Player Ratings - Stevenage at Home

[Piglet_Phoenix]

“Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things”

Did we even change managers in the summer? Or is John Sheridan actually Keith Curle in disguise? Another defeat at home, arguably due to poor management and tactical ineptitude. The frustrating thing is we have players in the squad capable of getting results in games like today – the fault is how they’re being used and the responsibility for this lies solely with the manager. Sheridan needs to show to the boldness he displayed after the Exeter game by admitting his mistakes and changing the dynamic of the team. If not, the season will bumble and bungle along into obscurity – and we needn’t have bothered changing managers at all.

It’s fair to say we started the game brightly, with Sowerby’s measured performance giving us great shape and balance on the right side of midfield. However, after his unfortunate injury we were unable to adapt to a change of shape enforced by Glendon’s introduction. Devitt’s performance after this point was an utter disgrace, you should do a job for the team, hold your position on the right and work your socks off – not sulk and drift inside all the time.

Then we have the inexplicable decision to substitute Bennett. Yes, he’s no Harry Kane – but he’s our leading scorer and the only forward player with any weight or presence who can fight for headers and occupy the Stevenage defence. We take Bennett off then we keep playing it long – tactical genius. It’s true Stevenage were on the ascendency anyway before the substitution (maybe it’s because they actually warmed up before the half started, who knows), but when you have three players struggling in the midfield as poorly as Hope, Devitt and Glendon were – what sense does it make to take your centre-forward off? It’s no surprise Stevenage capitalised on our players struggling to get to grips mentally with another change of shape, we’ve hardly a brain in the entire team and this painful lack of intelligence allowed Stevenage to work a well fashioned goal with our players standing around looking typically confused.

And fair play to Stevenage, they worked harder than us, looked fitter than us, defended way, way better than us, were more organised than us and were in a different league of tactical awareness than us – and thoroughly deserved their win. None of this is acceptable in any shape or form and I expect the manager to make wholesale changes in our starting lineup for the next game. If not, what’s the point of his hollow talk about competition for places and “concentrating on ourselves”? Our “creative” players are criminally out of form, for the second successive home game we barely looked like scoring.

Collin – 7* - Absolutely no chance with the goal and made two top drawer saves to keep us in the game in the first half. If I was being persnickety I could mention he was maybe a little reticent to come off his line and command his area and too quick to punt the ball long without having a centre-forward on the pitch. But for a tier four keeper I’ve been continually impressed by his performances and it’s refreshing to have a goalkeeper who can actually save shots.

Liddle – 3 – A positional disaster area – although in fairness you could argue he continually has to step inside to cover for Lard Belly alongside him. Maybe if we played a genuine right full back they wouldn’t be as prepared to drag themselves out of position constantly and leave big gaping holes of space down our left flank. I enjoy the fact he’s stopped launching the ball aimlessly and has started trying to pass to Carlisle players, but he’s still way below a good enough standard for a full-back.

Gillesphey – 4 – Struggled to cope defensively at times and I wasn’t sure what he was doing out of possession on occasion (I don’t think he knows either). Not his best afternoon but it was a difficult game to try and shine in. Needs to look sharper to keep his place if Grainger ever returns from injury.

Gerrard – 2 – Struggling so painfully at times it looks like he’s wearing divers boots and was frequently exposed by average looking Stevenage forward players ghosting past him like he didn’t even exist. Has Collin to thank for two saves in the first half while he was trundling along, dreaming of margarine, trying to keep up with the game. His committed performances improved us defensively when he arrived, but at the minute – he’s a liability.

Parkes – 6 – Again our best defender, doing the work of two men in central defence. At the minute I’d take the captain’s armband off Liddle and give it to Parkes, his strength commitment and improvement overall has been a revelation.

Etuhu – 6 – Once Sowerby went off was trying to hold the midfield together himself, and that’s too big of an ask. This being said he was still our most effective midfielder, getting the game by the scruff of the neck and trying to drive us forward. The quality of his passing is improving, but he’s still best at turning possession over and keeping it simple. The (allegedly) more creative players in the team let him down today.

