Player Ratings v Watford Home

[NS Herald]

Gonzalez 6 - Improved as the game went on and would like to see him again.
Painter 5 - Not match sharp
Dunk - 6 - played well considering he hasn't been involved much recently
El Abd - 7 - good performance
Calderon - 7 - led by example and cracking goal but when Buckley wasn't in front of him after KLL went off it reduced his potency on the right
Bridcutt - 6 - not one of his finer games especially in the first half
Dicker - 3 - Genuinely don't know how he stayed on the pitch for 90 mins other than he is Gus's love child
Lua Lua - 7 - wonderful to have 2 wingers offering a genuine threat on both sides and disappointed he was subbed
Buckley - 8 - ditto to KLL but extra point for the goal and his slightly higher level of threat
Barnes - 4 - How does a player miss a volley so badly and lose possession so often and manage to last 90 mins (related to GD?)
CMS - 7 - best games for ages but some wasteful finishing
Vicente - 6 - felt we tried to do too much through him and lost some of the momentum we had built up although lovely cross for the goal
Vincelot - 5 - would have stayed with Painter and changed him for Dicker

Poyet - 5 - loved the team selection - hated the subs - very disappointed but NOT surprised by his post match reaction which continues to show his immaturity and sensitivety. He just speaks some absolute rubbish at times particularly when things aren't going well and needs to man up.

 

[The Large One]

CMS was dreadful. Actually I have played the game to a good level so am probably more qualified to comment than you think. If you thought he was good did you watch the same game? The shot across the goal in the second half when clean through was woeful, the scuffed shot when through in the first half was a player with little confidence, the header in the second half should have been buried.
What's your excuse?

So... despite your esteemed position, you choose to be selective about his overall game?

He kept the defenders busy, linked up well with other players and looked strong.

 

[The Large One]

Poyet - 5 - loved the team selection - hated the subs - very disappointed but NOT surprised by his post match reaction which continues to show his immaturity and sensitivety. He just speaks some absolute rubbish at times particularly when things aren't going well and needs to man up.

I could say EXACTLY the same things to when supporters react when they receive some justified criticism back.

Perhaps a few of them could 'man up'.

 

[BLOCK F]

Gonzales 3 - Cr@p

Calderon 7 - is my MOTM
El Abd 6 - solid
Dunk 5 - not his best game
Painter 1 - Why did he start?

Buckley 6 - done ok but nothing great like he normally is, because he's playing his old club maybe?
Dicker 3 - expected so much more from him but dont seem the same since his injury.
Bridcutt 6 - not great but done good and love how he marked the tallest players in the watford side for set pieces.
Kazenga 4 - dont think he really got going

Barnes 4 - cost us to lose a few important balls.
CMS 6 - poor game yet again im affaid, as time goes on & with lack of goals I think I would snp up £4MIL if someone offered it.

Subs:
Vicente 7 - If he played full game no doubt he could of been MOTM we will miss him if he goes :/
Vincelot 6 - good game, most underated player in the squad IMO

CMS...£4 Mill?You are having a laugh aren't you!

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Gonzalez - 5
Calderon - 7
El Abd - 6.5
Dunk - 6
Painter - 4

Buckley - 6.5
Dicker - 5
Bridcutt - 6
Lua Lua - 6

Barnes - 6
CMS - 6.5


Vicente - 7
Vincelot - 7

 

[Mellotron]

Gonzalez - 6 - Still unsure how at fault he was for free kick, had a shaky start as some morons in our crowd got on his back ("ironic" cheers when he would then catch every ball all game). FAO - Those of you that were on his back from the first goal onwards on his DEBUT, seriously f**k off. Not BHA fans.

Calderon - 7.5 - Excellent finish (as per) and worked hard.
El Abd - 8 - Composed as per, beaten only once I think.
Dunk - 7 - Not quite as composed, but not bad.
Painter - 5 - Looks SO slow. Subbed at halftime for Vincelot.

