Player Ratings- Watford (H)

[Muzzy]

Tomas -7- made a great save just before half time
Bruno -6- not the player he was at beginning of the season
Greer -5- not commanding enough. Need to rethink who captain should be
El Abd -2- at fault for all the goals! Love Adam but is a liability at this level
Bridge -5- first touch was not great today
Bridcutt -9- made some exceptional tackles! Have to keep him
Orlandi -6- Was in good form before injury but had a quiet game today
Crofts - 5- missed an easy chance early on. Would prefer Navarro back
David -6- took penalty well. That was about all he did though
Lua Lua -6- looked like he would make something happen but has more impact as a sub
CMS -3- doesnt bring anything to the team. Cash in now

Barnes -6- made some good passes when came on but strikers were on their toes
Dobbie -5- bit slow. Not match fit
Hoskins -6- took a chance well that came to him. Unlucky not to score

Similar to game that I saw. I still think CMS would be a good striker for us with better support and service supplied to him. Orlandi started brightly but faded fast, he'll be a good player for us once match fit.

 

[JBizzle]

Bruno has gone backwards. Back in August, it seemed like RB was finally solved with a 9/10 performance every game.

Yup. Once again Calderon emerges as the better option after a promising start from his perceived replacement.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Kuszczak - 6

Bruno - 6
Greer - 5
El-Abd - 4
Bridge - 6

Bridcutt - 8
Crofts - 5
Orlandi - 6

David - 5 (basically for the penalty alone)
Lua Lua - 7
CMS - 5

Barnes - 5
Hoskins - 6
Dobbie - 5

 

[Devon Seagull]

I would give Bruno a 4. He makes some random passes that put the receiving player in an awkward and usually possession losing positions. I agree he has gone backwards. CMS not strong enough, always horizontal and needs too long on the ball to get a shot away. There are a load of clubs looking for that elusive goalscorer in January and I hope we get him or them. That's what we need.

 

[Djmiles]

Not read any of the ratings so far, so here goes....

Kuszczak - 7 - Was left high and dry having made a couple of decent saves. Couldn't do much for any of them.

Bruno - 5 - Worst performance of the season. Couldn't make a decent pass for love nor money.
Greer - 5 - Typical GG. Average defender who doesn't do a great deal wrong.
El Abd - 4 - What a shocker. Lucky not to get sent off.
Bridge - 6 - The best defender out of a bad bunch. Got forward and linked up well with KLL.

Bridcutt - 9 (MoM) - Superb performance. Made some brilliant tackles and was at the heart of most things good today.
Orlandi - 5 - Orlandi was playing? Didn't see him do a great deal.
Crofts - 4 - What's the point in this guy? Missed a sitter early on and never recovered from it.
Lopez - 6 - Took the penalty well, but his set pieces and crossing wasn't fantastic.
Lua Lua - 6 - Lots of energy and was the 2nd best outfield player...which isn't saying much. He has cemented his place for Newcastle IMO.

CMS - 4 - Did he even have a shot? Lots of running around, but any pleb can do that.

 

[Silk]

Kusczack 6
Bruno 6 not as bad as some make out
Bridge 7
Greer 6
ElAbd 5
Bridcutt 9 fantastic
Crofts 5
Orlandi 6
Lopez 4 utter shite
LuaLua 6 started well, then faded
Mackail-Smith 6

Barnes 6
Hoskins 6
Dobbie 4

Credit to Watford. Good team, well organised.

I don't want to rush to judgement, but we have looked clueless for a while now, and this was a performance of sheer ineptitude , except the first half hour. 3 wins in 17 is not acceptable and I think Gus will be shown the door if we don't get a result at Ipswich.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Kuszczak 6 Needs to talk more to his defenders for me, but made some good saves.
Bruno 6 Never really looked to get beyond his man and stretch the wingers, but delivered some good balls.
El-Abd 3 Not good at all made to look very ordinary, rushed out when didn't need to and doesn't look comfortable on the ball.
Greer 5 Again very slow with or without the ball.
Bridge 7 Did his job.
Bridcutt 8 Good positioning, great tackles and headers, once or twice gave them to much space in the centre and allowed them to run at the defence.
Lopez 4.5 Really disappointed thought he would do much more, saying that the odd quality cross and took the pen well.
LuaLua 7 Looked to run at people all day, made the pen from nothing.
Crofts 4.5 Looks very average.
Orlandi 6.5 Early on good touches then faded fast.
CMS 5 Again working off scraps, but when he gets it doesn't look to hold it to bring others in.

 

[bluenitsuj]

Lopez. 3. Lost count how many times he gave the ball away.
Bruno 4. As above
El abd 4. Caught too many times

Bridcutt 9. Outstanding again

Everyone else - lethargic and no ideas.

 

[One Love]

CMS 5 Made all the wrong runs but so badly isolated its difficult to be too critical

This is starting to frustrate the hell out of me.

How can the guy go near when the ball goes long and vice-versa all of the time. How can you lack a footballing brain that much?

 

[One Love]

If Bridcutt and Buckley go, we're f*cked.

Bearing in mind that we only have 4 players good enough for a promotion side and they are 2 of them I agree.

Then Bridge is back to Man C at the end of the season and we'll probably lose Kusz.

Then we'll be proper f*cked!

 

[JBizzle]

This is starting to frustrate the hell out of me.

How can the guy go near when the ball goes long and vice-versa all of the time. How can you lack a footballing brain that much?

