Player ratings vs Birmingham

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

Couldn't make it today - would appreciate the numbers. Stick 'em in below!

[peterborofox]

Kasper 6

RDL 5

Moore 6

Whitbread 5

Schlupp 7

DD 5

James 7

King 7

Vardy 7

Nugent 7

Wood 5

Dyer 7

Knockaert 7

No real stand out performance from anyone but probably just give Motm tp Vardy.

[DennisNedry]

Kasper - 7 - Was never really tested, dealt very well with crosses and set pieces.

 

Schlupp - 6 - Did OK but I'd rather see a proper LB playing.

Moore - 7 - Solid. Will have to see it again but I thought he was at fault for the first goal.

Whitbread - 6 - Another decent game but he's no Morgan.

RDL - 7 - Sound defensively, not at his best attacking wise.

 

Drinkwater - 6 - Too negative on the ball.

King - 8 - Always involved both going forward and tracking back. Great goal.

James - 8 - Did the knitty gritty stuff well as always, he was electric going forward in the last 20 minutes.

 

Wood - 5 - Poor touch, did little.

Nugent - 6 - A bit better but not at his best.

Vardy 9 (MOTM) - Gave everything, showed how quick he can be today. Great goal and is starting to look the part.

 

SUBS:

 

Knockaert - 6 - He often gave it away but was involved in many of our counter attacks.

Dyer - 7 - Showed he can still perform. Still the fastest sprinter in the league, great set up for Vardy.

 

Pearson - 8 - Good subs and change of formation at HT.

 

Ref - 5 - Good first half but his second half decisions were at times terrible.

 

Birmingham - 4 - They were fvcking awful. How they scored twice is beyond me. They deserved what they got - nothing.

[nlukka]

Kasper 6 - not sure if he could have done better for their first but other than that a good game

RDL 7  - got forward well and in the first half looked our best outlet

Moore 7 - overall he did well against Birmingham's direct style

Whitbread 5 - a few shaky moments in the game, didn't feel comfortable with him at the back

Schlupp 7 - defensively looked good and tried to get forward to support the attack. Linked up well with Dyer in second half

Drinkwater 6 - got forward more but nothing came off for him in the final third

James 7 - got stronger as the game went on, looking more like he was last year

King -7 good to see him scoring again, passing wasn't great at times

Vardy 8 - top man again today, full of effort and forced mistakes out of their defence

Wood 5 - another poor game for me

Nugent 7 - missed a good chance at the beginning of the second but looked lively. Our new penalty taker as well it seems

 

Dyer 8 - made things happen great impact sub

Knocky - gave us more of a threat coming in off the right flank

 

Referee 2 - not sure if I was watching the same game as him. Bet he hated having to give us the penalty

[Stuliasz]

Kasper 6

RDL 6

Moore 7.5

Whitbread 7

Schlupp 7

 

Drinkwater 6

James 7

King 6.5

 

Vardy 8.5

Nugent 6.5

Wood 4

 

Subs:

Dyer 7

Knockaert 6

[champions 08/09]

Schmeichel - 7 - made some decent saves did everything he should have done professionally, kicking was decent

De laet - 6 - poor first half I thought,got unlucky as he was double teamed by their defenders when normally he would accelerate past them, gave it away a little but aswell but second half stepped it up imo.

Moore - 7 - class act as usual I thought, did everything as best he could.

Whitbread - 6.5 - won a lot of headers although for some reason always looks a little shakey, didnt get a strong enough header for their first goal imo

Schlupp - 7 - did everything defensively well and offered a threat when going forward aswell

James - 8 - class today, especially as the game went on reminded me of his form at the end of last season

King - 8 - worked hard as usual, classy finish for the second goal as you would expect from him, great all round performance

Drinkwater -6.5 - shouldve put away the chance in the first half, decent performance apart from that.

Vardy -9- MOTM worked himself into the ground, good finish aswell for the goal and absolutely deserved it

Nugent - 7 - shouldve got on the end of a chance vardy made early on, missed a few chances aswell, put in a decent performance apart from that, penalty was absoloutely class

Wood - 6 - was alright in the first half and tried to make something happen but hes nowhere near his form of when he first signed and didn't offer too much

Subs:

Knockaert - 7 - works his socks off as knockaert always does some nice link up play with Ritchie de laet, clearly must have made an impact if we scored three goals once he came on

Dyer - 7 - pace was as usual a clear threat, made one of the goals himself and won the penalty, towards the end of the game him and schlupp were linking up brilliantly

Referee was appalling as usual

[SmithyFox12]

Schmeichel - 6.5

 

De Laet - 6

Moore - 8

Whitbread - 7.5

Schlupp - 7.5

 

