Player ratings V stoke

[Dubciteh]

Eoin(CTK) will you do them cos i cant be bothered and im sure ill agree. Wouldnt say they will be too generous weither way

[Jon London]

Given 4 Richards 7 Lescott 5 Toure 6 Garrido 4 De Jong 5 Vieira 5 Barry 7 Johnson 7 Santa Cruz 3 Adebayor 5 (SWP 7 Zabaletta 6 Petrov 5)

[london blue 2]

Given - 3
Micah - 7 1/2
Toure - 3
Lescott - 8
Garrido - 6
Barry - 5
De Jong - 6
Vieira - 4
Johnson - 7
Ade - 5
Roque - 5

[Nick]

Is there really a need?

The only ones I can be arsed witha are:

Given: The only thing he had to do he let slip through his fingers, 1.
Petrov: Came on and at least TRIED to attack, but wasnt arsed, had no fight considering he wants to start so much and gave the ball away a shitload, 2.

Mancini -5. Too negative, no shape, no direction. Even at 1-0 down against 10 men. Micah wasnt even listening to him when he tried explaining tactics with fancy arm movements.

[paulmclaren]

Given-5- agreeed, he needs to sort the handling out when trying to catch the ball.
Terrible clanger.
Richards-6-got forward as normal, our best defender.
Lesscot-6-sluggish at times,but done nothing wrong.
Toure-5-were do i start, seriously, one nervous mother fucka, needs to be dropped and stripped of the captaincy asap.
Garrido-5-Not a prem player, i think we all know finally, defiantly not a left back.
Johnson-7-our main play maker, looks very inventive, just what we need.
De Jong-6-just sits back all game, but that's what he's about.
Veira-6-not as bad as everyone is going on, started the worst player agreed.
But last 35 mins, he was the one pushing us forward.
Barry-6- the last 10 mins is the Barry we bought, total dogshite mostly.
Ade-6-more involved the normal, this guy simply is no target man.
Tosspot cruise-4-my fucking god, this guy is total wank.
I wont even comment on him.

Swp-6-looked decent sometimes, but he's another player who is soo frustrating to watch at times.
Petrov, he ran back 50 fucking yards, fucking hell m8 here's your wages....wank.

[Redna]

Given 3 Is he making the defence look so unsure and vulnerable or is it the other way around. He loses his power when not on the line.
Garrido-5 Not so bad. He good on the ball and tried to offer some offensive runs.
Toure- 4 Not impressed tonight either.
Joleon-6 headed descent but missplaced a few times.
Micah-6 energetic and working hard but athlete it is.
DJNG-5 misstiming and slowing up the game
Viera- On to short for marking ;)
Barry-6 scorer and trier but no flow to his game
Johnson-5 never got lose on the wing. tried a couple of times but he can't do 3 defenders unsupported
Ade-6 got the defender off but looks uninteressed, better 2nd half though
RSC- to w*nk to mark

I've missed someone , actually it feels like I'm missing eleven hungry,eager,fast, strong players.
I'm tired but a slight note for Manc-2
You can't play pedestrian football in england. It will never ever gonna work.
CTID!!

[HeyMark]

How can people seriously rate Adebayors performance as better than Roque's. Roque won almost everything in the air, was dropping deep to get the ball, playing it out to the wings, holding up the ball. Fair enough sometimes things didnt come off for him but he was a lot more involved that Ade was tonight. Some people are so determined to hate him that they cant even give him a chance

[blue wine]

given 3 well well well shay u really fuck it up!!! try and makdide a save look simple insteed of trying to make it look good!!

micah 6 did alright, abit rusty but ok
lescotte 5 gave to many fouls away
toure 4, 5 or a 6 a just cant put my finger on it.. there are better defenders out there. just not good enough for a captain!
gaz 5 didnt do much wrong at the back, and didnt do enough going forward

johnson 7 really like him. but our midfield didnt help him tonight!! and luv the way he ran out when he went of..really wanted a win!
de jong 4 needs a rest!! just not good enough tonight..and always a side pass
barry 5 abit better then sa. but still not good. expected alot more from him. but good goal (great reaction)
vieria 6 has a football brain. thought he did alright. the ref didnt make it easy for him!

ade 7 played well for a striker playing by him self up front.
rsc 2 just dont know what to say... i give him one point for just making it on the pitch without getting injured!

swp 6 did ok, but could read every move he did ahead! and tried to play the ball blind to many times!!
zab 2 was shit!!! what the fuck is wrong with him!!! his passing!!!!!!!!! fuck me!!!
petrov to late to mark

[Colin the King]

Eoin(CTK) will you do them cos i cant be bothered and im sure ill agree. Wouldnt say they will be too generous weither way

I'll try to be nice!

