An Assessment of Player Performance v Sheffield Utd

[tonyoz]

 

Oh, calamity! That was hard to watch. Our talismanic players: Dack, Graham, Bennett were unable to exert any positive influence and Sheffield U gave us a football lesson all over the pitch! We didn’t have a single “purple patch” during the game.

An assessment of player performance v Sheffield Utd

Each player was judged on the following criteria:

Instance of excellent play                                    *

Instance of decent/good play                             *

Instance of disappointing/poor play                  *

Instance of terrible play                                        *                                                       E&OE

 

 Ratings

Raya                   ******

Bennett              **************

Lenihan              ******************

Williams             *********************

Bell₍₆₉₎                 *************                         

Reed                    **********

Smallwood₍₄₅₎     **********

Evans                         *****************               

Armstrong           **************

Dack                     *************           

Graham₍₅₅₎              ******                            

 

Mulgrew₍₄₅₎         ***********

Brereton₍₅₅₎         *****                

Rothwell₍₆₉₎          ****                   

 

Highlights and Lowlights

(A justification for the main ratings above)

4.        Evans, under no pressure, dithers on the midway line, miscontrols and is dispossessed. Big danger but Bennett flies back to get a foot in. Lenihan clears.

5.        Sheffield corner. The ball reaches a totally unmarked Sharp who somehow manages to scuff his shot and Williams clears away. God knows who was supposed to be marking him? This is very similar to the corner v Forest; we didn’t have defenders in the half of the box closest to the corner taker. Sharp just ran into that space and should have scored!

10.      That’s about 15 passes sideways between Rovers’ players just inside our own half. We get nowhere so Williams hoofs it upfield to no one!

21.      Another terrible pass from Smallwood, he has to foul the guy to make amends.

23.      Another Sheffield corner. Bennett scuffs his header, Evans clears.

24.      We can’t get away from our own box! Sheffield have the run of the place. Another shot comes in and a good save from Raya.

26.      I can’t record all of these but this is typical…….Reed, then Smallwood, then Evans challenge unsuccessfully in midfield and they are all left for dead. The ball flashes across the face of Raya’s goal…………….but Sheffield regain and come again! Sharp’s glancing header flies over the bar! Also typical, the goalkick is high towards Graham but he has 2 giants stood on his toes……………only one possible outcome.

28.      Armstrong runs down the wing challenging 3 defenders……….. again only one possible outcome. Depressing to watch. Total lack of attacking flair/inspiration throughout  the entire team.

30.      At last! A lovely ball from Dack into the box for Armstrong but, faced by 3 defenders he dribbles round himself and then lays it out to Bell. His cross falls to Dack but he miskicks. Reed tries an acrobatic volley but it’s blocked for a corner. As in the Forest game, it’s taken 30 minutes for Reed to earn a positive rating. Oh blimey….now  he’s just fluffed the corner!

32.      Awful ball into the box by Armstrong.

34.      Lovely ball by Reed to Bennett on the edge of the box, he squares to Dack but he scuffs his shot and it’s deflected. Williams gets his head to the corner, Smallwood squares to Evans but his attempted chip is well over.

36.      Bennett slips as he tries to clear and it’s dangerous but never fear, Lenihan’s  here with an effective challenge. In midfield and again Smallwood and Evans put in weak tackles and the Utd man runs on.

38.      Sheffield Corner and O’Connell outjumps Lenihan comprehensively. Raya blocks on the line. Williams clears. Under the cosh here. 

40.      Bell and Dack lose the ball, McGoldrick unleashes a curling shot from the edge of the box, Raya tips it over! Graham gets his head to the corner but Fleck’s shot comes in from the edge of the box. Raya saves again.

45.      Mulgrew on. Evans wins the ball well and Williams crosses to Armstrong who heads on to Dack but his header is over the bar.

48.      Same old. Sheffield cut us to pieces on the right wing. Eventually Reed and Bennett block Fleck’s goal bound shot. From the corner O’Connell outjumps Lenihan and Evans again to head over the bar.

57.      Nice flick into the corner by Bennett and Brereton beats 2 men and returns the ball for Bennett to cross. A good aggressive challenge for the ball by Bell under pressure but his header is wide. Bell claiming he was held.

62.      Good run down the wing by Armstrong and a neat pass to Bell on the edge of the box. Bell returns to Armstrong but is shot is blocked and he was just offside anyway.

64.      Bell receives the ball on the edge of the box and shows good skills to turn and feed Brereton who shoots from the edge of the box but a challenge takes all the sting out of it and the goalie collects easily.

65.      Duffy skips past Williams and Reed, nutmegs Evans to Fleck who slips the ball to McGoldrick in the box. Bennett fails to stop the cross……………Sharp is running in, Williams blocks him  but Sharp gets to the rebound first to score.

69.      Good run and great cross from Williams to Brereton at the near post but he heads wide. He should have scored.

71.      I like it. An input of energy from Rothwell as he bursts across the field passing to Dack. He runs to the edge of the box but his shot is not one of his best and is deflected for a corner.

