MK Dons Player Ratings

[Stuliasz]

If you went to the smash n' grab 2-2 draw at stadium:mk on Saturday, please leave your City ratings at www.player-ratings.com/rate.

Discuss below.

[Webbo]

Bunn 5-I blame him for their first goal, chocolate wrists.

Gilbert 6

Morrison 6.5

Brown 6

Mattock 6

Oakley©6.5

King 6.5

Berner 7

Dyer 6

Howard6.5

Fryatt 7-extra half point for the goal

Cleverly 6.5

Gradel 6.5-extra half point for the goal.

[Thracian]

Bunn 5.5 (Two more goals conceded and the consensus seems to be that he should have done more with the first although he seemed well beaten to me. Kicking poor, throw-outs non existent, two or three necessary saves, pushed around in his box too much without getting any sympathy from the referee for at least one blatant foul).

Gilbert 5 (Never in command of his opponent and offered little going forward).

Brown 3 (How bad can a first team centre-back be? Skinned and left for dead with their first goal he never tried to recover as if his life depended on it and was generally sloppy. His distribution was just like the first half at Hartlepool, totally aimless. He had his hands on his hips looking knackered after barely half and hour and never inspired confidence at any stage.

Morrison 6 (His performance reflected what he is, a limited but wholehearted competitor who struggles when quick people and clever movers ask him questions. Stuck to the task though and coped.)

Mattock 5.5 (Another who had his hands full. Just couldn't make his mark on the game and, apart from one snap shot, had little impact going forward).

Oakley 7 (90-minute man of the match for us. One of the few who showed urgency and how we needed it when, with successive touches he headed a dangerous corner for a another corner and then cleared off the line with Bunn beaten. Covered so much ground and was forever trying to contribute something useful).

King 6 (One excellent which went wide but was nearly turned in by Fryatt. Another free-kick was on the mark but failed to beat the wall but was generally left with far too much to do and very few opportunities to find a useful pass.

Berner 3 (What was he for? Miskicks, misdirected passes, no real impact anywhere. If this guy is a better midfield player than Porter, Cleverley or Oakley, I've yet to see why).

Dyer 5 (People say Gradel can't cross but Dyer wasted most of the few opportunities to make a difference with a poor final ball. Howard was particularly livid with him on one occasion. He did have one good low cross that somehow escaped everyone's touch in the box but was generally neutralised and, in the end, seemed to have little left).

Fryatt 6.75 (Another well worked and well-taken goal so he continued doing what centre-forwards are paid for. Patchy game otherwise but he should have won us a penalty because from where I sat he was being blatantly fouled on the left edge of the penalty area.).

Howard 5.5 (Never given much space or time and, apart from the odd shot, was well contained.

Subs:

----

Cleverley 5 (It must have been a shock for him when we conceded a goal so soon after his arrival on the pitch but he did instil a bit of urgency and an ability to get the ball on the floor and pass it - something that was woefully missing today as we demonstrated that we've actually gone backwards as a team since the first two months)

Gradel 7 (I've never doubted he's one of the most skillful players in the club and it was some compliment to that ability when the senior players allowed him to take that last minute free-kick which stole a point for us. It was a cracking goal. The ball had to get up and down quickly and could never have been successfully hit with maximum force cos it wouldn't have stayed beneath the crossbar. The delivery was perfect. Just enough pace, bend and high enough to evade the defender. Sheer brilliance and worth the ticket price on its own. Welcome back Max.).

Pearson 5.5 (Got lucky with the bringing on of Gradel but never had us really fired up for the game. Once we scored we tried to cruise and were rately first to the ball for the rest of the game. In fact some players looked less that fully fit. We looked slow and cumbersome while MK looked quick. alert and determined for most of the game).

[Tilley]

Bunn 5 - Even Leven said he should have done better for the first goal.

Gilbert 6 - Was abit all over the place, tried to help in the attack but wasn't his day.

Morrison 6 - Steady enough job.

Brown 6 - Had a good first half but sort of lost it as the game went on.

