Ali J - 0 - Second zero. I don't think it's lack of desire that's the problem, he just isn't equipped to be a Premier League Footballer. Not his fault.
Stephens was horrendous- watch his positioning for the first goal (as well as the seemingly dozens of misplaced passes), Propper not much better. Gross ponderous.
Ryan 5.5
The two goals were others' fault, not his, but didn't do much beyond that. Kicking marginally less pants than recently.
Bruno 5
Cared, and made a few runs forward if not many actual crosses or final balls. That we're so reliant on a 38 year old is embarrassing.
Dunk 4
Shouldn't have conceded their second. Form and progress falling apart; can see him confused with his role as the team in front of him vanishes and his previous focus on defending gets lost.
Duffy 4.5
We have a corner. I know, let's lob it way way way past the far post, to where Duffy has three markers on him, and hope he can somehow head it back across goal. Because we haven't done that for the last four corners in a row. Sums up Shane's status as, apparently, our only hope of getting a goal. Joke. The bloke tries, but come on. Has it really come to this? Always chucking Duffy forward like it's a Sunday pub match, and then not even using him anyway?
Bernardo 3.5
Didn't do much wrong defensively, but not much going forward either.
Stephens 0
I don't give a shit if he's good at positionally protecting the back four, or whatever his redeeming feature is meant to be. As a professional footballer, I expect him to be able to pass the ball to a team mate. Not into touch. Not to the opposition. Not into emptiness. Almost every single ****ing time. This was a performance so embarrassingly bad I actually started to feel for him, he probably wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. Even if CH for some unfathomable reason still thinks he's better than giving Kayal a go, a savvy man-manager would have taken Stephens off just to save him the humiliation.
Pröpper 3
At times you almost forget he's on the pitch. Doesn't really seem to want the ball, or the fight, or anything really. A competent footballer, but has clearly checked out of Team Albion.
March 6.5
Cracking turn, run and shot in the opening minute. Come on Albion, we can ****ing do this!! Then... oh. No. We can't. Our best player in another awful game.
Jahanbaksh 1
Sorry, my patience has finally gone. He's not going to get any better, is he? Summed up by the moment in the second half when the ball broke to him in the box. Could this be it, at last? Will he shoot? Will he cross? Will he... one indecisive touch, two indecisive touch, three indecisive touch, ball dribbles feebly over the dead ball line for a goal kick. £17m ladies and gentlemen.
Groß 3.5
Clearly rusty. The hope he could provide the link we've been missing was always optimistic, and so it proved.
Murray 3
Had a chance early in the first half when the Cardiff keeper committed to racing out his box. One yard of pace and Murray could have tapped the ball past him and been clean through. Sadly one yard of pace is what Murray doesn't have. Still, plenty of offsides, plenty of backing into defenders then falling to the turf, plenty of collecting the ball near the touchline and not being able to do anything with it. Glenn should have been made an impact sub at the start of the season, and nothing more. The fact we still play him, week in week out, as if he's suddenly going to magically turn into a 30 year old Glenn Murray, is a damning indictment of how wrong things have gone.
Andone 2
Every single time he gets the ball, play stops for an infringement. Sometimes seems he does get a rough deal from the officials, but it's bloody annoying. Maybe he should try American Football, at least that's meant to be a game that stops and starts again every few seconds.
Izquierdo 2
Painfully unfit and out of form. The moment when he collected the ball on the wing, inevitably came inside for his telegraphed "I'm going to shoot now" effort and promptly ballooned it over the bar was almost a parody of what he used to be.
Ryan 5.5
The two goals were others' fault, not his, but didn't do much beyond that. Kicking marginally less pants than recently.
Bruno 5
Cared, and made a few runs forward if not many actual crosses or final balls. That we're so reliant on a 38 year old is embarrassing.
Dunk 4
Shouldn't have conceded their second. Form and progress falling apart; can see him confused with his role as the team in front of him vanishes and his previous focus on defending gets lost.
Duffy 4.5
We have a corner. I know, let's lob it way way way past the far post, to where Duffy has three markers on him, and hope he can somehow head it back across goal. Because we haven't done that for the last four corners in a row. Sums up Shane's status as, apparently, our only hope of getting a goal. Joke. The bloke tries, but come on. Has it really come to this? Always chucking Duffy forward like it's a Sunday pub match, and then not even using him anyway?
