Player Ratings?

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I only wish to rate Painter, ive been very unimpressed with him recently but tonight was like the old Painter, attacking and solid in defence . Welcome back Marcos. 7.

 

[Acker79]

I don't feel like I can give marks on individual basis tonight, but if my section of the crowd is anything to go by, you should probably all add 2 or 3 points on to barnes's score, because you're probably marking him down for the wrong things.

Every time Dicker or Sparrow misplaced a pass, lingered on the ball or failed to win a tackle there were cries of "ffs, Barnes, you're shit!" (or similar) I think at one point someone criticised him for his poor corner. He also stopped their full back advancing up the pitch, forcing him to turn back and play it back into is own half to which someone replied "Come on, Barnes, you jut let him play it!"

I thought the goal aside, we looked quite solid defensively.
We seemed to dominate the game, but after they got the goal, we didn't seem able to break them down. We seemed stuck in midfield. I don't know if it was lack of movement ahead of them, or just the sheer number of west ham players defending deep smothering the space, but it was frustrating on the times we broke and had a chance to get behind them, we would stop, and go back, it seemed like there were three or four occasions where the ball dropped to one of our players in the box and they would turn away from goal and play it back to midfield.

There were a lot of sloppy passes from us, maybe that was as much to do with the weather, I don't know.

West ham defended solidly, if unattractively, with the odd threatening break, while they were effective west ham didn't, for me, deserve the three points.

The ref was inconsistent, having booked reyes for a late challenge then failing to do it for three or four hammers late challenges, the booking another one of ours for something that they got away with, but it seemed in the second half, there were plenty of decisions they could feel hard done by for (though again, there seems to be an imbalance in the number of yellows cards we get in relation to the number of fouls we commit, compared to our opponents). 12 fouls for us, 4 yellows, 11 fouls for them, one yellow (not as bad as leeds where we both got 5 yellow, us committing 8 fouls, them committing 18).

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Harper 6 - I want to see the goal again, I thought his efforts at saving it were poor.
Jara 7 - Looks very good technically and looks an astute loan signing.
Painter 6 - Better than he has been, but he wasn't playing against a proper winger. He does well when no-one runs at him.
Greer 8 - Nothing wrong with him at the back.
Dunk 7 - Nothing wrong with him either, but for one stupidly timed tackle.
Bridcutt 6 - Genius of a player and still did a lot of good, for a few bad things.
Dicker 5 - Completely anonymous. Shame he got injured, but it doesn't mask how badly he played.
Sparrow 7 - Shouldn't have been replaced. He was energetic and composed, but wasteful too often. Atleast he got involved and worked hard.
Noone 8 - Final ball was poor, but kept getting the ball and kept making O'Brien look cumbersome and slow. Shame he didn't get the delivery right.
Barnes 6 - Really poor performance. Not involved enough, and when he was, he lost the ball. Really disappointing.
CMS 7 - Endeavor and hard work, but almost no service at all. Certainly no quality service.

Hoskins 6 - Poor technique on the one shot he did manage, though it was left footed. Otherwise anonymous.
Buckley 6 - Looks like he'll be a crucial player for us, if he stays fit.
Harley 5 - Complete luxury. Doesn't really look too concerned at the moment.

 

[Bhafcman]

Totally agree. Dicker gets hammered when he loses the ball but he makes things happen. As good as Bridcutt can be if the whole midfield played like him we would literally get nowhere. Dicker seems to get criticised for being creative and actually thought he played well tonight. He's a player who takes risks and is therefore inconsistent but I wonder where any sort of spark will come from now he's out - only from the wing now I would suggest.

