Match ratings v Sutton (home)

[uysapie]

Bostock should not be anywhere near the starting eleven, or bench for that matter.. If we lose on Saturday then Maynard has to go..

Bostock has been a liabilty for a while.

[WarsopPie]

Ashby Hammond - 5 - when he first came in I liked how comfortable he was with his feet and his good distribution. Now seems to go long a lot, especially after Jatta came on, which didn't work tonight. Doesn't make many saves. Most notable moments were parrying a ball out for a goal to them (good save) and a mix up with Baldwin for a high ball which led to a corner which led to a goal for them. Not as keen as I was.

Cameron - 5 - started the match with a determined surge forward, can't remember much after that. Often seems to me marking 10 yards of space when goals go in, although that could be a zonal marking thing.

Baldwin - 4 - did a brainfart at a really bad time. Wish he would have the odd shot now and then.

Warner - 5 - kind of OK until his injury. I think his physique is a red herring though, he's big but he's not a rugged centre half.

Rawlinson (sub) - 4 - kind of made sense to bring him on against their big lump but he ended up making their big lump look like David Silva for one of their goals. I would say car crash but it was more like watching the Exxon Valdez exhibiting a slightly tighter turning circle than the MSC Costa Concordia.

JoB - 6.5 - was a bit worried to see him in the XI but he played well. With him we lose a bit of control but gain urgency and the impulse to drive forward.
Robertson - 6 - didn't stand out as much as in recent games but played well IMO.

Jones - 5 - quite anonymous apart from the assist and got caught out for their first goal. A rare off night.

Nemane - 6 - seemed to be playing with a bit more grit than usual both attacking and defending wise.

Bostock (sub) - 5 - didn't do anything memorable and our general malaise descended about the time he came on. Not good news for him that he is being outperformed by JoB currently.

Crowley - 7 - back to his early season form. Played very well and two very different but equally well taken goals.

Austin - 4.5 - I thought a few good attacking moves broke down with him and he missed a very good headed chance. Hope I'm not being harsh on him as I like him (a solid citizen, as Big Ron used to say) but don't think he is cut out for L2.

Langstaff - 5.5 - good penalty and maximum effort of course, but he is missing one good chance a game lately and it is costing us. Blazed into the Kop when through with the keeper to beat.

Jatta (sub) - 5 - Ran around and tried but didn't accomplish much. We seem to be using him as a target man and I think he is more of a running onto the ball kind of forward. Presumably he signed for us as a winning team playing good football and for the entire time he has been on the pitch he's been battling for fight balls lonned from the back. Must be wondering what he has walked into.

Maynard - that result will have swayed a few people who were giving him the benefit of the doubt due to difficulty of opposition until now. Personally I don't see that much different under SM from when LW was in charge other than our chances that were going in aren't, and opposition ones that weren't, are. We did and still do struggle against man marking and massed ranks, however tonight there was space to play and create and we should have won. Testing times, and if he was in any doubt that he has a job on his hands, losing to Sutton at home will make everything clear. We will see if he is up to the job of resurrecting a play off bid and sorting out a defence that is in all kinds of trouble.

Bracegirdle - his cricket commentary style is probably great for cricket but awful for a football match. He winds me up even when I'm watching the video because what he says often bears no relation to what is happening on the pitch. If he is telling you about what his wife watched on TV last night you might think there's a lull in play bit there's actually tons of stuff happening. Must be awful trying to follow the action with audio only.

The back pass from Baldwin that led to the goal was that hideous I’m surprised the FA haven’t called an immediate investigation into match rigging.
It was that bad anyone would of thought he had of placed a bet on Smith to score.

[crazyfists]

Ashby Hammond - 5 - when he first came in I liked how comfortable he was with his feet and his good distribution. Now seems to go long a lot, especially after Jatta came on, which didn't work tonight. Doesn't make many saves. Most notable moments were parrying a ball out for a goal to them (good save) and a mix up with Baldwin for a high ball which led to a corner which led to a goal for them. Not as keen as I was.

Cameron - 5 - started the match with a determined surge forward, can't remember much after that. Often seems to me marking 10 yards of space when goals go in, although that could be a zonal marking thing.

Baldwin - 4 - did a brainfart at a really bad time. Wish he would have the odd shot now and then.

Warner - 5 - kind of OK until his injury. I think his physique is a red herring though, he's big but he's not a rugged centre half.

Rawlinson (sub) - 4 - kind of made sense to bring him on against their big lump but he ended up making their big lump look like David Silva for one of their goals. I would say car crash but it was more like watching the Exxon Valdez exhibiting a slightly tighter turning circle than the MSC Costa Concordia.

JoB - 6.5 - was a bit worried to see him in the XI but he played well. With him we lose a bit of control but gain urgency and the impulse to drive forward.
Robertson - 6 - didn't stand out as much as in recent games but played well IMO.

Jones - 5 - quite anonymous apart from the assist and got caught out for their first goal. A rare off night.

Nemane - 6 - seemed to be playing with a bit more grit than usual both attacking and defending wise.

Bostock (sub) - 5 - didn't do anything memorable and our general malaise descended about the time he came on. Not good news for him that he is being outperformed by JoB currently.

Crowley - 7 - back to his early season form. Played very well and two very different but equally well taken goals.

Austin - 4.5 - I thought a few good attacking moves broke down with him and he missed a very good headed chance. Hope I'm not being harsh on him as I like him (a solid citizen, as Big Ron used to say) but don't think he is cut out for L2.