Bernardo 3.5
Didn't do much wrong defensively, but not much going forward either.
Stephens 0
I don't give a shit if he's good at positionally protecting the back four, or whatever his redeeming feature is meant to be. As a professional footballer, I expect him to be able to pass the ball to a team mate. Not into touch. Not to the opposition. Not into emptiness. Almost every single ****ing time. This was a performance so embarrassingly bad I actually started to feel for him, he probably wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. Even if CH for some unfathomable reason still thinks he's better than giving Kayal a go, a savvy man-manager would have taken Stephens off just to save him the humiliation.
Pröpper 3
At times you almost forget he's on the pitch. Doesn't really seem to want the ball, or the fight, or anything really. A competent footballer, but has clearly checked out of Team Albion.
March 6.5
Cracking turn, run and shot in the opening minute. Come on Albion, we can ****ing do this!! Then... oh. No. We can't. Our best player in another awful game.
Jahanbaksh 1
Sorry, my patience has finally gone. He's not going to get any better, is he? Summed up by the moment in the second half when the ball broke to him in the box. Could this be it, at last? Will he shoot? Will he cross? Will he... one indecisive touch, two indecisive touch, three indecisive touch, ball dribbles feebly over the dead ball line for a goal kick. £17m ladies and gentlemen.
Groß 3.5
Clearly rusty. The hope he could provide the link we've been missing was always optimistic, and so it proved.
Murray 3
Had a chance early in the first half when the Cardiff keeper committed to racing out his box. One yard of pace and Murray could have tapped the ball past him and been clean through. Sadly one yard of pace is what Murray doesn't have. Still, plenty of offsides, plenty of backing into defenders then falling to the turf, plenty of collecting the ball near the touchline and not being able to do anything with it. Glenn should have been made an impact sub at the start of the season, and nothing more. The fact we still play him, week in week out, as if he's suddenly going to magically turn into a 30 year old Glenn Murray, is a damning indictment of how wrong things have gone.
Andone 2
Every single time he gets the ball, play stops for an infringement. Sometimes seems he does get a rough deal from the officials, but it's bloody annoying. Maybe he should try American Football, at least that's meant to be a game that stops and starts again every few seconds.
Izquierdo 2
Painfully unfit and out of form. The moment when he collected the ball on the wing, inevitably came inside for his telegraphed "I'm going to shoot now" effort and promptly ballooned it over the bar was almost a parody of what he used to be.
Ryan 2 - couldn't do much about the goals (especially the first) but looked shaky and nervy
Bernardo 2 - hard to do much when you're surrounded by mediocrity
Duffy 1 - at least showed willing but was frustrated and let it boil over toward the end
Dunk 1 - only player taking it forward at times
Bruno 3 - big ask to come into this shambles, didn't embarrass himself
Jahanbakhsh 0 - lucky to score that high
Stephens 0 - Cardiff's MOTM
Propper 0 - Only slightly less shit than Stephens, in the same way food poisoning is slightly less shit than norovirus
March 5 MOTM - at least he tried
Gross 3 - slow, had a few moments but could produce nothing
Murray 1 - sorry Glenn, time to hang the boots up now mate
Subs:
Andone 1 - did **** all
Izquierdo 1 - a shadow of his former self
Hughton 0 - didn't even make a third sub. Not sure whether that says more about him or the players at his disposal, but to not even lump on Locadia for Bruno or something in desperation looks like a man who doesn't know what to do. Totally out-thought by Neil Warnock. Neil ****ing Warnock.
Agree with the above (although Pröpper just as woeful as Stephens). I also felt Stephens positioning cost us the first goal.
Ryan 2 stopped some really hard back passes no saves useless
Bruno 6 nice to see the skipper back
Duffy 3 i dont know
Dunk 2 Lewes is down the road pal.
Ali J 3
March 6 best of a bad bunch
Stephens 2 how shit do you have to be to get dropped
Propper 4 Waste of space
Gross 4 nice to see him back, should be fitter nnext time out.
Murray 7 Tried hard 100% but no support