Player Ratings vs Watford

[Stuliasz]

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of updates on the web site but uni life has been extremely hectic of late. Anyway the site is ready to take your ratings for the Watford game. Also must make a point that Anish has very kindly agreed to do previews/reports when he can (sorry for not getting the preview on before the game Anish) but anyone who would like to contribute a match report now and then when Anish isn't able to is very welcome to do so.

Go to www.player-ratings.co.uk to register your vote.

[Anish]

I'll get the Burnley preview done tomorrow

[Scow]

Douglas - 6

Not totally convincing with corners and free kicks. Wasn't tested much in general.

Stearman - 8

Much improved from Derby and snuffed out the threat on their left side. Excellent support for Sylla going forward.

McCarthy - 7

Solid.

Dublin - 8

Made a fantastic clearance off the line in the first half and was superb in general. Made one major cock up with their goal when he let the ball bounce, but that was the only negative on his performance.

Johansson - 5

Played out of position. Not mobile or quick enough to play there. Stayed far too close to his centrebacks, which allowed Watford to expose us down the left.

Sylla - 6

Wasn't particularly great going forward, however, he worked tirelessly and provided Stearman with plenty of support.

Hughes - 6

Looks to be struggling with fitness and didn't really have an impact on the game.

Kisnorbo - 8

MOTM - Covered plenty of ground, broke up attacks and protected the back 4 superbly. Shame for Joey to be dropped, but Kisnorbo provided that physical apsect in there which the former lacks. Bullet header for the goal

Hamill - 6

Provided us with much needed width down the left, but looks a little lightweight. He isn't the quickest either. Good deliveries from set pieces though.

de Vries - 6

Showed some great touches and turns, but his final ball/execution was lacking (Apart from the goal, obviously )

Hammond - 7

Caused the Watford back line all sorts of problems with his pace and running. Unlucky with a first half chip which bounced just wide. Needs to watch the line more as he was caught offside on a number of occasions.

Subs:

Hume - 7

Should have scored when clear through on goal, but his effort hit the inside of the post and bounced across the goal. Provided us with fresh legs and clever running while on the pitch.

Gudjonsson - 6

Drafted in to add more bite to the midfield. Wasn't really involved.

[Gené and Tonic]

based on that it didn't sound as good as I thought then.

[Libertine]

Rab 7

Stearman 7

Dublin 9

McCarthy 7

Nisse 6

Sylla 8

Hughes 7

Kisnorbo 8

Hamill 6

MDV 7

Hammond 6

Hume 7

Joey 6

[Guest Gist]

Rab 7

Stearman 7

Dublin 9

McCarthy 6

Nisse 7

Sylla 7

Hughes 7

Kisnorbo 8

Hamill 6

MDV 6/7

Hammond 6

Hume 6/7

Joey 6

[TrickyTrev]

Douglas 6

Stearman 8

McCarthy 7

Dublin 9

Johanson 4

Sylla 7

Hughes 7

Kisnorbo 9 (brilliant)

Hamill 6

De Vries 8

Hammond 6 (always offside)

Subs

Hume 7

Gudjohnson 6

[martyn]

Douglas 7 - Solid

Stearman 7 - Dodgy moments when in possession, but 2nd half was superb, as like the rest of the defence

McCarthy 8 - Superb, defended stoutly and a calming presence for a change.

Dublin 8 - Despte mistake for their goal was excellent. Unbelieveable goalline clearance at 0-0

Johansson 6 - Caught out numerous times with balls over the top, especially 1st half. Recovered to play a solid role in 2nd

Sylla 6 - Would have got a 4 had it not been for 2 assists (finally a whipped, pacey corner!). Was generally crap and disinterested

Hughes 5.5 - Not involved and off the pace, the game didnt suit him really

Kisnorbo 8 - Awful 1st half, exceptional in the 2nd. Never before have i seen such a discrepency between halves. Honestly, he was everywhere 2nd half opposed to clown like in the 1st period. Great leap for the goal

Hammill 5 - Anonymous

De Vries 7 - Was a handful for the most part but missed a sitter to make game safe

Elvis 7 - Ran his socks off and caused their defence no end of problems

SUBS

Hume 7 - So unlucky with the 1 on 1, a tired Watford defence couldn't cope with his movement and pace. This guy will be a great LCFC player

Joey 6 - not enough tme to impos himself

[breadandcheese]

Don't think I'm as convinced as everybody else after yesterday's perfrmance. Watford were a poor team yesterday, right for the taking. Our victory was the result of two or three players having immense games. Other players still looked shaky and there were some real causes for concern.

