Player ratings v Bolton (h)

[Machiavelli]

Stockdale 8 -- one vital save, couldn't do much for the goals, distribution back to his best. The best goalkeeper in the Championship?
Bruno 6 -- usual quota of flair, some great tackles, but can't rate him higher for being part of a defence that conceded two at home against Bolton
Goldson 6 -- ditto
Dunk 6 -- ditto
Ridgewell 5 -- he's good in the air, and has done a job, but can't say I'm going to miss him. One awful cross in the first half, of a piece with poor distribution
Knockaert 7 -- great run for Hemed's goal
Stephens 6 -- lost his shine, too many fouls when on a yellow card
Kayal 8 -- the king is a terrier, won countless balls including the one for his goal which he took well, carried the ball intelligently and incisive passing. Back to his domineering self.
Murphy 8.5 MotM -- great pace and finish for the first, and intelligent play throughout. He's got one hell of an engine as well.
Zamora 6.5 -- good strong hold-up play, great assist.
Hemed 8 -- intelligent running and link up play, decent finish, good assist, could have scored more, but led the line well

Calde 7 -- solid performance
LuaLua 7 -- left them something to think about
Skalak n/a -- what he did, he did well

Hughton 6 -- not his best game, left LuaLua's substitution far too late, why he didn't bring him on when Calde came on (and KLL was ready to) is beyond me. We'll have to hope that Hull raise our performance, because all of a sudden, this is looking like an important fixture (but not a 'six-pointer').

 

[albionite]

Bruno 9

 

[aolstudios]

Bruno 9

Not with Stockers getting him out of jail like that...
(He was very good apart from that, mind)

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I thought we were really poor today especially the defence.

6=average

Stockdale 7
Bruno 7 would have been 8, but for that shocking error.
Ridgewell 5 - culpable for the first with Dunk
Dunk 5.5 Taken to school by Heskey at times. Undone by Heskeys movement on first goal
Goldson 6.5
Kayal 9 - great display
Stephens 6. great pass for the goal
Murphy 7.5 impressive first half
Knockaert 7
Zamora 6
Hemed 6

KLL 6
Caldy 6
Jiri n/a but showed promise

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Not with Stockers getting out of jail like that...
(He was very good apart from that, mind)

Their goal was his fault, no attempt to stop the cross.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Bruno 9

You are joking

 

[OvingdeanSeagull]

Stockdale 7 - Vital save at 2-2, couldn't do much about either goal
Bruno 6 - Scary mistake which lead to Stockdale's save at 2-2
Goldson 7.5 - So assured and played a vital part in what would've been goal of the season had Murphy finised at the end of the half.
Dunk 7 - Solid
Ridgewell 6.5 - Solid
Knockaert 8 - What a player, quite why no premier league team signed him I have no idea. Fantastic run for the 2nd goal.
Stephens 6 - Shouldn't have been allowed to take that FK, which had Knockaert's name written all over it.
Kayal 9 (MOTM) - Absolutely fantastic. Amazing tenacity, great assist for Murphy's goal and a brilliant finish for his. Back to his very best.
Murphy 8 - Starting to look like a real quality winger - maybe motivated by our new signings/Lua Lua's return? I didn't realise he was so fast!
Zamora 7.5 - Great hold up play, fantastic skill and awareness for his assist.
Hemed 8 - Played very well and topped it off with a decent finish and another good assist. Glad he's back scoring again.

Overall a good performance, which was far more complicated than it needed to be.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

There goal was his fault, no attempt to stop the cross.

Normal service resumed with the anti-Bruno comments then [emoji6][emoji1]

 

[sdmartin1]

Bruno was one of our worst players today he seems sluggish to close wingers down which contributed heavily to Bolton's 1st and almost gifted them a third but was bailed out by Stockdale.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Normal service resumed with the anti-Bruno comments then [emoji6][emoji1]

How many goals result from crosses from his side. Standing 6 yards from the person with the ball doesn't a defender make.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Bruno was one of our worst players today he seems sluggish to close wingers down which contributed heavily to Bolton's 1st and almost gifted them a third but was bailed out by Stockdale.

Laughable, watched a different game to me. Started the move for our first goal with a great header, saved us towards the end with a great sliding tackle.

Incidentally, you don't automatically close wingers down if you have limited cover as you expose the rest of the defence - see Ridgewell on the first goal when he tracked their player to the opposite side of the pitch, and consequently couldn't help Dunk when Heskey pulled off him, as he was still getting back.

