Match ratings v Liverpool

[Bus-Conductor]

I thought first half was a pretty even affair, Liverpool maybe shading it. But second half I though we were definately shading it until the goal. I don't think I've seen Berebatov look less interested. Ratings:

Cerny 6 - didn't have much to do. Didn't do much wrong

Hutton 6 - ok. Not great today

Dawson 5 - Typical Dawson. Played quite well but out jumped and out witted by torres.

Woodgate 6 - played ok

Gilbero 6 - still getting the impression he's a wee bit too casual for my liking. I expected to see him come out in a pair of flip flops for the game.

Malbranque 7 - nobody works harder than this little fella. tenacious and technically good, shame his final ball just lets him down occasionally.

Jenas 5 - oh dear. talked the talk this week. unfortunately tripped over when trying to walk the walk.

Zokora 6 - ok

Ohara 5 - limitations were exposed a while ago.

Berbatov 2 - If he sat on a deckchair in the centre circle and put his ipod on he'd still be more use than Keane most days. Which is kind of what he did today. And was more use than keane.

Keane 1 - If you want to know how Liverpool found themselves one up just watch how much time keane gives skirtle to pick out his ball to Torres. just stands there watching him. Didn't even do his flappy wave thing. Just stood there watching him. This typical cowardice has cost us for a long time. Yes he scores but how many times do the opposition score as a result of Keane presenting the ball on a plate to the opposition.



Huddlestone 5 - Once again failed to impress when given chance. Looked really sluggish at times as well.

 

[fortworthspur]

was it Daws or Hutton that got beat on the first goal?

 

[StockSpur]

well said

 

[stemark44]

It was a really disappointing effort from most of our players with Malbranque the only exception!
I thought we were very poor up front and I am still pretty confused as to why Ramos played Berbatov yesterday.
If the story is true - that Ramos knows what Berbatovs decision is about his future - why did he play him?
If Berbatov is going - then Ramos gave Bent an awful slap in the face with his selection!

 

[Has1978]

I thought first half was a pretty even affair, Liverpool maybe shading it. But second half I though we were definately shading it until the goal. I don't think I've seen Berebatov look less interested. Ratings:

Cerny 6 - didn't have much to do. Didn't do much wrong

Hutton 6 - ok. Not great today

Dawson 5 - Typical Dawson. Played quite well but out jumped and out witted by torres.

Woodgate 6 - played ok

Gilbero 6 - still getting the impression he's a wee bit too casual for my liking. I expected to see him come out in a pair of flip flops for the game.

Malbranque 7 - nobody works harder than this little fella. tenacious and technically good, shame his final ball just lets him down occasionally.

Jenas 5 - oh dear. talked the talk this week. unfortunately tripped over when trying to walk the walk.

Zokora 6 - ok

Ohara 5 - limitations were exposed a while ago.

Berbatov 2 - If he sat on a deckchair in the centre circle and put his ipod on he'd still be more use than Keane most days. Which is kind of what he did today. And was more use than keane.

Keane 1 - If you want to know how Liverpool found themselves one up just watch how much time keane gives skirtle to pick out his ball to Torres. just stands there watching him. Didn't even do his flappy wave thing. Just stood there watching him. This typical cowardice has cost us for a long time. Yes he scores but how many times do the opposition score as a result of Keane presenting the ball on a plate to the opposition.



Huddlestone 5 - Once again failed to impress when given chance. Looked really sluggish at times as well.

Watched it on Football First last night. And agree with most of your ratings. Having a front two that do very little tracking back/harrying (the exact opposite of Rooney, Tevez, Kuyt and even the likes of Heskey) puts pressure on the rest of the team - especially when they're not scoring.

Dawson against Torres is a bit like a young spotted deer (who's been ill for a while) taking on a fully grown Bengal Tiger.

Malbranque is an earnest trier. The fact that he was our best midfielder (yesterday and all season), yet can barely pass forward speaks volumes frankly.

Couldn't tell by watching the TV if Jenas was on the pitch. Think I spotted Zokora a couple of times though.

Huddlestone looked ok I suppose. There is some hope there. Not convinced by O'Hara but at least he does the basics well. Was out of his depth v Liverpool though.

And as for Berbatov - thanks for everything, but could you have at least pretended like you wanted to stay? I'll miss him but not for diva-like performances like yesterday. I'll miss him for swashbucking games like against Bolton last year.

But I think the game was more or less a microcosm of our league campaign this season. Played well in patches, but ropey defending and a lack of creativity and quality let us down. Hope we get some reinforcements yesterday (Modric is a good start)

 

[DC_Boy]

I just want to say in JJ's defence he was injured.

 

[eddiebailey]

Not convinced by O'Hara but at least he does the basics well. Was out of his depth v Liverpool though.

Don't think we will ever know whether O'Hara can cut it unless he is given a run in central midfield. Because he has a left foot he is being pressed into service at left midfield or left fullback, which does not play to his strengths. The risk is that fans will get on his back for not being something he never claimed to be, and his confidence will go.

That was what happened to Johnny Jackson who is, and always was, quite a decent midfield playmaker, but who never got to show what he could do at Spurs, and left something of a broken man. This season he has, for the first time, had an extended run in CM and is Colchester's player of the season, having played every minute of every game. Okay Col U face the drop, but the Championship is very tight, so he is clearly not as bad as some Spurs fan would have you believe. And if nurtured correctly could perhaps have been better.

Joe Martin is another leftie who seems to be going down the same route, seldom getting an outing in his preferred CM position, whether for the reserves or on loan. (And in his case height and ancestry mean he is also on occasion pressed into service as a centreback.) It is rather a depressing pattern.

 

[There's always next year]

Good assessment of Keane, but it won't be appreciated by too many on this board, who have this rose tinted love in with Mr Keane. You are right to observe our forwards are not particularly good at closing down or generally being a nuisance.

I though that the performance was a good reflection of the season as a whole - Cup ties excluded......under par and careless

 

[yiddotilidie]

Zokora was equally as bad as JJ.

 

[yanno]

Don't think we will ever know whether O'Hara can cut it unless he is given a run in central midfield. Because he has a left foot he is being pressed into service at left midfield or left fullback, which does not play to his strengths. The risk is that fans will get on his back for not being something he never claimed to be, and his confidence will go.

That was what happened to Johnny Jackson who is, and always was, quite a decent midfield playmaker, but who never got to show what he could do at Spurs, and left something of a broken man. This season he has, for the first time, had an extended run in CM and is Colchester's player of the season, having played every minute of every game. Okay Col U face the drop, but the Championship is very tight, so he is clearly not as bad as some Spurs fan would have you believe. And if nurtured correctly could perhaps have been better.

Joe Martin is another leftie who seems to be going down the same route, seldom getting an outing in his preferred CM position, whether for the reserves or on loan. (And in his case height and ancestry mean he is also on occasion pressed into service as a centreback.) It is rather a depressing pattern.

Eddie - very fair point. However, it's arguable that it's unrealistic for a young player to come into the EPL in CM and be given a long run in the team to get up to speed. Tom Huddlestone played around a hundred games at Championship level (for Derby and on loan at Wolves), and he's still adapting to life in the EPL.

I do think we should send our best 18- and 19-year-olds out on season-long loans to teams where they're going to play a lot of football. It's probably no coincidence that O'Hara had a couple of lengthy and largely successful loan spells (at Chesterfield and Millwall) before getting a serious first team chance. And as you've correctly said, it's taken Mark Yeates several seasons of Championship football to begin to start playing to his potential.