Player ratings - Ipswich

[Marshy]

1/ Because Holla was less eye catching but tidy. Ince often wins the ball superbly & immediately carelessly gives it away - he did it several times yesterday & it will lose us games if he doesn't cut it out.
2/ Best looked several classes above COG in the time he was on. COG worked hard for longer, so it was close...

Ince has been carrying Holla of late.... less so last night.

Either way I think the new lad will replace Holla in the side.

2 proper workers, tacklers in that holding role with ability will improve things greatly

 

[perseus]

Clearly MOM

Ince looked poor in the first half. Did those giving him 9 turn up late?

Apart from two assists, a header cleared off the line and most of all the pass to find Bennett in space for the third goal*. Influential In midfield. A 9 MOM for me. 60 passes during he game, quite a few forward, three of them goal makers. Leading in possession apart from Holla. Passing accuracy under 80% though. And he will only get better.

(*except that might have been O'Grady?)

 

[Notters]

Apart from two assists, a header cleared off the line and most of all the pass to find Bennett in space for the third goal*. Influential In midfield. A 9 MOM for me. 60 passes during he game, quite a few forward, three of them goal makers. Leading in possession apart from Holla. Passing accuracy under 80% though. And he will only get better.

(*except that might have been O'Grady?)

Don't get me wrong, I bloody love the bloke.

 

[Rogero]

It's becoming more obvious that if you leave out JFC (and possibly CMS) we win - they are the weak links in that side or to be kinder to them perhaps they just don't fit in that side.

Agree about JFC. Surprised Ince getting such high marks. He kept winning the ball only to give it away. Worth about a 7.

 

[Acker79]

What game were you watching?

Most of his long balls were top class. Majority went to OG and even tex won a few. The one to Bruno... Wow

As for their keeper, numerous times into touch. Do you not remember PIG?

What has Kuszczak to do with this? It's not that only one keeper in Brighton history can ever be accused of poor long ball distribution. That I criticise Stockdale (to be fair, last night's wasn't his worst, but most weeks that I watch him his long balls are either met by our opponents, or if he is trying to find a full back on the line goes over their head and out of play) doesn't mean I though Kuszczak was any good.

It was perhaps the wrong game to raise the point, as a few more than usual found a team mate, but my comment was more general. I've been watching his distribution, his short balls are fine, but if he tries to find someone on the halfway line the overwhelming majority of the time it meets an opponent. It can be a bizarre experience to see it and then come on here and see all the compliments he gets for his distribution.

While it wasn't his worst game, I would still maintain that saying "most" of his long balls were "top class" is being very generous.

To be clear, I'm not saying his overall performance was bad, or that he is a bad keeper, but that generally his long ball distribution is, or so far this season has generally been, quite poor and yet it seems our opponents are quite accurate with theirs.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

What has Kuszczak to do with this? It's not that only one keeper in Brighton history can ever be accused of poor long ball distribution. That I criticise Stockdale (to be fair, last night's wasn't his worst, but most weeks that I watch him his long balls are either met by our opponents, or if he is trying to find a full back on the line goes over their head and out of play) doesn't mean I though Kuszczak was any good.

It was perhaps the wrong game to raise the point, as a few more than usual found a team mate, but my comment was more general. I've been watching his distribution, his short balls are fine, but if he tries to find someone on the halfway line the overwhelming majority of the time it meets an opponent. It can be a bizarre experience to see it and then come on here and see all the compliments he gets for his distribution.

While it wasn't his worst game, I would still maintain that saying "most" of his long balls were "top class" is being very generous.

To be clear, I'm not saying his overall performance was bad, or that he is a bad keeper, but that generally his long ball distribution is, or so far this season has generally been, quite poor and yet it seems our opponents are quite accurate with theirs.

If this is true, and to clarify I think it is complete rubbish (especially the part where you seem to suggest in your previous post that all opposition keepers are so much better at finding their own player than Stockdale), then maybe it could be down to the fact we don't have a target for him up front, unlike most teams. Most keepers punt it straight down the middle of the pitch for a target man to head. Stockdale, as with other keepers we've had recently, is asked to be more creative and try to find a pass out wide. This has more room for going out of play.

Stockdale's distribution is very good. Last night, it was superb, especially that incredible kick out to Bruno. Even if you have a valid point, which I don't think you do, you chose a very bad game to express it.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

My ratings:

Stockdale 7.5 - Nothing he could do about the goals, claimed the ball very well from crosses and great distribution
Bruno 7.5 - Really good game. I had my doubts after what he did at Wolves but he and Calde ensured nothing came down their left flank
Greer 7 - Solid game
Hughes 7 - Impressed every time I see him.
Bennett 7 - From the sublime to the ridiculous. Superb run and cross for Texeira's second and other really good runs but gave the ball away poorly a few times
Holla 7.5 - Decent game. Protected the defence and ensured Ipswich didn't have many chances
Ince 7.5 - Good game. He and Holla look a great pair in midfield. Will never understand why Hyypia didn't play either of them very often (and never both)
Calderon 7.5 - Never seen him play in midfield before but was very good going forward and combined with Bruno to stop any attacks from Ipswich down that side
Baldock 8 - That's what we saw in him. Has looked better recently but last night was great. Fantastic goal to open the scoring and was dangerous all night. Hope he can continue this impressive form
Texeira 9 - Amazing game. Two brilliant goals and a fantastic run to setup Baldock in the second half. If he carries on this form, we could be in for a very good second half of the season
O'Grady 8.5 - What we've lacked all season. Held the ball up really well. Strong on the ball. What did Hyypia do to him? Since Hyypia's gone and he's come back to us, he's been great as a sub but really impressed with what he can do from the start. Has to stay.

