Swindon player ratings

[WhingForPresident]

Just got back from the game. We got pretty much pasted for 90 minutes and only really took advantage when they went down to 10 men, but we got through and that's all that counts. If Swindon could finish though, we could've easily found ourselves on the end of a defeat. Their play in the final third really was shocking.

My opinion will definitely differ from other peoples and I will no doubt have to change some of these marks due to points I forgot or missed due to the pillar that was in my way, but I'm sticking my neck on the line with my ratings:

Ankergren- 4- Some horror-show distribution, a straight-forward catch fumbled into a melee in the box and a weird moment in the second half when his legs seemed to ignore his brain and he left the ball behind. Don't particularly blame him for the goals but he is a disaster waiting to happen. You can actually feel the tension in the stand when the ball is near him. There really is no point persisting with him, just put Walton in!

Calde- 7- Battled well again, his desire is really easy to see and rubs off on the rest of the team.
Dunk- 9 MOTM- I feel kind of stupid even giving 9 to a defender that was part of a defence that conceded two goals but I thought he was head and shoulders above the rest today. Passing, movement, tacking, just everything was top drawer. Definitely cemented his place in the side.
Hughes- 7- Does a job and led well in Greer's absence. Maybe not quite as comfortable with the ball at his feet but he will definitely come in handy this season.
Chicksen- 6- Not strong enough and a bit too hesitant for my liking. Provided the assist for the second but his crossing was more miss than hit.

Colunga-7.5- Impressive debut, looked very lively and beat players with ease, but loses .5 as I had him down as being at fault for the first goal after some casual play in the middle. Will cause a lot of teams problems this season.
Ince- 5.5- Bar the wonder-goal, he looked a shadow of his usual self today.
Crofts- 6.5- Broke down their attacking play well, sat deep and absorbed the pressure as required.
JFC- 6- Good to see him get on the scoresheet but we were really missing creativity in that middle until Gardner came on.
LuaLua- 5.5- Didn't really happen for him today, as it rarely does when he starts.

O'Grady- 3- Sorry but he looked like a right carthorse. Poor touch, no pace, can't even seem to get off the ground. Think Liam Dickinson with less pace and ability.

Gardner- 7.5- Played some beautiful long passes, gave us that spark in the middle and looked very comfortable on the ball. I think he will be a great acquisition for us.
McCourt- 7.5- Really brightened things up when he came on, I had my doubts when he signed but he does look like he can be a gamechanger.
Teixeira- 7- I really like this guy, he just looks like a natural footballer. Scared the daylights out of the opposition but didn't see that much of the ball as we were sitting very deep by the time he came on.

Ref- 1- Absolutely diabolical performance. Allowed Swindon to kick our players all game and their back-line to climb all over our attackers. Unbelievable that he didn't dish out a card for the challenge that injured LuaLua, let alone a free-kick. Yeah he gave us two pens and gave them a red card, but he would've been under investigation had he not given them they were that obvious. Hope the club file some kind of complaint.

 

[Washie]

Just got back from the game. We got pretty much pasted for 90 minutes and only really took advantage when they went down to 10 men, but we got through and that's all that counts. If Swindon could finish though, we could've easily found ourselves on the end of a defeat. Their play in the final third really was shocking.

My opinion will definitely differ from other peoples and I will no doubt have to change some of these marks due to points I forgot or missed due to the pillar that was in my way, but I'm sticking my neck on the line with my ratings:

Ankergren- 4- Some horror-show distribution, a straight-forward catch fumbled into a melee in the box and a weird moment in the second half when his legs seemed to ignore his brain and he left the ball behind. Don't particularly blame him for the goals but he is a disaster waiting to happen. You can actually feel the tension in the stand when the ball is near him. There really is no point persisting with him, just put Walton in!

Calde- 7- Battled well again, his desire is really easy to see and rubs off on the rest of the team.
Dunk- 9 MOTM- I feel kind of stupid even giving 9 to a defender that was part of a defence that conceded two goals but I thought he was head and shoulders above the rest today. Passing, movement, tacking, just everything was top drawer. Definitely cemented his place in the side.
Hughes- 7- Does a job and led well in Greer's absence. Maybe not quite as comfortable with the ball at his feet but he will definitely come in handy this season.
Chicksen- 6- Not strong enough and a bit too hesitant for my liking. Provided the assist for the second but his crossing was more miss than hit.