Bridcutt - 6 - A mixed game. Got MOM. Fair enough.
Dicker - 2 - That 2 is for the backheel alone. Was a big fan of Dicker last season but he looks a LONG way from match fit. Game completely passed him by.
LuaLua - 6 - Actually thought he was the better of him and Buckley in first half, so bit harsh to be subbed so early. Got the better of his full back most times and put some good crosses in, two good shots from range as well.
Buckley - 7 - Great positioning for the goal, gave their full back a lot of problems.

Barnes - 5.5 - One of his poorest games for the club, but still managed some good touches, link play and worked harder than pretty much all the midfield put together. Seems one of the few players with an understanding with Vicente, which is interesting...
CMS - 5.5 - Frustrating. One good touch, followed by an absolutely terrible one. I know he didn't CHOOSE to cost £3m-odd, but for that sort of money a FIRST TOUCH should be a given. Had chances, didn't take them.

Subs -
Vincelot - 7 - Solid, got forward well.
Vicente - 7.5 - Sometimes tried a bit too much, but quality cross for second goal and made a real difference. Doesn't lose possession.

Gus - I assumed the vast majority were booing the ref. Don't take it personally.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

So... despite your esteemed position, you choose to be selective about his overall game?

He kept the defenders busy, linked up well with other players and looked strong.

Hardly an esteemed position, when comments like 'add to my list of knowing nothing about football' are stated I felt the need to defend my corner. I've been on NSC for some time, but never felt compelled to do it before.

In terms of your comments...

Sure, he kept players busy, but so did Barnes. Forwards are jusged on their ability to finish, CMS, sadly is off form. Hopefully he will come good next season.

 

[One Love]

Gonzales - 4 - Nightmare start but this was not the game to introduce a new keeper. Sorry Gus.
Calderon - 7 - Mixture of sublime going forward and weak defending esp at set pieces, sums his season up.
Dunk - 6 - Pretty solid when all else was in disarray
El-Abd - 6 - See above but how he doesn't get pinged more often for grabbing hold all the time I don't know
Painter - 3 - Oh dear the proverbial nightmare
Bridcutt - 5 - Looks a shadow of his former self. Looks completely fed up
Dicker - 2 - Maybe he's far from match fit but sometimes he was a disgrace. Rarely doing the hard yards and always blaming others. They must hate playing with him.
Buckley - 7 - Another a shadow of the player that arrived. What is going on in training?
KLL - 5 - Full back had his measure for once.
Barnes - 5 - As usual mixture of good and poor. For the people who support him through it all, do you really think it's acceptable for a pro footballer to make so many mistakes? Really needs to spend hours (100s) on the training ground on his technique. And please stop throwing yourself to the ground at the remotest touch, it's embarrassing.
CMS - 6 - Better but surely this isn't a club record signing. Work in progress? How many chances did he get a sniff only to cock it up. How many times this season has he scored a goal from nothing as all good strikers should do regularly? Once maybe.
Vincelot - 8 - One of the only players looking like they want to part of next year. Must have been hard coming on the pitch joining that.
Vicente - 9 - So much quality. Problem is he knew it was all on his shoulders to turn the game around so probably tried too hard. Probably over-rating but he was the only reason I walked away from the ground without being in a foul mood. If he doesn't play next year I'm not currently looking forward to it.

In my opinion MOM could only go to either sub.

What is going on with our wingers? Three terrific players when fit but all of their fitness has gone downhill throughout the season. Have we got medical/physio staff that know what they are doing? The players conditioning looks awful.

Watford - 3 - I thought the days of playing 2 useless lumps upfront and booting it to them for 90 mins had gone. Gifted 2 goals and an uninterested opposition and still couldn't win the game.

Ref - 4 - Since when has a player got away with pushing a player in the face without walking?

Poyet - 2 - Should not be having a go at the fans, should be apologising to them for producing a first half performance that was mostly comical and sometimes rage-inducing.

 

[The Large One]

Hardly an esteemed position, when comments like 'add to my list of knowing nothing about football' are stated I felt the need to defend my corner. I've been on NSC for some time, but never felt compelled to do it before.

Fair enough.

In terms of your comments...