Given 4- Has proved his worth over the years and quite rightly considered one of the best in England- but the last couple of weeks have been, and I'm sure he'll agree, diabolical. Even in games we won, his distribution was really worrying, couple that tonight with poor all-round goalkeeping and we've got a problem. Should never have been beaten by Whelan from that distance (that's probably the most disappointing thing- shot stopping's always been his biggest asset) although Johnson will have to shoulder some of the blame for the clearance. Very, very fortunate that their late goal was disallowed. Couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Richards 7- Our best player on the night, defensively and going forward. We were put under pressure early doors but he looked strong and dependable throughout, and tried his best to get us ticking at the other end with a few surging runs. The end product wasn't there unfortunately when he got to the bye-line but 10/10 for having the right attitude. He just looks a lot hungrier than he has done over the last 18 months or so. Taken off due to injury but he seemed to be coping pretty well with it and might have been worth the gamble keeping him on.

Touré 6- Indifferent. Did nothing hugely wrong, mopped up reasonably well but again, he looked very casual in possession. Needs to up the urgency because quicker/more intelligent strikers will have a field day with him in his current state. His partnership with Lescott just doesn't seem to be blossoming, but the fact that he's captain makes it difficult to drop him.

Lescott 7- Not far behind Richards. Looked very strong in all defensive aspects- heading, tackling, marking and anticipation were spot on. Not great in possession but no glaring errors. Overall he's doing pretty well given the long lay-off. Would like to see him partnered with Kompany at some stage. Just have a feeling they'd hit it off.

Garrido 6- The opposite of the centre halves- very tidy in possession, calm and composed, but a bit suspect positionally and might have been in trouble with better quality wingers coming at him. Can only assume Bridge is being rested for Liverpool, but as 2nd choice left backs go, Gaz is a good guy to have around. Has always kept his head held high despite rarely playing. Not great on the set pieces tonight though. Was hoping he'd smash another free kick in!

Vieira 5- Appalling in the first half. Casual, slow, lacking in ideas. Really should have seen red for that kick out at Whelan. He did improve in the second half and looked a bit better in possession. First impressions from me are that he's not quite up to the pace anymore- a Hamann-esque role, statued in front of the back four would be the best option. Use his intelligence and experience because there's not much left physically at all.

de Jong 6- Sloppy at times in possession, which is disappointing as he's usually quite good at keeping the ball moving across the middle- never one for the defence splitting passes but usually more composed than tonight. Put his foot in as per usual but to me he didn't look quite as determined as usual- maybe a bit of complacency creeping in?

Barry 6- Better than in recent weeks. Was the only one of the three midfielders who was looking forward and trying to have a positive influence. Sprayed some lovely passes around but had spells of ineffectiveness as well. Was pleased with his effort though to salvage the point- striker's instinct that.

Johnson 5- Dazzling on his debut, came crashing back to reality tonight. Despite his best efforts, nothing came off. He looked reluctant to whip crosses in on his right foot (although why the fuck he was on that side in the first place is anyone's guess) and that meant we were not only narrow in the middle, but our own wide threat was stifled before the game even began. Really careless with the clearance that led to their goal but he'll learn from it. The fans need to keep onside with the lad though, it's not going to be man-of-the-match stuff at his age, he's still developing. Patience is a virtue.

Adebayor and Santa Cruz 5- Although neither did anything particularly good, I think it'd be harsh to lambaste them- they had nothing in the way of service. The midfield was at least 30 yards behind at all times so they had little or nothing to feed off and really had to do all the hard work themselves. Santa Cruz put in a decent shift in terms of holding the ball, and looked good in the air, while Ade tried as best he could to give the others an option- he was drifting right, left, behind Santa Cruz and into our half at times to try and get the ball but they can't do it alone. If we'd played 4-4-2 with two wingers, I reckon they'd have thrived. But then I'm not the manager.