Mattock 6

Oakley 6 - Mis-placed a few passes, but huffed and puffed & worked hard.

King 6 - Was always looking up for the pass, was abit quiet and bullied off the ball alot.

Berner 7 - Brought a bit of calm to the middle of the park and stopped MK completely controlling the midfield, think he quietly goes about his business and does a very solid and alot of the time, unoticed job.

Dyer 5.5 - Hmmm. MK fans must have been scratching their heads as to what has happened to him. Jemal Johnson out shone him completely. Think it is time for Cleverley or Gradel on Tuesday.

Howard 6 - His worst game in along time. He just looked absolutely shatterd.

Fryatt 7 - Took his goal really well, tried to run the flanks and support the midfield, not a bad performance.

Cleverly 6

Gradel 7 - Was lively & gets a 7 for a great last minute goal.

[Anish]

My view may be slightly different as I sat in the MK end (thanks to Part of the Crowd for the ticket )

Bunn - 5 - terrible performance, didn't see if he had much chance with the first goal but his kicking was awful and he badly flapped at one corner in the first half, whether he was fouled or not I can't say. Unlucky with the second goal though - made a decent save which ricocheted back off Leven into the net.

Gilbert - 5 - showed why Arsenal don't want him, defensively got skinned a couple of times, made the odd run to support the attack but whenever he gets the ball going forward he looks like he doesn't know what to do with it

Morrison - 6 - fairly decent

Brown - 4 - not impressed with him at all. The big bad bald English centre half of yesteryear who simply heads what he can and hoofs everything else. Yes he's strong and will win most in the air, but he's so slow and once he's turned there's no way he'll catch the runners. As for distribution, shocking would be an understatement - at a guess I'd say his pass success rate was no more than 15%, all of which were aimless hoofs with no composure.

Mattock - 6 - as usual, got turned a few times, but overall wasn't too bad defensively. He's clearly not a left midfielder so didn't do much when Dyer got subbed. He should've at least tested the keeper in the first few minutes when he made a good run and got clean through on the edge of the area.

Oakley - 6 - tried to galvanise the team at times and played some good one touch passes.

Berner - 4 - thought he was hopeless today. His passing was terrible and he got caught in possession a few times, I'm not surprised Pearson shuffled the midfield.

King - 6 - neat and tidy on the ball, I just wish he'd try to impose himself more on the game. He's not confident enough to take the ball off defenders and start passing it on the deck to the strikers - which is exactly what we need with the likes of Brown and Morrison constantly hoofing to no effect.

Dyer - 5 - poor final delivery as usual. Got down the wing more often than usual (at least he didn't cut inside too much like in previous games) but didn't have much impact.

Fryatt - 6.5 - great turn and finish for the goal, some nice touches and link-up play, but I just wish he'd release the ball earlier at times.

Howard - 6 (just) - I thought he played pretty poorly - but won most of his headers even though they didn't always reach the target.

Subs:

Gradel - 7 - changed the game, looked to run at defenders, had a decent volley which didn't connect properly but got in the position to shoot. Brilliant free kick to preserve the unbeaten record. He should start the next game.

Cleverley - 5 - sorry, I just don't rate this lad. He may have all the credentials being a Man U youngster but in my opinion he's pretty crap. Doesn't do anything going forward or defensively and he hasn't impressed me at all in any of the games I've seen him play. Send him back.

[smokey]

Bunn 5.5 (Two more goals conceded though and the consensus seems to be that he should have done more with the first although he seemed well beaten to me). Kicking poor, throw-outs non existent, two or three necessary saves, pushed around in his box too much without getting any sympathy from the referee for at least one blatant foul).

Gilbert 5 (Never in command of his opponent and offered little going forward).

Brown 3 (How bad can a first team centre-back be? Skinned and left for dead with their first goal he never tried to recover as if his life depended on it and was generally sloppy. His distribution was just like the first half at Hartlepool, totally aimless. He had his hands on his hips looking knackered after barely half and hour and never inspired confidence at any stage.

