An Assessment of Player Performance v QPR

[tonyoz]

 

An assessment of player performance v QPR

Each player was judged on the following criteria:

Instance of excellent play                                      *

Instance of decent/good play                               *

Instance of disappointing/poor play                    *

Instance of terrible play                                          *                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                E&OE

Ratings                                                                                    

Leutwiler              **                                                                             

Bennett                 ****************

                                                                       

_Lenihan                 **********************   

                                                                                   

Williams                ********************** 

 

Bell                        ********************                                                 

Reed                      ***********************                                                         

Smallwood₍₆₂₎      **************                                                 

Evans                    ***********************                                                                                        

Armstrong₍₇₉₎      *******************                                                                 

Dack.                    **************                                                                              

Graham₍₇₃₎           ***********

                                                                                     

Palmer₍₆₂₎           ******                                                                                   

Rothwell₍₇₃₎        ***

Brereton₍₇₉₎        ****                                                                                                      

 

Highlights and Lowlights

(A justification for the main ratings above)

 

0.              The ball falls to Graham’s feet in the 6 yard box but, with just the keeper to beat, he goes for placement instead of power and the shot isn’t good enough and it’s saved. Bad miss!

 

13.      Well, I suppose I should write something but there’s not a lot happening. Williams is looking composed, Dack has been throwing himself around enthusiastically, Lenihan has just won another header and Bell has been rounded again.

          Armstrong wins the ball and outsprints 2 defenders as he runs the length of the pitch but he’s dispossessed by the third.

 

28.      Commentator lamenting that “there’s nothing to write home about in this game so far!” How right he is!

 

34.      At last! Neat footwork from Evans and good hold up play from Graham. Evans then sends a lovely ball down the wing for Armstrong to chase. He teases the defender on the edge of the box until Bell hares forward to receive the ball. Bell falls under the challenge….no penalty, just a corner.

 

36.      Reed slips the ball through for Graham who lays it off square to Bell. Bell’s cross is dangerous but Armstrong fails to connect. Bennett crosses again but it’s cleared. Williams puts it back in the box but it’s overhit; it falls to Bennett but his cross is deflected. Good spell of pressure but no serious goal threat in truth.

            It’s a corner. Reed takes and Graham flicks it on. Williams can’t quite get there.

 

40.      Long hopeful ball played into our box and Smallwood makes a real hash of his attempted headed clearance. It falls to a QPR man right in front of goal but his shot is wide! He should have buried it!

 

44.      Dominant headed clearance by Williams and eventually the ball comes to Armstrong who spins beautifully to beat his man and he’s haring down the field again. He rides another challenge and lays it off to Bell but QPR have too many back and Bell is squeezed off the pitch for a throw in.

 

45.      Rovers work the ball down the centre of the field with a series of first-time touches, Williams to Smallwood to Dack, who with the lightest of flicks puts Graham through. He’s challenged in the box and he puts it wide. Good chance!

            Reed slips a nice ball to Dack who takes it on and feeds Armstrong on the wing. He beats his man and puts a good cross to the near post for Reed but his effort is cleared.

 

45+1. A neat 1-2 between Bennett and Reed sets Bennett up for the cross but Graham can only head it straight up in the air and the keeper collects.

            Half-time.

 

 

46.      Neat interplay between Smallwood, Reed and Dack allows Dack to send a beautiful crossfield ball to Armstrong’s feet. Unfortunately Bell and Armstrong mess around with the ball and the chance is lost!

           Evans wins the ball in midfield but, for the third time in a minute, Armstrong is disappointing and his attempted chip runs for a goal kick.

 

48.      More neat stuff between Smallwood, Bell, Graham and Armstrong. Eventually Armstrong drives to the line and wins a corner.

 

49.      Williams heads on Bennett’s long ball and Dack is on to it in the box but he’s under pressure. Twice he tries to get a shot away but both times he is blocked. Reed fires in the rebound but again it’s blocked and runs for a throw-in.

 

50.      Armstrong anticipates Bell’s quick throw and lobs a nice ball into the box but Graham is outjumped.

 

56.      Blimey Smallwood is treading water here as the QPR man leaves him for dead! Yay!…..I get to note a positive for Leutwiler as he opts to come to the edge of his box to clear up, putting the ball out for a throw. QPR are doing everything they can to waste time.

 

62.      Armstrong whips in a low bobbling cross that fools almost everyone but Lynch wakes up in time to hack clear!

 

68.      Palmer is chasing back, covering Bennett, but can’t prevent the cross. It’s dangerous but Williams gets there first; his header hits Lenihan and the ball whistles past the post for a corner! L and W high-five each other!

 

69.      Palmer is too casual and is dispossessed in the centre circle but Reed gets a foot in to help. Now Bell is dawdling about and loses the ball!

            Now Evans gives it away!

 

71.      Good tracking back by Palmer but it’s a corner. The QPR players have all been taking “how to walk really slowly” lessons! It’s a low cross and an unmarked Wells smashes a first time shot on target but somehow Williams manages to get his head in the way. It was travelling! As the ball comes back in, Williams is there to head clear again.

 

74.      A very nice move by QPR from one end of the pitch to the other. Bennett justs gets enough pressure on Eze in the box to put him off his shot.