Devitt – 1 – Shameful display of sulking and positional bizarreness. Horrible use of the football overall. Created nothing, didn’t look like scoring, didn’t look dangerous at all and had minimal influence. Overall Devitt doesn’t bring enough to the side, is too casual, thinks he’s a better player than he is and is a waste of a shirt. Campbell would be a better option than Devitt by country mile. I don’t understand why Devitt keeps getting the shirt when he keeps turning in pathetic efforts like this afternoon.

Sowerby – 6 – Kept things ticking over nicely, always seemed to find himself a yard of space and looks like he has plenty of time on the ball. Was the architect of one of our two chances all afternoon when he was possibly unfortunate not to be given a penalty. Probably a different afternoon if Sowerby stays on the pitch, hopefully his injury is just a sprain and he’ll be back before too long .

Hope – 0 – It’s an insult to ask people to pay watch players who are almost entirely bereft of any technique. Hope should be embarrassed to call himself a footballer, frankly. Some of his passing and shooting is up there with the worst ever seen of Brunton Park – and it’s not a one off, it’s every week. He’s got a great turn of pace and finds himself with the ball in amazing positions all the time, but when you have a brain the size of a pea and hooves for feet – what’s the point? You might as well not bother.

Bennett – 6 – Did a decent job for the team fighting for headers with his back for goal, was involved and influential all first half. Yes he was anonymous at the start of the first half, but didn’t deserve to be substituted when all our problems were in midfield at this stage. When you’re struggling in the middle of the park and have to punt it long – who’s going to win you a header when Bennett isn’t on the pitch? When you’re searching for a goal, it’s not a wise decision to take your leading scorer off – Graeme Taylor.

Nadsesan – 4 – Not has most effective afternoon, but still put the miles in chasing lost causes. Struggled to get into the game when Bennett was substituted and he was left to try and get the better of two large central defenders in the air, by himself. We should’ve changed the dynamic in midfield while leaving Bennett and Nadesan upfront together.

Subs:

Glendon – 2 – Lightweight and behind the play. Struggled with passing and never really dictated the game from the middle of the park like he was showing early doors this season. Sometimes you get players who look exceptional when they first sign for a club then are never able to recapture their initial form (Craig Goldsmith). Sheridan needs to bring the player out of Glendon who we witnessed in August. It probably didn’t help him Devitt was treading on his toes and hiding from the ball, but should still count himself lucky not to be substituted.

Campbell – 5 – Fits and starts, but definitely more verve and quality on the ball than any of Hope, Devitt or Glendon. Is Sheridan so stuck in his ways he only sees Campbell as a substitute? At the minute he looks like he could walk into our midfield ahead of any of the present starters (except Etuhu). Might’ve done better with our second and final goal scoring opportunity of the match when he hit the post. But the fact he actually had a meaningful shot from an attacking position is way more than any of our other players managed.

McCarron – Some decent running and involved down the wing. Some of his passing was sloppy however and he needs to beef those leg muscles up to put more weight on his crossing. The ball’s coming across at three-canary-power currently and is too easy to defend against. At least he was wearing proper studs today and didn’t look quite as much like a rabbit in headlights. On the back of today’s performance elsewhere in the team, I don’t see what we would lose overall by starting him ahead of Hope or Devitt in our next match – we certainly couldn’t look any worse as a team.

[Piglet_Phoenix]

Obviously It should say "right flank" in the Liddle section.

[griff]

Glendon was poor and Bennett apparently had a groin problem, but that's no excuse for how our performance dipped. I thought that Etuhu was our MoM - a few mistakes, but if you're given the ball as much as he was you're bound to make the odd error.

Our main problem is that we fail to score when we dominate possession, but always concede when we allow the opposition to boss the game. Simple really.