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[Albion] Player ratings v Newcastle











ac gull

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,990
midlands
Bruno did exactly what Rafa said and deliberately slowed the tempo to avoid giving ball away unnecessarily

A few sloppy passes out of play - but think they were all getting a bit tired towards the end - Gross just didn't stop running and closing down

I thought Murray defended very well from the top of the pitch

Toon Army were largely silent as we never let the home team gain any sustained momentum to stir the crowd up
 








ac gull

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,990
midlands
Bong is our away left back - generally impersonates a brick wall

Suttner is our home left back - creates more going forward
 


The Camel

Well-known member
Nov 1, 2010
1,525
Darlington, UK
Bruno did exactly what Rafa said and deliberately slowed the tempo to avoid giving ball away unnecessarily

A few sloppy passes out of play - but think they were all getting a bit tired towards the end - Gross just didn't stop running and closing down

I thought Murray defended very well from the top of the pitch

Toon Army were largely silent as we never let the home team gain any sustained momentum to stir the crowd up

You've got a decent chance of a 3 on 3 or a 4 on 4 break and you put your foot on the ball and slow things down to allow defensive cover to arrive?

I'm not surprised Rafa praised Bruno for that course of action!
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Suttner is our home left back - creates more going forward
I'm finding Suttner's eagerness to put the ball out of play with a sliding tackle somewhat alluring. :lol: :facepalm:
 


djentist

New member
Aug 15, 2017
624
Ryan 9

Bong 6
Dunk 7
Duffy 7
Bruno 6

March 5
Stephens 6
Propper 7
Knockaert 6

Gross 6

Murray 5

Subs:

Hemed 6

(why didn't we bring anyone else on??)

Manager 6
 


Codner's Wallop

Well-known member
Sep 11, 2013
1,431
It's difficult at times to be critical of Albion players without the inevitable backlash from some NSC regulars.

But I don't really care about them....

You never really know who is capable of the step up to the Premier League until they have actually competed at this level.

On the whole, Bong and Ryan have surpassed my expectations, while Stephens, Propper, Gross and our magnificent centre back pair have slotted in well.

However, surprisingly, AK has struggled. I can't decide if he's just too easy to predict at this level or whether he's still suffering from mental angst following the death of his father. I still believe he will come good and no-one can deny his spectacular talent.

As for Bruno, and more so March, I always doubted either would bridge the gap to the Premier League. Bruno would have perhaps got by five years ago, but he now looks a clear weak link. March, in my view remains one of the most over-rated players of recent times. There are some bursts of brilliance but in the main he looks lightweight and ineffective at this level. There is a complete lack of consistency and for an attacking winger, his goal threat is impotent. I can see similarities with JFC.
 




blockhseagull

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2006
7,364
Southampton
Problem is with March is moments after he does something which makes you believe there is a Prem player in there. ( like a moment in 2nd half when he actually took some players on and beat them)... he then does something utterly brainless (crossing the ball into an empty pen area)
 


Meade's Ball

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,653
Hither (sometimes Thither)
Ryan - 7 - played well, and carried a couple of good, if not wonder, saves. Can he only just about kick it to the halfway line? Proving his doubters wrong, for the most part.

Bruno - 6.5 - a steady performance. Lacking his occasional guile, but our wideman/fullback teams weren’t in their usual togetherness, so the options didn’t appear to be many.

Duffy - 7 - a strong centrehalf showing, but kicks himself for not putting the odd set piece home. That mans wants a goal, and soon.

Dunk - 8 - a classy showing. Some of his long passes perfectly to feet, and looked in control with the ball in tight areas. He’s like a less erroneous, unstupid haired David Luiz.

Bong - 6.5 - most of our attacks seemed perhaps oddly to go down our left, which wasn’t working well. Don’t remember any bad cock ups from Herr Bong though, and Ritchie had a pointless game under his watch.

Stephens - 6.5 - some tidy passing in the neat interchanges, but in the second half gave the ball away sloppily a few times. And this was a game in which the opposition put up little fight.

Propper - 8 - I liked the cut of his jib today. Really good performance and got himself involved as well as being slick.

Knocky - 5 - barely there today. Not sure if the plan for the main part was to draw, but his style was rarely apparent, and both he and March played 90 minutes doing it.

March - 5 - far busier than Knocky, but that first half was like a Lua Lua first half on his bad days. His touch was poor and his decision making has to develop. A bit better in the second half, but that left him to cross into an empty space or only a series of Geordie heads. Needs his confidence constantly lifted, it seems, and he has to start to realise his potential as a game changer.

