Middlesborough Game Player Ratings

[marbelladave]

I have said what I thought of the overall performance elsewhere, so these are my views on individual players…

Weale. Looked more confident than of late but still nowhere near his form of the early part of last season. Missed a couple of crosses and could only parry a couple of shots into dangerous areas. Was not really tested but on a positive note his distribution is improving all the time.

Neilson. Another decent game, a bit more conservative than of late and too many balls just chipped forward, though solid defensively. I think his substitution late is sending out a strong signal that his time as a starter is numbered.

Moreno. Very composed on the ground but lacking presence in the air, a big issue given the nature of Championship football, as others have suggested his future may well lie in midfield. Got booked for shouting at the linesman, needs to calm down a little.

Hobbs. Still on the left but much better than in recent games. Not worked that hard by 'boro, and by no means faultless but encouraging never the less.

Berner. His normal coolness and composure looked more like lethagy. for a spell in the first half he was put under pressure by 'boro as there was no one in front covering him, a word from Sousa to DJ soon sorted things out. Hopefully Berner's current form is just an early season fitness issue, not terminal decline!

Oakley. A very decent performance in the holding role, broke up play nicely and moved the ball forward quickly. May lack pace and bite in the tackle but this was not at all noticeable yesterday. May not be the long term solution in this position but he is doing a competent job for the moment.

Wellens. Given the playmaker role, I thought he fell flat, spend too much time on the ball and was always looking for the killer pass, most of which went astray. Slowed up our play on the counter and offered very little in forward positions.

King. Pushed well forward, decent enough idea but didn't really work. 'Boro found him easy than usual to pick up and his quick passing in midfield was missed. I think it is time he was given the dominant midfield role, his ability to switch the play with quick but simple passes is just what is needed.

Dyer. A decent performance, though not as good as at Palace. Still coming to terms with his new role, not sure about his instructions but he does not get into the box anywhere near enough for me. The whole point of playing on the 'wrong' wing is to get inside and threaten the goal and he did not do that anywhere near enough for me.

Campbell. Needed a wake up call from Sousa half way through the first half when he let his fullback double up on Berner once or twice but otherwise was ok. Balanced his work out wide with his runs inside well enough but needs more and better balls played to his feet, sadly too much went in the air to Howard.

Howard. Typically belligerent performance, but he got little out of Wheater. Heavily involved throughout but really producing very little. I'm really not sure that he has any business in this line up, the bluntest of blunt instruments.

Gallagher. Replacing King he was much less involved but still looks likely to make something happen. Didn't get enough ball to be really effective but by then we were becoming scrappy anyway.

Fryatt and Lamey. too late to have much effect but bringing on Lamey for the perfectly decent Neilson shows Sousa's intent most clearly.

[RowlattsFox]

Weale -6- Not very busy but flapped couple of times.

Neilson -7- Probably best game in City shirt, growing in confidence. Unlucky to be subbed.

Hobbs -8- Awesome first half comfortable in 2nd.

Moreno -7- Jittery at first but grew in stature, thought he won the ball for his booking from where i was.

Berner -6- Quiet game.

Oakley -7- Always wanted the ball.

Wellens -7- Always looking to create.

King -6- A threat but quiet.

Campbell -7- Good but should have scored.

Howard -6- Did ok.

Dyer -7- Dangerous.

[dandannieldanok]

Berner. His normal coolness and composure looked more like lethagy. for a spell in the first half he was put under pressure by 'boro as there was no one in front covering him, a word from Sousa to DJ soon sorted things out. Hopefully Berner's current form is just an early season fitness issue, not terminal decline!

Agreed. I'm not worried about him yet because he still looked solid enough but he's not hit the ground running and at his age it could well be terminal decline. The lack of covering in front of him, which is one negative of the 4-3-3 setup, didn't help as you say.

[okie fox]

Weale -7- Solid but not totally convincing.

Neilson -7- Much better this season.

Moreno -8- Organised the defence well so Hobbs had more confidence. Good ball control, good marking, but heading weak point.

Hobbs -8- Dealt with everything well. Made some vital tackles.

Berner -7- Good going forward. Worrying that Middlesborough had a lot of space on his side (which they failed to exploit).

Oakley -7- Linked up play well.

King -7- Got into the box to hit bar with header and score offside goal. Went missing at times.

Wellens -7- Glad he's back starting. Some good passes.

Dyer -7- Very lively at beginning, tired as game went on.

Howard -7- Tough playing against Wheater with ref giving all 50-50 decisions to 'boro. The team would probably have not have played so well without his phyicality.

Campbell -8- Ran with pace at their defence a lot. This prevented them from playing high up the pitch.

Gallagher -6- Disappointing, didn't do much.

Fryatt -6- Came on for a short time and didn't get in the game.

Lamey -6- Not convincing.

[MC Prussian]

Weale - 6 Solid, but far from outstanding. Didn't really have a lot to do - but the few times Boro came close to scoring, he looked a bit shaky handling the ball.

Berner - 7 Mostly very convincing, misjudged the ball only occasionally

Moreno - 6 A bit tame and fearful in his City debut, didn't defend properly (lack in clearing the ball directly) and gave the Boro attackers a few undeserved chances going forward

Hobbs - 7 That's the Jack we all got to know last season

Neilson - 7 Surprisingly solid on his flank - it has to be added though that he wasn't matched with a speedy left-winger. A couple of nice breaks down his side to assist the strikers with high balls and a very nice battling performance.

