Preston vs. Norwich player ratings......

[Grif 0]

Well to be honest the performance didn''t exactly fill me with optimism for the rest of the season, but it''s a clean sheet and it''s a point at the end of the day.  Here''s how I would rate the players on today''s showing: -

David Marshall - 7 - He didn''t really have much to do at all, he got down well to gather one shot and looked fairly comfortable and alert during crosses/corners.  However his kicking isn''t the best and will need to be worked on in my opinion.  Can''t score him higher because he didn''t make many saves (didn''t need to).

Jon Otsemobor - 7 - I liked the attacking part of his game, he definitely looks more comfortable at coming forward than Colin ever was and put in at least two decent crosses after well-timed raids down the flank.  However he was caught out of position on a few occasions - allowing their striker to get in behind and cause problems, Shacks saved him at least twice with brilliant covering interceptions.  He is very quick and athletic and will be a good signing I''m sure.

Gary Docherty - 6 - I''m not the Docs'' biggest fan and I thought he had a fairly average game to be honest.  I''m amazed that he doesn''t give more free-kicks away because he has hold of their striker every time the ball is played near him.  Looked fairly solid in the air.  Just too error-prone for my liking and looked clumsy in the clearance on a few occasions.

Jason Shackell (c) MOM - 9 - Brilliant, captain''s performance from Shacks.  He held the line very well and probably barked out more orders in one match then Drury did in an entire season.  He was very strong in the air and is also surprisingly quick over twenty yards for a lad of his size.  He saved both Drury and in particular Semmy on numerous occasions.  He stood firm under constant pressure towards the end and I think he was definitely my man of the match.

Adam Drury - 6 - Perhaps slightly harsh because he was, for the majority of the match, fairly solid at the back.  However, his distribution is woeful and has been for some time now.  Time and time again he would receive the ball and just lump it cross-field or down the line to no apparent target.  He was also caught out once or twice at the back and needed Shackell to help out.  I''ve seen him play better.

Simon Lappin - 6 - A solid if unspectacular performance from the wee Scot.  He went close with a free-kick in the first half and tracked back fairly well to offer Drury support.  To me he seems a little lightweight for the Championship and I think he''ll be mainly a bench player when Hucks returns.

Darel Russell - 7.5 - An energetic, solid performance from Rusty.  He''s well-built and adds a bit more bite to our midfield (if we needed more with the Le Juge!).  Never shirks a challenge and tracked back well at times.  Needs perhaps to get forward more but still a good performance.  Harshly booked for crunching yet fair tackle (albeit from behind!) and made some neat passes in midfield.  Doesn''t look quite match-fit yet and I''m sure there''s more to come.

Julien Brellier - 7 - Again looked very solid and added a few tasty tackles into the mix.  Looks like he doesn''t take much crap and likes to play the simple pass after winning the ball back.  Slightly off match fitness but another good signing.  Had one shot from distance.

Luke Chadwick - 7 - Didn''t exactly set the world alight to be honest.  Although he was one of the few Norwich players who would run at the Preston defence and caused them a few problems in patches.  Doesn''t mind a tough tackle now and then and looked committed throughout.  More to come (I hope!).

Dion Dublin - 6.5 - Not one of the big man''s best games in a city shirt although at times his class still shone through.  I''m sure as the season progresses he will become more of an impact player from the bench.  Some good touches and always willing to work his arse off for the cause.  To be fair to him the service was mostly mediocre, just long balls hoofed in his and Chris Brown''s direction.

Chris Brown - 7.5 - I''m a definite fan of Browny''s, he''s big, strong and is very good at holding the ball up - providing he has a chance of actually getting the ball in the first place, which given some of today''s service wasn''t all that often.  He'' fearless and is another that will run all day.  In the first half he was one of only a couple of players who would take the ball and run at Preston''s defense.  Very tricky to get the ball off him once he''s in full flow.  Promising stuff and I''m going to stick my neck out and say that he''ll be a success this season if given an extended run in the first team.

Subs

Lee Croft - 6 - Little if no impact, can''t seem to cross the ball even if he gets himself into a good position.  Has lost some weight though and I have faith that he can do a lot better.

