Match ratings v Harrogate 😬

[Elite_Pie]

Decided I wouldn't bother with these because it's too painful, but now there's a topic here goes:

Slocombe 6 - no saves of note, but couldn't be faulted for their goals.
Brindley 5 - started slowly, and didn't speed up much.
Lacey 6 - nothing too bad, but only average.
Turner 5 - looked off the pace from the start.
Bagan 6 - a bit mixed, but a promising kid who will play above this level.
Roberts 6.5 -anonymous for large parts, but showed his quality with the goal and the shot that nearly got us level.
Rose 6.5* - competed well and played some of our best forward passes.
Doyle 6 - always available but his passing was generally poor.
O'Brien 5 - not often Jim has an off day, but today was one of them.
Wootton 6 - held the ball up well but no real goal threat.
Dennis 5 - one effort first half, but that was it.

Enzio 5.5 - started well but faded with the rest of the team.
Thomas 6 - looked livelier than Dennis when he came on.
Kelly-Evans 6 - did as much as could be expected in his short time on the pitch.



Really disappointing. We started half asleep, and only woke up for 15 minutes after half time. The best team definitely won, so congratulations to Harrogate. On the positive side I think we have really good owners and the basis of a good squad at this level if we can retain most of the players. The doubt I have is whether we have the right manager in place to make the most of the squad.

[sidders]

What's the * for? And why are you much more generous than any other pundit on this player?

[Elite_Pie]

What's the * for? And why are you much more generous than any other pundit on this player?

Is that to me? If it is, the '*' denotes man of the match (it's an old Sunday paper thing).

From what I can see all of us marked him as a 6 or 6.5, so I don't see the generosity thing.

[sidders]

Is that to me? If it is, the '*' denotes man of the match (it's an old Sunday paper thing).

From what I can see all of us marked him as a 6 or 6.5, so I don't see the generosity thing.

Hi Elite. I'm sorry if I came over a bit sharp but texting/posting has no tone. I genuinely didn't understand the * . Everyone seemed to be slagging off Rose except you. I read on another fred that basically you thought he was the best of a bad bunch. I enjoy the ratings fred more than any other on here.

[Elite_Pie]

Everyone seemed to be slagging off Rose except you. I read on another fred that basically you thought he was the best of a bad bunch. I enjoy the ratings fred more than any other on here.

I thought you'd be familiar with the * thingy sid. It was often used to denote the reporter's star man when they gave them marks out of ten following their match reports in the Sunday papers.

I thought Rose and Roberts were the only players who did their job yesterday. Rose usually gets slagged off in the ratings threads but on this one he is at the upper end of everyone's scores.

[ncfcog]

I thought you'd be familiar with the * thingy sid. It was often used to denote the reporter's star man when they gave them marks out of ten following their match reports in the Sunday papers.

I thought Rose and Roberts were the only players who did their job yesterday. Rose usually gets slagged off in the ratings threads but on this one he is at the upper end of everyone's scores.

You’re right Elite, if it wasn’t for Roberts goal I think Rose would have been my motm yesterday, but only just and with a score of 6.5.

[freemuzzy]

Agree with a lot of what’s been written above. Harrogate clearly did their homework brilliantly and ruthlessly exploited our weaknesses (pressing our two CMs on the ball, running at the full backs and repeatedly playing targeted balls over the top of Turner), while nullifying our strengths (double marking Roberts and cutting the supply to the strikers). What was really frustrating was that, despite having five subs at his disposal, the manager left the same back four on the field for 88 minutes. What must Rawlinson and DKE have been thinking?!

Ratings below are obviously based on a bad 90 minutes at the office. Generally I still think it’s been a very good season, there’s lots to build on and Ardley has done a commendable job.

Slocombe - 5.5 - Busy without having a save to make, or being at fault for any of those conceded. A little slow off his line at times but badly exposed by those in front of him.

Brindley - 5 - Has a great delivery but generally will take the easy option/sideways pass in advanced positions and was absolutely battered by their left winger defensively. A really poor game.

Lacey - 6 - Best of the back four by a mile. Crucial we re-sign him as has made a huge difference defensively.

Turner - 3 - Lack of pace was brutally exposed repeatedly by the ball over the top in our inside left channel - really basic stuff, but extremely effective - and a key reason where in my view our defence was massively improved when Lacey came into the team mid-season alongside Rawlinson as it meant we could maintain a higher line. We maintained that line yesterday but it just meant we repeatedly got caught in-behind. Not dealing with a routine delivery into the box for the 2nd goal only made things worse. Likeable guy but really struggled. Incredible he even stayed on at half-time, let alone for the 90.

Bagan - 5 - Struggled. Most at fault for the first goal in my view by not closing down the cross quicker. Another lucky to last the 90. I’d have had DKE on for him at half time.

Roberts - 7 - The one player who offered something, despite having at least two players near him whenever he got the ball. Great free kick and the near-miss at 2-1 was the sliding doors moment. His profile will have been raised by these playoff games which is concerning as it’s essential we keep hold of him. Proof what should happen when you go for youth rather than over-emphasise experience and ‘good lads’ which Ardley and many other managers before him have done, but leaves you short of legs in games like this.

Rose - 5 - Limitations on the ball exposed by two opposite numbers who never stopped harrying and running. Feel the CM area is most in-need of an upgrade if we’re to kick on next year.

Doyle - 5 - As above, but with the additional issue that he’ll be 39 when next season starts. Outstanding leader but will never have the legs to chase teams like Harrogate and, if he is to stay on next season, the insistence on him playing 90 mins every week surely has to stop.

O’Brien - 5 - Not his day. Not really a winger. Didn’t protect Bagan as much as he has previously. Would’ve probably shifted him inside at half time as offers more creativity and forward thinking than the other two, rather than hook him completely.

Dennis - 5 - Given absolutely nothing to work with.

Wootton - 6.5 - Feeding off scraps but thought he did his job. Made it stick but there rarely seemed to be anyone around him.

Thomas - 6 - Lively but unable to put away the good chance that came his way. Story of his season.

Enzio - 5.5 - Disappointing lack of impact. Wonder whether being left out in the playoff games will make him try to look elsewhere this summer.

DKE - n/a

Ardley - 4 - Totally understood the decision to name an unchanged team but lack of action thereafter cost us. Turner and one of the full backs should have come off at half time at the absolute latest for Rawlinson and DKE. Likewise Doyle and Rose were lucky to last the 90, with Crawford staying on the bench and the option to switch the legs of O’Brien inside. The decision to leave these five players on meant all our weak links remained on the pitch, and made the third goal something of an inevitability.

As mentioned above, over a full season he’s still done a very good job but was badly outthought by his opposite number, who has far less options at his disposal. Won’t have the ‘no pre-season/squad put together in a week’ lines to roll out repeatedly next year, and simply has to be more positive in approach because he’ll be well backed again and there won’t be the excuses to fall back on this time.