Norwich City v Birmingham - player ratings

[Mister Chops 7]

A game we wouldn''t have stolen if we''d won but a point seems a fair result.Marshall - 7.5 - did everything asked of him and pulled off an excellent stop in the 87th minute to deny Birmingham the winner.  Nice red kit too.Bertrand - 8 - MOM - got forward well, defended well, didn''t let anyone past him and covered the left flank when Hoolahan went wandering insideStefanovich - 7.5 - very solid, looked class at this levelKennedy - 7 - not as good as Stefanovich but still more than held his own against a physical Birmingham sideOtsemobor - 7 - didn''t get forward as much as of old, caught out once badly 2nd half when Croft had to fill in at right back, but a good game and looks like the pressure from Omosuzi is bringing more out in himHoolahan - 7 - pretty passing, some lovely touches (one 2nd half with the outside of his boot to feed Croft was beautiful) but we could do with seeing a bit moreClingan - 6.5 - tidy and broke possession up for BirminghamFotheringham - 6.5 - sideways and backwards again but did better as the match went on.  Still not sure why he''s captaining the side.Pattison - 6.5 - playing on the "wrong side" but put in lots of effort, tackled back, showed some good industry going forwards.Lupoli - 7 - brought off too early, I feel - ran the channels, put himself about, looks classyRussell - 7 - physically strong, held the ball up well and brought the midfield into play - did a good jobSubsCureton - 5 - contrast to Lupoli: little off the ball running, jogged about and created nothingCroft - 5.5 - beat his man a few times but (how I tire of typing this) NO END PRODUCTRef - 2 - missed some obvious corners and fouls 1st half, seemed to try to average it out by being in our favour 2nd half but generally crap.Fans in upper Barclay row L seats 92-94: -1 - if you don''t like going to games and think we''re just as bad as we were two-three years ago and nothing''s changed, give your seats up to someone who might support the team you negative tosspots.Burger in Yellows before the match:  3 - bread a bit stale, not entirely convinced the burger was beef.  Good chips but could have done with some salt and vinegar for the chips.  Waitress was pretty but had inpenetrable norfolk accent.  All in all, a bit much for an £18.95 "pre-matchday experience".

[macdougalls perm 0]

Yeah, I''d agree with all of this, although I obviously can''t comment on your burger and chips. Million dollar question, in my opinion, is whether Roeder will go on merit if/when we get a physical striker and pair up Clingan and Russell in midfield. Difficult, I know, considering that Fotheringham is captain but that''s undeniably our most balanced and creative midfield. Having a player of Russell''s type pushing into the box from midfield could have made all the difference this afternoon.

[kdncfc 0]

I thought we were excellent for the first 30 minutes and pretty decent for the remaining 60. My main concern is that their keeper didn''t have a save of note to make. With the addition of this much needed striker, Russell taking Fotheringhams place in midfield and Bell coming in on the right I think we will have a pretty decent side. Some of our football was excellent and if we can start to turn some of our approach play into goals we could have a good season.

[Bovril 219]

completely agree with mister chops, it seems most people actually watched the same game for a change, though for me lupoli was brought off at the right time, the bloke was knackered about 35mins in the first halve and it showed as gradually brum got back into as he stopped chasing the balls...if we can get a decent target man alongside him our team will be extremely impressive, but i''d still have russell someone, gives us that much needed bite

[lucky green trainers 0]

great performance, gives hope and encouragement, but again highlights - ''WHERES THE FUDGING STRIKER!!!''Marshall - 9 - dominated his area better, made good decisions to come and collect corners etc, or punch.  great save against phillips also - also made good angles and stood up well against mcSheffs at the death, maybe forcing him to overcook his lob.  Bertrand - 7 - did everything asked of him well, only criticism was unnecessary foul that led to their goal from the resulting cross. Stefanovich - 8.5 - good stamina, commanding figure, organised the defence around him, and also covered kennedy  ass when he was outdone by bent late on - oozzes confidence and class - has an aura about him.  top man at this levelKennedy - 7 - i like this player, he''s solid, reliable and dependable - got tired towards end - hot day though,and heis scottish!!!Otsemobor - 6 - did his job well, but was tamely skinned at the death,resulting cross came to nothing - probably not match fit, and so forgivenHoolahan - 7 - some sublime link up play - worked hard today, in attack and in defence, he was always available to receive, and could be depended upon to make good use of the ball - but especially 2nd half, was caught and robbed in possession to much for my liking...will get betterClingan - 8 - unsung hero - protected back 4 wonderfully, and i like clinkers - looks confident and dependable - the type of player you can rely upon to give consistent performances - aside from giving pens away - he''s a hit...Fotheringham - 7 - his best game for us this season - didn''t hide, and for me matched carsley - not too sure about his set pieces though - matty has a better left foot delivery imo.Pattison - 7 - again playing outa posi - did well to hustle and bustle up and down the pitch, but never really had a end product this match...looking more like the player he was when he first came here, make no mistake///Lupoli - 7 - ran his guts out, tried to get onto everything, and bring people in, but aside fom stamina probs, was too easily shaken off the ball too often for my liking...would be better alongside a bigger proper striker, and when he''s fully match fit - will get betterRussell - 7 - for a midfielder, did well up front, gave his all, and has a great engine, considering all the work he did...subsCureton - 5 - curo,curo,curo - what can i say??? gave 100% but again, looks slow and never likely to get on the end of things - mind you, when he did and had a free header in the box, failed to work the keeper by heading over the bar...Croft - 5 - drat - inconsistent display - all action headless chicken routine, with zilch end product - disappointed for the boy - he can do better...

