it dropped through his legs. Awful and the confidence of the whole team plummetted in that instant. There was never going to be a way back.

Whing 2 On the plus side he tried hard and more than anyone he never stopped running but he was outpaced by a novice winger and out of position much of the time. Gave away the ball for the second goal and when he had the chance to cut out the cross that followed he didn't have the pace or the sense of where his opponent was to do anything about it. What worried me most was that when he recieved a bad pass out by Poke he lost his cool and returned the compliment by lobbing a backpass to the near post through their front players. I can understand he was angry but it was horribly unprofessional and could so easily have resulted in a third goal.

Elphick 5 Not at the races. Maybe the arm band was too much for him but he was slow and too often out of position, especially (but not only) when trying to cover right back as well as central defence. Clearly (and understandably) had no faith in his full back or keeper and let it affect his own game.

El Abd 6 Our best defender on the night by far. On the basis of the first two games he has to be the one playing alongside Greer on Saturday. It's not just that he cares so much and always gives 100% but his positional sense and tackling are improved. Maybe he won't look as classy as Tommy but he is currently the more consistent.

Painter 5 Gave them too much room out wide so was often struggling

Baz 4 Fell over a lot. Do yellow boots have shorter studs or something and isn't there something he or the coaches could have done about it? Improved when he moved to the right and cut in and not afraid to try to shoot but not ready just yet

Sparrow 3 Wedderburn and Osman were putting themselves about and clearly getting to Sparrow and Dicker. Nothing wrong in that but the reaction was just plain silly. Can't see the point of an appeal so we have lost our most influential attacking option for the next three games.

Battipiedi 5 there is clearly a footballer in there and with game time and a better understanding/clarity of his role in the side he will do well. For now he was too often in the same places as the other midfielders but he never allowed his head to drop and had a solid second half in particular.

Dicker 7 clear MOM. Tried to influence things and move the ball about and looked in good form in a poor side

Hart 5 Ran around a lot and the consumate professional but I would hazard that if he played centre forward until the end of the season he wouldn't score a goal. Had one half chance back to the goal and the spark had clearly gone.

Holroyd 5 Not the worst player on the field by any means but didn't seem likely to get in a goalscoring position any more than Harty. When do the reserves start playing competitively? The lad needs the confidence of scoring a few goals

Subs:
Bennett 5 Looked a class above almost everything around him. Created one chance for Hart. Had our best (only?) shot on target (in the 91st minute!). Better than he was on Saturday, especially when he cut inside.

Navarro 5 Was begining to influence play when he was injured. I fear this could be a pivotal moment in our season if he is out for as long as seems likely.

Smith 6 Where was he last season?! Came in to central midfield and gave Dicker a run for his money as the most effective player in the side. Good running and passing.

Management: 3 Got it wrong that Poke would be able to cope with the repercussions from Ankergren's signing. Picked a front line that was always going to struggle. Disrespected Northampton by playing an essentially "friendly match" outfit and reaped the rewards. We were passed off the pitch (supposedly our trademark) even before we went down to 10 men



The first time I went to watch Albion at Northampton we lost 8-0 sometime in the mid 60's. I'm pretty sure that was also a league cup game and in those days they were a division above us.
I thought it couldn't be worse but at least we didn't lose our two most influential midfielders and it wasn't at the start of a season that should be full of promise.

All that said though I wouldn't read too much into this performance as we put out the wrong team and were on the back foot as soon as we let in the first goal.


I am much more worried whether we can cover the absence of Sparrow and Navarro. To some extent Nav is the lesser concern as Kishishev can (and surely will) cover the defensive role effectively. The problem is can he last 90 minutes although Battipiedi looked as if he may well be adequate as back up from the bench when Kish tires? Away from home when we need two defensive midfielders we may struggle. Smith and Dicker look the natural options to give us forward impetus in place of Sparrow but won't carry the goal threat so let's hope Glenn comes back hungry as our positive start to the league season may rest on his shoulders!

 

[El Presidente]

Whilst I thought he was far from our worst player, I thought Bomber was turned very easily on a few occasions by the Northampton forwards. He needs to be less tight to them when they are outside the box or they will be round him in no time.

 

[Acker79]

Management: 3 Got this match completely wrong and selected the wrong team, making too many changes, thus putting pressure on the first teamers who were playing.

So, the fringe players had no pressure? They weren't there to win the game? Of course they were. They were under as much pressure as the first teams because this was their chance to earn a place in the first team on saturday, and because they are professional sportsmen who want to do the best they can.

All the players were under pressure, not just the "first teamers".

 

[Rookie]

Bit confused by the ratings for Batti. The radio said once Navarro got injured he sat in front of the back 4 and did a good job but the ratings on here say 5-6 so who is right

 

[Danny-Boy]

Can't believe that Whing actually got into the team, last year he was useless. Is Poyet trying to clear the decks for a bid for the Championship, by getting rid of potentially tiring League Cup games?

If so a lot of Championship sides took the same option last night.

 

[severnside gull]

Bit confused by the ratings for Batti. The radio said once Navarro got injured he sat in front of the back 4 and did a good job but the ratings on here say 5-6 so who is right

Both - it was an okay display in a poor team which means an "average" rating is about right. Many played worse and few played better. He was sometimes confused about his positional play in relation to others but with a player sent off that is understandable. He did okay in the second half when happily we fought hard and didn't let our heads drop and he played a good part in that response. I think he could prove an asset to the side although I am not sure I would pick him ahead of Kish. If we need to play 2 defence minded midfielders (away from home) he could well get the nod and he showed enough to suggest he could do a good job.

