Player Ratings

[Morisons Prozac 0]

Forster - 7 Was rarely needed put pulled off a good save in the first half to deny Huddersfield the lead.

R Martin - 5 Was very poor defencively and ineffective going forward.

Nelson - 6 Had a very poor first half but redeemed himself in the second with a solid display, barely letting their strikers through on goal.

Doherty - 8 Just missed out on MOM for me, made up for Askou''s absence and a decent strike for the goal.

Drury - 6 Average display, not much to say.

Adyemi - 5 Well out of his depth for the whoole first half, good move by Lambert for subbing him.

Russell - 9 MOM. Quality display proving himself to be the best defnsive midfielder in the league.

Lappin - 7 Good distrubution and set pieces accuratly placed.

Hoolahan - 8 Was allowed more spae in this game and did what he does best with scoring and setting one up.

C Matin - 7 Should''ve had a hat-trick but played well none-the-less, placing himself in good positions.

Holt - 6 Fair display. Was everywhere as usual but didn''t see him have a shot on goal.

Hughes - 8 Changes the game when he came on and put through some very good passes and barely losing possession.

[Jimmy Bone - Superstar 2]

I thought that Holt was unusually quiet today. He didn''t sweem to put himself about as much as usual and had very little effect in the box. Having said that, I think after the season that he has had, he is allowed the odd quiet game.

[I am a Banana 0]

Forster - 7 Was rarely needed put pulled off a good save in the first half to deny Huddersfield the lead.

R Martin - 5 Was very poor defencively and ineffective going forward.

Nelson - 6 Had a very poor first half but redeemed himself in the second with a solid display, barely letting their strikers through on goal.

Doherty - 8 Just missed out on MOM for me, made up for Askou''s absence and a decent strike for the goal.

Drury - 6 Average display, not much to say.

Adyemi - 5 Well out of his depth for the whoole first half, good move by Lambert for subbing him.

Russell - 9 MOM. Quality display proving himself to be the best defnsive midfielder in the league.

Lappin - 7 Good distrubution and set pieces accuratly placed.

Hoolahan - 8 Was allowed more spae in this game and did what he does best with scoring and setting one up.

C Matin - 7 Should''ve had a hat-trick but played well none-the-less, placing himself in good positions.

Holt - 6 Fair display. Was everywhere as usual but didn''t see him have a shot on goal.

Hughes - 8 Changes the game when he came on and put through some very good passes and barely losing possession

 

Think this a fair, and agree with holts rating, thought he did his normal running but never really created or had a shot.

Hoolahan was awesome in the 2nd have and would have won MOTM if he had a full game like that, but rusell was top class all game!

Lappin was good and did loads of work, looks like he could have been useful in seasons gone passed when he was not mentioned[;)]

 

Feel that we missed korey smith, but hughes covered very well, think that lambert just needs a new cb in case we do lose askou or the doc(from injury) because i just dont feel too confident with nelson at the back![;)]

[Mister Chops 7]

I thought Russell Martin deserved better than a 5, they spent a lot of time trying aerial bombardment to the RB area and he coped with that quite well.  Looked hesitant getting forward though, I agree there.Adeyemi was very disappointing, in the early season and pre-season games he looked like a class act but today he was a yard off the pace and didn''t play anywhere like his best.  He''s more talented than Korey Smith but perhaps Smith just wants it more... as anyone watching Strictly Come Dancing tonight will understand.

[Mr_Chimp 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Bone - Superstar"]I thought that Holt was unusually quiet today. He didn''t sweem to put himself about as much as usual and had very little effect in the box. Having said that, I think after the season that he has had, he is allowed the odd quiet game.[/quote]Thought Holt did a fantastic, unselfish job today.  His movement made the room that allowed Wes and Chrissy Martin space to marauder and get their rewards.  Proper captains performance.

[Mr_Chimp 0]

[quote user="Mister Chops"]I thought Russell Martin deserved better than a 5, they spent a lot of time trying aerial bombardment to the RB area and he coped with that quite well.  Looked hesitant getting forward though, I agree there.Adeyemi was very disappointing, in the early season and pre-season games he looked like a class act but today he was a yard off the pace and didn''t play anywhere like his best.  He''s more talented than Korey Smith but perhaps Smith just wants it more... as anyone watching Strictly Come Dancing tonight will understand.[/quote]I think RM was just using his head, and more than likely following instructions.  Hudd were always going to be a danger down the wings, and diving forward to leave Doc and Nelson to clear up was going to end in disaster.Unusual that you rate Adeyemi more than Smith, though, Smith seems to be a underrated lynchpin of this side.

[nutty nigel 7,902]

[quote user="Mister Chops"]
Adeyemi was very disappointing, in the early season and pre-season games he looked like a class act but today he was a yard off the pace and didn''t play anywhere like his best.  He''s more talented than Korey Smith but perhaps Smith just wants it more... as anyone watching Strictly Come Dancing tonight will understand.
[/quote]

I didn''t go today Mister but those I have spoken to agree with you about Tom Adeyemi. But to be fair to the youngster apparently he had played well at Southampton on Tuesday and he is a little bit behind Korey Smith having only signed a pro contract last November. I''m a huge fan of both of them.