James - 8.5

King - 7.5

Drinkwater - 6.5

 

Wood - 5

Nuge - 7

Vardy - 9

 

 

Subs;

Dyer - 8

Knockaert - 6.5

[Mark_w]

Kasper - 6

RDL - 6

Moore - 7

Whitbread - 6

Schlupp - 6.5

James - 7

King - 8

Drinkwater - 5

Wood - 5.5

Nugent - 7

Vardy - 8

Knockaert - 6.5

Dyer - 7

[kingfox]

Schmeichel 7 - Sometimes I think, if it wasn't for him we would struggle, love him

 

De Laet 5 - Weak link today for me, closed down when tried to get forward, and let Brum have too much space on the right

Moore 7 - Good performance again, he is such a good reader of the game

Whitbread 6 - Mixed bag, but sometimes you need someone like Zak just because of height, and he won the ball which led to the first goal

Schlupp 8 - He was excellent in my opinion, got forward incredibly well, defensively he was sound

 

Drinkwater 5 - Some good play down the flanks, but generally pretty poor

James 7 - Seemed back to his good self, winning balls and passing well

King 7 - Great finish, bit quiet here and there, but a reasonable performance

 

Nugent 6 - Poor first half, only came to life in the final 10 minutes, unfortunately

Wood 5 - Very very average again, really needs to get off the mark soon, or it will be quite worrying

Vardy 9 - Changed player, great tenacity, very good runs, and a deserved goal...MOTM

 

Subs

Dyer 7 - Slow start, but then suddenly gained confidence, and made a massive impact

Knockaert 6 - Slow start as well, but gradually got into the game, and linked well

[Kitchandro]

Kasper - 6.5 - Didn't notice him much due to Birmingham offering little threat, commanding most of the time, kicking was hit and miss.

 

RDL - 7 - Very good going forward as usual though he seems to lack the final ball often. Slightly dodgy in defence on occassions but mostly good enough.

Moore - 9 - Impressive display. Very strong and reliable, almost Morganesque. The odd pointless long ball which everyone was guilty off but his distribution was generally good.

Whitbread - 6 - I still don't fully trust him. He wins things in the air but he's just too cumbersome. If the ball goes past him he's beaten. Not a bad display today though.

Schlupp - 8.5 - Much improved from Derby. Defended well and looked like a winger/wing back going forward, which is what he is. Him and Dyer on the same side is a good prospect.

 

Drinkwater - 5 - Average. He does some ok things but rarely anything important. He's negative and too slow in possession. He's supposed to be the 'passer' in the midfield but he's not actually that great at it, gives it away too often. James and King are better and so was Wellens when he was a regular. He's a poor man's Wellens.

 

James - 8.5 - He's one of the few who wants the ball all the while which I like. In the second half he really got into it and was great to watch. He can do it all when he's on form; he's technically good, his passes are intelligent and well executed, he thinks ahead of the game, he's got energy and he can tackle. Nice to see he's played well the last 2 games after a slow start.

 

King - 7.5 - Some sloppy play at times but was involved a fair bit when we got the ball in space over the halfway line and passed well. Scored a great goal.

 

Nugent - 4 - Seemed to be playing deep and out of position but he was very lackadaisical regardless.He doesn't look to be himself, he seems asleep half the time and lacks confidence in and around the box, and in fact does not spend enough time in there.

 

Wood - 6 - I thought he was a bit hit and miss. He won headers and worked hard, got the ball down well and times and others he gave it away poorly. Had one half chance I think and it wasn't executed well.

 

Vardy - 8.5 - Very pleasing performance, can't fault him for effort but first half I think he was making some typical errors with his touch and decision making. Sometimes he doesn't get his head up enough. However second half he was superb, used his pace effectively, looked more confident and scored a very nice goal. If we see more of the Vardy we saw today he might just prove people wrong.

 

SUBS

 

Dyer - 8 - Made an impact, linked up with Schlupp well and wasn't afraid to run at players, which is the most vital thing to his game.

Knockaert - 6.5 - A little bit frustrating and silly on the ball but worked hard and did some positive things. I'd rather him in than Drinkwater.

[TrentFox]

Some acceptable performances. Some unacceptable ones, (DeLaet, DD, Wood). And some very, very good ones, (Vardy and James). Thought the change of formation and intent post half-time was crucial. Great to see James getting back to his best. Vardy's movement, pace and work-rate was fabulous. If he could just get some confidence in front of goal, he could become the player we thought we were getting when we signed Beckford. For me, he is our first-choice striker atm ! Never thought I'd say that a few months ago.

[dog_4]

for me Schlupp could be a bolasie/zaha type player! the ball seems to stick to his feet and swivels and turns really well.  Also drives in dangerous low crosses when in those positions.   Also where was Konchesky???? any news? 

