Player Ratings - Oldham?

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

My ratings for what they were worth:

Brezovan 8.5 - Great double save, good pen save and even better follow up to touch it onto the bar.
Calderon 7 - Average by his standards
Painter 7 - Awful first 10-15 mins, but then went on a great run and looked assured rest of the game
Elphick 7 - Solid - why was he after the ref at the end of the game?
El Abd 7.5 - Solid and some really important challenges
Carole 7 - I was expecting him to be awful, and he did actually look dangerous on a few occasions.
Dicker 6 - Off game for him
Navarro 6 - STUPID tackle and thought he was a goner
Crofts 7.5 - I thought he was the driving force today in midfield, involved in most of our better moments
Bennett 8 - The goal was fantastic, arrowed right towards us and knew it was in as it left his foot, was dangerous most of the game
Murray 7 - Battled hard and did well for the OG to close down the keeper

Gregan basher 10 - Absolute quality!!!

Pretty much agree with these marks/comments - except that Carole deserved a more positive comment on a good performance - and Navarro and Dicker having the same mark - Navarro was sound whereas Dicker was very poor today, capped off by missing an easy goal and having to let it go for an og instead! But what a goal by Bennett!! We were lucky not to go behind in opening minutes, but after that we were mainly in control and had some good passing movements, esp in 2nd half.

 

[Husty]

3 wins in 4 and it still turns into a binfest

 

[jordanseagull]

Funny that, I'm not having a go or anything but he's been up against a few fast wingers already..Snodgrass at Leeds for example.

I wouldn't disagree but.....

Put LuaLua up against Painter (different teams of course) and he would be munched up.

 

[Husty]

Get a grip. We played against an Oldham team who couldn't score with rohypnol in a girls school. He was forced to do TWO things in the match. As I said, he did both of those things very, very well, but if you're suggesting he should get a 9 or a 10 then you're basically saying it's the ultimate goalkeeping performance. Which it wasn't.

From your comments it sounds like you didn't go, so quite who you are to judge who is balanced I don't know.

But Michel has often played a game where all he has had to do is one or two things, I think Torquay was a game like that, although I cant remember it that well, and you gave him a 9.5ish and called him god. Slight hipocrasy

 

[seagullwedgee]

I'm sorry, but sometimes I read this stuff and end up embarrassed at some of the inept and incompetent fans we must have.

How on earth anyone could conclude that Crofts was anything other than the most industrious player on the pitch today, box to box, when fatnav and d1cko were having a weak game, the skip was immense.

WTF were the people watching, who scored him 4s and 5s and said he was barely visible Seriously, WTF were you doing? I want to know.

Crofts 9
And I'm sure Gustavo would agree.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Get a grip. We played against an Oldham team who couldn't score with rohypnol in a girls school. He was forced to do TWO things in the match. As I said, he did both of those things very, very well, but if you're suggesting he should get a 9 or a 10 then you're basically saying it's the ultimate goalkeeping performance. Which it wasn't.

From your comments it sounds like you didn't go, so quite who you are to judge who is balanced I don't know.

Firstly I wasn't suggesting any score - but based on the commentary, 7 sounds a bit on the shy side. Other people's views appear to bear this out.

Secondly, I didn't go (hence no scores) but I wasn't juding balance, merely observing that your somewhat low sounding score may not prove to be typical of the scores other peoplke will post.

And in both cases I was correct. You could start an argument in an empty room couldn't you!

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Superb goal from Benno. Nice passing play and confident style in 2nd half. Good double save from Brez in 1st half and saved a pen in the 2nd half. Carole played a decent game , got the assist for the 2nd goal and should have scored when Croftsy went on a rampaging run through the middle and instead of shooting laid it of to Seb who fluffed it.

 

[severnside gull]

I'm sorry, but sometimes I read this stuff and end up embarrassed at some of the inept and incompetent fans we must have.

How on earth anyone could conclude that Crofts was anything other than the most industrious player on the pitch today, box to box, when fatnav and d1cko were having a weak game, the skip was immense.

WTF were the people watching, who scored him 4s and 5s and said he was barely visible Seriously, WTF were you doing? I want to know.

Crofts 9
And I'm sure Gustavo would agree.

wouldn't think I'm any more or less competent than you but wouldn't agree at all. After all lots of football "professionals" disagree...part and parcel of the game.

Crofts showed his usual endeavour today but with limited influence or impact. He was, in my view, just a little off the boil. Average = 5
He was indeed, as I'm afraid he mostly is of late, just a yard or so too slow in support of the lone front man which is a primary element of his role in the system we are employing. I believe this is because he gets pulled a little too deep and has too much distance to cover when the ball is played forward. If he was able to adjust his play to get forward in support more quickly he could well score more than he does and if we are going to be a force next season we will need a goal scoring midfielder.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Ah, the messagebord "fact"

"Elphick and El Abd are what they are, always have been and always will be."

Not a fact.


"and 4 times out of 5 that is good enough and will attract a mark of 6/10 on threads like these."

Without data support how you arose at that 4 out of 5 figure I can't accept it as a fact, since I'm assuming it's an estimate based on your opinion.

The markings on these threads, as has been covered many times is subjective, i.e. all about opinion. Your 6/10 is different to other peoples'. So, again I have to say 'no fact'.

"However, both have proven time and time again they will make goal-costing decisions."

Proven that they have made goal costing decisions? How? Where? Often the mistakes aren't event decisions they are impulsive reactions. And they will often combine with other factors to cost a goal (keeper going to ground too easily, fellow defenders pushing out too soon or being too slow to get back, etc).


There are no facts.

The core of this argument is that you each have different interpretations of what warrants a 6/10.

