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Thread: Player Ratings - Mansfield at home

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    30,594

    Player Ratings - Mansfield at home

    A very winnable game against a technically poor Mansfield side that saw two points dropped, largely (in my opinion) due to team selection.

    It makes no sense to me to have the best two finishers at the club on the bench (Miller & Kennedy) when they started and were involved in both goals midweek. If Kennedy was fit enough to start on Tuesday he was fit enough to start today. Miller is the currently the best forward we have at the club, and he's reasonably in form - to not start him is idiocy.

    Also we have a young international goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet midweek, and a player whose consistent mistakes continue to cost us points - which player started?

    Anyway, yes - the referee did not have the best of games, he allowed himself to be swayed by the Mansfield players and technical area - which is always a danger when you play a Steve Evans side, however - you can't blame the referee for the poor quality of our finishing and another total howler from the goalkeeper which cost us the win - with Miller on from the start and George in goal - we'd have had a better chance of winning the game...

    Bonham - 5 - Some decent saves first half, but you just knew the mistake was inevitably coming. His distribution was again - poor. Indeed he saved the penalty, but I'm not being churlish by pointing out it was a poorly taken spot-kick - placed to his right, at the perfect height for him to reach - but he gains an extra mark. Horrific mistake for the goal on top of some appalling flappery. tThere's no need to come charging off your line like a honey-nut loop every time a cross comes into the box (especially when you can't punch the ball) - let your centre-backs deal with balls at the edge of the box, that's what they're there for.

    Miller - 7 - Solid, got forward well, some decent throw-ins - looked comfortable.

    Grainger - 3 - Captain? His body language in that second half was disgraceful - he looked like a beaten man, trudging around with diver's boots on. As captain, shouldn't you be trying to urge your team mates forward and inspire them? When Parkes returns, I'd give him the captaincy.

    Ellis - 7* - Excellent defensive effort again - and he brought the best out of Liddle. Brings home Curle's stupidity in loaning him out last season, if he'd kept Ellis at the club we'd have been playing in tier three now.

    Liddle - 6 - The best I've seen him play, in spite of some awful distribution and trademark powder-puffery. I can actually remember him winning a header, making a successful tackle and getting his body in the way of the ball - all in the same match - I can almost hear a heavenly choir singing...

    Joyce - 7 - Unbelievable decision to drop him last week, arguably our most consistent performer this season - works really well with Jones in midfield giving us an effective defensive platform at this level.

    Jones - 7 - Not quite firing on all cylinders yet, but still - some really fantastic dogged ball winning, retention and hard work...

    Lambe - 5 - Anonymous for long periods of play, not his best game.

    Adams - 5 - Looks a bit rusty and out of form - I suspect he's been sitting too much on the bench - we know there's more to come from him...

    Hope - 6 - It was definitely a situation suited to a Hope type of player this afternoon - and he took his goal really well. It's a shame he doesn't have a football brain and lacks a bit of technique because he's got pace to burn - if only he could show more of the composure he showed when scoring this afternoon - we'd have a footballer on our hands.

    Bennett - 2 - In the pocket of the Mansfield defenders all afternoon, barely looks Conference standard let alone League standard. I'm struggling to see justification for picking him this afternoon after his truly terrible display at Lincoln, maybe it was all about his size? Anyway, we won on Tuesday starting Hope and Miller upfront (a partnership with pace and intelligent movement) why not start them together today? No they're not the biggest, but they can cause lumbering defenders a whole host of different problems - as long as you don't lump it forward for them in the air...

    I still think there's a player in Bennett, but he hasn't yet done enough to automatically wear the shirt every week. He needs to be demoted to the bench and really made to earn the right to play by proving he's good enough - at the minute it looks too big a step up in class for him (but that's understandable)

    Subs

    Miller - 6 - Showed more technical ability and was more of goal threat in ten minutes than Bennett did in eighty. Deserves a run of starts.

    Kennedy - 6 - We immediately looked a better side as soon as he came on. Needs to play from the start.

    Cosgrove - 5 - I'm still not convinced, although in fairness he wasn't given much to work with. However, I'd give him an opportunity ahead of Bennett...
    Last edited by Piglet_Phoenix; 02-09-2017 at 11:22 PM.

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