David Strihavka - 6.5 - Didn''t get the ball all that often to do much with it.  Some neat touches and he''s deceptively quick for a big lad.

Mark Fotheringham - 6 - Not really on long enough to make much of in impression.  Again likes the simple pass from midfield, which isnt necessarily a bad thing

All in all a well-earnt point and a clean-sheet to boot.  The best performers for me were Shacks and Rusty, with Brown also impressing.  What is clear though, is that without Hucks we lack and real pace or invention when going forward.  Maybe Cureton will add more to the mix and I can definitely see him and Brown working well together.  Defence looked solid under the captains watch.

 

[ManchesterCanary 0]

More or less reasonable ratings...but I disagree with you on the Doc. He had a good game. And I think Dublin was better than a 6.5. For me Rusty was the best performer and Brown did a good job up front.

[canarychris 0]

Right, back from Preston and delighted with a point from a fairly average performance. In fact it was an average match and neither side deserved more than a point.

As for ratings i''m getting p***ed off with players getting marked by people on who there favourites are. To give Doc a 6 is scandolous, giving reasons of free kicks he could have given away. Don''t u watch the defenders we play against who constantly hold shirts, bear hug and climb all over our forwards, in short Doc ''gets away'' with no more than any other defender at this level. Shacks was our best player but Brellier, Doc and Brown wheren''t far behind.

Marshall 7 - Coped well under pressure at set pieces

Ostembor 7 - Hoped for more going forward (but could say that for the whole team)

Drury 7 - Steady, defended well against Whaley

Doc 8 - See above

Shackell 9 - Led by example

Brellier 8 - Does what it says on the tin, lost our shape when he went off

Russell 7 - Battled hard but little quality on the ball

Lappin 6 - Sorry but he is lucky to get a 6

Chadwick 7 - No end product, hopefully hat will follow

Dublin 6 - Didn''t seem to get the pace of the game, i''m sure he''ll be more effective from the bench this season

Brown 8 - Worked hard feeding on scraps

Subs

Fotheringham 5 - Kept giving the ball away, simply not good enough

Croft 6 - No service

Strihavka 6 - See Croft

In summary there was plenty of effort but with only Hucks and Cureton to come back the final third is a serious concern. Can''t see where the chances are going to come from. Brellier looks the part but he needs a creater beside him and if Hucks is going to play upfront we badly need a left midfielder. Defense looked fairly solid but we need to add numbers and competition.

[Dr Terrible 0]

Went to the game. Nothing to shout about against a weakened Preston team. The amount of pressure they put us under we dealt with well but have the feeling against better sides we would melt. Yes they finished 7th last year but have lost there best players and i expected a win.

Marshall 7

Ostemobor 6

Doc 8 mom

Shacks 7.5

Drury  6

Brellier 6

Russel 6

Lappin 5

chadwick 6.5

Dublin 5

Brown 6.5

subs

Dave striker 4

Fozzy 5

Croft 5

Honest and unblinkered view.

[can u sit down please 0]

Im very happy with an away point and most of all a clean sheet. I think we defended something like 15 corners and the defence stood firm. Thats something we would not have done last yr. Deepdale is never a happy hunting ground for us and indeed many teams that go there this year.

Yes, i think we looked a bit shy in going forward, but without Hucks and Jamie "i''ll have another burger please" Cureton, that was ineviteble.

Grant set out with a plan to get a point and through hard work and organisation we got there. Off the back of this im gonna say a top 10 finish, which is after all.....progress.

Marshall 7- Didnt have a great deal to do, but the way he coped with set pieces was impressive.

Otsemobor 7- Wasnt really under immense pressure down our side, stood firm and didnt risk the shape by bombing forward like we know he can.

Drury 7- In the first half he looked back to his best, playing against a very good player and not getting beat once. In the 2nd half, as bodies were tiring in front of him his distibution became wasteful. But promising signs...

The Doc 7- No howlers, did what he needed to do and part of a unit that kept a clean sheet. Still would like to see a CB though.

Shackell 7- prob similar to the doc, im still not convinced by the boy but he did lead by example which is good.

Brellier 8- What can i say...I have seen more in 2 games to suggest he is better than Saf. Tackled, passed and organised effectively, he will prove to be a real lynch pin. His reading of the game is impeccable.We lost shape when he came off...My prediction for Player of the season if he carries on like that.