Colunga-7.5- Impressive debut, looked very lively and beat players with ease, but loses .5 as I had him down as being at fault for the first goal after some casual play in the middle. Will cause a lot of teams problems this season.
Ince- 5.5- Bar the wonder-goal, he looked a shadow of his usual self today.
Crofts- 6.5- Broke down their attacking play well, sat deep and absorbed the pressure as required.
JFC- 6- Good to see him get on the scoresheet but we were really missing creativity in that middle until Gardner came on.
LuaLua- 5.5- Didn't really happen for him today, as it rarely does when he starts.

O'Grady- 3- Sorry but he looked like a right carthorse. Poor touch, no pace, can't even seem to get off the ground. Think Liam Dickinson with less pace and ability.

Gardner- 7.5- Played some beautiful long passes, gave us that spark in the middle and looked very comfortable on the ball. I think he will be a great acquisition for us.
McCourt- 7.5- Really brightened things up when he came on, I had my doubts when he signed but he does look like he can be a gamechanger.
Teixeira- 7- I really like this guy, he just looks like a natural footballer. Scared the daylights out of the opposition but didn't see that much of the ball as we were sitting very deep by the time he came on.

Ref- 1- Absolutely diabolical performance. Allowed Swindon to kick our players all game and their back-line to climb all over our attackers. Unbelievable that he didn't dish out a card for the challenge that injured LuaLua, let alone a free-kick. Yeah he gave us two pens and gave them a red card, but he would've been under investigation had he not given them they were that obvious. Hope the club file some kind of complaint.

I agree with all of this, although, to be fair, the ref had a shocker for both teams.

 

[Mackenzie]

Good analysis WfP. My ratings:

Ankergren 5
Calderon 7
Dunk 9
Hughes 6
Chicksen 5
Caskey 7
Crofts 7
Lualua 5
O'Grady 5
Colunga 8

Subs:
Gardener 6
McCourt 7
Teixera 8

Referee N/A non-league

 

[y2dave]

Firstly if Swindon had composure in the final third we would have been stuffed out of sight. Real lack of communication it seemed (Greer and Stockdale looked to be missed in this area). Kasim looks the real deal and worth consideration.

Casper - 5 - One good save, many dodgy moments and erratic distribution
Calde - 6 battled away well and quick to offer attacking width
Dunk - 8 - Excellent performance, our best player by far.
Hughes - 7 Steady, many good clearances under pressure.
Chicksen - 6 - Exposed and given the run around at times but much better going forward
Ince - 6 - Great goal, silly booking which seemed to take the edge of his game. Some nice quick distribution at times.
JFC - 5- Really slow to play a forward pass and didn't take advantage of space. Convincing from the spot.
Crofts - 4 - Another one given the run around, looked way off the pace.
Lua-Lua - 5 - Got in to good positions, made poor decisions.
O-Grady - 3 - Terrible, never troubled the defence, poor ball retention.
Colunga -7 - One of a few to play with his head up, looked much better when Tex and Gardner entered the fray

Gardner - 6 - some nice touches, didn't really get to grips with Swindons midfield though.
McCourt - 6.5 -positive, some lovely touches but a little erratic. Exactly as expected.
Tex - 7- Brought composure and awareness.

 

[algie]

Someone reckons we kicked off both halves in extra time. That must be a mistake.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Someone reckons we kicked off both halves in extra time. That must be a mistake.

I remembered us shooting directly from the kick-off in the first-half of ET and the guy next to me saying something about it being a signal of intent for extra-time, so I was pretty confused when we lined up to take the second half kick-off as well. But yeah this definitely did happen.

 

[Grizz]

I'd agree with the OP apart from Chicksen, would give him a 6-6.5. He never stopped running and was left on his own several times with two Swindon players on him. As soon as he had a bit of help from Gardner and an option to pass to, Colunga, he had more effect going forward.