Sure, he kept players busy, but so did Barnes. Forwards are jusged on their ability to finish, CMS, sadly is off form. Hopefully he will come good next season.

ONLY judged on their ability to finish?

Does that mean Calderon, for example, is not?

 

[Mellotron]

So... despite your esteemed position, you choose to be selective about his overall game?

He kept the defenders busy, linked up well with other players and looked strong.

Thing is, when comparing him to Barnes, you expect different things for someone costing £75,000, and for someone costing £3m. His first touch is generally worse than Barnes.

It feels like a random roll of the dice as to whether he's going to do something actually rather good (and worthy of a million pound player), or utterly basic or dim. He didn't choose to cost £3m, but for that sort of money, it is nowhere near good enough. If I didn't know who he was, I would assume he was bought for around £600k.

 

[Mellotron]

Fair enough.



ONLY judged on their ability to finish?

Does that mean Calderon, for example, is not?

Why did you add the word "only"? Tabloid sensationalism at it's worst. The sort of player CMS is, he will be judged quite a lot on his goals, as there isn't a huge amount else to his game (bar working his nuts off chasing lost causes).

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

Gonzales - 5 - A comical debut but grew in confidence slightly as the game progressed
Calderon - 7 - Best of the back 4
Dunk - 5 - Not the star he was at the start of the season
El-Abd - 6 - ok
Painter - 1 - Woeful
Bridcutt - 6 - Without him we really would have been in trouble in the middle
Dicker - 3 - Why oh why has Gus brought him back before he was ready. Treading water in 2nd half and not subbed?
Buckley - 6 - His old teammates knew how to play him
KLL - 7 - Ridiculous decision to take him off
Barnes - 3 - Embarrassing touch and embarrassing cheating. His antics tarnish the whole team.
CMS - 7 - Did what he does.....just needs that goal.

Vincelot - 6 - Like
Vicente - 9 - Off the chart.

 

[The Large One]

Thing is, when comparing him to Barnes, you expect different things for someone costing £75,000, and for someone costing £3m. His first touch is generally worse than Barnes.

It feels like a random roll of the dice as to whether he's going to do something actually rather good (and worthy of a million pound player), or utterly basic or dim. He didn't choose to cost £3m, but for that sort of money, it is nowhere near good enough. If I didn't know who he was, I would assume he was bought for around £600k.

As I said on another thread...

BOLLOCKS to what they cost. It's what they bring to the team.

 

[One Love]

Thing is, when comparing him to Barnes, you expect different things for someone costing £75,000, and for someone costing £3m. His first touch is generally worse than Barnes.

It feels like a random roll of the dice as to whether he's going to do something actually rather good (and worthy of a million pound player), or utterly basic or dim. He didn't choose to cost £3m, but for that sort of money, it is nowhere near good enough. If I didn't know who he was, I would assume he was bought for around £600k.

I think the problem we have now is Gus says he is work in progress which probably means Gus isn't going to admit he's bought a dud and is going to perservere with him.

I for one have seen enough. I think that's as good as he's going to be which is really disappointing.

 

[The Large One]

Why did you add the word "only"? Tabloid sensationalism at it's worst. The sort of player CMS is, he will be judged quite a lot on his goals, as there isn't a huge amount else to his game (bar working his nuts off chasing lost causes).

Wot?

I'm querying to the poster above that he might be judging CMS ONLY on his finishing. Hence the question mark.

There is, incidentally, plenty more to his game.

 

[fratsomrover]

