[Archived] Player Review 2008

[deloreanwfn]

Anyone else think Ooijer has been our best centre back this season?

I agree. He made the least mistakes compared to Samba and Nelsen.

[LeChuck]

Anyone else think Ooijer has been our best centre back this season?

Definitely.

I can't understand at all why Samba and Nelsen were chosen ahead of towards the end of the season. If Ooijer had played instead of Samba I think we'd be in 5th spot now.

[promoted2001]

Friedel - Easily worth over 15 points a season 10/10

Ooijer - Very good season despite injuries. Underated by the staff along with Zurab. 8/10

Warnock - Great season, very few lapses in concentration. Never tires. 8/10

Samba - Great start, a few aweful mistakes but on the whole his a really good defender. 7/10

Tugay - Getting old, just wont retire. Few great moments but getting slow. 5/10

Nelsen - Did his job, few lapses and injuries but on the whole I'm happy with him. 7/10

Emerton - Solid at right back. Why oh why play Reid there when you have this machine! 8/10

Vogel - From what I've seen I like this guy, solid. 8/10 for the transfer

Santa Cruz - Has the ability to get a goal out of nothing. Who said his not a natural goal scorer? 10/10

McCarthy - Second season syndrome. Some very lazy performances. Lets hope he improves or his just a big sulking money drainer 4/10

Bentley - Probably gonna leave but had a quality season, maybe stepped off the gas a bit at the end. 8/10

Gamst - Bad season by his standards. Woke up a bit near the end. 6/10

Zurab - Solid when called upon 7/10

Reid - He will never be the same again, quite simply a disaster waiting to happen at right back 3/10

Mokoena - Meh 4/10

Henchoz - Err he has to play for me to rate him

Rigters - Not seen much of him, maybe replace him with Lita? Just a thought

Gallagher - Sell, not prem quality

Dunn - Played ok, a few danger moments and a lucky goal. Needs to improve though. 6/10

Berner - Epic Fail 2/10

Derbyshire - A few great moments. Good to know his available when you need that extra bit of pace up front. 7/10

Roberts - Strong but not always dangerous. It may be time to sell him. 6/10

[philipl]

Friedel - Every season I think is close to Brad's best for us but this season must be 1st equal. Highlight was the back of the shoe shuffle against Baros. Lowlight was he repeated it against Brum then let in 4 in his worst performance for us ever.

Ooijer - But for that little bit of pace our Dutch captain would be a cert for every match. Rock solid at centre and at right back.

Zura- how cruel to pitch him at right back against Petrov! Other than that never lets us down and but for that bit of missing pace would be a cert for every match (oops said that again)

Warnock - Fully deserves the England shot. Been excellent except for some wayward distribution at times. Tidy that up and Warnock will be one amazingly good player.

Samba - Bit hit and miss. Not as ironman as last season, some remarkable lunges to recover from getting out of position (far too often) and sometimes not on any wavelength with what is going on around him. That said what a wonderful sweet strike at Spurs!!! I know he hadn't a full season when he arrived but I'm hoping precocious Chris has got his second season syndrome in early.

Nelsen - Played when semi-immoble and was the major contributor to the mid-Winter slump. I feared we would never see him again when he took his rest but not only are we seeing the Admiral again, we are getting treated to glimpses of the great man at his greatest. Here's hoping its a gawping stare rather than fleeting glimpses next season!

Olsson- pity about the injury. Looked nervous in the bits I swa of him but if he gets his confidence up, ability does not look to be lacking.

Berner - serviceable performances when needed. Not the pile of wotsit some people like to pretend he is.

Emerton - Unsung player of the season for me. A reliable right back with the ability to hurt teams going forwards and a remarkable revelation at central midfield. Very excited about seeing Bert next season.

Reid- oh dear. It took him a long time to get to grips with the EPL when he arrived and let's hope the wait for him to do so again post-injury works out. Has pace which is why he keeps Ooijer and Zura out of the team and for everyone moaning about him, remember he kept Ronaldo out of the game against the Mancs.

Vogel - promising, very promising in fact. Strange to say that about a 31 year old but he's going to be competent at worst and the lynchpin at best next season.

Tugay-Turkish Delight

Mokoena - still looking for Paul Scholes at that corner...

MGP - saw his between seasons efforts for Norway and thought "I hope this isn't a taste of things to come". It was. Eventually dropped and so eventually began to play (is there a correlation?). 5 goals at the back-end of the season cannot be bad.

Bentley - our most important player bar none. Critical to ball posession, works small spaces brilliantly, a decent shot, some great freekicks and I think on his way to being the best crosser of the ball Rovers have had since I don't know when. I don't care what we get offered, got to keep him- he can and will get better still if the broken biscuits don't interfere.

Dunn- I'm worried. A long way short of his best which now probably will never be seen again. Will be the player to suffer the most when the £7m ish midfielder is signed.

Santa Cruz - Wonderful season from a wonderful guy. I'll say it again, he's up there with Sutty at his best.

McCarthy - I really like this guy and many don't. Huge skill factor but more than a bit lost last season. I'd have played him more at the end and he would have scored whereas Jason didn't. I'll take 11 goals from an off-form moody striker/ But here's expecting more than hoping that we'll see much better next season.

Roberts - anyone who can give Rio and Vidic hell on their own the way Jason did at Ewood deserves enormous respect. But Hughes has to pick his games carefully and Brum away was never going to be a fixture you's play Jason ahead of a fully fir Benni.

Derbyshire- didn't kick on this season so lets hope it happens next season to give Sparky an enviable selection headache up front.

[JAL]

Anyone else think Ooijer has been our best centre back this season?

Yes, most definitely along with Zurab in second place, though i can see the managers point of view regarding Sambas selection but Ryan Nelsen for me has gone from hero to zero for me its time to offload if an offer comes along.

[JAL]

I'm beginning to wonder if Vogel's done anything to you or your family, you seem to have held a bizzare grudge against him from the start.

The only games Vogel has looked poor in have been the times when the whole team hasnt performed either.

But anyone who's seen our better performances since he joined surely could see the effect he had, he brought a bit of composure to our midfield and has excellent vision. Dunny has had a whole season, Vogel was out for a year and has had a few games, I struggle to see how you can possibly compare the two. And even then he's looked pretty decent overall.

The style of his play indicates that having just turned 31 he should easily be able to play for a couple of seasons yet, I think pair his attributes and experience up with a genuine attacking force in midfield and we could have an excellent midfield partnership.

Neither have what i'm looking for for Rovers to be successful thats all, did well for sixty minutes against ManU then that was it. New bodies required for me the quest for Mark Hughes must go on in solving Rovers central midfield position strangely i'm not suggesting Steven Reid should go, though i can understand any criticism he may also attract from fans.

[philipl]

Yes, most definitely along with Zurab in second place, though i can see the managers point of view regarding Sambas selection but Ryan Nelsen for me has gone from hero to zero for me its time to offload if an offer comes along.

Excellent, Nelsen will definitely be back to peak form for Rovers next season!

[JAL]

Excellent, Nelsen will definitely be back to peak form for Rovers next season!

He'll have to be able to run faster next season to fulfil that goal philipl, can he achieve that.