Wright-Phillips 4- Thought he was excellent on Saturday but he was dreadful tonight. Could and should have been able to capitalise on their tiredness but didn't look like doing it at all. Kept twisting and turning when he got to the bye-line making their defenders' jobs a hell of a lot easier. Can't think of any positives.

Zabaleta 4- Poor in possession and downright naive in knocking it out for a throw. OK, the goal didn't stand but if it had- he'd be part of the problem. Everyone knows Stoke's biggest (only?) threat is from throw ins- don't give them a stick to fucking beat you with. Anywhere but there! That's two shockers in a row- I rate Zabs but he needs to sort it out sharpish.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Eoin(CTK) will you do them cos i cant be bothered and im sure ill agree. Wouldnt say they will be too generous weither way

I'll try to be nice!

Given 4- Has proved his worth over the years and quite rightly considered one of the best in England- but the last couple of weeks have been, and I'm sure he'll agree, diabolical. Even in games we won, his distribution was really worrying, couple that tonight with poor all-round goalkeeping and we've got a problem. Should never have been beaten by Whelan from that distance (that's probably the most disappointing thing- shot stopping's always been his biggest asset) although Johnson will have to shoulder some of the blame for the clearance. Very, very fortunate that their late goal was disallowed. Couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Richards 7- Our best player on the night, defensively and going forward. We were put under pressure early doors but he looked strong and dependable throughout, and tried his best to get us ticking at the other end with a few surging runs. The end product wasn't there unfortunately when he got to the bye-line but 10/10 for having the right attitude. He just looks a lot hungrier than he has done over the last 18 months or so. Taken off due to injury but he seemed to be coping pretty well with it and might have been worth the gamble keeping him on.

Touré 6- Indifferent. Did nothing hugely wrong, mopped up reasonably well but again, he looked very casual in possession. Needs to up the urgency because quicker/more intelligent strikers will have a field day with him in his current state. His partnership with Lescott just doesn't seem to be blossoming, but the fact that he's captain makes it difficult to drop him.

Lescott 7- Not far behind Richards. Looked very strong in all defensive aspects- heading, tackling, marking and anticipation were spot on. Not great in possession but no glaring errors. Overall he's doing pretty well given the long lay-off. Would like to see him partnered with Kompany at some stage. Just have a feeling they'd hit it off.

Garrido 6- The opposite of the centre halves- very tidy in possession, calm and composed, but a bit suspect positionally and might have been in trouble with better quality wingers coming at him. Can only assume Bridge is being rested for Liverpool, but as 2nd choice left backs go, Gaz is a good guy to have around. Has always kept his head held high despite rarely playing. Not great on the set pieces tonight though. Was hoping he'd smash another free kick in!

Vieira 5- Appalling in the first half. Casual, slow, lacking in ideas. Really should have seen red for that kick out at Whelan. He did improve in the second half and looked a bit better in possession. First impressions from me are that he's not quite up to the pace anymore- a Hamann-esque role, statued in front of the back four would be the best option. Use his intelligence and experience because there's not much left physically at all.

de Jong 6- Sloppy at times in possession, which is disappointing as he's usually quite good at keeping the ball moving across the middle- never one for the defence splitting passes but usually more composed than tonight. Put his foot in as per usual but to me he didn't look quite as determined as usual- maybe a bit of complacency creeping in?

Barry 6- Better than in recent weeks. Was the only one of the three midfielders who was looking forward and trying to have a positive influence. Sprayed some lovely passes around but had spells of ineffectiveness as well. Was pleased with his effort though to salvage the point- striker's instinct that.

Johnson 5- Dazzling on his debut, came crashing back to reality tonight. Despite his best efforts, nothing came off. He looked reluctant to whip crosses in on his right foot (although why the fuck he was on that side in the first place is anyone's guess) and that meant we were not only narrow in the middle, but our own wide threat was stifled before the game even began. Really careless with the clearance that led to their goal but he'll learn from it. The fans need to keep onside with the lad though, it's not going to be man-of-the-match stuff at his age, he's still developing. Patience is a virtue.