Langstaff - 5.5 - good penalty and maximum effort of course, but he is missing one good chance a game lately and it is costing us. Blazed into the Kop when through with the keeper to beat.

Jatta (sub) - 5 - Ran around and tried but didn't accomplish much. We seem to be using him as a target man and I think he is more of a running onto the ball kind of forward. Presumably he signed for us as a winning team playing good football and for the entire time he has been on the pitch he's been battling for fight balls lonned from the back. Must be wondering what he has walked into.

Maynard - that result will have swayed a few people who were giving him the benefit of the doubt due to difficulty of opposition until now. Personally I don't see that much different under SM from when LW was in charge other than our chances that were going in aren't, and opposition ones that weren't, are. We did and still do struggle against man marking and massed ranks, however tonight there was space to play and create and we should have won. Testing times, and if he was in any doubt that he has a job on his hands, losing to Sutton at home will make everything clear. We will see if he is up to the job of resurrecting a play off bid and sorting out a defence that is in all kinds of trouble.

Bracegirdle - his cricket commentary style is probably great for cricket but awful for a football match. He winds me up even when I'm watching the video because what he says often bears no relation to what is happening on the pitch. If he is telling you about what his wife watched on TV last night you might think there's a lull in play bit there's actually tons of stuff happening. Must be awful trying to follow the action with audio only.

Good ratings but I'd mark Bracegirdle 1. I too watch it on I player and can see the action but for those who can't it just be terrible. He never describes play and when he does he doesn't really say where it is on the pitch. He waffles on about crap and stats, talks over Stallard who is actually saying things we want to hear. He's, like Notts last night, were ****ing crap (Robertson, JOB and Crowley excluded)

[LaxtonLad]

I thought Bostock showed his negativity last season, but when I pointed out that almost every one of his passes went sideways or backwards and so rarely forwards, I was pooh-poohed. This season against better opposition he doesn't even seem to try give a showing, trotting around left and right and still sideways passing fools no-one.

[Bohinen]

Personally I don't see that much different under SM from when LW was in charge other than our chances that were going in aren't, and opposition ones that weren't, are.

Stevie Wonder would see the difference. Could we beat Morecambe 5-0 now under SM? The players no longer believe in what they are doing. So there is no difference except we aren't scoring as many and we are letting more in? There has to be a reason, luck evens itself out.

[Togtastic]

LAH - 3 plenty of time to come and collect the ball for their first, he is becoming as static as Stone each passing game
Rawlo - 3 Good servant, too higher a level at his age.
Cameron - 4 Some good unopposed clearances but in contact he is frail in mind and body
Baldwin - 0 In a game that needed utter professionalism he couldn't cut it.
JOB - 5 Did what he always does, makes runs no one sees but keeps running
Robbo - 5 Steady but no more
Nemane - 0 for defending and 0 for attacking, Total 0. It's now 2 assists in 34 games, he is as bad at his job as the defenders are at theirs
Jones - 3 One good cross but Nemane like in defence
Crowley - 6 Would be a 7 but for a tired challenge for the penalty. I will defend him, he tried harder than anyone to create things
Austin -4 Hustle and bustle but no end product
Macca - 4 Hard to be critical, he is moved around like chess piece
Maynard - 2 I think he deserves time but as yet he isn't demonstrating he has the ability

[slack_pie]

I though JOB was the only player providing some kind of intensity, and the only player attempting to rally the troops and be vocal. Why isn't our captain able to do that?

Crowley did well apart from the penalty trip. He's some player.

Macca looks short of confidence. He would have buried that one-on-one earlier in the season.

Defence was shocking all round, summed up by the free header their player had (and missed) from about three yards out. Not a single Notts player within two yards of him. How does that even happen at this level?

Maynard - I sort of feel sorry for him as nothing is going his way. I'm starting to think he probably is out of his depth, but it's not his fault that Baldwin made an awful back pass, or that Macca missed another great chance, or that their keeper made a ridiculous point-blank save from Austin. And if the players are somehow sulking and not raising their game for him, that's the players' fault for being so ridiculously unprofessional. Still, for whatever reason, I can't see him turning this around, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

[MapperleyMagpie]

I though JOB was the only player providing some kind of intensity, and the only player attempting to rally the troops and be vocal. Why isn't our captain able to do that?

Crowley did well apart from the penalty trip. He's some player.

Macca looks short of confidence. He would have buried that one-on-one earlier in the season.

Defence was shocking all round, summed up by the free header their player had (and missed) from about three yards out. Not a single Notts player within two yards of him. How does that even happen at this level?

Maynard - I sort of feel sorry for him as nothing is going his way. I'm starting to think he probably is out of his depth, but it's not his fault that Baldwin made an awful back pass, or that Macca missed another great chance, or that their keeper made a ridiculous point-blank save from Austin. And if the players are somehow sulking and not raising their game for him, that's the players' fault for being so ridiculously unprofessional. Still, for whatever reason, I can't see him turning this around, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Absolutely spot on! The players are letting Maynard, themselves and crucially the club down.

[Observerpie]

Absolutely spot on! The players are letting Maynard, themselves and crucially the club down.

Couldn't agree more.

[BigFatPie]

Absolutely spot on! The players are letting Maynard, themselves and crucially the club down.

It’s certainly understandable that people are having a go at the players but 34 games into the season and we still have Jodi Jones on his own marking people for far post crosses.

I think what Einstein said about the definition of insanity is probably right.