An Assessment of Player Performance v Bolton

[tonyoz]

Poor game, great result!

 

An assessment of player performance v Bolton

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                 ***************************

Mulgrew                ********************

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

Reed                      ******************

Rothwell                     *************

Palmer                  *******************                       

Rodwell                 ************

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

Graham                      ********************** 

 

Smallwood₍₅₈₎      *******

Evans₍₅₈₎               ********                     

Armstrong₍₇₄₎       *****                                                        

 

Highlights and Lowlights     (A justification for the main ratings above)

 

0.              Graham outsmarts the full back on the wing and puts a beautiful low cross through the box. No one there! Perhaps Palmer might have been a bit more awake?

 

10.          Rodwell is passing the ball around impressively. He’s a big unit too. Here he sweeps a lovely ball across the park to Bennett on the wing and his cross wins a corner.

 

11.          Another lovely chip from Rodwell to Bennett on the wing. Graham challenges for the deflected cross but the goalie punches the ball away. Hmm, that’s the second time today already Reed has passed back removing all momentum from the attack!

 

14.          An even better crossfield ball from Rodwell to Bennett. This lad can play!

 

17.          Dack brings a man down in our D. The free kick hits Williams in the wall and goes for a corner. Palmer heads away and Rothwell clears up neatly and launches a huge pass downfield to Dack but it’s an inch too far!

 

18.          Lenihan loses the heading challenge for once and Mulgrew makes a total hash of his attempted clear up…..the ball plops right into the path of the Bolton man. He squares to Noone, central and just outside the box. Williams, last man, gets in a good block. A long shot comes in but it’s poor.

 

20.          Williams launches the ball long to Palmer, he holds off the defender magnificently, drives forward, does a couple of step overs, and slides a lovely ball to Rothwell in the D. Rothwell hits a sharp, first time pass to Reed who has made an excellent run into the box. His shot from a tightish angle is saved, Rothwell lashes the rebound against the goalie and then Dack finishes off in typical fashion. Great stuff.

            Commentator talking about an England call up for Dack!

 

23.          Reed is dispossessed just outside the box. Mulgrew launches himself horizontally to head the incoming cross for a corner! Good catch by Raya who then throws an excellent long ball to Rothwell but he fouls the defender.

 

27.          Decent Bolton attack. Lowe squares to Buckley, just outside the box; he turns inside Palmer who is too slow to react. Raya pulls of an excellent save.

           Corner.  A strange one this. Williams, Raya and Magennis are chest to chest on the line. At the last moment, Magennis pulls away 2 metres, Raya pushes Williams away, Magennis rises far higher than anyone else and his powerful header is tipped over the bar brilliantly by Raya. Graham was nearest to Magennis at the end but I think he was so surprised, he hardly left the ground!

 

31.          Nicely won and played off by Rodwell.

 

32.          Poor back pass from Reed, Williams can’t prevent the cross but Bennett is there to head clear.

 

35.          Rothwell beats his man on the wing and plays the ball into the box to Reed and it’s deflected for a corner. Rothwell, Reed and Palmer faff about after the short corner while the big men wait in the middle. Out for a throw.

 

39.          Mulgrew gives a bad pass to a Bolton guy on midway, he has a clear run but Graham does brilliantly to chase back and dispossess him.

 

42.          A little thing can be the lead up to disaster. It nearly happened here. Reed commits a cynical foul on the wing. The kick comes in and Graham’s attempted clearance goes straight up in the air, still in the box! Man Mountain Magennis destroys Lenihan and his looping header has beaten Raya but Mulgrew is positioned perfectly to head off the line!

 

54.          Palmer strolling around with little urgency.

 

57.          For the second time in as many minutes Rothwell is dispossessed but this time it’s dangerous as Lowe feeds Wildschut who runs into the box but his shot is blocked by Mulgrew.

 

67.          Mix-up between Lenihan and Reed allows a through ball to sneak through into the box. Fortunately Wildschut’s cross is poor and Raya collects easily.

 

70.          Turgid stuff at the moment. No attacking flair as on Wednesday.

 

73.          Poor pass by Williams near their box and Bolton stream forward. Fortunately the ball reaches Jason Lowe and the move breaks down!

 

77.          Rovers sitting right back now! It’s a good job that Bolton are rubbish!

 

78.          Goalkick by Raya finds Armstrong in acres of space. He runs into the box. As on Wednesday night he elects to shoot from an acute angle. There’s power there but it’s straight at the keeper.

 

84.          Reed does a complete air-kick near the box and it’s danger again. Evans wins the ball with a strong challenge but it breaks for Bolton. They win a corner.

 

87.          Rovers almost get what they deserve for throwing everybody back! Bolton’s ball into the box pits giant Hobbs against tiny Reed. Hobbs heads square and Mulgrew is judged to have brought down Doidge 2m out.. Penalty! It’s OK he was well offside! It wasn’t a penalty anyway!

 

88.          Dack receives the throw and holds off the THREE defenders and wriggles to the line, he dribbles into the box and wins a corner.

 

89.          Dack receives the ball in the box, he wriggles free again and feeds Evans who heads to the corner…………he holds the ball well under robust challenge from 2 defenders but eventually loses the free kick decision.

 

Final  whistle………………nervy ending to a game where we decided to try to hold on to the narrow lead. Poor fare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by tonyoz

[Tom]

Brilliant as always, I often forget bits of the game and reading through brings the incidents back.

Rodwell comes out really well from this, better than we probably expected when he signed and when Tony said a week or two back we wouldn’t see him for a while.

[JacknOry]

Sounds like Rodwell and Rothwell had very good games. Makes team selections going forward much more of a headache for TM.

[tonyoz]

32 minutes ago, Tom said:

Rodwell comes out really well from this, better than we probably expected when he signed and when Tony said a week or two back we wouldn’t see him for a while.

 

25 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Sounds like Rodwell and Rothwell had very good games. Makes team selections going forward much more of a headache for TM.

I was impressed by Rodwell but he is a damaged article and it will be hugely to TM's credit if he can repair him. I think he's created the team spirit where that is possible. (His distribution could be what we're looking for in midfield.)

As for Rothwell, I was impressed at his introduction on Wednesday, His energy and desire to get forward were like a breath of fresh air. He did OK in spells v Bolton but I was a wee bit disappointed. Guess I expected too much.

Oops! you won't believe this...……...I was just dragged away to watch "Come Dine With Me!"...………………………... I know!

but forgive me but it was from Blackburn and I don't get much chance to hear that wonderful accent. (I haven't lost mine by the way!)

Edited October 8, 2018 by tonyoz

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thanks Tony, nearly as good as being there.

[philipl]

I would have given Palmer a big dark red for not getting to the 6 yard line in the first attack of the game.

Otherwise agree all the ratings.

Great stuff as always.

Thanks!

 

[tonyoz]

5 hours ago, philipl said:

I would have given Palmer a big dark red for not getting to the 6 yard line in the first attack of the game.

 

I know, i’m too kind!