No my point it that CMS is rarely where a striker should be and when he is the rest of the team make the wrong decision.

Ultimately, he is not a good fit for us. Its partially his fault because he seems to play like a false 9 when he should be on the defenders shoulder but its also the rest of the teams fault because we only seem to make a cursory effort to give him chances.

 

[One Love]

No my point it that CMS is rarely where a striker should be and when he is the rest of the team make the wrong decision.

So it's not CMS's decision making, it's the rest of the team.

Think we'll have to disagree on that.

 

[JBizzle]

No its both. He and the team are on very different wavelengths.

 

[Acker79]

Kuszczak 6.5 - not a lot to do with the goals, decent distribution
Bruno 6 - Not a great display by his standards.
Greer 5 - was in a great position to score with his head, but seemed to be too afraid to try
El Abd 5 - was out paced for second, but couldn't dive in because he was already on a yellow
Bridge 6.5 - seemed to have some good intent in the first half and start of the second, but seed to tire towards the end, or just give.
Orlandi 6 - m'eh, neither offensively bad, nor up to the standards he was achieving prior to his injury, but that is expected for the first match back
Bridcutt 7.5 - Gus was angry with him for backing off* when they got their second, but Bridcutt was one of the rare albion players actually trying to win
Crofts 6 -
David Lopez 5.5 - first half he had trouble staying on his feet.
Lualua 7 - best performance from a start for him in a while. Seemed to try, which is more than can be said for most of the team
CMS 4.5 - Spent too much time trying to win a free kick and not enough time trying to win the ball. His first touch is bad, and lost the ball that led to their third. Was chasing a ball that was rolling out which he could have tried to cross with his left foot, instead he tried to race it off the field and back heel it off the defender, but that led to it rolling out of play before he got in front of it.

Barnes 7 - quiet when he first came on, but when Dobbie and Hoskins joined, he seemed to come alive and played several great balls that were promising, but the receiving player either hesitated or was swamped quickly, or tried to over complicate it
Hoskins 7.5 - Good attempt, made some encouraging runs, looked like potentially the player we thought we signed
Dobbie 6.5 - Was all right, but a little hesitant, seems to want more time than he has

The first half we seemed to play well enough, except in the final third. For all our possession, we were no threat to them, and despite us having so much of the ball, they were definitely the bigger threat, and in the second half we just seemed to wilt away especially when the second goal went in, like a balloon popping the air just went out of everyone, players, fans. That second goal was a killer.

*One of the biggest issue for me is the way our defence backed off. They were doing that a lot last season, and it cost us goals and points, and we've done it a few times this season. Gus was gesticulating at Bridcutt to pressure them, and I don't like to criticise our players or gus, but if players backing off is something gus doesn't like, he should have dealt with it in training at some point over the last two seasons, because that's how long it's been a problem. And like with millwall, and palace at home last season, and loads of other games when you back off and give them space and time they will score.

It's a worry if that is meant to be our strongest team (minus buckley), because there was no desire, no fight. I lost count of the number of times we had the ball down the wings and there was no option in the box. No one breaking a gut to get into a scoring position. No options. I know the ground got a little antsy when Bridge and Lualua played it back and forth between them, or when it was played back to defenders, but when no one is in or around the box trying to make space or showing any desire, what else do you want from them? To gift the ball to watford so they can run right through us?

 

[Baaaald]

I'm too disappointed to run through all of them. Bridcutt was great as ever, Orlandi has the potential to be a decent player for us thought he did well again today and Lua Lua seems to have re discovered some form since his goal at Charlton. Otherwise hard to find positives. The biggest worry is how poor bridge and Bruno were compared to the start of the season they look like different players going forward and defending. I'm going to have another beer...........

 

[Gazwag]

Kuszczak-6-Quality save in the first half, could have done better with their second goal

Did you see the second goal, he would have had to be twenty feet tall to have saved it following the massive deflection

 

[driller]

Gk kusczak 6
RB Bruno 4 - too careless in position is he turning into Reyes the 2nd?
Lb bridge 6 one of the few players to emerge with a modicum of credit.
Cb el-bd 3 poorest game since west ham away.
Cb Greer 6 decent
Cm bridcutt 8 class
Cm crofts 6 nowhere near as bad as some are making out.
Cm Orlandi 6 looked on song first twenty minutes but faded.
Rm Lopez 5 great pen but disappointing performance after being MOTM against millwall.
Lm lua lua 5 ran down cul de sacs poor decision making. Winning the penalty was his main contribution.
Str CMS 3 dog shit.

Subs
Barnes 6 looked lively
Hoskins 6 needs to start done more in fifteen minutes then CMS in 90
Dobbie 4 needs games he could still be decent but looks a yard of the pace.

Agree all this

Cms off start Hoskins.

Tries to shoot and good first touch. Seems to have vision also.

 

[portslade seagull]

Kuz 6
Bridge 6
Greer 5
El Abd 4
Bruno 5
Bridcutt 6
Lopez 5
Crofts 2
Orlandi 5
CMS 3
Lua Lua 6

Gus 2

4-5-1 formation Crap 3

Plan B 0 as there wasn't one

 

[Acker79]

When dobbie and hoskins came on, we were playing 2-3-3-2

Greer, el abd
bruno, bridcutt, bridge
barnes, dobbie, lualua
cms, hoskins

 

[stss30]

Did you see the second goal, he would have had to be twenty feet tall to have saved it following the massive deflection

Idiotic post haha. First goal I meant, when he got beaten too easily at the near post.