[ZLF 274]

Marshall 7 - best I have seen him have on crosses,  looking the part

Otsemebor 6  - very restrained as an attacking force and seemed hestitant at time defending

Stefanovic 8 - oozing class dominated the birmingham attack,  showed us what a ball playing defender can do,  while not being afraid to just hoof it when needed.

Kennedy 5 - our defensive weak link,  ok in the air but all at sea on the floor,  slow and poor distribution.   Come on down double barrelled spurs man!

Bertrand 8 - showed Ots how to get forward in this game.  A real candidate for MOTM,  defending well but also attacking well and starting to build a link with Hoolahan.

Pattison 6 - Too often ineffective;  left flank out shone the right and the right offered little threat.  Worked v hard.

Fozzy 5 - His space is too cramped by Clingan and his passing game was  amile off today;  would have subbed him.

Clingan 7 - neat tidy and good defensive sheild;  will not create or score but starting to look like a new Holt. 

Hoolahan 7 - Excellent today.  Did not all come off but lively and caused brum problems. Would be an 8 if he can committ into a tackle as he seemed to pull out a couple of times.   

Lupoli 8 - Simply too hot for Brum;  offered himself to team and moved across the line highlighting the lack of pace in the brum central partnership.  Unsure why subbed but can only assume he remains unfit.

Rusty - effort 9,  impact 6.   Worked his socks off but it simply is not his thing,  he can do it of sorts but his goal was what he is,  an attacking midfielder,  joining the attack rather than being it.   Deserves his chance  partnering either Clingan or Fozzy.

Subs

Cureton 5 He came on and our chances of winning left;  free header from Crofts cross but again failed to hit the target.

Croft 6  Added verve/energy going forward and worried the full back,  but his consistency at failing to deliver a final ball of quality remains astounding.  Did give Curo a peach.

  

[sam 0]

Marshall 7 - Was in control today and made a very good save at the end from Phillips, only one mistake in the second half when he punched from a corner instead of catching it, but he knew that he had made the mistake, otherwise faultless

Otsemobor 7 - Not a big fan of his but was quite impressed today, i knew he had pace and i think playing him in midfeild on the right might not be such a bad thing

Kennedy 6 - Was a bit shaky today, didn''t look as compossed as usual

Stefanovic 8 - Defensively he was brilliant, cleaned up everything, but his distribution and passing is terrible

Bertrand 7 - Got forward well and  linked up well with the midfeild, his final ball could be better IMO

Pattison 6 - Steady if unspectacular

Fotheringham 4 - Do i need to say anything?? Shocking, get that armband off him and get him off the pitch, Russell and Clingan have to start in the middle of the park

Clingan 7 - Has been very tidy every game so far, cleans up well and is a solid passer, gets stuck in, good signing

Hoolahan 6 - A bit of a mixed bag, his passing is undoubetbly very good, but tends to hold the ball for too long

Russell 7 - Worked his socks off, like Pattison in an unfamiliar position is doing a sound job, took his goal well also

Lupoli 7 - Needs to stay on his feet more and strenghten up, but his ball skills and dribbling and crossing make him a very good prospect for the rest of the year when he is fully fit

Croft made some good runs but no end product AGAIN and is clumsy when coming back.

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

Not going to go down the full list, imo pretty-much everyone had a good game - largely as has been the case for most games so far; we really aren''t geting what we deserve from these games and I hope it doesn''t come back to haunt us later on.

I say pretty-much everyone had a good game, but have to exclude Fozzie, who just seemed to be the weak link, passes weren''t up to it, challenges ditto.  For me when we get the new guy up front, it should be Rusty and Clingan in the middle.  Bertrand had a good game, but the free kick he gave away for their goal was soft and unnecessary. 