 

[Chopper Harris 0]

Forster - 6 Not much to do reallyR Martin - 5 generally ok, but one bad mistake which should have led to a Huddesfield goalNelson - 6 got better in the second half. doesn''t fill me with confidence thoughDoherty - 8 Excellent. won every header, distribution good, a rock at the backDrury - 6 solid display, works well with LappinRussell - 9 won every ball, good distribution, ran well with the ball. started every City move. Seemed to have more space and time than every other playerLappin - 6 another solid performanceAdyemi - 4 Just didn''t get into the game. Good call to take him off at half timeHoolahan - 8 had to work to get space, but he is the one player who can make things happen. He has that bit of magic nobody else does. Great individual goal and what a pass to Martin for the secondHolt - 6 Battled well without much to show for it. Came deeper and wider to try to get away from his markers. The fact that he usually had 2 defenders around him gave wes and chris Martin more spaceC Martin - 7 How did he miss that chance early in the second half! apart from that had a very good game. always involved, made a couple of good chances for himself a took his goal wellHughes - 6 Did well when he came on, but was more solid than spectacular

[ZLF 335]

A real game of two halfs;  midfield was anonymous in the first half, sitting too deep giving them the ability to move the ball well, which they did.  It starved our front players of the ball, with Lappin and Russell incredibly wasteful with  their passing, easily conceeding possession back and so we offered nothing up front with Holt much quieter and ineffective today. 

At the back Nelsonitis affected the whole back 4 making them look shaky and stretching doc as he tried to second guess when the next blunder was coming. Despite that their awesome attack still onl musterered 3 good chances and its says much that I did feel that Forster would come out on top - he made sure we had a chance to show what we could do in the second half.  With the first half being so insipid I cant give any player a 9 - and our central midfield was completely bossed so no one from there can get the MOTM for me.

Second half started and it was clear the MOTM award was really won by the manager in those 15 mins,  great team talk and an inspired substitution moved us forward and we deservedly won the second half with Wes and Hughes inspiring a superb 45 minutes of attacking football with only one team in it. 

Forster - 8 My MOTM - as the only player to show realy qaulity for 90 mins;  controlled his box and stood tall for a couple of crucial blocks. Exactly what we needed from him today

R Martin - 5 They dod put him under a lot of pressure but he did not deal with it well, caught in posession and hustled off the ball, imporved second half though

Nelson - 4 Had a very poor first half spreading uncertaintly amongst his colleagues. Not have so much to do second half as the midfield finally showed up /got over their mulled wine and so made fewer mistakes.

Doherty - 7 Show me a better centre half in this league.  Despite being stretched in the first half was solid and strong.

Drury - 6 Not up to his recent form,  not get forward as much and like Martin was closed down effectively and made hurried mistakes in the first half. 

Adyemi - 4 Not a surprise he went off - not that he did anything wrong as such but was weak when he did show but was mainly simply too anonymous; just not enough energy for a midfielder in a diamond.

Russell - 7 Like his colleagues was lethargic in the first half,  far too deep around teh edge of is own box, seemed to look over run so was static as unsure where to go - but he was the best of a poor bunch.  As such I dont agree that he was MOTM. He really benefitted from the energy and shift 20 yards forward that Hughes brought - which made Rustys job far easier as the and players were ahead of him and with space between him and the back 4 when he did finally ast as that shield.

Lappin - 6 Thought he was weak and poor first half,  rarely found any of his colleagues;  improved.

Hoolahan - 7  Did not see the ball first half and so had no impact - so lost motm for that reason;  completed dominated the second half and while the keeper should have done better with his shot his display deserved a goal - a 9+ performance second half 

C Matin - 6 Suffered with the other striker swith lack of service;  woeful miss but made up with it with the second and wrongly had a goal disallowed.  Excellent movement and interplay withhis strike partners shows he is a key element of the attacking line up. 

Holt - 5 Worked himself to the ground as usual but was ineffective today,  had chances,  did not take them or look like scoring;  I assume its an off day rather than an inability against better defenders?

Hughes - 8 Showed enormous energy that the whole midfield missed in the first half  and defended much higher up the pitch changed teh dynamic of the game and put the focus on our attack and not our defence and crucially showed the other midfielders how to keep the ball.

[Robert N. LiM 6,301]

Think you''re pretty harsh on  Darel Russell, ZLF. Maybe his passing could have been better first half, but I saw him working really hard to close ''Uddersfield down when we were under the cosh in the first half. I thought he was instrumental in us going in still at 0-0.I thought the Lapp really got it going in the second half, too. Excellent challenge in midfield to set up Wes''s goal. He''s doing a good job for us in this league.Rusty MOM for me, with Hoolahan just behind him. He was a joy to watch in the second half.

[Robert N. LiM 6,301]

Oh, and I''m not sure Lambert can be given much credit for bringing Hughes on at half time. Why on earth didn''t he start with him? Adeyemi clearly has much promise, but hughes offers so m uch more in terms of passing ability. At least Lambert put it right at the break.

[Old Boy 0]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]Oh, and I''m not sure Lambert can be given much credit for bringing Hughes on at half time. Why on earth didn''t he start with him? Adeyemi clearly has much promise, but hughes offers so m uch more in terms of passing ability. At least Lambert put it right at the break.[/quote]I agree with your opinion of Hughes, but I think Lambert''s trying to give Hughes a wake-up call. He''s remarked before on Hughes''s fitness. When Smith comes back, Lambert will have better ammunition to do that than he has with just Adeyemi as an option.

[ZLF 335]

Didnt Hughes have a couple of anonymous appearances, and Adeyemi did well at Soton so I can see why he started.

As I said,  Russell was the best of the midfielders in the first half but we were completely outplayed and over run particularly in midfield.  Russell seemed slow to react (hence lethargic) but have not suggested he did not work hard - one passage of play I recall see him working very hard across the 18 yard line but always chasing shadows - like the dog chasing the ball in the park,  working hard but not as effective as he was in the second half. He was far from alone in that.  Second half he was far better - but again so were the rest of the team.

That we were over run, and we in another game we could have come out in the second half a goal down, in midfield was down to the midfield 3, not just one of them, not performing as they have been all season.  As I said on another thread, in the first half only Forster and Doc came out of the first half with any credit;  the rest were below par.