Player Ratings - Yeovil Home

[Piglet_Phoenix]

“Everybody has a right to be stupid, but some people abuse the privilege”

Keith Curle’s tombola makes a very unwelcome return, then. What kind of halfwit plays his two best midfielders at right-back and on the left wing and plays longball tactics when he’s left his centre-forward on the bench? We also had a right full-back sitting on the bench, a right full-back this manager signed. Sheridan’s tactics and team selection are an absolute shambles and his performance as a manager, currently, is an utter disgrace. Play your best players in their best positions, play to your strengths – it’s not rocket science. At the moment, our managerial idiot is making something which is really simple look extravagantly complicated.

Collin – 3 – Let’s be honest, if Collin had taken the time to position his wall properly, been standing in the correct position and been on his toes instead of flat on his feet – we’d have taken a point out of this game. In football you make your own luck. Handled the ball well and his distribution was fair when he didn’t lump it long to our non-existent centre-forward.

Sowerby – 2 – Used the ball well when he had it, but a defensive horror show when out of possession. Struggled to cope with players running at him all game and gave a really naïve free-kick away which lost us the game. As a full-back you’re principally there to defend. I struggle to see the logic of putting probably your most technically gifted midfielder in defence, he’s not blessed with electric pace and he’s clearly not a defender.

Gillesphey – 4 – Says it all when your left-back is the plyer with most shots on target, did well defensively and arguably looked our most potent attacking threat. Maybe it would have been a better idea to play Grainger at left-back and push Gillesphey forward into the left hand side of midfield.

Liddle – 4 – The hoof returns. In fairness, by his own standards he didn’t have that bad a game but it’s really painful watching a player who never really looks comfortable in or out of possession. As an “experienced defender” with hundreds of games under his belt he really should’ve been helping Sowerby out more.

Gerrard – 4 – Having Gerrard in your side is like watching a strangely effective Mr Blobby in the middle of your defence. I’m never quite certain he gets in the way of attacks because he’s reading the game or because he’s so bulky the opposition can’t get round him and the ball can’t get past him. Anyway, he takes his share of the blame for the shambolic organisation at the end of the game – being a defender and also captain.

Etuhu – 1 – Awful. Looked semi-ok in the first half pressing fairly high up the pitch, but his passing was abysmal, his shooting diabolical, his attempts at tackling risible and his heading embarrassing. When the Yeovil midfield worked his limited game out he was reduced to the typical numb plodding drift around the middle of the park which was typical of his performances last season. It seems form is temporary, but lack of class permanent.

Slater – 4 – At times busy, but flitted in and out of the game. One or two moments of technical quality but in honesty, in central midfield he looks like a poor man’s version of Jones. Looks way too lightweight to play in a central midfield two and I’m struggling to see the logic of brining him in to the club on a season long loan? When we’re struggling for options upfront and have midfielders coming out of our ears, what does Slater bring to the side?

Yates – 1 – One or two decent passes but Yates is a horrible footballer. All running, no technique and his attacking influence is almost zero. He can’t dribble, he can’t cross, he struggles to tackle and looks like he’s barely headed a ball before. Had our best scoring opportunity of the afternoon but sliced his effort horribly wide, unsurprisingly with a player who has hooves instead of feet. What possible justification is there for persisting with giving Yates a start every game? We have talented players of our own who could not possibly do any worse than this embarrassment of a footballer. Another entirely pointless and wasteful Sheridan signing.

Jones – 4 – Horribly out of position on the left-wing but I can’t fault his work rate and commitment. Did a decent job pressing high up the pitch with Campbell, Slater and Etuhu (before Etuhu shrivelled back into his shell). Still, asking Jones to be the creative outlet on our left wing is never going to end well – especially when we have genuine wide players, and players more suited to playing wide on the left on the bench.

Campbell – 5* - Pressed excellently, turning possession over on numerous occasions and looked lively and creative around the penalty area. It’s a shame he had so little support in the final third of the pitch. I would’ve left Campbell on the pitch and replaced Yates earlier, but what do I know?

Nadesan – 4 – Asking Nadesan to play with his back to goal and fight for headers in the air is a waste of a genuine footballer. Nadesan is a player best suited to playing off the shoulder of the last defender, making runs down the channels and feeding off a centre-forward. I don’t really blame him for looking downhearted at the end we created nothing for him all game and had him chasing shadows.

Subs

Devitt – 1 – Sloppy passing, terrible crossing, diabolical shooting, wasteful in possession. Welcome back Jamie Devitt.

Bennett – 3 – Took him a while to get into the groove and some of his attempts at shooting looked wildly ambitious for such a limited footballer.

McCarron – 5 – Created more than anyone who’d been on the pitch before and improved our attacking potency by a country mile, but was only given fif**** minutes again, which is a bit of an insult. Needs to start.

[griff]

I think you're being generous Piglet. It was a woeful display and the state of our Club is making me angry. Some say that the board has nothing to with performances on the pitch but I don't agree with that because it's all about cause and effect. This downward spiral that the three parasites have caused has left us in a position of forced austerity that has left us with a bare-bones squad that can't be used to its best effect when we pick up injuries - like now. I noticed Gerrard holding his groin half way through the second half and that doesn't bode well. So I may not agree with all your scores Piglet, but the general meaning of them is correct. Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.

[Piglet_Phoenix]

No, it's fair to say the owners are directly responsible for what happens on the pitch as they appoint the manager and dictate the standards to which they expect the team to perform.

They've been prepared to tolerate a whole load of crap in the past before they've acted and that's what I'd criticise them for.

They left Abbott in situ for way too long and the millions he wasted screwed us. This and the disastrous decision to appoint Kavanagh as manager and the fact they gave Curle a season too long in the job.

In fairness, they've selected their preferred managers and they've backed them handsomely with more than enough finance to be successful (I'd include Sheridan in that assessment), so the principle they're working to is correct. What would anyone do differently?

Where they fail is with the managers they appoint and their acceptance of poor performance - so it's their judgement which let's us all down - and this is what the flawed appointment of Holdsworth was supposed to address.