Exactly this, Dicker plays passes that are risky as he attempts to create chances with his passes however this wasn't first time Bridcutt has had a mare however it seems his flaws are less noticeable by the majority of our fan's as Dicker's is

 

[Acker79]

Exactly this, Dicker plays passes that are risky as he attempts to create chances with his passes however this wasn't first time Bridcutt has had a mare however it seems his flaws are less noticeable by the majority of our fan's as Dicker's is

You get that with lots of players. On the whole, Painter, Barnes, Ankergren, Brezovan, Dicker, Sparrow, Harley seem to be players whose faults are noticed more than their positive contributions, and conversely, Murray, CMS, Bridcutt, seem to be the players whose faults are overlooked and their positive contributions focused on. Obviously there are some exceptions on both sides, but generally it seems to split that way.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

You get that with lots of players. On the whole, Painter, Barnes, Ankergren, Brezovan, Dicker, Sparrow, Harley seem to be players whose faults are noticed more than their positive contributions, and conversely, Murray, CMS, Bridcutt, seem to be the players whose faults are overlooked and their positive contributions focused on. Obviously there are some exceptions on both sides, but generally it seems to split that way.

Could it be because what those players you mentioned contribute is more positive than negative? It would be foolish and short-sighted to moan about CMS' flaws considering the shift he puts in and how hard he works for the team. He buys a lot of credit and respect from fans for that, and Bridcutt has been an absolute gem since we signed him. He too has earnt the right to get cut some slack. And finally, Glenn Murray. His value to the team is only really and truly being appreciated now he has gone.

 

[Acker79]

Could it be because what those players you mentioned contribute is more positive than negative? It would be foolish and short-sighted to moan about CMS' flaws considering the shift he puts in and how hard he works for the team. He buys a lot of credit and respect from fans for that, and Bridcutt has been an absolute gem since we signed him. He too has earnt the right to get cut some slack. And finally, Glenn Murray. His value to the team is only really and truly being appreciated now he has gone.

Sometimes, perhaps. But more often it seems to me it is more about preconceived ideas of who is a good player. The bad players being marked more stingily, and the well liked players being marked more generously. Yes, CMS puts in a shift, but in years past people have been criticised for running around a lot and not producing much. I'm not saying barnes has been a superstar, but I don't believe he has put in a performance that deserves as low as 2 or 3 that he gets quite frequently lately. Even as bad as we were v Palace, I don't think any of our players have put in a performance worthy of a 3.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Sometimes, perhaps. But more often it seems to me it is more about preconceived ideas of who is a good player. The bad players being marked more stingily, and the well liked players being marked more generously. Yes, CMS puts in a shift, but in years past people have been criticised for running around a lot and not producing much. I'm not saying barnes has been a superstar, but I don't believe he has put in a performance that deserves as low as 2 or 3 that he gets quite frequently lately. Even as bad as we were v Palace, I don't think any of our players have put in a performance worthy of a 3.

I agree to an extent, but I think popularity is a very large contributing factor to these ratings threads. I think in some ways people like myself are just greatful we're marking players like CMS, the days of Craig Davies ([MENTION=13305]SNOOPY[/MENTION]) are long gone. Hallelujah. I agree, none of our players deserve marks so low as that.

 

[Silent Bob]

Harper - 6 Looked very comfortable, distributed the ball quciker than Ankergren which is good. Don't think he had a chance with the goal and don't think they had any other shots on target.

Jara - 7 Excellent player clearly but faded in the second half, hasn't played much football I guess.
Greer - 7
Dunk - 7 Dealt with the physical threat of Carew easily enough, not really called on to do much else. Dunk took a booking for the team, his record on that front is bizarre to me.
Painter - 6 Played well enough but offers nothing when he goes forward at this level

Bridcutt - 6 Got caught for the goal, maybe that knocked him bu not a good game by his own high standards.
Dicker - 7 For me one his best games since the early part of the season, passing quicker, not getting caught on the ball. Only player who really looks like he can open teams up with a pass still. Fingers crossed the injury is not as bad as it looks.
Sparrow - 3 Waste of space, offers nothing whatsoever. He gets a 4 for being quite handsome or something, I don't know.
Noone - 4 Beat player, don't look up, don't look up, bad shot. I don't think he played one good pass or cross today, Noone at his worst. Furstrating.

