Luton at Home - Player Ratings

[N]ur die Höllenfahrt des Selbsterkenntnisses bahnt den Weg zur Vergötterung...

As I said last week, there was absolutely no point yesterday playing loan players or dinosaurs like JCR or Hill, we should’ve been looking forward to next season. And a game against a competent side like Luton was an ideal opportunity for young players and our own squad players to gain some experience and to show what they could do in advance of the next pre-season. What did we learn from yesterday?

As it was, Curle’s approach was more attacking and forward thinking than usual and this brought its own rewards. When you actually try and win the game from the start it makes a huge difference. However, we still lacked the quality to create very much for our forwards and what we did create we weren’t good enough to convert. Both teams were punished with a goal for making basic defensive mistakes and the fact Luton did not have to win perhaps saved us a defeat, maybe the extra pressure on them told, who can say? However, you could see why they’ve been promoted – even when not at their best they were organised, strong, big and physically fit and their side was filled with pace. We did well to match them, it has to be said, however this kind of performance has been the exception rather than the rule – and it’s another home game without a win.

In the last 34 home games (since the start of 2017) we’ve only managed 9 wins, that’s a win percentage of 26.5%. In the division this season only two teams (Morecambe – who we failed to beat in both attempts – and who have played a home game less, and Grimsby) have won fewer games than we have at home. This level of failure and incompetence should no longer be tolerated. We’re entering a cycle of decline – with these kind of statistics we aren’t going to encourage any supporters back through the gates resulting in less resources for a manager who has already blown a very generous budget. Things need to change and they need to change now.

Bonham – 5 – In fairness to Bonham this was one of his better games. His distribution was acceptable and he made two excellent saves in one on one situations by making himself big. However, ultimately his mistake cost us another goal and another two points. Remember the goal he flogged against Colchester? Well this was more of the same, only worse. We would’ve been disappointed if he had not managed to get a hand on the initial shot, but when you get a deliberate hand on the ball you either have to send it laterally along the goal line or send it behind for a corner. What you shouldn’t be doing is sending the ball back into the danger area in the middle of the penalty box – an this failure to do schoolboy basics properly cost us another game. Maybe our goalkeeping coach should be trying to teach him these basics instead of filling his head with the utter nonsense he’s a “Championship standard” goalkeeper. It’s been a disaster of a season for him and I’ll be glad to see the back of him, in honesty – we really need to be giving Bacon an opportunity in our final games of the season.

Brown – 6 – He’s achieved pretty much all he can at Brunton Park in a poor team with an abysmal coaching set up and failed manager. He needs to step up a level to test himself and I’m sure he’ll get the opportunity. He can go back to Millwall with his head held high having proved himself at tier four level. With some genuine coaching and experience at a more technically proficient level I’m sure he can have a successful career. Right now, however, his development is at a standstill – he has nothing to gain by staying here and we have nothing to gain by playing him. Yesterday he was perfectly adequate as a right-back.

Grainger – 4 – He can take a penalty, that’s for sure, but his crossing was awful and his passing extremely average. I actually prefer Parkes as a left-back (even although he’s not a proper left-back) because at least he can defend a bit and his techinal quality is half decent. Left back is one of the positions I’d be looking to strengthen for next term as Grainger is effectively finished as a professional at this level. He could probably do a great job for a Conference side, the way Tom Cowan did for us.

Ellis – 6 – Effective again defensively and his technical limitations were only briefly exposed. In a game which becomes a battle, Ellis will always prove an asset. He definitely deserves to stay next season, although hand on heart I’d be looking for a central defender with a little more pace and a touch more technical quality.

Hill – 6 – Again working well with Ellis, but I wonder if he has the fitness to successfully navigate another pre-season. His influence on the pitch and in the defence has been undeniable however, and if he’s looking to get into management or at least coaching, we could probably do worse.

Joyce – 4 – When we was involved he was influential but was hiding for large passages of play. He really needed to get closer to Jones to give him a little assistance in the holding midfield role. When Joyce and Jones truly worked as a unit they looked as effective as anything you would see at this level, but it’s not working currently they look ragged, disorganised and Joyce looks jaded and dull.

Jones – 5 – Scampering around like a demented terrier but his passing was horrible and he was easily brushed aside (again) by bigger and stronger players in midfield. It’s not working for us in the middle of the pitch, it’s a chaotic shambles frankly. I’m still waiting for the real Mike Jones to stand up, maybe in a better midfield he’d look a better player – but you could conceivably argue this about any of our midfielders...

Devitt – 2 – Quick feet, crazy hair, but absolutely zero end product - again. His passing was awful, crossing hopeless, shooting laughable, attempts at tackling lamentable and he wasn’t even able to foul successfully on numerous occasions. Just what does Devitt, in his current role, bring to the party? He doesn’t create anything, he doesn’t help out defensively. As a central creative / attacking midfielder his performances have been nowhere near an acceptable standard.

Campbell-Ryce – 6* - A player with a little skill who can actually pass the football and looked on the verge of creating something before immediately being substituted. His chronic lack of pace means he has to fool defenders three or four times before making himself a little space – but it’s kind of fun to watch him do this, at least more fun than watching the shower of ineptitude chasing shadows around him. He shouldn’t be here next season however, we need younger, fitter players.

Bennett – 5 – Won everything in the air and his flick-ons to Nadesan were impressive. However with the ball at his feet on the ground I was embarrassed for him. Do we practice ball control and dribbling – or are we just making him head the football all the time on the training pitch? I feel a good amount of sympathy for our strikers, we give them so little service in the box – but Bennett really needs to be cleverer on the football.

Nadesan – 4 – Again, we failed spectacularly to play to Nadesan’s strengths. We’re asking him to pick the ball up, beat five defenders and smash to ball home – it’s never going to work. The midfield weren’t close enough to our forwards and we’re so creatively bereft it’s painful. Nadesan’s another one who won’t be here next season, what would we have to lose by playing one of the youth team forwards?

Subs:

O’Sullivan – 0 – Do nothing, have no influence, get zero out of ten, easy.

Miller – 3 – Rusty and behind the pace of the game. Good to see him back however and hopefully we can rehabilitate him before next season.

Twardek – 1 – We’ve ruined him. Desperately needs to get back to a decent coaching set up to get his career back on track.