Player Ratings for the Taffs ?

[Thracian]

Ikeme 5 (Where have they got him from? Such a soft and careless goalto concede which meant two goals conceded from two serious shots. And some of his kicking was just as bad).

Neilson 7.5 (Energy and enterprise in abundance. A bit iffy defensively early on and missing for the c ross-cum-shot that found the net, but a big positive contribution in the end and made a contribution to at least one of the goals).

Morrison/Hobbs 7.5 each (Must have been relieved that Cardiff's big guns were missing but he and Hobbs deserve credit for restricting the opposition to so few chances in the last two matches. And for Sousa to get them passing constructively and patiently is an additional major plus)

Burner 7 (Determined and mostly on top against the main thrust of Cardiff's attacking).

King 9.5 (A brace or brilliantly taken and vital goals against the a top Championship side but lots of other contributions as well in an altogether accomplished performance).

Oakley 7 (Did well enough but Inaccurate at times and just seems to lack the tempo needed to be outstanding any more)

Wellens 8 (Always there to be seen, even when making his inevitable errors but he too tried to get forward to provide yet more support to our sometimes marauding attacks and was rewarded with two valuable assists.).

Dyer 8.5 (Such a threat. Of course he should have scored from his one v one opportunity but he was a constant nightmare to the Cardiff defence coming off either flank or turning into the middle.Might have let fly earlier with another chance but, for all that a memorable effort).

Howard 6.5 (Improved as the game went on and he got closer support).

Waghorn 7 (Dynamic and never stopped asking questions. His direct play and willingness to shoot from distance unsettled Cardiff and, like Dyer, helped provide space and opportunity for others. Hard to mark and I like that).

Subs:

Gallagher 6.5 (Fitted in seamlessly).

Abe 6 (Took a while to get his first touch but I sensed a capable player).

[tomtom]

Matt Oakleys best performance in a city shirt for me tonight, some massively important tackles and seemed full of energy, he gave the midfield that bit of steel its been missing and if he keeps playing like that he'll hard to dislodge from the team !

[The Doctor]

]Ikeme 6 - Not much to do, no hope with their goal, seemed to hook his kicks an awful lot though

Neilson 8.5 - WTF has happened to him?

Morrison 8 - Solid, best two performances of the season since he was re-introduced for moreno - coincidence?

Hobbs 8 - Good and looked more assured having morrison back alongside him

Berner 7 - Looked a lot better after a somewhat shakey start to the season

King 9 - King by name, King by nature

Oakley - 8 - A Great improvement on last season - but that's what you get when you play him in his position

Wellens 6 - Not involved all that much

Dyer 8 - had their fullback skinned all night long, just needs to learn how to finish one on ones

Howard 7 - Alright

Waghorn 8 - Had a brilliant chance at the end of the first half that he perhaps should have taken but overall a good performance

Gallagher 7 - Alright

Abe 7 - Made some good runs, needs to get the ball in those situations more often

[fatman L1]

]Ikeme 6 - Not much to do, no hope with their goal, seemed to hook his kicks an awful lot though

Neilson 8.5 - WTF has happened to him?

Morrison 8 - Solid, best two performances of the season since he was re-introduced for moreno - coincidence?

Hobbs 8 - Good and looked more assured having morrison back alongside him

Berner 7 - Looked a lot better after a somewhat shakey start to the season

King 9 - King by name, King by nature

Oakley - 8 - A Great improvement on last season - but that's what you get when you play him in his position

Wellens 6 - Not involved all that much

Dyer 8 - had their fullback skinned all night long, just needs to learn how to finish one on ones

Howard 7 - Alright

Waghorn 8 - Had a brilliant chance at the end of the first half that he perhaps should have taken but overall a good performance

Gallagher 7 - Alright

Abe 7 - Made some good runs, needs to get the ball in those situations more often

Wellens 6 - Not involved that much? did you put this just to get a response or were you not at the game? WHO had 2 assists fool, plus plent of other contributions

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Oakley has now had two good games in a row, not superb but good. He gave the ball away in the first half a bit but everything else he did was perfect. Stuck into the challenges and helped boss the midfield.

Much improved from him.

[Sooper Steve's shin]

King: 10 2 chances. 2 goals. Always looking to ghost into the box, he was unmarkable tonight.

This is so right. I hold my hands up to not being a King fan last year. In most games, all I saw was someone sat in midfield who passed sideways or backwards whenever he got the ball.

The new position as the attacking midfielder in a central three, almost a free role, absolutely suits him. I had watched games last season and tried to see what King was doing, but I couldn't see much in the way of movement. Last night, I watched him for a while and he was quietly ripping Cardiff apart just by moving from midfield into the secondary striker role and back again. Their centre halves didn't have a clue where he was for most of the second half and he was amazingly effective as the support to our centre forward.

I think this is more the equivalent of Stephen Gerrard's role than Frank Lampard (I am not comparing him to them, just the style) and there doesn't seem to be much the opposition can do about it. If they stick a midfielder out to man-mark him, then he drops back to make a hole for Wellens. Similarly, if the defender tries to stay too close then he's out of position when King drops closer to midfield. It's a clever system and we are executing it well at the moment.