 

[Yellowfuture 71]

Great save at the end from Marshall but a very dodgy punch rather than take in the second half. Still not completely convinced.

First game I`ve seen this season, Clingon looked really good to me, provided midfield strength that we missed last year but always tended to look to go back.

Overall I was amazed at how good we looked, quality passing, moving, a joy to watch, best I`ve seen at CR for ages.

OK we need a striker but after having seen the lads play I feel a lot happier than I did having read a lot of the stuff on here. 

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

To be perfectly honest, future, we have been playing well all season, it is just that a lot of people have seemed to be unwilling to admit to it; we haven''t been getting the results our play has deserved, and I just hope we don''t regret it too much later in the season.  You do have to say that if we continue playing as we are, someone is going to get stuffed very soon.

[Mr. Bump 0]

It''s Stefanovic not Stefanovich

[ZLF 274]

[quote user="Branston Pickle"]To be perfectly honest, future, we have been playing well all season, it is just that a lot of people have seemed to be unwilling to admit to it; we haven''t been getting the results our play has deserved, and I just hope we don''t regret it too much later in the season.  You do have to say that if we continue playing as we are, someone is going to get stuffed very soon.[/quote]

We have been playing well without creating or taking enough chances to win the game;  and that means we remain a flawed team at present although one that can, I believe,  can quite easily be converted into a good play off pushing side. We do need to win games and just getting ahead in one of them would be a start.  Intricate football is all well and good but we must have a cutting edge.

We had similar we will stuff someone soon cries last year,  and we did (colchester I think) but one of those a season is not enough. 4 games played that we should have won yet still to take the lead is worrying.

Today was the best we have played for some time,  and that is really encouraging, and needs to built upon over the next 48 hours. 

[ellis206 0]

I''m thinking I watched a different games to you guys today, I though Curo did well when he came on, for some reason we started to play a lot of long ball in the second half, and obviously it just came right back at us, but I thought Curo ran his heart out, won us a couple of corners from lost causes, and to the guy who said he missed a free header from Croftys cross, did you not see that giant Martin Taylor on his back? Did well to get that header off, First half it was an absolute joy to watch Norwich its the best I''ve seen us play in many many years, and if we of had that striker we would have scored a few today, just goes to show how important that striker is! The ref was awful, should of had at least one penalty in that first half, and a couple of corners! But many positives to take out of the game, oh and it was great to see a centre back (Stefanovic) spraying out 40 yard passes to the feet of our widemen, we haven''t had a defender with the capability to do that in about 10 years!

[Robert N. LiM 4,347]

The most enjoyable game for many a year and signs that this season might actually be fun. Great to see the boys pinging the ball around. The first half especially was a superb performance: Birmingham pulled their socks up considerably after half time, but other than the two moments of madness in the last minute, I thought we had them pretty well under control.I agree with most of the ratings: a few comments:Lupoli was blowing out of his * after about 35 minutes - he had to come off. Looked very good in the time he was on, though.Have to add to the general worship of Stefanovic - how fantastic to see someone so composed at the back. Kennedy not quite so impressive, but both better than Taylor, interestingly.Bertrand was excellent, obviously, but his foul for the free-kick which led to the goal was very very foolish - deserves to lose points for that.There''s only two Gary Holts. Starboard looks like an excellent signing. Fozzy must be concerned for his place once Russell is available for selection in midfield.Anyone who thought Hoolahan couldn''t replace Huckerby obviously didn''t see him coming in off the left to utterly disrupt the shape of the team and leave no defensive cover for the left back...What does anyone see in Croft?Poor old Jamie.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]

What does anyone see in Croft?


[/quote]

He gives you an outlet, he runs with the ball and drives at defenders and if things aren''t going well for him he still keeps trying. I know his end product isn''t always the best but I think having someone in your team who can run with the ball at their feet is more important than people realise. He''s a good footballer, in my opinion.

[Nuff Said 5,141]

[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]What does anyone see in Croft?

[/quote]

He gives you an outlet, he runs with the ball and drives at defenders and if things aren''t going well for him he still keeps trying. I know his end product isn''t always the best but I think having someone in your team who can run with the ball at their feet is more important than people realise. He''s a good footballer, in my opinion.

[/quote]I agree and the fact that other clubs were rumoured to have made us offers for him over the summer would suggest other people think so too.