74.      Terrible backpass by Brereton sends Sheffield pouring forward again. Williams puts in a good challenge.

77.      Sharp pulls away from Mulgrew and as the cross comes in there’s no one to challenge and he heads in from I yard.

79.      Rothwell drives forward past 3 men and lets fly from outside the box. Well wide……..but still!

84.      Good grief…….Rothwell runs past 5 men but is dispossessed by the 6th. It’s OK to pass sometimes Joe!

84.      Beautiful long ball along the floor in to the edge of the box by Williams to Armstrong but his first time shot is straight at the keeper. He was never gonna beat him from there.

88.      Hmm, Dack wasn’t interested in challenging for that one. Williams isn’t tracking back and the ball is played into the box for an unmarked United man but Raya is there again! It’s not safe though, in it comes again and Williams heads clear to Dack but he is dispossessed.

Final whistle. Well they have won 4 away games now….that is impressive.

Edited October 5, 2018 by tonyoz

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

34 minutes ago, tonyoz said:

Oh, calamity! That was hard to watch. Our talismanic players: Dack, Graham, Bennett were unable to exert any positive influence and Sheffield U gave us a football lesson all over the pitch! We didn’t have a single “purple patch” during the game.

Sorry about the terrible formatting. It looks perfect in the editing window on my PC. I'll fix it tomorrow.

An assessment of player performance v Sheffield Utd

Each player was judged on the following criteria:

Instance of excellent play                                    *

Instance of decent/good play                             *

Instance of disappointing/poor play                  *

Instance of terrible play                                        *                                                       E&OE

 

 Ratings

Raya                   ******

Bennett              **************

Lenihan              ******************

Williams             *********************

Bell₍₆₉₎                 *************                         

Reed                   **********

Smallwood₍₄₅₎      **********

Evans                            *****************               

Armstrong          **************

Dack                   ****** *******           

Graham₍₅₅₎               ******                            

 

Mulgrew₍₄₅₎         ***********

Brereton₍₅₅₎         *****                

Rothwell₍₆₉₎          ****                   

 

Highlights and Lowlights

(A justification for the main ratings above)

4.           Evans, under no pressure, dithers on the midway line, miscontrols and is dispossessed. Big danger but Bennett flies back to get a foot in.                                    Lenihan  clears.

5.           Sheffield corner. The ball reaches a totally unmarked Sharp who somehow manages to scuff his shot and Williams clears away. God knows                             who was supposed to be marking him? This is very similar to the corner v Forest; we didn’t have defenders in the half of the box closest to the                           corner taker. Sharp just ran into that space and should have scored!

10.        That’s about 15 passes sideways between Rovers’ players just inside our own half. We get nowhere so Williams hoofs it upfield to no one!

21.        Another terrible pass from Smallwood, he has to foul the guy to make amends.

23.        Another Sheffield corner. Bennett scuffs his header, Evans clears.

24.        We can’t get away from our own box! Sheffield have the run of the place.  Another shot comes in and a good save from Raya.

 

26.        I can’t record all of these but this is typical…….Reed, then Smallwood, then  Evans challenge unsuccessfully in midfield and they are all left for                            dead. The ball flashes across the face of Raya’s goal…………….but Sheffield regain and come again! Sharp’s glancing header flies over the bar!                            Also typical, the goalkick is high towards Graham but he has 2 giants stood on his toes……………only one possible outcome.

28.        Armstrong runs down the wing challenging 3 defenders……….. again only one possible outcome. Depressing to watch. Total lack of attacking                             flair/inspiration throughout  the entire team.

30.        At last! A lovely ball from Dack into the box for Armstrong but, faced by 3 defenders he dribbles round himself and then lays it off to Bell.                                     Bell's cross falls to Dack but he miskicks. Reed tries an acrobatic volley but it’s blocked for a corner. As in the Forest game, it’s taken 30                                     minutes for Reed to earn a positive rating. Oh blimey….now  he’s just fluffed the corner!

32.        Awful ball into the box by Armstrong.

34.        Lovely ball by Reed to Bennett on the edge of the box, he squares to Dack but he scuffs his shot and it’s deflected. Williams gets his head to                            the corner, Smallwood squares to Evans but his attempted chip is well over.

36.        Bennett slips as he tries to clear and it’s dangerous but never fear, Lenihan’s here with an effective challenge. In midfield and again                                             Smallwood and Evans put in weak tackles and the Utd man runs on.

38.        Sheffield Corner and O’Connell outjumps Lenihan comprehensively. Raya blocks on the line. Williams clears. Under the cosh here. 

40.        Bell and Dack lose the ball, McGoldrick unleashes a curling shot from the edge of the box, Raya tips it over! Graham gets his head to the                                     corner but Fleck’s shot comes in from the edge of the box. Raya saves again.

45.        Mulgrew on. Evans wins the ball well and Williams crosses to Armstrong who heads on to Dack but his header is over the bar.