[MrSpaM]

Neilson: 9 Nothing got past him today, he was fantastic. And the patented Neilson spoon cross caused some havoc in the Cardiff box.

I was gonna comment on his posture when he's on the ball (arms like tea pot spouts ), but i thought it'd be a bit cruel considering his display last night. Well done to the guy

[dandannieldanok]

Ikeme 6 (Tough to say whether he was at fault or not for the goal, other than that I never felt comfortable with him but he was ultimately adequate for our needs)

Neilson 8 (Reformed player, calm and composed, should have that spot nailed on now if he carries on like this)

Hobbs 7 (Generally good, some vital clearances, a few slips but fine)

Morrison 8 (Won pretty much every ball in the air, looking good again)

Berner 7 (Solid performance, kept a dangerous opponent reasonably quiet)

Oakley 7 (Always looking for the ball and distributed it pretty well, at least his misplaced passes were ones that were going forward and trying to make things happen for us, I'm happy with him to keep his place)

Wellens 8 (Quiet first half, bossed the second half. Two good assists (first was a cracker), and a very handy player to have when you're protecting a lead)

King 10 (Won us the match)

Dyer 8 (Always a threat with his pace, Cardiff dare not leave him with just one defender, impressed again with him)

Howard 7 (Poor first half but really stepped it up after the break, was a focal point as the rest of the team upped their levels simultaneously)

Waghorn 7 (Like Howard, was tenfold better after the break, really worried their fullback, showed lots of eagerness and hunger)

Gallagher 7 (Calm head when we needed it)

Abe (Hard to rate, his teammates avoided him like the plague )

[Sooper Steve's shin]

Ikeme 6 (Tough to say whether he was at fault or not for the goal, other than that I never felt comfortable with him but he was ultimately adequate for our needs)

Neilson 8 (Reformed player, calm and composed, should have that spot nailed on now if he carries on like this)

Hobbs 7 (Generally good, some vital clearances, a few slips but fine)

Morrison 8 (Won pretty much every ball in the air, looking good again)

Berner 7 (Solid performance, kept a dangerous opponent reasonably quiet)

Oakley 7 (Always looking for the ball and distributed it pretty well, at least his misplaced passes were ones that were going forward and trying to make things happen for us, I'm happy with him to keep his place)

Wellens 8 (Quiet first half, bossed the second half. Two good assists (first was a cracker), and a very handy player to have when you're protecting a lead)

King 10 (Won us the match)

Dyer 8 (Always a threat with his pace, Cardiff dare not leave him with just one defender, impressed again with him)

Howard 7 (Poor first half but really stepped it up after the break, was a focal point as the rest of the team upped their levels simultaneously)

Waghorn 7 (Like Howard, was tenfold better after the break, really worried their fullback, showed lots of eagerness and hunger)

Gallagher 7 (Calm head when we needed it)

Abe (Hard to rate, his teammates avoided him like the plague )

I agree completely with all of this; Lloyd would have been 9 if he'd put away his golden opportunity and (as the ratings suggest) this could have been a real tonking. Apart from Lloyd's effort, Waghorn missed one sliding in and the keeper cleared one with his knees. 4-1 would have been a fair result (in fact, 4-0 as their goal was a massive fluke).

[Trav Le Bleu]

Ikeme 7 - Probably at fault for the goal (I was right behind him and he hardly got off the ground), but a couple of good stops, though he doesn't inspire confidence; be glad when Weale is back.

Neilson 8.5 - Most improved player over last season. I would have quite happily seen the back of him, but very, very good last night.

Hobbs 7.5 - Solid, without too much to do, but an understanding forming with Morrison now.

Morrison 7.5 - See above

Berner 7.5 - Good game, but seemed a little quiet going forward.

Oakley 7 - Didn't really notice him much, but certainly no gaffs to notice. A reliable part of the machine.

Wellens 8 - Great distibution in the 2nd half... had Sousa threatened to replace him with Abe if he didn't pull his finger out?

King 9 - Player of the season so far, our very own Lampard. Tireless, commited and skillful!

Dyer 8.5 - Ran and ran and ran, continually took on the players in front of them and should have had a goal.

Howard 9 - Won EVERYTHING up front and furthermore, 9 times out of ten he laid the ball off to a city player in a dangerous position.

Waghorn 7.5 - Worked hard, but I'm unconvinced of his effectiveness out wide.

Gallagher and Abe not on long enough to judge, but I was impressed by Abe's constant movement off the ball, he was always finding the space.

[Fox92]

Ikeme 6 - Should have dealt with the Cardiff goal. Other than that, steady and did well when called upon.

Neilson 8

Hobbs 7

Morrison 8

Berner 7

Oakley 8 - Much improved player in centre midfield. Great tackling throughout the game.

Wellens 9 - Immense again. Vision and passing is superb, tackling is excellent as well.