Adebayor and Santa Cruz 5- Although neither did anything particularly good, I think it'd be harsh to lambaste them- they had nothing in the way of service. The midfield was at least 30 yards behind at all times so they had little or nothing to feed off and really had to do all the hard work themselves. Santa Cruz put in a decent shift in terms of holding the ball, and looked good in the air, while Ade tried as best he could to give the others an option- he was drifting right, left, behind Santa Cruz and into our half at times to try and get the ball but they can't do it alone. If we'd played 4-4-2 with two wingers, I reckon they'd have thrived. But then I'm not the manager.

Wright-Phillips 4- Thought he was excellent on Saturday but he was dreadful tonight. Could and should have been able to capitalise on their tiredness but didn't look like doing it at all. Kept twisting and turning when he got to the bye-line making their defenders' jobs a hell of a lot easier. Can't think of any positives.

Zabaleta 4- Poor in possession and downright naive in knocking it out for a throw. OK, the goal didn't stand but if it had- he'd be part of the problem. Everyone knows Stoke's biggest (only?) threat is from throw ins- don't give them a stick to fucking beat you with. Anywhere but there! That's two shockers in a row- I rate Zabs but he needs to sort it out sharpish.

Wow! This has got to be forst time I disagree with numerous of your ratings.

First for everything.

[Kiss_The_Goat]

Yeh we all wanted 3 points, yeh we didnt take advantage of them being down to 10 men and yeh we didnt particularly play well but Stoke isnt an easy place to go and play.

I'd go with...

Given - 4 didnt command his box, terrible mistake for their goal, lucky his lack of height didnt cost us a second at the death

Micah - 7 constant attacking threat down the right, strong at the back, strong in the air. Great performance

Toure - 6 Some important tackles, some poor distribution. Handled the numerous balls into the box well and headed a lot clear.

Lescott 6 similar performace to Toure. Gave away a few silly free kicks though

Garrido - 5 not a great game. Wasted the ball too often

De Jong - 6 His tough tackling was needed in this one, though I wish he'd distribute the ball quicker. Too slow spreading play too often

Barry - 7 Good perseverance for his goal. Good distribution. Got up and down the pitch well.

Vieira - 5 Looked a little off pace at times but spread play well at others. The play is clearly trying to go through him. It'll take him a few weeks but I think it'll pay off. In patches I liked what I saw from him today. He's a motherfucker and i'm glad he's ours.

Johnson - 6 Had a quiet game in the whole but put some great balls into the box that Santa Cruz and Ade should have been busting a gut to get on the end of. Looked a threat whenever he had the ball at his feet, which wasnt enough!

RSC - 5 Thought he was poor today. Not a great understanding with Ade, especially in the box where they both seem to move into the middle of the box on crosses with no-one making a run to the front post.

Ade - 6 Worked the line well in patches, especially the 2nd half up until they scored. Great break which reduced them to 10 men. Showed pace and strength. Didnt work too well with RSC though.


SWP - 5 Didnt beat his man enough and wasted a great shooting opportunity in the box.

Zabba - not on long enough

Petrov - not on long enough but terrible crossing and general distribution while on the pitch!!! How a proffesional football can take such a bad free kick is beyond me?!

Mancini - 6 - it nearly worked. We had defended well and were controlling the game up until their goal which can only be put down to individual errors from Jinky and Given, and that knocked us for 6 for a while. The team need to show more character but I saw improvement in our performance today so not too unhappy.

[eastlandsblue]

Given 4 is performances are getting worse by the game, needs to command his area with more authority
Richards 7 had one of his better games going forward, needs to release the ball a little quicker in opponents box
Toure 5 Not convinced he should be captain, for that matter on the pitch
Lescott 6 gave to many silly freekicks away
Garrido 5 passing was poor, cant even understand why he started
Barry 6 would have been more suited to a central midfield role
De Jong 5 cant remember what he did in the game good or bad, needs to move the ball a little quicker though
Vieira 5 should have walked. wish he'd stop lifting the ball over players, needs to pass it along the ground
Johnson 7 The lad stands out at the moment, hope he learns from his error that lead to goal
Adebayor 5 lazy is the only word to describe his performance
Roque 6 should start ahead of Ade

Zabbaletta 5 couldnt understand why he was brought on
SWP 5 needs to pick his fulking head up, he might beat defenders more
Petrov 5 does he want to play, not sure he does

Mancini seems scared of losing and and as passed it onto the players, if we play with no fear, we might play better