Subs

Best 7 - Encouraging start. Held the ball up well. Impressed with his 15 minute cameo
March - Too late for a mark

Overall, everyone played well but the team performance as a whole was the most encouraging aspect. Really impressed with what firstly Jones and now Hughton have done to turn this team around. No new players since Hyypia left until Best's cameo last night (and we lost Gardner, Bennett and Bent) yet they've turned it round amazingly. Hard to believe we were four points from safety a month ago!

 

[Acker79]

If this is true, and to clarify I think it is complete rubbish (especially the part where you seem to suggest in your previous post that all opposition keepers are so much better at finding their own player than Stockdale), then maybe it could be down to the fact we don't have a target for him up front, unlike most teams. Most keepers punt it straight down the middle of the pitch for a target man to head. Stockdale, as with other keepers we've had recently, is asked to be more creative and try to find a pass out wide. This has more room for going out of play.

Stockdale's distribution is very good. Last night, it was superb, especially that incredible kick out to Bruno. Even if you have a valid point, which I don't think you do, you chose a very bad game to express it.

Last night, 12 of his passes went into the other half. 7 of them failed to find a team mate. Barely 40% of his passes over the halfway line found a team mate. None of them led to a goal. To call that "terrific" as Marshy did is being very generous, as is "superb" and "great" as you put in your ratings. "Very good" is a bit of a stretch, but more arguable . What isn't arguable is that 5 is not "most" of twelve, as sebtucknott claims. Perhaps it would help if people reined in their superlatives a bit, to comments that are a bit more proportional.

But I do think you have a good point about the target man. It doesn't help with your long ball success if you have CMS falling over if a defender breathes on him rather than fighting to win and retain the ball.

Last night wasn't as bad as v Brentford (3 of 8 found a teammate), but wasn't as good as v Charlton and v Fulham, so perhaps it wasn't the worst game to choose to make this point.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Last night, 12 of his passes went into the other half. 7 of them failed to find a team mate. Barely 40% of his passes over the halfway line found a team mate. None of them led to a goal. To call that "terrific" as Marshy did is being very generous, as is "superb" and "great" as you put in your ratings. "Very good" is a bit of a stretch, but more arguable . What isn't arguable is that 5 is not "most" of twelve, as sebtucknott claims. Perhaps it would help if people reined in their superlatives a bit, to comments that are a bit more proportional.

But I do think you have a good point about the target man. It doesn't help with your long ball success if you have CMS falling over if a defender breathes on him rather than fighting to win and retain the ball.

Last night wasn't as bad as v Brentford (3 of 8 found a teammate), but wasn't as good as v Charlton and v Fulham, so perhaps it wasn't the worst game to choose to make this point.

Seriously? Have you counted this? I assume you've counted every other keeper in the league and compared that to Stockdale over the season.

Also, with long balls up field there is an onus on the player who it's played to. Stockdale could hit it straight to one of our players and lose out in your stats if they are beaten in the air. It's not a fair comparison.

I watched the game last night and I thought Stockdale's distribution was great. I didn't count every time he kicked it to one of our or their players. I just watched and was impressed. Sorry if that doesn't fit your ideas of how to rate a player.

 

[perseus]

Seriously? Have you counted this? I assume you've counted every other keeper in the league and compared that to Stockdale over the season.

Also, with long balls up field there is an onus on the player who it's played to. Stockdale could hit it straight to one of our players and lose out in your stats if they are beaten in the air. It's not a fair comparison.

I watched the game last night and I thought Stockdale's distribution was great. I didn't count every time he kicked it to one of our or their players. I just watched and was impressed. Sorry if that doesn't fit your ideas of how to rate a player.

Stats say that Stockdale is the best in the Championship at 68%, but it went down to 44% against Ipswich. Quite a few keepers do not average 44%. As we spent the whole game winning the second balls, it did not matter. It won't always be so easy though.

Generally, our passing is fading from a very high level, just a bit. Possession is much less than we are used to. It is really about getting the balance right. Really, our passing should be better as we were leading.

 

[Acker79]

Seriously? Have you counted this? I assume you've counted every other keeper in the league and compared that to Stockdale over the season.

Also, with long balls up field there is an onus on the player who it's played to. Stockdale could hit it straight to one of our players and lose out in your stats if they are beaten in the air. It's not a fair comparison.