Russell 7- Alongside Brellier looked comfortable and more complete than his previous spell. Won most tackles but distribution sometimes wasteful.

Lappin 6 -In the first half i was really impressed by him. A couple of good deliveries and helping Drury tackle Whaley. Tired alot in the 2nd and wasted possession a fair bit.

Chadwick 7- Worked hard and looked a threat in the 1st half, but couldnt get into the game in the 2nd and was eventually withdrawn.

Brown 8- He is a different player! Ok he didnt net (but he didnt have any chances) but he worked his nuts off and did Dion''s running. Looked quite tricky and powerful when runnning at players.

Big D 6 - Tried but Mawene marked him well. I think i would rather see him at CB this yr.

Subs

Croft 6- Tried to be direct but didnt really deliever the final ball.

Fozzy 5 - Won a couple of key tackles but as bodies tired around him options with passes became limited and he gave it away!

Big Dave 6- He tried and initially hit one from 25yds and looked sharp.But as the defence and midfield got deeper his service became limited.

PG 7- With the "sausagegate" fiasco some decisions were made for him. We were solid and organised something that has been rare in away performances. I liked the idea of 2 battlers in Brellier and Russell in the middle and 2 big guys up top in Big D and Chris Brown. Im sure he would have love to have had Hucks and a fully fit Jamie C at his disposal.....oh what if......

The Fans 10- A good following and were vocal throughout. No moans when people made mistakes, just encouraging throughout! Lets carry it on!!

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

[quote user="canarychris"]

Right, back from Preston and delighted with a point from a fairly average performance. In fact it was an average match and neither side deserved more than a point.

As for ratings i''m getting p***ed off with players getting marked by people on who there favourites are. To give Doc a 6 is scandolous, giving reasons of free kicks he could have given away. Don''t u watch the defenders we play against who constantly hold shirts, bear hug and climb all over our forwards, in short Doc ''gets away'' with no more than any other defender at this level. Shacks was our best player but Brellier, Doc and Brown wheren''t far behind.

Marshall 7 - Coped well under pressure at set pieces

Ostembor 7 - Hoped for more going forward (but could say that for the whole team)

Drury 7 - Steady, defended well against Whaley

Doc 8 - See above

Shackell 9 - Led by example

Brellier 8 - Does what it says on the tin, lost our shape when he went off

Russell 7 - Battled hard but little quality on the ball

Lappin 6 - Sorry but he is lucky to get a 6

Chadwick 7 - No end product, hopefully hat will follow

Dublin 6 - Didn''t seem to get the pace of the game, i''m sure he''ll be more effective from the bench this season

Brown 8 - Worked hard feeding on scraps

Subs

Fotheringham 5 - Kept giving the ball away, simply not good enough

Croft 6 - No service

Strihavka 6 - See Croft

In summary there was plenty of effort but with only Hucks and Cureton to come back the final third is a serious concern. Can''t see where the chances are going to come from. Brellier looks the part but he needs a creater beside him and if Hucks is going to play upfront we badly need a left midfielder. Defense looked fairly solid but we need to add numbers and competition.

[/quote]

 

 With 3 ratings of 8 and one of 9 we should have perhaps won the game 4-0. A bit genereous considering we conceded about 30 corners and had none of our own and not a single shot to trouble their keeper. 

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

maybe grant knew the doc had improved and thats why he felt we didnt need a CB! ... if u all say he was good

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="FilletTheFishWife ."]

 With 3 ratings of 8 and one of 9 we should have perhaps won the game 4-0. A bit genereous considering we conceded about 30 corners and had none of our own and not a single shot to trouble their keeper. 

[/quote]

Some of these ratings seem generous against a weakened Preston side who played better than us.  Especially for our forward players considering we did not have many chances of note.  Pleased about Brown but

"Brown 8- He is a different player! Ok he didnt net (but he didnt have any chances) but he worked his nuts off and did Dion''s running. Looked quite tricky and powerful when runnning at players."

In the few competitive games he has played I think this description sums up his performances so far, hard working, tricky at times but never looking like getting many chances, let alone scoring.  Hopefully he will prove a decent foil for Cureton.