Ref was poor, but in fairness for both sides. Even though the player did get the ball first, the challenge of Lua Lua was hideous.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

Kasim looks the real deal and worth consideration.

We've already considered him once and let him go. Club would look stupid now to spend the sort of money Swindon have already quoted other clubs to bring him back so soon after having let him go. A real slip, that was, by the look of it.

 

[sllugaes]

Good analysis WfP. My ratings:

Ankergren 5
Calderon 7
Dunk 9
Hughes 6
Chicksen 5
Caskey 7
Crofts 7
Lualua 5
O'Grady 5
Colunga 8

Subs:
Gardener 6
McCourt 7
Teixera 8

Referee N/A non-league

Hey what about incy?

 

[Luke93]

Ankergran is getting a lot of hate here. I agree he looked like an accident waiting to happen. But he didn't make any mistakes with handling (apart from that one time he was pushed off the ball following their corner). He also made a great low save during the last period of extra time with the score at 3-1.

The ref gets a 1 though. Bloody awful.

 

[bobzam]

Agree with OP. Biggest disappointment for me is Ince, such good promise last season under Oscar, he really does look like he's gone backwards (wonder goal aside). Looks short of confidence, passing not accurate, not winning the ball with those long legs or rampaging forwards like a bulldozer. Hopefully a few weeks watching from the sides will help as he won't get in the midfield now with Holla, Gardner & Txereria

 

[Telford Seagull]

Just got back from the game. We got pretty much pasted for 90 minutes and only really took advantage when they went down to 10 men, but we got through and that's all that counts. If Swindon could finish though, we could've easily found ourselves on the end of a defeat. Their play in the final third really was shocking.

My opinion will definitely differ from other peoples and I will no doubt have to change some of these marks due to points I forgot or missed due to the pillar that was in my way, but I'm sticking my neck on the line with my ratings:

Ankergren- 4- Some horror-show distribution, a straight-forward catch fumbled into a melee in the box and a weird moment in the second half when his legs seemed to ignore his brain and he left the ball behind. Don't particularly blame him for the goals but he is a disaster waiting to happen. You can actually feel the tension in the stand when the ball is near him. There really is no point persisting with him, just put Walton in!

Calde- 7- Battled well again, his desire is really easy to see and rubs off on the rest of the team.
Dunk- 9 MOTM- I feel kind of stupid even giving 9 to a defender that was part of a defence that conceded two goals but I thought he was head and shoulders above the rest today. Passing, movement, tacking, just everything was top drawer. Definitely cemented his place in the side.
Hughes- 7- Does a job and led well in Greer's absence. Maybe not quite as comfortable with the ball at his feet but he will definitely come in handy this season.
Chicksen- 6- Not strong enough and a bit too hesitant for my liking. Provided the assist for the second but his crossing was more miss than hit.

Colunga-7.5- Impressive debut, looked very lively and beat players with ease, but loses .5 as I had him down as being at fault for the first goal after some casual play in the middle. Will cause a lot of teams problems this season.
Ince- 5.5- Bar the wonder-goal, he looked a shadow of his usual self today.
Crofts- 6.5- Broke down their attacking play well, sat deep and absorbed the pressure as required.
JFC- 6- Good to see him get on the scoresheet but we were really missing creativity in that middle until Gardner came on.
LuaLua- 5.5- Didn't really happen for him today, as it rarely does when he starts.

O'Grady- 3- Sorry but he looked like a right carthorse. Poor touch, no pace, can't even seem to get off the ground. Think Liam Dickinson with less pace and ability.

Gardner- 7.5- Played some beautiful long passes, gave us that spark in the middle and looked very comfortable on the ball. I think he will be a great acquisition for us.
McCourt- 7.5- Really brightened things up when he came on, I had my doubts when he signed but he does look like he can be a gamechanger.
Teixeira- 7- I really like this guy, he just looks like a natural footballer. Scared the daylights out of the opposition but didn't see that much of the ball as we were sitting very deep by the time he came on.