Since Virgo got banned and El-Abd joined Elphick in the centre of defense we have conceeded just 2 goals in 6 games

Doesn't sound like average performances to me or 2 players who are making goal costing decisions, if anything their recent performances have greatly limited the number of goal scoring opportunities.

Compare that to the team earlier in the season and it is obvious that the whole defense as a unit has greatly improved and performing well, surely the aim of the defense is to keep a clean sheet, and 4 in 6 games suggests they are doing a very good job.

But opinions are opinions and everyone's differ.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I wouldn't disagree but.....

Put LuaLua up against Painter (different teams of course) and he would be munched up.

Unfair, put LuaLua up against ANYONE and they would be munched up!

 

[Pantani]

wouldn't think I'm any more or less competent than you but wouldn't agree at all. After all lots of football "professionals" disagree...part and parcel of the game.

Crofts showed his usual endeavour today but with limited influence or impact. He was, in my view, just a little off the boil. Average = 5
He was indeed, as I'm afraid he mostly is of late, just a yard or so too slow in support of the lone front man which is a primary element of his role in the system we are employing. I believe this is because he gets pulled a little too deep and has too much distance to cover when the ball is played forward. If he was able to adjust his play to get forward in support more quickly he could well score more than he does and if we are going to be a force next season we will need a goal scoring midfielder.

Do you think once we are ahead Crofts holds back a bit? Hold what we have. I agree with you to some extent that all the midfield need to get forward quicker, one at a time of course. However once we are winning away from home why take the risk and bomb forward.

 

[severnside gull]

Do you think once we are ahead Crofts holds back a bit? Hold what we have. I agree with you to some extent that all the midfield need to get forward quicker, one at a time of course. However once we are winning away from home why take the risk and bomb forward.

Could well be right with he emphasis being on not conceding. "Don't concede=Don't lose" is not a bad maxim in our position. However, with Navarro playing the defensive midfield role consistently to good effect both Dicker and Crofts do need to watch not to be sucked too far back because it prevents them being as effective as they might be on the counter - in reality it's about a couple of yards in distance or a couple of seconds in thought and ultimately the personnel we have may simply be not good enough to make the maximum use of the system we are now playing.

That said, even on a day when we were not at our best we were trying to play passing football and the overall standard and the attitude in that respect is an improvement on most of what we have been served in recent years (our foray into the Championship included). I am enjoying watching games again rather than just enjoying being an Albion fan.

It will be interesting to see what changes Poyet makes in the summer

 

[Titus]

Am I the only person on this board who finds the use of the word spastic as a term of abuse extremely offensive? A spastic is a person suffering from cerebal palsy.

I agree completely. It makes the user look very stupid.

 

[Pantani]

Could well be right with he emphasis being on not conceding. "Don't concede=Don't lose" is not a bad maxim in our position. However, with Navarro playing the defensive midfield role consistently to good effect both Dicker and Crofts do need to watch not to be sucked too far back because it prevents them being as effective as they might be on the counter - in reality it's about a couple of yards in distance or a couple of seconds in thought and ultimately the personnel we have may simply be not good enough to make the maximum use of the system we are now playing.

That said, even on a day when we were not at our best we were trying to play passing football and the overall standard and the attitude in that respect is an improvement on most of what we have been served in recent years (our foray into the Championship included). I am enjoying watching games again rather than just enjoying being an Albion fan.

It will be interesting to see what changes Poyet makes in the summer

I agree in the main. If we are to become a top side next year we need to improve on the break, in both directions.

Defensively our tactic seems to be to get one of the midfielders to foul the opposition. Less than ideal but at least we seem to know when to foul these days.

In attack we are not clinical enough, too often holding it up when a quick break would be more effective. Maybe this is due to the players still focusing on posession rather than thinking for themselves what the best course of action is.

As you say though the improvement in quality is vast since Poyet took over. Happy days.

 

[HP Seagull]

I haven't read every post in this thread, but in response to the poeple who seem to be criticising Elphick and El Abd:

I think it's fair to say that after Elphick's first season we all, or most of us, thought he had a future at a much higher level than where we currently are. His second full season was disappointing in comparison but this season I think he has shown some of the form that makes me think he is still capable of playing in the Championship.

For example, one of my main criticisms of him when he first broke into the team was that he wasn't very good in the air. He had the McShane-like problem of trying to win every header even when it was impossible to do so. He now very rarely gets beaten in the air, his decision making in the second half of this season seems to have improved beyond recognition, and his determination and desire are second to none.

If he keeps improving there is no reason why he can't be part of a successful promotion push next season.

El Abd is what he is, a defender. He may not be everyone's favourite player but there is no doubt that he is a valuable member of the squad and I think his performances over the last six months have changed some people's minds about him.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Elphick and El Abd are what they are, always have been and always will be.

In which case, why do we waste money on a manager and coaches ?

I've changed my mind about Poyet so many times already - I certainly haven't made my mind up as I've gone from suspecting he's a genius to a clown and back again several times.

You know you can get help through medication ?

I think it's these sort of statements that get you a bit of stick (not from me, you understand - I think of you as an never ending source of amusement)

 

[mona]

Like most who went I guess, I was disappointed when I heard Carole was playing. But he did ok. He covered better defensively than he has done in recent outings. He also set up the vital second goal.
Brezovan impresses more and more.
Please sign up both full backs asap.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Please sign up both full backs asap.

I think Swansea might have something to say about that.

 

[Joe Gatting's Dad]

The two centre backs were brilliant particularly at the end. Ablett is well over six foot and apart from missing a sitter in the second minute and of course the panalty save, they produced a guy well over six foot six for the last quarter, neither of which really got a look in.