[Chunky! 0]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"][quote user="FilletTheFishWife ."]

 With 3 ratings of 8 and one of 9 we should have perhaps won the game 4-0. A bit genereous considering we conceded about 30 corners and had none of our own and not a single shot to trouble their keeper. 

[/quote]

Some of these ratings seem generous against a weakened Preston side who played better than us.  Especially for our forward players considering we did not have many chances of note.  Pleased about Brown but

"Brown 8- He is a different player! Ok he didnt net (but he didnt have any chances) but he worked his nuts off and did Dion''s running. Looked quite tricky and powerful when runnning at players."

In the few competitive games he has played I think this description sums up his performances so far, hard working, tricky at times but never looking like getting many chances, let alone scoring.  Hopefully he will prove a decent foil for Cureton.

[/quote] He looks like a good hold-up striker rather than a goalscorer, perhaps playing with Cureton will improve him. As I posted on another thread, the defence looks much better with a decent midfield in front of it, but when Fozzy came on for Brellier, the shape completely left us. OTBC! Chunkyt

[canarychris 0]

Not at all Fillet. The 9 was for a centre back and 2 of the 8''s where for a centre back and defensive midfielder, this shows that we defended well and kept a clean sheet under considerable pressure. Brown''s 8 was for his hold up play and selfless running. If we had won 4-0 then hopefully the defenders would have got 7''s as they didn''t have much to do and the strikers and wingers would have had 8''s and 9''s!!!!

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

why does everyone rate lappin so bad ...

i think lappin is a good, useful player who performs well on more occasions than he doesn''t. Reading the pinkun I notice it say "Lappin was at the heart of everything norwich were doing going forward". Reading on it seems he created most opportunities and came the closest to scoring. Yet he gets such bad ratings ....

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

[quote user="canarychris"]Not at all Fillet. The 9 was for a centre back and 2 of the 8''s where for a centre back and defensive midfielder, this shows that we defended well and kept a clean sheet under considerable pressure. Brown''s 8 was for his hold up play and selfless running. If we had won 4-0 then hopefully the defenders would have got 7''s as they didn''t have much to do and the strikers and wingers would have had 8''s and 9''s!!!![/quote]

agreed as the scoreline and corner stats suggest that we defended well but their distribution with the ball was poor and we put ourselves under too much pressure as a result, and should be thankful that lardy mellor and ormerod  didn''t get lucky,. and 8s and 9s a bit ott. nevertheless it was a less painful away trip than the likes of stoke etc last season. i was particularly encouraged with the perfomances of otsemboor, brellier, russell and brown who''s ball control was far superior to the likes of say earnshaw and leon but the guy doesn''t look like scoring in a month of sundays (or saturdays).

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

[quote user="ipswichrscum"]

why does everyone rate lappin so bad ...

i think lappin is a good, useful player who performs well on more occasions than he doesn''t. Reading the pinkun I notice it say "Lappin was at the heart of everything norwich were doing going forward". Reading on it seems he created most opportunities and came the closest to scoring. Yet he gets such bad ratings ....

[/quote]

 

lappin gave drury less support than huckerby does. say no more. he''s a mediocre squad player. nothing more, nothing less.

[Mr_Chimp 0]

Thank God for experts like you, Fishman.

[Mook 0]

"Adam Drury - 6 - Perhaps slightly harsh because he was, for the majority of the match, fairly solid at the back.  However, his distribution is woeful and has been for some time now."

Yup. Purveyor of "aimlessly chipping the ball down the line" since March 2001. When is someone going to tell him to stop doing this??

Who cares if he can tackle if he''s just going to keep giving possession back to the opposition??!

[Saint Canary 0]

[quote user="Wayne Gardner"]

Honest and unblinkered view.

[/quote]

It is indeed Wayne.  Agree that the Doc was better than Shackell.  Shackell made a couple of saving tackles but he was only cleaning up his own mess after he had played someone on side after the rest of the defence had pushed out.

I went to the game but I don''t like to rate players so some general thoughts:

Otsomobor looked willing to get forward, our midfield are going to have to get used to seeing him attacking as there were a few times Chadwick could have gave him the ball yet he seemed to not expect him to be there.  Overall the defence stood up to the pressure well but Preston''s better chances were a result of our mistakes.