Morrison 6 (His performance reflected what he is, a limited but wholehearted competitor who struggles when quick people and clever movers ask him questions. Stuck to the task though and coped.)

Mattock 5.5 (Another who had his hands full. Just couldn't make his mark on the game and, apart from one snap shot, had little impact going forward).

Oakley 7 (90-minute man of the match for us. One of the few who showed urgency and how we needed it when, with successive touches he headed a dangerous corner for a another corner and then cleared off the line with Bunn beaten. Covered so much ground and was forever trying to contribute something useful).

King 6 (One excellent which went wide but was nearly turned in by Fryatt. Another free-kick was on the mark but failed to beat the wall but was generally left with far too much to do and very few opportunities to find a useful pass.

Berner 3 (What was he for? Miskicks, misdirected passes, no real impact anywhere. If this guy is a better midfield player than Porter, Cleverley or Oakley, I've yet to see why).

Dyer 5 (People say Gradel can't cross but Dyer wasted most of the few opportunities to make a difference with a poor final ball. Howard was particularly livid with him on one occasion. He did have one good low cross that somehow escaped everyone's touch in the box but was generally neutralised and, in the end, seemed to have little left).

Fryatt 6.75 (Another well worked and well-taken goal so he continued doing what centre-forwards are paid for. Patchy game otherwise but he should have won us a penalty because from where I sat he was being blatantly fouled on the left edge of the penalty area.).

Howard 5.5 (Never given much space or time and, apart from the odd shot, was well contained.

Subs:

----

Cleverley 5 (It must have been a shock for him when we conceded a goal so soon after his arrival on the pitch but he did instil a bit of urgency and an ability to get the ball on the floor and pass it - something that was woefully missing today as we demonstrated that we've actually gone backwards as a team since the first two months)

Gradel 7 (I've never doubted he's one of the most skillful players in the club and it was some compliment to that ability when the senior players allowed him to take that last minute free-kick which stole a point for us. It was a cracking goal. The ball had to get up and down quickly and could never have been successfully hit with maximum force cos it wouldn't have stayed beneath the crossbar. The delivery was perfect. Just enough pace, bend and high enough to evade the defender. Sheer brilliance and worth the ticket price on its own. Welcome back Max.).

Pearson 5.5 (Got lucky with the bringing on of Gradel but never had us really fired up for the game. Once we scored we tried to cruise and were rately first to the ball for the rest of the game. In fact some players looked less that fully fit. We looked slow and cumbersome while MK looked quick. alert and determined for most of the game).

That is a bit harsh on Brown! He wasnt great today but not that poor!

The worst player on the pitch was Gilbert by a mile, thought he was shocking today!

[Anish]

That is a bit harsh on Brown! He wasnt great today but not that poor!

The worst player on the pitch was Gilbert by a mile, thought he was shocking today!

For once I actually agree with Thracian - Brown is like Kisnorbo but slower and bigger, and with even worse passing ability. The number of times he gave the ball away was criminal.

[TrickyTrev]

Thought we were very lucky today. Full ratings to come later, but Bunn, Brown, Gilbert and Berner were particuarly bad.

[peterborofox]

Bunn 5-Arguably should have doe better for both goals

Gilbert 5-looked ok but shaky at times

Morrison 6-he did ok but brown was the culprit in defence for me

Brown 5-just thought he was too slow and the dons knew this

Mattock 6-anonymous to be honest

Oakley©6.5-steady thought he led the team well

King 6.5-battled but did nothing wrong or right

Berner 4-never really got going but always gave 100%

Dyer 4-see mattock

Howard 7-won every header and battled

Fryatt 5-good first half was too wide in the second but won the free kick at the end

Cleverly 5-ran and ran but nothing else

Gradel 6.5-great goal and ran at opponents

[Thracian]

For once I actually agree with Thracian

Strange day then. Cos I was just reading your ratings comments and thinking mostly the same!

[Joe.]