[Bert]

Kasper 6 - Could do little about either goal, otherwise had little to do.

RDL 6 - His slow start continues, much better when he has a winger to overlap.

Schlupp 7 - Thought he gave us a good option going forward and gave them problems.

Whitbread 7 - Won EVERYTHING in the air. Absolutely everything. Suspect on the floor but knows how to give a cynical foul away and got some vital foot ins today.

Moore 8 - Fantastic yet again, hope his great start continues, now a reliable defender.

Drinky 6 - Got into some great positions, but certainly should've hit the target from 10 yards out.

James 8 - Got better as the game went on, much better in a midfield 2, fantastically quick feet.

King 6 - Thought he was very sloppy for the most part, but what a fantastic goal.

Vardy 9 - MOTM, deserved his goal, worked hard and put them under pressure.

Wood 5 - Poor, but we're not playing to his strengths.

Nuge 6 - Dropped deep a bit too much, but created a goal and scored one.

Dyer 8 - Changed the game and was unplayable. Shame he can't do it all the time.

Knocky 7 - lovely flick for the second goal, his movement is brilliant, so hard to mark as he draws others out of position, creates space for others.

[Fox92]

Kasper 6

De Laet 6 - Nowehere near the cross, twice, which resulted in the goal.
Moore 7
Whitbread 5 - Didn't think he won everything in the air. A few seconds before the Brum goal, he was beaten in the air. Very slow. Morgan has no worrying about his place.
Schlupp 7

Drinkwater 5.5
James 7 - Quick feet
King 7 - Didn't think he was outstanding, but an outstanding finish for the goal

Vardy 8 - MOTM for me. Never stops working hard, puts in 100% every minute of the game. A goal goal as well, regardless of the deflection (if there was one).
Nugent 7 - Very creative and always wants the ball. 
Wood 5 - Not at his best, maybe lacking in confidence
 

A word on Dyer as well. I'm a big critic of his, always say I don't really rate him. He was better today though, and that's how I want him to perform everytime he plays.

[Dickov22]

Kasper 6 Couldnt do much about their goals.

De Laet 6 Gave away some silly fouls. Doesn't quite seem himself. Agree with Bert, better when he has a wide man infront of him to play 1 2s with and overlap

Moore 8 Proving me wrong. I didn't think he was strong enough to play centre half but he continued his excellent start to the season

Whitbread 7 Couple of dodgy moments but so strong in the air which we needed today

Schlupp 7 Got forward very well. Growing into his role

King 7 Pretty Anonomous first half bar a fantastic tackle in our penalty area. Great goal though- he has the ability to be very quiet, then do something like that. Well done to him

James 8 Average first half, brilliant second. Such quick feet

Drinkwater 6 thought he was unlucky to come off at half time but it proved to be the right decision.

Wood 4 Terrible. Clearly doesn't suit playing as a front 3, but needs to put more effort in for me

Vardy 9 Perfect centre forward performance. Pace, good in the air, took his goal well. Reminds me of Dickov at his peak. Nightmare for defenders

Nugent 6.5 Steady performance, better second half in a front 2

Dyer 8.5 Made things happen as he do often does for us

Knockaert 6.5 Tried to do too much but I think thats because he's so desperate to win his place back. Good effort and gave their defenders something different to worry about

We need to scrap playing 3 up top- it doesn't work, they all want to play through the middle and it means we lack width. We were MUCH better in a 4-4-2.

[GKD]

Kasper - 7 couldn't do anything with the goals. Made a very good save in the second half from a free kick. Distribution not his normal standard though.

De laet -6 blame him for the goal. Made no attempt to close the player down and defensively I still think his game needs work. Going forward very decent.

Moore - 7 solid couple of nervous which was more related to Morgan not being next to him. Looks a player who could be chased by the big clubs in a few months if he carries on.

Whitbread - 7 good championship defender. Dived in once or twice though. I would want him to take over the Morgan role today in marshalling the defence.

Schlupp - 7 very good good going forward needs to be given confidence to just run at the defenders. His control, dribbling skills and delivery suggest he prefers the left wing role over the left back role. Another young academy lad who keeps improving.

Drinkwater - 6 I think drinkwater gets a lot of unwarranted criticism. He always makes himself available for a pass, finds space looks to create and wins the ball by hassling opponents. He is a good football player and not as bad as some make out.

James - 6 I've seen him play better. He was not bad just decent. Played his role ok. He is growing into the player we saw last season if he carries on.

King - 7 that block at the end of the first half typifies andy king. Stopped a certain goal when his defenders got in a tangle. Good goal. Kept the ball moving. Defensive work good and just gets on with it.

