Stevenage Away - Player Ratings

[Piglet_Phoenix]

So we’re well into Curle’s fourth year at the club and this type of abject performance says it all.

Playing five at the back is understandable when you’re a struggling tier four side and you’re playing higher division opposition in the FA Cup. But for playing teams in the fourth division? No. It’s completely unnecessary.

Stevenage, for all their annoying Pikey antics and horrible tactics were absolutely our equal – and that’s a horrible thought. Our tactical approach is agricultural in the extreme, we play long ball cr_p, frankly. Enough is enough. This is not 1989, the way to win football matches is by passing the ball to your own team mates not just aimlessly kicking it forward as quickly as possible.

We lack quality all over the pitch but have found a way to struggle through games with an ultra-defensive approach. Play seven defensive players (not including Bonham), two big strikers and one “playmaker”. Is this approach the only way we can keep clean sheets? Are none of our defenders good enough to play in a flat back four? Or do we need to play an extra central defender as Clint Hill is an old man and can no longer run? It seems incomprehensible, when we’re clearly lacking quality all over the pitch, we are being so sluggish in the transfer market. Chasing a striker from a higher division club when some of the wealthier clubs in the division were after him? We’re a laughing stock.

Bonham – 6 – Solid and no mistakes again, although his use of the football was again questionable. Was given excellent protection by our back seven. One way to ensure the Conference standard goalkeeper doesn’t make any howlers – is to make sure he has to make no saves. I’m not sure whether he was wasting time before hoofing the ball forward all game or whether he was just being a big numb nuts. How can you not give him credit for his recent clean sheets? However, is it the way we’ve set up tactically which is more responsible?

Brown – 6 – Worked his touchline manfully, however he’s a far better right-back when he’s asked not to be a wing-back. Playing this role in meaningful games won’t hurt his development any, however we’re not playing to his (or our) strengths. A back four is required.

Grainger – 6 – I don’t mind Grainger, as much, further forward (it’s the opposite of Brown). While he’s not in a defensive position, he’s less of a liability and his strengths are all about his left boot. Decent effort from a free-kick and some good effort overall. That being said, he’s not as effective as a proper left-sided midfield player would be.

Liddle – 6 – Liddle actually made a proper defender’s tackle today, possibly his second – in twelve months. Some decent defending in and around our penalty area as well. However, I’m still not sure if he’s strong enough or clever enough to cope in a back four. Playing alongside Hill and Parkes gives him the confidence to commit defensively, when that cover isn’t there – he sh!ts himself, typically. If he could imagine he was playing in a back five every game, maybe he’d become a defender.

Hill – 5 – We have to sacrifice too much as a team to fit Hill in there when his contribution is this ordinary. Yes, he gives us an extra line of insurance (and the other defenders confidence), but was he really necessary on the pitch today? He could’ve been just as useful, and probably more influential, shouting instructions from the touchline. As it is, he takes an important place away from a more attacking player who could actually win us a few more games.

Parkes – 7* - Impressive in defence again and our most creative player on the day. Some excellent use of the football and some top quality passing, what little football we did manage to play usually began with Parkes – and his contribution put our entire midfield to shame.

Joyce – 5 – Defended well and worked hard but his technical contribution, passing, shooting and general awareness were all extremely poor. Maybe he’s coming back up to speed but not quite the player he was before he was out injured.

Jones – 5 – Passing radar somewhere near Greenland however, as Joyce, defended quite well. The trouble comes when we’re expecting our defensive players to become creative. There’s a difference between optimum and maximum, perhaps Jones is trying too hard.

Devitt – 3 – Drifting around in a “free-role” but he’s not good enough to carry the entire creative ask for the side on his shoulders alone. Our tactics mostly consisted of humping it forward for our big front two and hoping Devitt could pick up the scraps – he couldn’t. I don’t really care if he thinks he’s Lionel Messi, he’s a winger and needs to play on the wing – and he needs to be assisted by at least one other creative player.

Bennett – 3 – We really don’t play to Bennett’s strengths, he did quite well battling for hopeful long punts, but we need to get the ball on his left boot when he’s facing goal in the penalty area. He’s neither a Niall Quinn nor an Iain Dowie but I still reckon he could score us a few goals – if we had any players with the guile and ability to give him opportunities. Playing this role however, he sucked.

Cosgrove – 3 - Won a few headers and played a few decent passes but was equally as toothless as Bennett. To his credit he’s not as bad as I thought he was going to be, but so much of his play is laboured and you can see the wheels turning in his head. Too easy to defend against and found himself on the ball miles from any significant area on the pitch. Instead of asking him to fight a losing battle in no man’s land, how about crossing the ball to his head in the penalty area?

Subs:

Hope – 1 – Forced a corner with an off target shot when he first arrived on the field and we did ask him to compete for a few headers. However despite his best efforts everything he was involved in was completely pointless.

Lambe – 0 – Reflects his contribution and influence when he arrived on the pitch. He needn’t have bothered.

If only we’d have had some alternate attacking options on the bench today…

[griff]

Excellent as always Piglet. A question though. If we were to be able to push for promotion next season, how many of our current squad would you keep?

[Piglet_Phoenix]

I'd keep Adams and Kennedy definitely, unless they have career ending injuries

I think Jones and Joyce are a decent partnership in central midfield - if they're part of a midfield four (ideally with wingers).

Devitt might be a decent winger (but he never plays there), so if there's no chance of him playing wide - I'd release him.

Parkes has shown enough, despite his fitness levels (which can be improved).

I'm not sure where Tom Miller has disappeared to, Brown's a decent player of course, I reckon Miller's a decent tier four right-back with a handy throw-in. That's the strange thing about Brown coming in on loan - did we really need an extra right-back? Anyway, I'd consider keeping Miller.

The other Miller would definitely be on his way, I understand we haven't really played to his strengths and he's got to be frustrated - but he hasn't shown anywhere near enough.

There's potential in Bennett and Cosgrove, but I'm not sure we can afford to give them the game time they need to step up a level. Cosgrove probably needs to go out on loan, if we can afford it I'd probably give him a long contract and send him to Barrow or somewhere for six months. Bennett needs to show improvement, and quickly - but again, we really don't play to his strengths.

So I'd get rid of...

Liddle
Ellis
Hill (As a player)
Lambe
Grainger
Hope
Etuhu
S Miller
Nabi
O'Sullivan

Maybe retain:
Bennett
Cosgrove
Devitt

Keep:
T Miller
Parkes
Jones
Joyce
Adams
Kennedy

I haven't seen enough of Bacon, Egan, Hutchinson, Salkeld or Holt to make any sort of decision. That being said, I'd still prefer to play our own players ahead of any loan signings.

So our current side has maybe four player (of our own) players who are good enough, we are a million miles away from both promotion and being able to compete meaningfully in tier three on a regular basis.