 

[algie]

Great write up Severnside.Cheers.

 

[Husty]

Has no one thought that perhaps we deliberately played it as a friendly because Poyet wants to focus on the league? Frankly that's what I wanted him to do anyway, i'm satisfied.

 

[Thurrock Seagull]

Lack of Respect!!

I think yourself and other so called short memory seagull fans, need to show OGH a lot more respect. The man is a Legend for the Albion, and still his commitment and dedication to the club is second to none. He worked harder than any one else last night , got himself in good positions throughout the game! Lack of service held him back from being able to do any more!!

Poke 6 - At fault for the first goal and looked shaky afterwards but turned in a much improved second half display.

Whing 5 - Didn't look match fit but put his rustiness aside he put a shift in and gave the great effort we come to expect from Whingy.
Elphick 7 - Kept very busy, positionally occassionally exposed but reasonably solid.
El Abd 8 - Standout performer, didn't really put a foot wrong and didn't let his head drop when we went two down and 10 men.
Painter 6 - Not his best performance but composed on the ball, too good for this level.
Baz 6 - Plenty of effort but yet to get up to the speed of English football.
Sparrow 6 - Petulant way to get sent off although slightly harsh. Keeps it simple and looks a quality addition from his time on the pitch.
Battipiedi 7 - Looks a real livewire, could be a great find from Gus.
Dicker 8 - Marshalled the troops superbly, biting into tackles and rarely wastes the ball.
Hart 4 - Nothing of note, our worst player.
Holroyd 6 - Didn't really get any opportunities in front of goal but was busy and kept the two centre halves under constant pressure.

Subs:
Bennett 7 - Another energetic display but sadly in a losing cause.
Navarro 6 - Lets hope his injury is not too serious, improved us when he came on.
Smith 7 - Plenty of industry and a solid performance from Smithy.

Support 7 - Superb numbers and a noisy and boisterous start to the game, sadly had little to shout about during the game but always stayed behind the team. How many were the travelling audience?? Looked full from where I was sitting.

 

[Box of Frogs]

I think yourself and other so called short memory seagull fans, need to show OGH a lot more respect. The man is a Legend for the Albion, and still his commitment and dedication to the club is second to none. He worked harder than any one else last night , got himself in good positions throughout the game! Lack of service held him back from being able to do any more!!

Committment and dedication are admirable traits, but if he ain't good enough, he ain't good enough! End of!!

 

[Thurrock Seagull]

Like i said. Short Memory Mate!!

Committment and dedication are admirable traits, but if he ain't good enough, he ain't good enough! End of!!

 

[Paddy B]

Like i said. Short Memory Mate!!

The point is we are talking about his performance last night, not any pevious performance, so his memory (or lack of) is completely irrelevant.

 

[crodonilson]

I think yourself and other so called short memory seagull fans, need to show OGH a lot more respect. The man is a Legend for the Albion, and still his commitment and dedication to the club is second to none. He worked harder than any one else last night , got himself in good positions throughout the game! Lack of service held him back from being able to do any more!!

Just saying it as I saw it, there's no room for sentiment in football, at least if you want to be succesful there's not.

 

[severnside gull]

Couldn't fault Harty's effort last night or the fact that the service was poor.
But he couldn't get off the ground for high balls and the one half chance with his back to goal came to nothing. I would have to stick to my assessment that if he played centre forward all year he wouldn't score but he's still an asset in my view playing slightly wider as an old fashioned inside forward. More a supplier than a scorer of goals

 

[Robert Codners Nostrils]

Like i said. Short Memory Mate!!

People are rating his performance LAST NIGHT. NOT his performances over the last 12 years. If a player has a poor game then they will get a poor rating. That is not disrespectful. Harty is given a lot of respect on this board. That doesn't mean that when he has a bad game people can't give him low marks. Otherwise what is the point of doing player ratings?

 

[BHAFC4EVER]

I think yourself and other so called short memory seagull fans, need to show OGH a lot more respect. The man is a Legend for the Albion, and still his commitment and dedication to the club is second to none. He worked harder than any one else last night , got himself in good positions throughout the game! Lack of service held him back from being able to do any more!!

 

[Thurrock Seagull]

My point proved!!

Your comment proves my point exactly! How can you you be so short sighted to say his memory is completely irrelevant. Your just putting a whole team's performance on the shoulders of the one player that plays with heart and soul for the club!! With all due Respect, he was given another year by someone with a lot more knowledge than yourself! Can't really see how you think putting the blame on one of club's Legend's will help the player or the team!! You have to be behind the whole team and management. All the criticizing will benefit no-one!!

The point is we are talking about his performance last night, not any pevious performance, so his memory (or lack of) is completely irrelevant.

 

[BHAFC4EVER]

Your comment proves my point exactly! How can you you be so short sighted to say his memory is completely irrelevant. Your just putting a whole team's performance on the shoulders of the one player that plays with heart and soul for the club!! With all due Respect, he was given another year by someone with a lot more knowledge than yourself! Can't really see how you think putting the blame on one of club's Legend's will help the player or the team!! You have to be behind the whole team and management. All the criticizing will benefit no-one!!

You are really not reading the posts correctly are you?