Barnes - 4 Also did very little today, other than lose the ball. Got past the defence once late in the firs half, that's about it.
Mackail-Smith - 6 Thought his touch was a bit off tonight. To be fair to him, Barnes, and our whole attack, the West Ham defence was very solid looking and Faye especially was imperious (without the ball), our attack didn't seem to function very well as a unit though more than any individual failing.

Hoskins - Not sure why he was out after Millwall but did virtually nothing after coming on
Buckley - Did a bit more but we were struggling, should have been on way earlier.
Harley - Did nothing

We were close to being good at times tonight but somehow ended up coming off terrible. We're nearly there but the same flaws keep coming up at the moment and f***ing us over. I hope we can get something at Birmingham, though even if we do beating Watford and Barnsley is pretty much a necessity now.

 

[drew]

Harper-7
Jara Reyes-8
Dunk-6
Greer-6
Painter-6
Bridcutt-4
Dicker-6
Sparrow-5
Noone-7
Barnes-5
CMS-6

Hoskins-5
Buckley-5
Harley- 5



Don't think Harper could have done much with the goal. Other than was not really threatened.

 

[pinky1415]

Felt CMS was off the pace tonight, gave the ball away too often, didn't hpound defenders as he had done at the start of the season and wasn't making as many runs as usually. Think the huge number of games he has played already this season might be catching up with him and perhaps needs a rest.

On a brighter note thought Painter had a great game tonight and with reyes at right back i really think we have sorted out our back four and look really solid; apart from the goal, which was a mistake, WHU hardly created a chance.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Harper 6 - Very confident in coming for the ball; slip up for the goal. Positioning always seemed his weak point when he played for Newcastle.
Reyes 8 - Superb - great touch and never looked in trouble. Would rather see him in centre midfield though.
Painter 6 - Far and away his best game for a while, though no winger up against him. Fine against 4-4-2 sides or 4-5-1 where the fifth man is a deep forward like Nolan, but done for pace every time by a winger.
Greer 7 - Back to his best tonight and not nearly as troubled by Carew as he was at Stoke; I hardly remember Carew winning a single header. Also more comfortable on the ball than lately.
Dunk 6 - Did what he had to, but I think the speculation has got to him. After his superb performance at Cardiff, I think getting done by Kevin Phillips against Blackpool can't have helped, nor his mares against Leeds and Palace. Gets booked far too often as well.
Dicker 5 - Not at the game tonight, and I was surprised he was recalled. He, rather than Sparrow, should have been brought off for Buckley. Horrible injury though, and I do wish him a speedy recovery. Hope it's not a cruciate.
Sparrow 5 - Only marginally better than Dicker, and nowhere near his performances against Hull and Millwall. Did get stuck in, but I don't know what his ideal role can be. Not a box-to-box player, and we're only occasionally going to play a one behind the centre forward system. I'd like to know where he played at Scunthorpe, as he looks nowhere near Championship grade against the likes of Diop, Nolan, Bowyer, etc. Ex-Premiership players I know, but he played a whole season in the Championship where Scunthorpe survived reasonably comfortably.
Bridcutt 4 - The less said the better. After several games of carrying the midfield, let's hope this was his bad game for the season.
Noone 6 - The main outlet for most attacks, but his crossing seems to have let him down lately. At Millwall he kept cutting inside and hitting long balls rather than going outside the full back - tonight he was failing to beat the first man.
Barnes 5 - Poor again, but once more, did he know where he was supposed to be playing? Not a target man, but he can jump and get on the end of crosses, but if not played up front, won't be able to.
Mackail-Smith 5 - Not at his best, but a clear reason why we need a target man; a) to give him something to feed off and b) to allow him to start on the bench sometimes. No rest during the International break, and probably needing a rest from time to time.

Subs:

Hoskins 5 - Not much impact, but again, I've probably bored everybody, but why sign a forward and play him as a midfielder/winger?
Buckley 5 - Well marked by West Ham, but again reliant on service when playing on the wing, and none provided tonight. Also probably playing a bit within himself after the hamstring injuries.
Harley - Not on long enough to give a score.