Bunn 6 - I thought he was at fault for their first goal personally. He recovered well enough after that though and generally looked a fairly safe pair of hands.

Gilbert 5.5 - Struggled a little going forward, but this wasn't helped by the fact that neither Oakley or Cleverley offered any help when they were both on the pitch.

Morrison 6 - Occassionally looked a little sloppy, and I'm certain he gave the ball away just before their second goal. However, he was constantly making up for Brown's errors and was relatively decent at the back today.

Brown 3 - Awful. Missed countless interceptions and was generally very careless in his play. More of a liability if anything today.

Mattock 6 - Steady performance from him today, neither good nor bad.

Oakley 6 - Worked hard enough, but never really rallied the team together to cut out the simple mistakes and gather any kind of attacking flow.

King 5 - Our midfield was totally overrun today. I understand King's job is more of a creative midfielder, but he was pretty much anonymous in all areas today.

Berner 5 - I lost count of the amount of times Puncheon wasn't closed down around the area, and surely he has to take some responsibility here?

Dyer 5 - Slightly better than he has been of late, one good run in the first half with little else to show for it. Subbed for what must be the 4th or 5th game in a row today, Pearson's patience must surely be wearing thin now.

Howard 4 - One again an assist for Fryatt's goal, but aside from this he was terrible. Won next to nothing against Llera and O'Hanlon in the air, although was unlucky with some of the referee's questionable decisions.

Fryatt 6 - Felt a little bit sorry for him today with the total lack of service he received, but he took his chance well and got another goal for his troubles.

Subs:

Cleverley 2 - Just terrible. I'm still unsure as to whether he's good enough for us, and at the moment I'm swaying more towards no.

Gradel 7 - Hero of the day. Worked hard when he came on and then delivered the killer blow to MK. Deserves a starting place ahead of Dyer without a shadow of a doubt.

Powell n/a

[SamL]

Bunn 5

Gilbert 6

Brown 4

Morrison 5

Mattock 6.5

Oakley 7

Berner 6

King 6

Dyer 6

Fryatt 7

Howard 6

Subs:-

Cleverley 4

Gradel 7

[RowlattsFox]

Bunn -6- Poor first half but improved 2nd and showed some good handling.

Gilbert -4- Was having an ok game until Johnson swapped flanks.

Morrison -5- Sloppy on the ball, got turned so many times.

Brown -5- In the air then great but on the floor he is shocking, strangely he will probably be better next season then this.

Mattock -6- Did ok.

Oakley -6- Started well but lost control.

King -5- Never really stuck any kind of authority on the game, we were over-run in centre midfield far too easily.

Berner -5-5- Again like Oakley I thought he started well but went down-hill.

Dyer -5- Same old Dyer of last few weeks.

Howard -6- Some good, some bad.

Fryatt -7- Was our most threatening player, good goal and some excellent control.

Cleverley -5- Full of effort but had no impact.

Gradel -7- Purely for the goal.

Powell - N/A

[Anish]

Cleverley 2 - Just terrible. I'm still unsure as to whether he's good enough for us, and at the moment I'm swaying more towards no.

Have to agree with everything you said and especially the above on Cleverley. How he's supposedly Man Utd's reserve team player of the year I'll never know. Probably because all the good reserve players like Welbeck and Gibson are training with the first team and on the bench for the first team.

[ousefox]

Bunn 5

Gilbert 5

Brown 4

Morrison 5

Mattock 6

Oakley 6

Berner 4

King 5

Dyer 3- Gradel Please.

Fryatt 6

Howard 6

Subs:-

Cleverley 4

Gradel 7

[lildave3]

Cleverly was ****ing wank. But anybody anywhere near me towards the end will know my feelings on the matter.

I don't think anyone played particularly well. Morrison motm maybe?

[eastendfox]

From the east stand, full of MK Dons 'fans' who had never seen their team before, plus loads of Leicester fans, I thought we were staggeringly lucky to get a point and generally second best all game. And so we limp on to promotion. But what a couple of goals!

Bunn 6 - Didn't think he could do much about the goals, quick off his line a couple of times but uncertain at corners.