Douglas - 6 - I personally prefer Henderson, feel he commands his area more. Douglas seems to be less mobile.

Stearman - 5 - I don't think he had a great game. In the first half, Watford were able to play long balls between McCarthy and Stearman for their strikers to run onto. It caused us no end of problems. Indeed, their equaliser in the second half was the result of this.

McCarthy - 6 - Dealt with the physical side well, but should have helped Stearman far more with the problem of the long balls. Without Dublin alongside him, doing the organising, he would have struggled.

Dublin - 8 - Absolutely immense. Not a rock, but a mountain. Organised the defence, got stuck in. I honestly thought he was going to collapse after his saving goal-line clearance in the first half. He ran all the way and made the block.

Johansson - 5 - Clearly not comfortable in the left-back roll. As someone else said, he isn't mobile enough. Can still see his horrific attempt at trying to stop Marlon King who ghosted past him, before rounding Douglas (Only for hero Dublin to knock it off the line). The point was that he ran into the challenge (as last defender) with King beating him for pace. (He could and should have stood off and held him up for others to get back). Just wasn't wholely convincing.

Sylla - 7.5 - I think people have been harsh on him. He had a great game yesterday. Two crosses for the goals and not only that, he got stuck in, made some good tackles, and didn't shirk or look disinterested (the complaints that have been levelled at him).

Kisnorbo - 8 - Man of the match. He was everywhere, giving 100%, jumping into tackles, winning the physical battles, providing the backfour with the support they needed. Excellent performance and happy he got the winner. He deserved it.

Hughes - 6 - Not his best game by a long way. He didn't get the ball down and spread the passes like I hoped he would. Having said that, he did get forward and cover back. It was his first game in the middle so hopefully he will grow into the position and contribute more.

Hamill - 6 - Bit anonymous really, but shows glimpses of true ability. Chipped the ball over the defender for Hume to run onto (unfortunately Hume hit the post). However, I fear he will go missing in games and not get stuck in.

Hammond - 7 - Worked hard and tirelessly. Maybe not the most intelligent player with the runs he makes, or decisions he chooses (i.e. when to pass) but he caused problems.

De Vries - 7.5 - Should have scored a second, but his overall performance was excellent. A real handful for the Watford defenders. He held them off, held the ball up and got another goal for his troubles. Never once shirked or went hiding. Good performance.

Subs

Hume - 7 - Up against a defender who clearly had the physical advantage. Having said that, he made some intelligent runs and should have got a goal for his efforts (damn post).

Gudjonsson - Not enough time to judge.

[frenchy_lcfc]

Rab 7

Stearman 7

Dublin 9

McCarthy 7

Nisse 6

Sylla 8

Hughes 7

Kisnorbo 8

Hamill 6

MDV 7

Hammond 6

Hume 7

Joey 6

I agree!!

[Ric Flair]

Douglas 6 - I thopught Rab looked very dodgy on saturday, for the first time in a long while. He seemed a little hesitant to collect corners and crosses. Made a few important saves though.

Stearman 7 - Alot better than at Derby, which was the first bad game he'd ever had for us. He slipped over a few times but I think Watford had heavily watered that side of the pitch. He was excellent going forward and defended very well when needed.

Dublin 8 - We saw the good and the bad of Dublin, overall he marshalled the defence well and epitomised how we played. If he could cut out the fancy stuff he'd be unbeatable.

McCarthy 7 - Fairly solid, although he looked scared when Young ran at him as did most of our team. That Young looks nearly as good as Smudger.

Nissa 5 - Poor, very poor. Not good enough to play at left back, can't get forward and his lack of pace is found out regularly when played there. Won a few menacing headers in the air though.

Sylla 7 - Set both goals up and showed signs of what he can do. Was still a little quiet at times, like most wingers are. It's down to Levein to command more out of him though, Sylla is just like Williams as in he has the talent but his motivation is questionable.

Hughes 6 - I expected more from Hughes in the centre, but didn't seem to be playing with confidence. I'd still keep him there for a run of games though as he has the class to take teams apart. Nice glancing header.

Kisnorbo 9* - Very impressed with Kisnorbo on saturday, looked ten times the player he was in previous games and his style of play almost won us the game single handidly. Watford didn't fancy the battle in midfield and Patrick sensed that and won everything. I take it back what I said about him, he looks like he could be very useful, does the simple things well and plays with his heart on his sleeve. Great header.