Gross - 6 - disappeared a bit as the game went, but worked hard and flung in a few half decent set pieces.

Murray - 5.5 - one good flick on, but too many miscontrols, silly falls to the ground and offsides. I can see why he went off, but the substitution had us less attacking, as long balls to the head of Hemed were never to be won.

Hemed - 5 - not his fault, this grading. What was he to do up there on his own.

Hughton - 6 - yes, we gained the point, but Newcastle were there for the taking. Our aim was one without adventure, and I grew frustrated as the game went on with our lack of ambition, as another sub or two may have made a difference, may have injected a smidgen of final third magic into our labour.
 


One Teddy Maybank

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 4, 2006
23,011
Worthing
6 - average

Ryan 8
Bruno 6
Duffy 6
Dunk 7
Bong 7
Knockaert 6
Propper 7
Stephens 6
March 5
Gross 6
Murray 5

Hemed 5



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 




Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,763
The Fatherland
IHowever, surprisingly, AK has struggled. I can't decide if he's just too easy to predict at this level or whether he's still suffering from mental angst following the death of his father. I still believe he will come good and no-one can deny his spectacular talent.

MOTD picked up on his predictability in the Man U game.
 


djentist

New member
Aug 15, 2017
624
Ryan - 7 - played well, and carried a couple of good, if not wonder, saves. Can he only just about kick it to the halfway line? Proving his doubters wrong, for the most part.

Anyone still doubting Ryan at this point either hasn't been to any of our games or just doesn't have a brain, he's saved us so many points
 


Jimmy Grimble

Well-known member
Nov 10, 2007
10,103
Starting a revolution from my bed
March is a sensitive soul in the world of football and it shows in his play. I really rate him but someone has really got to back him in an attacking sense or else he'll end up a boring wing back because of his good defensive positional attributes (essentially what is happening now)
 


Kazenga <3

Test 805843
Feb 28, 2010
4,870
Team c/r HQ
March is an interesting one really- he's better the less time he has on the ball. When he doesn't have time to think he can slalom past two or three quite effortlessly, incredibly gifted naturally. Problem being as soon as he does have time to think he invariably picks a shocking option, or doesn't do something basic like looking up before he passes which is so frustrating. Unfortunately his end-product is nine times out of ten quite poor, though this is surely something that can be worked on as he has the ability in spades.

Can anybody actually think of a goal where he has crossed it for someone to head in? Worryingly for a winger I cannot think of any...
 




graz126

New member
Oct 17, 2003
4,146
doncaster
Ryan 9 Distribution good, couple of great saves
Bong 7 tackled well. Supported March well. Miscontrolled a couple of passes
Dunk 8 Solid in defence danger from set pieces
Duffy 8 Solid in defence danger from set pieces
Bruno 6 Not amazing but Knockaert in front of him aint helping him going forward
March 7 Think am the only person on this board that thinks March is doing ok. Takes his player on the outside quite often. He cannot keep taking these full back on and has to cross into an empty box. Our strikers need to gamble on his forays more. Cant quite understand why so many Brighton fans giving him a hard time. Maybe because they aint seeing him rip up full backs like in the championship but these are better players. Or maybe because we didn't buy him for Millions of £.
Stephens 7 Solid kept the ball moving
Propper 6 Solid kept the ball moving. Poor shooting though. Or not shooting when he maybe should.
Knockaert 5 Very predictable always cutting inside and running into dead ends. Taking ya man on the outside would create space for Murray/Hemed as full back coming across forces center back wider. Needs to mix his play up more often.

Gross 7 Working very hard but appears to be the only brains in our attacks,

Murray 5 Tracking back and defending maybe too much means not getting in opponents box enough to gamble on March crosses.

Subs:

Hemed 6
 


kevo

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2008
9,810
As for Bruno, and more so March, I always doubted either would bridge the gap to the Premier League. Bruno would have perhaps got by five years ago, but he now looks a clear weak link.

What utter nonsense. He has mostly been excellent this season - one of our best players, in fact. If you are looking for a weak link, I hardly think it is in defence. We have the 7th best defensive record (equal with Arsenal). Bruno's overlapping runs with AK also remain a significant attacking threat, particularly in home games. Seeing as you consider a large number of our players are simply not good enough at this level, I wonder if you could explain how we are 12th in the table? We are hardly setting the EPL alight, but what did you expect? Of course some of the players find it more difficult playing against top class opposition (FWIW, I think Stephens is one who has struggled a bit), but on the whole the squad are doing just fine.
 


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