[Robert N. LiM 4,347]

I find him incredibly frustrating, because the thing he is lacking - the ability to cross a ball - is surely the easiest part of his game to improve? He''s got decent pace, which you can''t coach, and runs well with the ball, but surely his crossing should have improved by now through constant practice. I agree that he looks like a good player when he''s running at defenders, but I wonder what he actually gives us in terms of creating chances that get us points. Add that to the fact that he can''t shoot to save his life, and he begins to look like a luxury. He''s certainly nothing more than a sub at the moment.I would also agree that he is a tryer - I really like his attitude. I would love him to succeed. Let''s hope that the increased competition for places that  we have on his side this season will help him get better.

[kdncfc 0]

[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]

What does anyone see in Croft?


[/quote]

He gives you an outlet, he runs with the ball and drives at defenders and if things aren''t going well for him he still keeps trying. I know his end product isn''t always the best but I think having someone in your team who can run with the ball at their feet is more important than people realise. He''s a good footballer, in my opinion.

[/quote]I think you are being kind to him there, it''s very rare for him to have an end product. When Bell is fit he''ll spend most of the time on the bench.

[Beauseant 0]

Just got back from the game (long story) and generally agree with much of what''s been said.Surprised at some of the low marks for Kennedy as I thought he was pretty sound,although it worries me when he steps out of defence with the ball.The incident about halfway through the first half where he played a ball into midfield at least 10 yards away from the nearest City player,luckily had it knocked back to him and then played a pass some 20 yards behind Berty was bizarre.Stefanovic was different class and Semmy had one of his better games.

Lupoli was special until his boiler blew and is clearly capable of much more.I thought he caused the much worshipped Taylor a lot of problems.Rusty ran his heart out,Clingan was Mr Dependable as usual and Fozzy was Fozzy.Hoolahan worked really hard and did some great things but four times in the second half alone he got us committing men forward,took a man on and lost it.Berty and Patty did ok,and Marshall was magnificent in the one on one with Phillips,and generally commanded his area well.Ultimately we made  a very good side look very ordinary for long periods,although how we managed to allow our corner to turn into a 2 v 1 at our end for Phillips'' chance is a mystery.Well,actually it isn''t because Phillips started his run from just outside their box and no one tracked him.

Next couple of days will be interesting.I reckon a loanee up front with Iversen here in January.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="kdncfc"][quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]

What does anyone see in Croft?


[/quote]

He gives you an outlet, he runs with the ball and drives at defenders and if things aren''t going well for him he still keeps trying. I know his end product isn''t always the best but I think having someone in your team who can run with the ball at their feet is more important than people realise. He''s a good footballer, in my opinion.

[/quote]I think you are being kind to him there, it''s very rare for him to have an end product. When Bell is fit he''ll spend most of the time on the bench.[/quote]

No, I''m not being kind at all. He''s a good player.

As for David Bell....we''ll have to wait and see if he is actually any better at playing on the right wing than Lee Croft.

[Buncey 1]