Hamill 6 - I was surprised Joe played on saturday, but it was good to have 2 wingers playing. Levein has finally realised we must play with 2 wingers to keep our shape. Hamill can cross the ball brilliantly but other than that he's nothing more than a squad filler, kept his width well though and prevented their winger/full back from breaking free a few times.

de Vries 7 - He had a fairly good day at the office and held the ball up well. He did well with his goal, which isn't that hard for most strikers but de Vries has often missed from there. Fluffed another though, which was shocking and frustrates the hell out of me. As i've said before, you don't know which MDV is going to turn up each match. Some games he's a match winner, others he lets the side down. Levein needs to be on the ball with de Vries and if he appears to be on an off day then replace him quickly.

Elvis 6 - Why does he have to be offside so much? His explosive pace means he can catch up with anyone very quickly and somebody needs to drill this in to him. de Vries is often found offisde aswell and it's embarassing and annoying. His finishing is also somewhat to be desired and he is far from the finished article at 25! Hume is more dangerous than Elvis and Levein chose the wrong striker to start the game.

Subs:

Hume 7 - Looked very lively and was extremely unlucky not to score. He also made a lovely flick on that set up an attack that in the end lead to nothing but none the less was very impressive. Watford couldn't handle him and should be our first choice striker.

Gudjonsson 6 - Didn't do alot in the twenty minutes he played, he was perhaps unlucky to be dropped but Kisnorbo showed how to put in the perfect midfield display.

Overall it was a good professional team performance away from home and we were the better team by far. This result should give us the world of confidence and shake a few monkey's off the shoulders of the players. Winning our first away game in nearly a year is crucial if we want to move up the table rapidly, this could be the start of something, but if it isn't then I think it will answer alot of other questions. Like, will we ever be good enough to make a challenge in this league? It's definately opened a few doors, let's hope we don't shut them straight away.

[Thracian]

Douglas 6 - I thopught Rab looked very dodgy on saturday, for the first time in a long while. He seemed a little hesitant to collect corners and crosses. Made a few important saves though.

Stearman 7 - Alot better than at Derby, which was the first bad game he'd ever had for us. He slipped over a few times but I think Watford had heavily watered that side of the pitch. He was excellent going forward and defended very well when needed.

Dublin 8 - We saw the good and the bad of Dublin, overall he marshalled the defence well and epitomised how we played. If he could cut out the fancy stuff he'd be unbeatable.

McCarthy 7 - Fairly solid, although he looked scared when Young ran at him as did most of our team. That Young looks nearly as good as Smudger.

Nissa 5 - Poor, very poor. Not good enough to play at left back, can't get forward and his lack of pace is found out regularly when played there. Won a few menacing headers in the air though.

Sylla 7 - Set both goals up and showed signs of what he can do. Was still a little quiet at times, like most wingers are. It's down to Levein to command more out of him though, Sylla is just like Williams as in he has the talent but his motivation is questionable.

Hughes 6 - I expected more from Hughes in the centre, but didn't seem to be playing with confidence. I'd still keep him there for a run of games though as he has the class to take teams apart. Nice glancing header.

Kisnorbo 9* - Very impressed with Kisnorbo on saturday, looked ten times the player he was in previous games and his style of play almost won us the game single handidly. Watford didn't fancy the battle in midfield and Patrick sensed that and won everything. I take it back what I said about him, he looks like he could be very useful, does the simple things well and plays with his heart on his sleeve. Great header.

Hamill 6 - I was surprised Joe played on saturday, but it was good to have 2 wingers playing. Levein has finally realised we must play with 2 wingers to keep our shape. Hamill can cross the ball brilliantly but other than that he's nothing more than a squad filler, kept his width well though and prevented their winger/full back from breaking free a few times.

de Vries 7 - He had a fairly good day at the office and held the ball up well. He did well with his goal, which isn't that hard for most strikers but de Vries has often missed from there. Fluffed another though, which was shocking and frustrates the hell out of me. As i've said before, you don't know which MDV is going to turn up each match. Some games he's a match winner, others he lets the side down. Levein needs to be on the ball with de Vries and if he appears to be on an off day then replace him quickly.

Elvis 6 - Why does he have to be offside so much? His explosive pace means he can catch up with anyone very quickly and somebody needs to drill this in to him. de Vries is often found offisde aswell and it's embarassing and annoying. His finishing is also somewhat to be desired and he is far from the finished article at 25! Hume is more dangerous than Elvis and Levein chose the wrong striker to start the game.