The midfield looked very solid, in particular Russell and Brellier.  We were certainly much more physical and robust, which seems strange to say as Safri was 6ft and Etuhu was a brute.  We were winning tackles much higher up the pitch are there was much less dropping off than we have seen in recent seasons.  Creativity was at a minimum and Chadwick was disappointing considering I have seen him destroy teams (including us) in the past.  We still have Hux and Smith to come back in though and maybe if Croft could recapture the form when he first joined we can add some more flair.   Having said that, our midfield from last term would have capitulated against a very aggressive pairing of Nicholls/Carter and I firmly believe we would have lost this game.  Brellier was missed when he was not there.

The strikers got next to no supply at all.  Brown worked hard for no reward but Dublin appeared to do a "Iwan" in that he spent a lot of time and energy backing in to their defenders and giving away pointless free kicks.  Hopefully we will not need him up front too much this year.  Dave showed a few neat touches but it was always going to be hard for him due to our lack of creativity, not his type of game.  I don''t see that having Cureton, Earnshaw or even Henry up front would have made any difference as there were no chances to put away.

In all, a solid if unspectacular start to the season with plenty still to work on but some positives to take away too.

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

[quote user="Mr_Chimp"]Thank God for experts like you, Fishman.
[/quote]

apologies mr chimp. in hindsight my  comment on Lappin did seem pompous and patronising.

nevetheless i can''t help feel that some opinions are biased solely due to that goal at luton whilst otherwise he has been largely anonymous and has done little to suggest he is anything but a reserve for drury or huckerby.

whoops there i go again...sorry....

 

 

 

[Old Boy 0]

Listening to the commentary, it sounded as if Otsemobor was isolated, getting himself into attacking positions and screaming for the ball but no-one was passing to him. What was that about? On the evidence of the WHU and Vitesse games, and the ineffectiveness of the rest on Saturday, he could have been our best attacking option, or at least the best link to Brown and Dion.

[Souey 0]

Overall:  6 - A solid if uninspiring performance. Lack of creativity a problem but with Curo, Smith, Martin and Hucks still to come we still have hope!Formation: 4  - The 4-3-1-2 did not really work. The man behind the front 2 was completely inaffective as we were constantly lumping the ball up to our big strilkers and we had no width either. Reverting back to 4-4-2 late in the game didn''t give us enough time to see an improvement.Marshall - 7 - Did not have many saves to make but handled himself well when being fouled on nearly every corner - he was given no protection from the referee at all - have referees been told not to protect keepers as much this season?Otsemobor - 7 - Will be the best right back we''ve had in ages and, considering he was still recovering from the BBQ runs, put in a solid defensive display. Will get forward a lot more when fully fit.Docherty - 6 - Not a bad game for the Doc. Will never be a cultured centre back but was strong and effective against the Preston attack.Shackell - 7 - Some great blocks and read the game well. Drury - 6 - Didn''t do an awful lot wrong but also didn''t really get involved in the game. Has he got used to sitting behind Hucks maybe?Brellier - 8 - Looks the part. Was strong, quick and read the game very well. Looks a better player than Safri already.Russell - 5 - Put himself about but we need to see far more from him going forward.Lappin - 5 - Solid -but unspectacularChadwick - 4 - Didn''t get involved and was largely by passed when playing behind the front two. Didn''t look sharp to me at all and seemed to be treading water when he actually did get the ball!!Dublin - 5 - Battled gamely with poor service although was only really affective in the air - but with no quick strike partner beside him, his flicks and knock-downs came to nothing.Brown - 6 - Worked his backside off but was often left to run with the ball with no support. Ok in the air but there is certainly no future for this strike pairing!Subs:Croft - 5 - Nice yellow boots - Put in a couple of decent crosses but needed to get into the game more and take on his full back.Strihavka - 7 - Impressed in his short run out.. Seemed to make some intelligent runs and his touch was excellent. We just need an intelligent midfielder to pick him out!!Fotheringham - 5 - Came on, passed it a bit, tackled a bit - to be honest can''t remember much that he did.

I''m pleased with the point but we''re going to need a lot more than this to seriously mount a challenge for a top six spot!