Gonzalez - 3 - Poor start and never looked confident
Calderon - 7 - Defended well and again got up to provide a much needed goal
El Abd - 5 - Struggled in the air. Seems incapable of passing the ball forwards
Dunk - 6 - Steady, good in the air but still let down by his passing
Painter -2- Looked way off the pace and rightly substituted
Bridcutt -8- Constantly involved in starting off all our good moves
Dicker 4 - Felt sorry for him playing in a 3 man midfield with Barnes. Subsequently got swamped and got increasingly disillusioned
Barnes -2 - Played out of position again. Poor touch, no vision, poor passer, gave away penalty, missed a 1st half sitter. How does he get picked.
Buckley 7- Looked dangerous, should have scored 1st half as well as 2nd
CMS-6- A better game but missed chances he should have buried. Clock is ticking for him I fear
Lua Lua-5- Flattered to deceive. Showed initial promise but faded
Vincelot -6- Steady if not spectacular.
Vincente-8- Totally changed the game and provided twice as many chances in the final 30 minutes as we had in the first 60. Should have started, different class.
Poyet -4- Cant understand why he perseveres with Barnes, nor why he selected Painter. If your going to play 2 wingers and a CMS down the middle, Barnes cant possibly be selected to play in a 3 man midfield. He has no guile, ball control or passing ability and dives more than Tom Daly

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Fair enough.


ONLY judged on their ability to finish?

Does that mean Calderon, for example, is not?

Oh no... Don't get me going on that one....

Calderon is primarily a defender so generally I would judge on him on his ability to do that plus other aspects afterwards. Though he was ok last evening, I do feel he is a poor defender!! But from an attacking persepctive he is very good IMO. His goal last night was excellent, switching feet the way he did.

I wonder if he could be converted to defensive midfield sometimes - what do you think?

 

[Mellotron]

As I said on another thread...

BOLLOCKS to what they cost. It's what they bring to the team.

So you're saying you would be as harsh on a 16 year old in his first game, as you would a £15 million pound signing, if they both put in a woeful display? It wouldn't enter your reasoning at all?

I return your BOLLOCKS to you, with haste. A LOT of our budget went on CMS, so it does matter.

 

[Scunner]

I've been lurking on here for a while, but this thread has moved me to post; some of the opinions are just mind-boggling!

I think the disparity of thought and variance in scores depends on two or three factors, firstly where you sit it in the stadium, secondly whether the style of play Brighton have adopted is to your liking and you prefer more of a channel running type game and lastly the contrariness of the keyboard warrior pandering to his own ego by eliciting reactions in others.

I sit on the half-way line in the WSU and last night was the first time all season, home and away that I have been moved to vocalise dissatisfaction at the team's (first half) performance. I mainly attributed that to Gus and not the players, spreading agitation through a team as he did by arrogantly talking of a 'cull' prior to a game and then playing a novice keeper behind a team that had scored 0 and conceded 8 in 270 mins of football. I am sure others felt the same and whilst I don't condone booing, I can understand it.

Yet it should be possible amidst the passion to be objective about the individual performances. And whilst the majority on here seem to be in the same place as me, several have criticised or been apathetic about Bridcutt last night. I can't believe that at all, I really can't. Last night, if he had not been playing - say Navs was in his place - we would have been 5-0 down in the first half, seriously. He was everywhere, left-back, right back, CM, up front, free-kicks, heading, tackling, breaking up play...everywhere. By a country mile the best Albion player in a shockingly bad performance in that first 45 mins, exemplified by his tackle, chase, sliding tackle, run and lay-off to Buckley which was ultimately wasted. Dunk, Painter and Dicker all looked and played like they had been smoking Purple Haze all night and the rest of the team looked nervous and lacking in cohesion. Yet, and yet, we witness the (entertaining) kaleidoscope of opinion on here and hope fervently that the players don't read it.

CMS, Bridcutt, Calderon, Vincelot and Buckley were the only above par players last night until Vicente came on. I am concerned about the shape Gus adopts when Vicente is on the pitch - all play is through him - but he is still quality.

Back to lurking and laughing...

 

[The Large One]

Oh no... Don't get me going on that one....

Calderon is primarily a defender so generally I would judge on him on his ability to do that. Though he was ok last evening, I do feel he is a poor defender!! But from an attacking persepctive he is very good IMO. His goal last night was excellent, switching feet the way he did.

I wonder if he could be converted to defensive midfield sometimes - what do you think?

Possibly. He has played in the centre of defence this season - and looked fairly comfortable.

I hadn't considered him in the Bridcutt / Navarro roles before. I'll ponder that and get back to you.