Subs:

Hume 7 - Looked very lively and was extremely unlucky not to score. He also made a lovely flick on that set up an attack that in the end lead to nothing but none the less was very impressive. Watford couldn't handle him and should be our first choice striker.

Gudjonsson 6 - Didn't do alot in the twenty minutes he played, he was perhaps unlucky to be dropped but Kisnorbo showed how to put in the perfect midfield display.

Overall it was a good professional team performance away from home and we were the better team by far. This result should give us the world of confidence and shake a few monkey's off the shoulders of the players. Winning our first away game in nearly a year is crucial if we want to move up the table rapidly, this could be the start of something, but if it isn't then I think it will answer alot of other questions. Like, will we ever be good enough to make a challenge in this league? It's definately opened a few doors, let's hope we don't shut them straight away.

Cracking summary.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Douglas 6 - didn't have a lot to do but was miles away from claiming one corner towards the end of the second half and had to be bailed out by Dublin. Couldn't do anything about the goal really.

Stearman 6 - I didn't think he played that well to be honest. There seemed to be a lot of flak coming his way from the middle in the first half for being out of position but he overlapped well in the second half. Generally looked a bit suspect when Young and McNamee ran at him.

Johansson 6 - I think everyone is being a bit hard on him, Hamill wasn't helping out much and Watford were dragging both Young and McNamee across to their right hand side along with Devlin which meant two or three players to keep an eye on at times. Didn't think he was as bad as everyone is making out.

Dublin 9 MOTM - Immense performance, let down only by their goal. He was everywhere, seemingly covering for McCarthy on top of clearing everything that came his way. Dealt with King brilliantly, albeit with a decent amount of protection from Rennie. Incredible goal-line clearance.

McCarthy 6 - Didn't notice him much to be honest, which was strange because I noticed Dublin a hell of a lot. I still don't think he is the answer. Gerrbrand or Johansson in the centre alongside Dion please.

Kisnorbo 8 - Extremely good. Broke up play very well and played the simple ball. On this performance, must start every week in the holding midfield position but can he replicate it on a more consistent basis? Must be given the chance to prove himself. Clinically taken goal too.

Hughes 7 - Thought he was quite good going forward but a stray pass here or there either from him or intended for him meant a lot of things didn't quite work out. Sometimes a little bit late making his run forward, perhaps down to a lack of pace. Linked up well with de Vries though. He has that touch of quality but more importantly he has a phenomenal workrate.

Hamill 6 - A bit anonymous but did a decent basic job of making himself available and picking out Hammond in particular with passes down the line (although usually in an offside position).

Sylla 8 - Thought he was extremely good. Two excellent assists for the goals but most importantly for me, he offers another outlet from long balls as his height means he can win headers from opposition full-backs. Second half in particular he really put himself about and closed down well. Not as much of a threat running at players as he possibly should be, perhaps on the basis of this game he needs to think about getting the cross in earlier in future.

de Vries 8 - The fourth outstanding performer for City. Used his strength really well, held off McKay as if he was candyfloss at times. Won a lot of headers and held the ball up all game. I was worried beforehand about how well he would deal with McKay on his back all day and I had nothing to worry about. Nice for him to score a goal, shame he didn't convert that chance where he did well to turn the defender but shouldn't detract from an excellent performance. Perhaps the difference between the two sides in that if King had done a similar job, we could have been looking at a 2-2. Hume and Hammond up front simply wouldn't give us the presence that we have when de Vries is there.

Hammond 6 - Simply not a very good footballer unfortunately. Plenty of energy and willing to make runs but these are invariably offside and when he does make that cutting run to split a defence he either miscontrols the ball or shoots wide. Having said that, the fact that he is quite tall (certainly in relation to Hume) gives us another option up front, he did look decent in the air. I think Levein made the right decision in playing Hammond over Hume based on this. Hume did a good job of coming on in the second half and putting himself about but he can't offer physical competition.

Subs

Hume 7 - As above, did the job required when he came on. Should really have finished the chance he got when put clear through but not many of our players would have been able to race clear of the defence like that, his pace will be a real asset to us. Needs to improve some of his close control and he's a bit short but shows a nagging willingness to close down that will be invaluable. Will certainly start ahead of Hammond for the majority of the rest of the season.

Gudjonsson 6 - Did a job.