48.        Same old. Sheffield cut us to pieces on the right wing. Eventually Reed and Bennett block Fleck’s goal bound shot. From the corner O’Connell                             outjumps Lenihan and Evans again to head over the bar.

57.        Nice flick into the corner by Bennett and Brereton beats 2 men and returns the ball for Bennett to cross. A good aggressive challenge for the                             ball by Bell under pressure but his header is wide. Bell claiming he was held.

62.        Good run down the wing by Armstrong and a neat pass to Bell on the edge of the box. Bell returns to Armstrong but is shot is blocked and he                             was just offside anyway.

64.        Bell receives the ball on the edge of the box and shows good skills to turn and feed Brereton who shoots from the edge of the box but a                                     challenge takes all the sting out of it and the goalie collects easily.

65.        Duffy skips past Williams and Reed, nutmegs Evans to Fleck who slips the ball to McGoldrick in the box. Bennett fails to stop the                                                cross……………Sharp is running in, Williams blocks him  but Sharp gets to the rebound first to score.

69.        Good run and great cross from Williams to Brereton at the near post but he heads wide. He should have scored.

71.        I like it. An input of energy from Rothwell as he bursts across the field passing to Dack. He runs to the edge of the box but his shot is not one                             of his best and is deflected for a corner.

74.        Terrible backpass by Brereton sends Sheffield pouring forward again. Williams puts in a good challenge.

77.        Sharp pulls away from Mulgrew and as the cross comes in there’s no one to challenge and he heads in from I yard.

79.        Rothwell drives forward past 3 men and lets fly from outside the box. Well wide……..but still!

84.        Good grief…….Rothwell runs past 5 men but is dispossessed by the 6^th. It’s OK to pass sometimes Joe!

84.        Beautiful long ball along the floor in to the edge of the box by Williams to Armstrong but his first time shot is straight at the keeper.                                              He was never gonna beat him from there.

88.        Hmm, Dack wasn’t interested in challenging for that one. Williams isn’t tracking back and the ball is played into the box for an unmarked                                    United man but Raya is there again! It’s not safe though, in it comes again and Williams heads clear to Dack but he is dispossessed.

Mm, that makes difficult reading Tony. Thanks again matey.

[Bigdoggsteel]

That's grim.

It sounds like Rothwell and Williams are the only ones who can hold their heads somewhat high. 

[tonyoz]

24 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Mm, that makes difficult reading Tony. Thanks again matey.

I think I fixed it!

[roversfan99]

Forgot all about Breretons suicidal pass that put Sheffield United on the attack. Also think Rothwells done very well on 79 considering that he wasted his initial play by choosing the wrong option and his shot was awful.

[tonyoz]

24 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Forgot all about Breretons suicidal pass that put Sheffield United on the attack. Also think Rothwells done very well on 79 considering that he wasted his initial play by choosing the wrong option and his shot was awful.

I know, I was kind because at least he was trying to move us forward. And his next run drew several guys out of position ..........if only he could have slipped it through.

 

Edited October 5, 2018 by tonyoz

[Bigdoggsteel]

Brereton should get a red mark for that incident with his laces 

[tonyoz]

9 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Brereton should get a red mark for that incident with his laces 

Yeah........how weird was that?

 

Edited October 5, 2018 by tonyoz

[Bigdoggsteel]

24 minutes ago, tonyoz said:

Yeah........how weird was that?

 

Bizzare. It annoys me when someone I'm playing astro with does it. Do it when the ball is gone dead and do it quickly 

[LewisF]

And the fact that he chose to do it, not only that the ball was still in play, but right in the middle of pitch?! 

[old darwen blue]

Thanks Tony, I’m sure you could make a living out of this!

[tonyoz]

13 minutes ago, old darwen blue said:

Thanks Tony, I’m sure you could make a living out of this!

Wouldn’t that be cool? I remember back in the day I used to use Alf Thornton’s reports as the basis of my own humble reports in an old notebook. I always made sure that my heroes, Mike Harrison or Mike Ferguson were Mom! 

I was always a nerd!

[old darwen blue]

Just now, tonyoz said:

Wouldn’t that be cool? I remember back in the day I used to use Alf Thornton’s reports as the basis of my own humble reports in an old notebook. I always made sure that my heroes, Mike Harrison or Mike Ferguson were Mom! 

I was always a nerd!

Hey never too late, many a career built on a hobby. I remember when I used to deliver the telegraph on the late paper round that the first thing I did following a game was read Alfs report. RIP

[tonyoz]

16 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Forgot all about Breretons suicidal pass that put Sheffield United on the attack.

You know, that made me think. It’s true isn’t it that we can easily forget significant events......I reckon it’s most likely to happen if it’s early in the game .......or especially if the event contradicts our individual little prejudices for the particular player. I mean who can remember the great Keith Andrew’s pass or the stunning Jason Lowe through ball?  No really! They did happen!

 

[den9112]

18 hours ago, tonyoz said:

Yeah........how weird was that?

 

I believe he damaged his actual boot and part of the boot (tongue) came out which made it a bit awkward to lace up..