I watched the game last night and I thought Stockdale's distribution was great. I didn't count every time he kicked it to one of our or their players. I just watched and was impressed. Sorry if that doesn't fit your ideas of how to rate a player.

There are plenty of websites that count these things.

Your last line is kinda weird. As far as I can see this thread has gone:

Me: I think Stockdale's distribution isn't that great
sebtucknott: what game were you watching?! he's fantastic. Kuszczak!
marshy: yeah. right on! Stockdale's always been fantastic
Me: What has kuszczak got to do with it? not the best game to pick to make the point but I stand by it
You: You're wrong! If you had a point (you don't) it shouldn't be made with this match, because you're wrong
Me: here's some empirical evidence to back up my claim, maybe people's choice of superlatives is a little inaccurate
You: Don't tell me how rate people

I made my point. I don't care if people agree with me or not. While I think people need to realise the difference between "good", "superb", "terrific" "great" and "decent", and take it inot consideration when deciding what to write, I don't have authority over anyone and don't expect it to change just because I think it leads to performances and contributions being over- (and in other cases, under-) stated.

 

[portslade seagull]

My ratings:

Stockdale 7.5 - Nothing he could do about the goals, claimed the ball very well from crosses and great distribution
Bruno 7.5 - Really good game. I had my doubts after what he did at Wolves but he and Calde ensured nothing came down their left flank
Greer 7 - Solid game
Hughes 7 - Impressed every time I see him.
Bennett 7 - From the sublime to the ridiculous. Superb run and cross for Texeira's second and other really good runs but gave the ball away poorly a few times
Holla 7.5 - Decent game. Protected the defence and ensured Ipswich didn't have many chances
Ince 7.5 - Good game. He and Holla look a great pair in midfield. Will never understand why Hyypia didn't play either of them very often (and never both)
Calderon 7.5 - Never seen him play in midfield before but was very good going forward and combined with Bruno to stop any attacks from Ipswich down that side
Baldock 8 - That's what we saw in him. Has looked better recently but last night was great. Fantastic goal to open the scoring and was dangerous all night. Hope he can continue this impressive form
Texeira 9 - Amazing game. Two brilliant goals and a fantastic run to setup Baldock in the second half. If he carries on this form, we could be in for a very good second half of the season
O'Grady 8.5 - What we've lacked all season. Held the ball up really well. Strong on the ball. What did Hyypia do to him? Since Hyypia's gone and he's come back to us, he's been great as a sub but really impressed with what he can do from the start. Has to stay.Subs

Best 7 - Encouraging start. Held the ball up well. Impressed with his 15 minute cameo
March - Too late for a mark

Overall, everyone played well but the team performance as a whole was the most encouraging aspect. Really impressed with what firstly Jones and now Hughton have done to turn this team around. No new players since Hyypia left until Best's cameo last night (and we lost Gardner, Bennett and Bent) yet they've turned it round amazingly. Hard to believe we were four points from safety a month ago!

Totally agree with what you said about COG. It baffles me how he can suddenly be this good but have been so poor under Hyppia. Just don't think he liked playing with a target man

 

[Acker79]

Average Ratings

Highest Rated:
<Teixeira 9.07 (88mins, 27 votes)

The Rest:
Ince 8.02 (96mins, 28 votes)
<O'Grady 7.96 (79mins, 27 votes)
Baldock 7.48 (96mins, 27 votes)
Calderon 7.43 (96mins, 27 votes)
Stockdale 7.41 (96mins, 27 votes)
Bruno 7.26 (96mins, 27 votes)
J. Bennett 7.13 (96mins, 27 votes)
Hughes 6.93 (96mins, 27 votes)
>Best 6.92 (17mins, 13 votes)
Holla 6.87 (96mins, 27 votes)
Greer 6.54 (96mins, 27 votes)
>March 6.00 (8mins, 3 votes)


Squad average: 7.31

 

[Machiavelli]

There are plenty of websites that count these things.

Your last line is kinda weird. As far as I can see this thread has gone:

Me: I think Stockdale's distribution isn't that great
sebtucknott: what game were you watching?! he's fantastic. Kuszczak!
marshy: yeah. right on! Stockdale's always been fantastic
Me: What has kuszczak got to do with it? not the best game to pick to make the point but I stand by it
You: You're wrong! If you had a point (you don't) it shouldn't be made with this match, because you're wrong
Me: here's some empirical evidence to back up my claim, maybe people's choice of superlatives is a little inaccurate
You: Don't tell me how rate people

I made my point. I don't care if people agree with me or not. While I think people need to realise the difference between "good", "superb", "terrific" "great" and "decent", and take it inot consideration when deciding what to write, I don't have authority over anyone and don't expect it to change just because I think it leads to performances and contributions being over- (and in other cases, under-) stated.

This is a highly accurate summary of the exchange. I'm just of the view that you're profoundly wrong about Stockdale's distribution, which I think is one of superb, terrific and great. I don't have any empirical evidence to support any of these claims, it's just my interpretation.