Gilbert 5 - All the defenders were up against a good, pacy forward line. They all struggled.

Brown 5 - Legs went by the end, some good interventions, but also beaten too easily too often

Morrison 5 - His mistake led to the second goal

Mattock 6 - For me the best of the back four, which wasn't saying a huge amount

Oakley 6 - Looked decent coming forward in the first half, faded in the second like a number of others

Berner 4 - Dreadful in the first half. Deployed just in front of the back line early in the second he looked like he might come into it, then bizarrely shifted to left back, where struggled again

King 5 - We never really got a hold of the midfield, and King worked hard but struggled

Dyer 6 - Not as good as Johnson on their side, but actually seemed the most likely to make something while on the pitch. Set up a couple of chances, one with a great run into the box to get on the end of a throw in and knock back to Howard. His last act on the pitch was to win a free kick in a dangerous area. But, hardly got the ball as we rarely had it. And as he doesn't tackle, he's hardly likely to improve that. Still don't understand why he's getting so much stick.

Howard 6 - Strong in the first half, hardly there at all in the second.

Fryatt 8 - The goal was pure quality, some of his touches in the first half were sublime, and he won the free kick from which we equalised. Without him today, we would have lost.

Subs: Cleverley 4 - At the moment I can't see why he's in the 16, he really is struggling to contribute at all. Not really sure why he came on.

Gradel 7 - The free kick was magnificent. Showed some spirit in there and had another shot on target as well. Hard to understand why he didn't come straight on for Dyer.

Powell 5 - Not on long enough

Pearson 5 - The substitution and resulting reshuffle was baffling. Gradel for Dyer could have been understandable. Or someone for Berner. But he really needs to sort out the centre of midfield, which is now being overrun on a regular basis (Oldham, Swindon, MK Dons to name but three).

MK Dons 8 - A good team, Di Matteo has done really well, and they had us on the back foot for most of the game.

[Bert]

Bunn 5 - Could've done better with their first goal, unlucky with their second.

Gilbert 6 - Come up against a tricky opponent, got beat a few times but held his own.

Mattock 6 - See Gilbert.

Morrison 5 - Gave the ball away which lead to their second goal. Good in the air, but poor in all other areas.

Brown 4 - Again, good in the air but was exposed for his lack of pace, and needlessly wasted possession a number of times.

Oakley 7 - Here, there, everywhere. Captain's performance.

Dyer 6 - Started off well but as the game picked up pace, he faded away.

Berner 6 - Provided that vital steel in midfield.

King 6 - Poor start, wasted possession which is unlike him but didn't look out of place.

Howard 5 - MK had done their homework on him, one of his quietest games this season.

Fryatt 6 - Cracking finish. Worked hard and won the vital free-kick for the equaliser.

Cleverley 5 - Did nothing to inspire. Very poor when he had the ball.

Gradel 7 - Looked up for it when he came on, did well in the time that he had and the free-kick? Need I say more?

Powell N/A.

LD3 9 - Fantastic hug outside the ground.

[lildave3]

LD3 9 - Fantastic hug outside the ground.

I did it to everyone I knew when I saw them.

[Father Ted]

Bunn 6 - Average. Could have done better for the first goal and he did mess up a couple of kicks.

Gilbert 6 - Steady enough and ended up having to deal with most of the headers Morrison should have gone for!

Morrison 3 - Had an absolute mare. Backed off Wilbraham all game, won nothing in the air and lost the ball when it was at his feet.

Brown 4 - Should have been marking Wilbraham and Morrison should have been marking the speedy guy, it would have made more sense. Brown was turned embarrasingly for their first and was really not there.

Mattock 6 - Solid enough.

Dyer 4 - Should have stayed in Milton Keynes, I'm sure there is plenty of space on a roundabout.

Oakley 6 - Kept things ticking, tried his best but didn't play the captain role well enough.

King 6 - Got stuck in but was anonymous at times.

Berner 7 - Was impressed, was good going forward, especially first half.