Vardy - 9 pace, movement, finishing and looked dangerous all game. If he carries on he will become the first name on the team sheet on a weekly basis. A different player from last season.

Wood - 5 he prefers service and space not hoofing up to him. He is a finisher being 6 foot plus doesn't mean he is a target man that is not his game. Us using him as one effects his game. He needs a goal soon.

Nugent -7 tried hard and creates by keeping the ball moving. Good movement in the second half. He again enjoys the more central role alongside one partner not two.

Knocks -6 tries hard and creates. Intelligent play at time. The flair element will click very soon. Needs to start.

Dyer -6 pace defenders hate but delivery as well today.

[shearfox]

Vardy 10

[Guest ttfn]

Schmeichel 6 - At fault for the first for me, otherwise safe hands.

De Laet 5 - Sloppy.

Moore 7 - Developing into a decent centre half.

Whitbread 6.5 - Solid in the air, not on the floor.

Schlupp 7 - Better. Still not sure he's a left back.

Drinkwater 6 - Not bad but unimaginative in possession and a dreadful finish when in on goal.

James 6 - Offered little in the first half but a big last 20 from him.

King 7 - As James but a fvcking beautiful goal on top.

Nugent 6 - Some nice touches but some utterly brainless decision making at times. Good pen.

Wood 4 - Crap.

Vardy 7.5 - Nice goal, made some lovely runs and even some nice touches. But his decision making in key areas of the pitch is atrocious. First half on two occasions he got in behind with some lovely movement and wasted the chance that was developing by failing to hold the ball and wait for support. Nonetheless MOTM.

Subs:

Dyer 7.5 - Quiet for large spells but two great assists.

Knockaert 6 - Not his best game but some decent touches, not least the one in the build-up to King's goal.

Ref was absolutely embarrassing.

[inckley fox]

Birmingham - 4 - They were fvcking awful. How they scored twice is beyond me. They deserved what they got - nothing.

 

Really? They had some great chances to go two up. They played like you'd expect an away side to play and could easily have come away with 1-3 points.

[Guest ttfn]

Really? They had some great chances to go two up. They played like you'd expect an away side to play and could easily have come away with 1-3 points.

All these "chances" came in about a 5 minute spell when we'd completely lost it. Otherwise they could barely pick their nose, let alone a pass.

[inckley fox]

All these "chances" came in about a 5 minute spell when we'd completely lost it. Otherwise they could barely pick their nose, let alone a pass.

 

So if they'd scored those "chances" wouldn't have counted? Not sure it works that way.

[Guest ttfn]

So if they'd scored those "chances" wouldn't have counted? Not sure it works that way.

No but it doesn't change the fact that they were awful. Which is what your original comment was disputing. We just happened to be awful(er!) for 5 minutes.

So yeah, it does work that way. We're not talking about goals here we're talking about how they played. That they could have come away with anything at all is testament to the fact that we had a spell of extreme weakness.

They were very poor.

[Kitchandro]

So if they'd scored those "chances" wouldn't have counted? Not sure it works that way.

 

They were crap, so what if they had a couple of chances in a 5 minute spell?

 

I can't even remember any tbh, I remember a few sloppy bits of play from us which they made half chances from, I remember shots going wide from outside the box and the 2 goals.

 

They were very, very poor IMO. They didn't even look solid at the back and they couldn't string 2 passes together for most of it.

[Bluetintedspecs]

Scores wise very similar to most on here! MOTM Vardy 9 excellent CF performance, nuisance, fkn handful and lovely goal didn't stop running, Moore 8 Solid and learnig quickly,James 8 not so great 1st but sublime at times in 2nd half,King 8 did some good dirty stuff covered the ground and scored a cracker. They were the stand outs for me, Lloydy 8 for his performance and impact 2nd half,

[Daz93]

Kasper 6 -Little to do, could have come out for their first.

RDL 5 - Poor performance, caught out a lot and didn't offer much on the overlap.

Moore 8 - Outstanding again, calm and composed on the ball, did well without Wes.

Whitbread 6 - Watched the ball and gave up too often. Some headers though.

Schlupp 7 - Decent again, offered more than De Laet.

Drinkwater 5 - Average like the rest in the first half.

James 7 - Came into the game in the second half, some good touches and took players on.

King 7 - Great finish, came into the game at the same time as everyone else.

Wood 5 - Didn't get the service he needed first half.

Nuge 7 - Decent performance, assist for Kingy and good pen.

Vardy 9 - Superb, even first half. Chased, harried, deserved his goal.

Dyer 7 - Used his pace well finally, caused problems.

Knockaert 7 - Creativity helped at the end, delicious flick to Nuge for Kingy's goal.