King 9 - Great finisher, nice passing and did well with his runs.

Dyer 9 - Electric.

Howard 7 - Came into the game in the second half. Holding up the ball and flicking the ball on etc.

Waghorn 7

[The Doctor]

Wellens 6 - Not involved that much? did you put this just to get a response or were you not at the game? WHO had 2 assists fool, plus plent of other contributions

i was at the game and i didn't notice him all that much - he may have created the goals but didn't get ahold of the game the way king and oakley did.

[okie fox]

Ikeme 6 - Should have dealt with the Cardiff goal. Other than that, steady and did well when called upon.

Neilson 8

Hobbs 7

Morrison 8

Berner 7

Oakley 8 - Much improved player in centre midfield. Great tackling throughout the game.

Wellens 9 - Immense again. Vision and passing is superb, tackling is excellent as well.

King 9 - Great finisher, nice passing and did well with his runs.

Dyer 9 - Electric.

Howard 7 - Came into the game in the second half. Holding up the ball and flicking the ball on etc.

Waghorn 7

Also how I saw the game! Our midfield bossed the game. Wellens was average in the first half, but ran the show in the second and set up both goals.

King deserves a lot of credit for getting into great positions and deadly finishing. Dyer attacked them at great pace. Oakley very good as the defensive midfielder.

[lcfcbradyboy]

Ikeme 8 - couldnt be at faul for there goal and made some good saves

neilson 7 - got stuck in tried his best

hobbs - 8 won every header and good tackling

morrison 8 - same as hobbs today won every header and good tackler (plz dont play moreno over him)

berner 7 - got stuck in and won every challange 2day

King - 10 immnense citys best player great game he had

Wellens 7 - a little dissapointed with his performance but won some tackles and got forward

Oakley - 6 not a fan of oakley but made some good passes sooner play abe there

waghorn 8 - had a good game should of scored a tap in but good game

Howard 8 - better normaly he concedes 2 much fouls but didnt concede no fould yesterday so well done

Dyer 9 - Ripped every player apart and should of scored great performance

[cityfan94]

people who are rating oakley are really suprising me to be quite honest, he played amazingly yesterday by commanding the midfield, excellent tackles and his passing is looking alot better. i think this passing game really suits him, could be a key player this season with sousa's passing style.

my personal ratings would be :

ikeme - 6.5

berner - 7.5

morrison - 8.5

hobbs - 9

neilson - 9

oakley - 9

wellens - 8

king - 10

dyer - 9.5

waghorn - 7.5

howard - 7

[Guest ttfn]

Ikeme 7 - I thought his handling was fine by and large. No idea why people are blaming him for the goal, it was a freak. As a keeper in that situation you have to anticipate the cross, which is what he did, correctly as it turns out. It just so happened that the Cardiff guy sliced it. Distribution average.

Neilson 8.5 - Defended well (again, not his fault for the goal, you can let him cross from 10 yards outside the area all day) and christ alive, he's learned how to cross. Magnificent work in the build up to King's second.

Hobbs 5.5 - Gave the ball away a couple of times in the first half and at times struggled with Keogh. Nasty first half tackle that he was fortunate to escape from without a booking.

Morrison 7 - Good in the air.

Berner 7 - Didn't really notice him, Burke barely tested him but when he did Bruno did well.

Oakley 8 - Another who's a different player to last year. Really getting stuck in which he has never been renowned for.

Wellens 8 - As others have said, poor first half but a magnificent second half. The cross for the first was perfect.

King 9 - Match winner.

Dyer 8 - Ran his socks off and was a constant threat.

Howard 7 - Gave us a decent option other than the endless midfield passing we've seen on other occasions with the lofted ball for him to flick on, a job he did well. However, he was exceptionally ponderous in the build up, taking the ball sometimes as much as 5 or 10 yards backwards before releasing, even with better options on. Also too ponderous to get in the box. Fryatt please.

Waghorn 7 - Too keen to score himself, he took too many speculative shots. If Fryatt had missed an open goal two yards out the Fryatt haters would never let us hear the end of it. That said, his work from the wing was always dangerous.

[tomtom]

people who are rating oakley are really suprising me to be quite honest, he played amazingly yesterday by commanding the midfield, excellent tackles and his passing is looking alot better. i think this passing game really suits him, could be a key player this season with sousa's passing style.

my personal ratings would be :

ikeme - 6.5

berner - 7.5

morrison - 8.5

hobbs - 9

neilson - 9

oakley - 9

wellens - 8

king - 10

dyer - 9.5

waghorn - 7.5

howard - 7

Completely agree, he was quality last night and no offence to Abe but how can people say get him in instead of Oakley when they haven't even seen him play more than 10 mins yet ????????????

[fatman L1]

i was at the game and i didn't notice him all that much - he may have created the goals but didn't get ahold of the game the way king and oakley did.

Obviously you could'nt compare anybody with King, but i dont agree with the Oakley comment, Wellands did just as good a job as Oakley if not better.

I'm not really bothered who did what anyway, we won and lets hope it continues.