Oakley - 5 You may find it a bonus when a player doesn't seem to have a visible influence on the game, remaining quiet. Well, for a skipper, Oakley remained too silent for my liking. Effective in his role as a defensive midfielder, but certainly having issues coping with the speed of the game. Also responsible for a pretty silly tackle in the first half, leading to a very good Boro chance.

Wellens - 6 Too selfish going foward at times - instead of feeding his teammates with proper passes, he tried to give it a try too often himself. His shot technique is... debatable. But in one-on-ones, solid as a rock. Another workhorse.

King - 7 Unlucky not to score. Great asset to the team once more by being aware both defensively and in joining the attack(s).

Dyer - 6 Bright start, only to fade in the second half

Campbell - 7 At times too greedy, but worked his socks off. Also unlucky not to score, had a few good attempts blocked or saved by Steele.

Howard - 6 Solid, yet unspectcular as ever. Unfortunately, referees have figured out not to blow the whistle in his favour by now. Should avoid falling down too theatrically. Great shot saved by Steele in the second.

Subs:

Gallagher - 6 Little impact on the game too late into it

Fryatt - n/a didn't really see too much of him

Lamey - 7 Had a couple of nice tricks on display and even managed to join the attack at one point. Promising debut.

[Joe.]

I thought Neilson, Hobbs, Oakley and Campbell were our best players yesterday. Neilson put up a good showing with a solid display not only defensively but was also active in attacking proceedings. Hobbs was back to his best with two absolutely blinding challenges on Boyd, while Oakley put in one the best performances I've seen from him in a while in the holding midfield position. Campbell worked hard all match and looked superb in the build up - sadly the finish was lacking.

[Corky]

Agreed. I'm not worried about him yet because he still looked solid enough but he's not hit the ground running and at his age it could well be terminal decline. The lack of covering in front of him, which is one negative of the 4-3-3 setup, didn't help as you say.

I think the lack of cover was the main reason as to why he struggled. With Dyer in front of him he had a natural winger who knew when to support, so he looked stronger with that help.

If the lack of cover is going to be an issue then Dyer should be back on the left, because Berner is still the best option at left-back.

Having said that it would be a shame to break up the Dyer-Neilson combination, which had worked well so far.

[caz05]

Weale - 6 Solid, but far from outstanding. Didn't really have a lot to do - but the few times Boro came close to scoring, he looked a bit shaky handling the ball.

Berner - 7 Mostly very convincing, misjudged the ball only occasionally

Moreno - 6 A bit tame and fearful in his City debut, didn't defend properly (lack in clearing the ball directly) and gave the Boro attackers a few undeserved chances going forward

Hobbs - 7 That's the Jack we all got to know last season

Neilson - 7 Surprisingly solid on his flank - it has to be added though that he wasn't matched with a speedy left-winger. A couple of nice breaks down his side to assist the strikers with high balls and a very nice battling performance.

Oakley - 5 You may find it a bonus when a player doesn't seem to have a visible influence on the game, remaining quiet. Well, for a skipper, Oakley remained too silent for my liking. Effective in his role as a defensive midfielder, but certainly having issues coping with the speed of the game. Also responsible for a pretty silly tackle in the first half, leading to a very good Boro chance.

Wellens - 6 Too selfish going foward at times - instead of feeding his teammates with proper passes, he tried to give it a try too often himself. His shot technique is... debatable. But in one-on-ones, solid as a rock. Another workhorse.

King - 7 Unlucky not to score. Great asset to the team once more by being aware both defensively and in joining the attack(s).

Dyer - 6 Bright start, only to fade in the second half

Campbell - 7 At times too greedy, but worked his socks off. Also unlucky not to score, had a few good attempts blocked or saved by Steele.

Howard - 6 Solid, yet unspectcular as ever. Unfortunately, referees have figured out not to blow the whistle in his favour by now. Should avoid falling down too theatrically. Great shot saved by Steele in the second.

Subs:

Gallagher - 6 Little impact on the game too late into it

Fryatt - n/a didn't really see too much of him

Lamey - 7 Had a couple of nice tricks on display and even managed to join the attack at one point. Promising debut.

Sorry but oakley was not quiet through this game,i even commented to my son about how well he was playing and also barking out orders at the others,i had not really seen him shout at players before yesterday,but in my opinion he was every bit the captain yesterday and deserved to be

[milan_foxes]

I thought Neilson, Hobbs, Oakley and Campbell were our best players yesterday. Neilson put up a good showing with a solid display not only defensively but was also active in attacking proceedings. Hobbs was back to his best with two absolutely blinding challenges on Boyd, while Oakley put in one the best performances I've seen from him in a while in the holding midfield position. Campbell worked hard all match and looked superb in the build up - sadly the finish was lacking.

Cracking post, completley agree.

[marbelladave]

I think the lack of cover was the main reason as to why he struggled. With Dyer in front of him he had a natural winger who knew when to support, so he looked stronger with that help.

If the lack of cover is going to be an issue then Dyer should be back on the left, because Berner is still the best option at left-back.

Having said that it would be a shame to break up the Dyer-Neilson combination, which had worked well so far.

Sort of.

There were two issues with Berner on Saturday, firstly he does not look fit, hopefully this is just a result of a disrupted pre season and will sort itself out. Secondly Campbell forgot, right from the start, that he may have licence to roam going forward but when we lose the ball he has to take up the wide position covering his fullback!

A word from the bench after about 20 mins seemed to sort things out to a degree and while DJ is not the most effective player defensively he at least stopped the 'boro right back 'doubling up'.