Ref- 1- Absolutely diabolical performance. Allowed Swindon to kick our players all game and their back-line to climb all over our attackers. Unbelievable that he didn't dish out a card for the challenge that injured LuaLua, let alone a free-kick. Yeah he gave us two pens and gave them a red card, but he would've been under investigation had he not given them they were that obvious. Hope the club file some kind of complaint.

Spot on to be fair mate! However I would probably have swapped crofts' and JFC's scores around. Jfc covered a lot of ground tonight and was brilliant out of possession for us. Covered Ince quite a lot because due to his booking, he struggled to tackle anyone. Crofts on the other hand was just poor. The style, position and everything really doesn't suit him

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Ankergren 5 he was rusty to start but did get better. Should have called for the ball more often as Dunk obviously didn't trust him
Calderon 7 great perfomance by the skipper. Never gave up
Dunk 9 MOM shame his header hit the bar
Hughes 6 average performance
Chicksen 5 struggled with no cover
Caskey 7 two well taken penalties
Crofts 7 broke up play
Lualua 6 put in a lot of effort
O'Grady 5 good pass to Colunga to set up Ince for the goal, but felt he could have held the ball up more
Colunga 8 really good performance from a player who had hardly even met the squad let alone play with them. He's going to cause a lot of problems for other teams this season hopefully

Subs:
Gardener 6 very neat and tidy passes
McCourt 7 you can see there's some quality in him
Teixera 8 made a difference in the short time he was on

 

[Spanish Seagulls]

They all get a 10 from me for having the class and good grace to apparently seek out Swindon manager to praise his teams efforts and style of playing. Nice touch.

 

[Perkino]

I'm surprised we didn't see Walton, Toko or Agustein in the starting line up

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm surprised we didn't see Walton, Toko or Agustein in the starting line up

Walton was in Middlesbrough playing for the dev squad.

 

[Grombleton]

We've already considered him once and let him go. Club would look stupid now to spend the sort of money Swindon have already quoted other clubs to bring him back so soon after having let him go. A real slip, that was, by the look of it.

I didn't see much of Kasim, only during the Wrexham game a few years back and he was poor then, I thought. I know we can't base a player on one game but I assume the club didn't see enough to keep him any longer.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I didn't see much of Kasim, only during the Wrexham game a few years back and he was poor then, I thought. I know we can't base a player on one game but I assume the club didn't see enough to keep him any longer.

I think he raised his game last night, as he felt he had a point to prove.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Swindon were the better team, and with a striker would have been beaten us easily. Kasim was quality, but our midfield played particularly poorly in my opinion

Casper - 6 - I thought he did ok... looked a decent backup keeper, which is what he is. Let's not forget, he doesn't play much so was bound to be rusty
Calde - 6 - Did ok. Still think the full-backs are pushed too far forward, but that's not his fault
Dunk - 9.5 - Completely faultless. Best player on the pitch
Hughes - 7 Steady Eddie
Chicksen - 7.5 - Personally I thought he was excellent. Better than Calderon
Ince - 6 - I thought he was a weak link in that holding role, goal aside.
JFC - 7 - Easily the best of our three central midfielders.
Crofts - 4 - I'm not sure he's comfortable enough on the ball to be a regular in Sami's team
Lua-Lua - 4 - Really poor in my opinion
O-Grady - 5 - I thought some of his ball retention was okay, but not threatening at all
Colunga -7 - Got better and better as the game went on. Made loads of runs off the shoulder but was never picked out. Can't argue with a goal and two assists on his debut

Gardner - 6 - Decent enough... looked rusty
McCourt - 7.5 - I thought he was excellent. Kept the ball, tried things in the final third. Looked a good addition
Tex - 7- Decent enough but more to come

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

On Kasim, I suppose you just can't always tell how a player's going to develop. There are plenty of stories in the league of players rejected by this club or that, who then go on to have superb careers elsewhere. It's odd, though, that he was being talked about as such a hot prospect in Swindon's side so soon after joining them (before the end of his first season with them I saw gossip linking him with a move to the top flight). Suggests either he didn't show any of that while he was with us, or we simply misjudged him.