I''ll throw my hat into the ring:Marshall - 9 - Superb. Great saves, was top notch at corners too. He made the box his, and a team very dangerous from set pieces got one chance in the air, and scored (tpyically) which he could do nothing about. His save late on kept us a point, and a punch he did just before that nearly saw us score at the other end. His kicking was superb today, some of the best I''ve seen him do and it really helped russell up frontSemmy - 7 - If it weren''t for him switching off at the free-kick they scored from and switching off again a bit in the second half he probably would have been my MOTM. Of course they are big if''s and he still has a way to go, but in the first 30 minutes of the match he was superb and kept owusu-abeyie (a quality young lad) completely quiet, and then later McFadden.Dejan - 9 - Just superb. Positioning, movement, his reading of the game, his strength all top notch. Who ever said he was a slow-coach was obviously wrong. He continually out-paced both phillips and mcfadden. His passing was great, and he really looked to dictate the game. It was great to see the game run by the four defenders yesterday, and they all did well but Dejan was the king of them all. And although he tired in the second half he was supreme and kept Brum to nothing all game. Kennedy - 8 - It would be 9 if it wern''t for the times he switched off, particularly late on and in the last 10 minutes of the first half. He looked very good alongside Dejan and looks like a top quality player. At times he''s a bit on roller-skates but this guy has a lot of talent and I think we should really try and sign this lad. What I enjoyed most about his performance was his willingness to stop the play infront of the front line. With the midfield swarming he was able to cut off so much to the Birmingham strikers.Betrand - 9 Motm - It was a toughie to call a man of the match but I''d give it to Ryan. He was great (as usual). He made Larsson (in my eyes Brum danger player) completely silent. He tackled, he ran and he did everything. Even when Brum tried to unsettle him physically in the air he dealt with everything with such ease. He got forward well and linked well with hoolahan, all importantly over-lapping time and again. A lot of our best plays came down the left when he had the confidence to run with the ball and get involved. This guy is destined for big things.Clingan - 8 - Wonderful. I know I''m singing the players praises a lot but this guy deserves it. Birmingham was just swarmed in the midfield yesterday and this guy was a big part of the reason why. They got no time in the midfield yesterday and he continually frustrated them with his hard tackling, great work rate and his continual ability to read the danger before it aroused. Fozzy - 6 - Probably the weakest player in yellow yesterday. He was good though. Tackled and never stopped motoring. He played good passes as well, but he didn''t have the dynamic effect further up the pitch that could have swung it, but that imo was because he was playing against top-half quality prem player Lee Carsley.Pattison - 6.5 - Against B''pool I was hyped critical of him and of roeder''s tactics but this week it came right. No longer was the play held up by him or lost compeltely, he caused the Brum defence a host of problems. Semmy really helped him out by over-lapping and he did a solid job defensively.Hoolahan - 6 - He is a great player hoolahan but I think yesterday at time it didn''t come off for him. He gave the ball away really frustratingly at times. And you were left thinking half the time that he could have done so much moreRussell - 5 - (But it''s not his fault honestly) Harsh yes, but really he didn''t do a great lot. Hustle and bustle but he struggled against Taylor and Ridgewell without ever really toubling them. He got his goal from a good run into position but too often he showed us why he''s a midfielder and not a striker. His touch was out, he couldn''t control the ball in the air and made runs that hampered the flow of our attack. Maybe I''m hyper-critical but russell playing upfront isn''t going to win us games, and with the great work he put in defensively I would expect him to start in midfield.Lupoli - 8 - Great runs. He really really ran the channels well, Taylor hated every second of the italian running rings around him and he showed great vision and touch. This guy looked a much matured player than his years and a world apart from the ghost we saw against B''pool. Although he didn''t physically dominate with his strength he showed you don''t have to be big and strong to get about and cause defenders problems. He tired though and it was a shame he went off, because it did feel that we lost a lot upfront when he went off.Subs:Cureton - 5 - The game was stretching and unfortunately the service he wanted started to wane. He didn''t do enough to get the ball, and didn''t cause Brum anywhere near the same problems Lupoli didCroft - 5 - Doesn''t give a great deal of that magial end product. Yeah, he beat the defender a lot. He caused problems. But he never once got a decent cross in. It is very frustrating and there''s nothing else to say. Learn to cross Crofty otherwise I can''t see you getting off the bench when Bell gets back.Overall this was one of the best performances we''ve seen at CR in a long time. Defensively we were the best we''ve been in ages and the players themselves looked to have more believe. After 10 minutes we had dominated the opening plays and the players gained and gained in confidence. They realised they could beat this team. And it helped. The midfield put in more effort than I''ve ever seen them individually do. And as a team we worked so much better together. There was triangles, link up play and collective defending that helped make Brum look average when in reality they look like one of the best ccc teams in a long while.

[Faraway KAB 0]

My observations:

Marshall 8 - didn''t have much to do, but did it very well. The save from Phillips was fantastic, like seeing Greeno with tidier hair.

Bertrand 8 - worked very hard, won an awful lot in the air and got forward well.

Stefanovic 9 - pure class and never broke sweat. I have no idea why he isn''t captain.

Kennedy 8 - looked strong and assured. I''m not convinced Taylor is any better than Big John.

Otsemobor 6 - did OK defensively but offered nothing much going forward. Surely he could use his pace better than this.

Hoolahan 5 - I can''t agree with some of the praise for Wesley. There were some great touches, but he gave the ball away cheaply far too often.

Fotheringham 5 - just didn''t do much all game and looked distinctly second best next to Clingan.

Clingan 8 - very solid performance, did all the simple things right and made a proper nuisance of himself in the middle of the park

Pattison 7 - worked hard but this isn''t his position. The 7 is as much for a great attitude as anything else.

Russell 7 - again worked hard, but just isn''t a striker. That said he did score again and won some great flick ons.

Lupoli 8 - looked a real threat and will only get better as his fitness improves. Victimised by the ref from minute one.

Subs:

Cureton 3 - just hopeless. A player like Jamie needs pace to be effective and he hasn''t got it. Surely he won''t feature once Lupoli is fully fit. A great shame as he loves the club, but he just doesn''t look like scoring.

Croft 5 - vintage Crofty - bags of enthusiasm, got into some great positions, no end product whatsoever.

 

Overall as others have said a very encouraging performance, that underlined just how much we need a striker.The big test for me will be whether Roeder has the balls to drop his captain, as surely our best centre midfield is Clingan and Russell. Maybe he could solve the dilemma by making Stefanovic captain?