 

[Marshy]

Stockdale 8

Bruno 6
Ridgewell 6

Goldson 7
Dunk 7

Kayal 9
Stephens 7
Knockaert 7
Murphy 8

Hemed 8
Zamora 7

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

How many goals result from crosses from his side. Standing 6 yards from the person with the ball doesn't a defender make.

Means absolutely nothing. As a defender you should not go blindly out on the wing and close a player down, if (A) it isolates you or/and (B) it leaves your CB's completely exposed.

The cross did not go across the 6 yard box it was played slightly squared approximately 12-14 yards out.

I would think a defender who has played at a higher level and is highly regarded by his peers, probably knows what he is doing more than the pair of us. [emoji2]

 

[Skaville]

Stockdale 7- great save at 2-2 that got Bruno out of jail
Bruno 6 - Nearly another Bolton horror show. Very lucky man
Goldson 7 - largely composed but like most of the side, made sloppy mistakes in posession. Great run for the Murphy chance at the end of the first half
Dunk 7 - similar to Goldson
Ridgewell 6 - his best game for us bar the weak header that led to their second
Knockaert 7 - nothing came off for him until that fabulous run in the build up to hemed a goal. Sublime interspersed with sloppy
Stephens 6 - must be under pressure from sidwell/crofts. Kayal carried him today
Kayal 9 - bossed the midfield. Goal, an assist and another shot on target. Big game MOTM
Murphy 8 - tore them to shreds at times. He's raised his game now skalak and AK have arrived
Zamora 7 - WHAT a touch for Hemed's goal. Worth the admission fee alone
Hemed 7.5 - much improved. Could have had a hat trick on another day and an assist for kayals goal

Calde 6 - no major impact
LuaLua 7 - looks like he's lost half a yard of pace but drew fouls well in that stoppage time
Skalak n/a

Overall we were irresistible going forward at times but often sloppy. We might have lost on another day.

 

[sdmartin1]

Laughable, watched a different game to me. Started the move for our first goal with a great header, saved us towards the end with a great sliding tackle.

Incidentally, you don't automatically close wingers down if you have limited cover as you expose the rest of the defence - see Ridgewell on the first goal when he tracked their player to the opposite side of the pitch, and consequently couldn't help Dunk when Heskey pulled off him, as he was still getting back.

Bruno backs off wingers all too often, i'm well aware you have to stay narrow initially to give the defence cover but he is far too slow to react when wingers are parallel to the 18 yard box, stopping the crosses coming in should be a fullbacks primary concern, in the end he was caught in no mans land. He wasn't terrible today but certainly doesn't deserve a mark above 6.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Bruno backs off wingers all too often, i'm well aware you have to stay narrow initially to give the defence cover but he is far too slow to react when wingers are parallel to the 18 yard box, stopping the crosses coming in should be a fullbacks primary concern, in the end he was caught in no mans land. He wasn't terrible today but certainly doesn't deserve a mark above 6.

But if he goes early he is exposed, gets beaten and they are through. It is a fine margin but I prefer my defence to have good shape. Bruno should only go out if there is a winger to help him, and they can then double-bank the player.

Other than the shocking error would have been an 8 for me.

 

[sdmartin1]

But if he goes early he is exposed, gets beaten and they are through. It is a fine margin but I prefer my defence to have good shape. Bruno should only go out if there is a winger to help him, and they can then double-bank the player.

Other than the shocking error would have been an 8 for me.

He's clearly a very intelligent player, you very rarely see him dive in and he is superb at reading where the ball is going to go but for me needs to be more alive to the situation when wingers get into crossing positions, you can't give players that amount of time in this division to pick out a man.

 

[Machiavelli]

JFC 10

JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10
JFC 10

Corrected for you

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Means absolutely nothing. As a defender you should not go blindly out on the wing and close a player down, if (A) it isolates you or/and (B) it leaves your CB's completely exposed.

The cross did not go across the 6 yard box it was played slightly squared approximately 12-14 yards out.

I would think a defender who has played at a higher level and is highly regarded by his peers, probably knows what he is doing more than the pair of us. [emoji2]

Means we concede a lot of goals from his side. If you're happy with that, good for you.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Means we concede a lot of goals from his side. If you're happy with that, good for you.

Would concede a lot more without him, so yes, delighted he is in the team, one of the players of the season IMO.