 

[Farehamseagull]

Harper 6
Reyes 7
Dunk 6
Greer 6
Painter 7
Bridcutt 5
Sparrow 5
Dicker 5
Noone 7
Barnes 5
CMS 7

Hoskins 6
Buckey -
Harley -

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Defensively-apart from the goal- we looked pretty solid. Harper looked comfortable and reassuring although he was very poorly positioned for the goal. Reyes was real quality. I was very impressed with how he played, it could be a long spell on the side lines for Calderon.

The midfield were decent enough, they competed energetically for the ball-something that we don't always seem to do- and didn't dwell on it for too long when in possession.

The only real downside was our performance in the final third. We dominated possession and had the ball in west ham's half for long, long periods of the game but lacked any real creativity or incisiveness. Noone is an exciting player, he looks to have the beating of every fullback he comes up against but tonight his final ball whether it was a pass or a shot was poor so all his fine play came to nothing. On the other side of the pitch it seems harsh to make Barnes play there. He was game and did his best but it doesn't seem a position that's particularly suited to him. Buckley, on the other hand, seems tailor made for it. It's also a very tough formation on CMS. Give him two speedy wingers to help him and a Vicente to create the openings for him and we'll see some more goals, I think.

Overall, I give the team performance a 6.5(assuming that 5 is average). We dominated the game in terms of possession-in the second half the only time west ham touched the ball was when we misplaced a pass or took another of our poor corners yet Almunia only made a couple of saves all night. If we'd created the chances our dominance had deserved then the score would be an 8.

 

[Lethargic]

I don't feel like I can give marks on individual basis tonight, but if my section of the crowd is anything to go by, you should probably all add 2 or 3 points on to barnes's score, because you're probably marking him down for the wrong things.

Every time Dicker or Sparrow misplaced a pass, lingered on the ball or failed to win a tackle there were cries of "ffs, Barnes, you're shit!" (or similar) I think at one point someone criticised him for his poor corner. He also stopped their full back advancing up the pitch, forcing him to turn back and play it back into is own half to which someone replied "Come on, Barnes, you jut let him play it!"

I thought the goal aside, we looked quite solid defensively.
We seemed to dominate the game, but after they got the goal, we didn't seem able to break them down. We seemed stuck in midfield. I don't know if it was lack of movement ahead of them, or just the sheer number of west ham players defending deep smothering the space, but it was frustrating on the times we broke and had a chance to get behind them, we would stop, and go back, it seemed like there were three or four occasions where the ball dropped to one of our players in the box and they would turn away from goal and play it back to midfield.

There were a lot of sloppy passes from us, maybe that was as much to do with the weather, I don't know.

West ham defended solidly, if unattractively, with the odd threatening break, while they were effective west ham didn't, for me, deserve the three points.

The ref was inconsistent, having booked reyes for a late challenge then failing to do it for three or four hammers late challenges, the booking another one of ours for something that they got away with, but it seemed in the second half, there were plenty of decisions they could feel hard done by for (though again, there seems to be an imbalance in the number of yellows cards we get in relation to the number of fouls we commit, compared to our opponents). 12 fouls for us, 4 yellows, 11 fouls for them, one yellow (not as bad as leeds where we both got 5 yellow, us committing 8 fouls, them committing 18).

Pretty much agree with this.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Harper - 6 - Commanded the area well, goal unfortunate.

Reyes - 7 - Promising debut, good energy and use of ball.
Painter - 6 - Ok, but still is very reliant on having a winger to offer him back up when defending
Dunk - 6 - Sloppy at times, but also looked classy.
Greer - 7 - Saw off Carew

Dicker - 6 - Showed glimpses of coming out of his recent slump.
Bridcutt - 5 - Worst game for the club, so disappointed. He is allowed an off-day though.
Sparrow - 6 - Buzzed about, but generally ineffective.
Noone - 7 - See Sparrow, looked a threat, but needs to get his head up at times.