Fryatt 8- Got the goal and won the free kick, was a threat all game.

Howard 6 - Not one of his best tbh.

Gradel 8 - Just for the free kick

Cleverley 6 - Did what he had to do

Powell 7 - With his few touches he gave us assurance, wisdom and much needed experience.

Pearson 6 - Got the defensive tactics very wrong.

[Diddsy]

Bunn- 5- His kicking was a bit suspect got away with a few dodgy kicks! Should have saved the first goal and why could we not start from the back for once they pretty much double marked howard when they could!

Gilbert-6- I think he did well didnt offer much in attack but i think hes steady

Morrison-4- got found out, there striker tought him a lesson he got beat in the air regularly and just got battered really.

Brown- 4- There quick striker made him look foolish on more than one occasion. Again any chance of not just hoooooofing it to howard everytime he gets it, and if he just boot it at least get it close

Mattack-6- Similar to gilbert some good moments but both wingers were good for them!

Dyer-6- Didnt really do a lot but at least kept the ball more and had a couple of runs early

King-6- Poor start but didnt really influence the game in any way i cant remember him doing a lot but as with berner gave their midfield so much time not pressure

Berner-4- Dont start in centre mid again

Oakely- 6-Is a centre midfielder so play him there. one of the better players though

Fryatt-6- good finish early on and some good runs but movement is limited there just didnt seem any options apart from playing to howard.

Howard- 5- He didnt look like he wanted to know in the second half but playing against two big bastards cant help

START MAX GRADEL NEXT GAME- not just because of one goal but hes a confidence player i watched him a few times at the start the year and really gave defenders some trouble! bit of pace in what looked a tired team would be nice!

[C-man]

Brown was woeful. I know Puncheon was good and probably the best player I've seen in this division, but Brown was skinned by him for the first goal, gave him the ball in the lead up to the second and then stood in no-mans land to let Leven in for his second.

Hobbs and Morrison for me next game.

Fryatt played well and took his goal superbly.

[Daggers]

Bunn 5

Gilbert 6

Morrison 6.5

Brown 5 - started fairly but quickly ebbed and then frequently out of position leaving the hole in the centre

Mattock 6

Oakley 6

King 5 - poor innings from my favourite player

Berner 7

Dyer 4 - seriously, seriously poor today, anonymous for huge chunks of the game and inconsequential for most of the rest

Howard 5 - pulled up limping and never able to hit full stride after that. I'd be betting he doesn't start Tuesday.

Fryatt 8 - outstanding goal, constant serious threat gave us the equaliser too...and could have had a penalty if the ref or the lino had been in possession of a a working pair of eyes

Cleverly & Gradel added something when they came on but I'd give them 6's tops...apart from that goal. Gradel has to have at least a point extra for that.

Chris Powell needs a mention simply for being Chris Powell

Pearson & the backroom staff - 10

Not for the team choice or the tactics yesterday because Nige was badly second-bested there, no: For crafting a squad that can still be battling into the 97th minute of a game, for developing a never-say-die belief in our team. For giving me a reason to stay till the bitter end and not contemplate going home at half-time anymore. Wouldn't it be brilliant if that never-say-die belief could actually spread to our support and stop the bastards moaning for a bit?

[JoeyB]

Bunn - 5

Gilbert - 6

Mattock - 5

Brown - 4

Morrison - 7

Oak - 6

Dyer - 5

Berner - 7

King - 6

HOward - 6

Fryatt - 6

Cleverly - 5

Gradel - 9

Powell - 6

[Thracian]

Pearson & the backroom staff - 10

Not for the team choice or the tactics yesterday because Nige was badly second-bested there, no: For crafting a squad that can still be battling into the 97th minute of a game, for developing a never-say-die belief in our team. For giving me a reason to stay till the bitter end and not contemplate going home at half-time anymore. Wouldn't it be brilliant if that never-say-die belief could actually spread to our support and stop the bastards moaning for a bit?

Can't wait to see what you give him for a good game.