Ashley - 6 - Tried hard, but I think that could be the problem as well, he's trying too hard.
CMS - 7 - Looked dangerous but starved of service.

Subs - No real impact.

Ref - 3 - Allowed himself to be itimidated.

 

[rcf0712]

I though Jara Reyes was as good as anyone, all class once he stopped studding Hammers in the first 10 minutes....

 

[dannyboy]

Harper 6 - Very confident in coming for the ball; slip up for the goal. Positioning always seemed his weak point when he played for Newcastle.
Reyes 8 - Superb - great touch and never looked in trouble. Would rather see him in centre midfield though.
Painter 6 - Far and away his best game for a while, though no winger up against him. Fine against 4-4-2 sides or 4-5-1 where the fifth man is a deep forward like Nolan, but done for pace every time by a winger.
Greer 7 - Back to his best tonight and not nearly as troubled by Carew as he was at Stoke; I hardly remember Carew winning a single header. Also more comfortable on the ball than lately.
Dunk 6 - Did what he had to, but I think the speculation has got to him. After his superb performance at Cardiff, I think getting done by Kevin Phillips against Blackpool can't have helped, nor his mares against Leeds and Palace. Gets booked far too often as well.
Dicker 5 - Not at the game tonight, and I was surprised he was recalled. He, rather than Sparrow, should have been brought off for Buckley. Horrible injury though, and I do wish him a speedy recovery. Hope it's not a cruciate.
Sparrow 5 - Only marginally better than Dicker, and nowhere near his performances against Hull and Millwall. Did get stuck in, but I don't know what his ideal role can be. Not a box-to-box player, and we're only occasionally going to play a one behind the centre forward system. I'd like to know where he played at Scunthorpe, as he looks nowhere near Championship grade against the likes of Diop, Nolan, Bowyer, etc. Ex-Premiership players I know, but he played a whole season in the Championship where Scunthorpe survived reasonably comfortably.
Bridcutt 4 - The less said the better. After several games of carrying the midfield, let's hope this was his bad game for the season.
Noone 6 - The main outlet for most attacks, but his crossing seems to have let him down lately. At Millwall he kept cutting inside and hitting long balls rather than going outside the full back - tonight he was failing to beat the first man.
Barnes 5 - Poor again, but once more, did he know where he was supposed to be playing? Not a target man, but he can jump and get on the end of crosses, but if not played up front, won't be able to.
Mackail-Smith 5 - Not at his best, but a clear reason why we need a target man; a) to give him something to feed off and b) to allow him to start on the bench sometimes. No rest during the International break, and probably needing a rest from time to time.

Subs:

Hoskins 5 - Not much impact, but again, I've probably bored everybody, but why sign a forward and play him as a midfielder/winger?
Buckley 5 - Well marked by West Ham, but again reliant on service when playing on the wing, and none provided tonight. Also probably playing a bit within himself after the hamstring injuries.
Harley - Not on long enough to give a score.

definitely this

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Ratings:

Harper 7 - sound handling, got hand to goal but power was too great, handling and distribution excellemt
Jara Reyes 7 - looks a very good addition, a few tricks but not as attacking as Calde who was unfortunate to be left out
Greer 8 - absolutely back to his best last night
Dunk 7 - good all round distribution and took a booking for the team
Painter 7 - looked back on his game last night, hopefully his confidence is back
Bridcutt 7 - mistake for the goal and a few stray passes but generally good
Sparrow 7 - what is with this 3 and 4 nonsense. Unlucky to be taken off and i thought he was excellent
Dicker 7 - seemed to be finding his form again before that injury
CMS 7 - tormented the defence with his pace but his passing was not good
Noone 7.5 - trickery and pace ensured West Ham were up against it
Barnes 5 - not on his game and rightly subbed

Subs

Hoskins 6 - one decent shot, needs more game time

Buckley - we could and should have given him the ball more, on the one occassion he got it he ran, caused probs and won a corner. Surely he must start?

Harley - not one stray pass, hopefully over the Milwall game