 

76.      For the second time in a minute, Evans gives the ball away. It’s dangerous as Luongo drives past Bell far too easily…..but Reed cuts out the cross into the box. Bell is having a stinker.

 

83.      Tired, terrible ball to no one from Evans!

 

84.      Tremendously persistent work by Bennett under pressure and he manages to flick the ball neatly to Brereton down the wing, He drives into the box and goes down easily when challenged. Penalty. You want to know why Bennett is important to the team? Watch this replay!

          Dack puts it away easily.

 

90.      Bell heads the QPR throw straight into the middle of our box!! Fortunately Bennett is there to boot clear!

 

91.      Rothwell pumps a nice first time ball forward for Brereton to chase. He drives into the box; the defender gets a foot in and it runs for a corner.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by tonyoz

[philipl]

Great stuff as usual but DG gets a horrible big red star for each of his two first half misses surely?

Dack and Brereton deserve solid blue stars for keeping the ball in the corner for two of the four minutes added time in my book.

The lack of mention for Leutwiler (who doesn't seem to get the blue star you awarded) is huge credit to the back four who didn't let QPR get anywhere near him- 90 minute game blue stars all round for that surely?

Brereton far from going down easily won a completely legitimate penalty expertly. Placed his left foot with the precision of a ballet dancer.  If the foot goes in its natural position a couple of centimeters to the right he probably doesn't get the penalty, put the foot too far let and it looks contrived. Put it where he did and he wins us two points we weren't getting otherwise.  

[tonyoz]

1 hour ago, philipl said:

Great stuff as usual but DG gets a horrible big red star for each of his two first half misses surely?

Dack and Brereton deserve solid blue stars for keeping the ball in the corner for two of the four minutes added time in my book.

The lack of mention for Leutwiler (who doesn't seem to get the blue star you awarded) is huge credit to the back four who didn't let QPR get anywhere near him- 90 minute game blue stars all round for that surely?

Brereton far from going down easily won a completely legitimate penalty expertly. Placed his left foot with the precision of a ballet dancer.  If the foot goes in its natural position a couple of centimeters to the right he probably doesn't get the penalty, put the foot too far let and it looks contrived. Put it where he did and he wins us two points we weren't getting otherwise.  

I had a good chuckle reading this while eating my lunch. I gave Danny some slack because he's the only guy getting himself into these positions in recent games.

I gave Dack and BB blue stars for their time wasting. When I think of the boardroom's oak panelling and the trophies in the display cabinet...……..I couldn't bring myself to give more. Same with the penalty...……...I couldn't go beyond light blue, I tried. Mind you, that is the only penalty we've won this season were I didn't give a deep blue. Your eloquent explanation almost had me convinced!

Oh! nearly forgot...….I stuffed up Leutwiler's ratings. I didn't give him anything negative. I'm off to edit it now!

 

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by tonyoz

[Dreams of 1995]

Williams has really surprised me this season. I think he is a terrible left back but he is much more comfortable at centre half. Whenever he has had to fill in there he's done so with confidence. Fair play to him as I honestly had him down as one of our worst players over the space of two seasons despite that rather strange vote as Player of the Year in the dreaded relegation season!

He's found his place at centre half. Keep him well away from left back. 

[arbitro]

Over the last two games Williams has probably been our best player and these were two extremely tough games from a defensive point of view. He does seem better suited to central defence where he isn't expected to bomb forward in open play like he is at left back. 

[BlackburnEnd75]

8 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Over the last two games Williams has probably been our best player and these were two extremely tough games from a defensive point of view. He does seem better suited to central defence where he isn't expected to bomb forward in open play like he is at left back. 

I'd disagree with West Brom game. He played well for most of the game but the error he made in the first half to allow Rodriguez in on goal was horrendous, genuinely horrendous, under no real pressure and he puts their main man clean through on goal. It was a poor miss from Rodriguez. He played well Saturday though, we've got to factor in that they didn't really attack us much until the 87th min. 

[tonyoz]

I think Williams and Lenihan have both grown in effectiveness and importance. Watching Williams, he takes responsibility and communicates well. He’s also composed in his new role......confident on the ball. I think he can be a key player. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

On 05/11/2018 at 11:08, tonyoz said:

I think Williams and Lenihan have both grown in effectiveness and importance. Watching Williams, he takes responsibility and communicates well. He’s also composed in his new role......confident on the ball. I think he can be a key player. 

I think there are positive signs about their partnership alright. Lenihan is only 24 and Williams not much older at 25. They could be our 2 centre halves for many years to come, once Mulgrew steps aside. It's hard to know how many seasons Mulgrew has left in him. 

 

[Dreams of 1995]

Him being a key player is a stretch! We'll need a first choice centre half signed soon. If @philipl's transfer policy statement is true and the £7m investment in Brereton was part of a long term strategy I hope we see a similar sum soon spent on a defender. Do that and suddenly this squad becomes the real deal.

Of course, though, I'd spend near enough £10m of todays money on Harrison Reed before anything. What a boy.

[philipl]

Just now, Dreams of 1995 said:

Him being a key player is a stretch! We'll need a first choice centre half signed soon. If @philipl's transfer policy statement is true and the £7m investment in Brereton was part of a long term strategy I hope we see a similar sum soon spent on a defender. Do that and suddenly this squad becomes the real deal.

Of course, though, I'd spend near enough £10m of todays money on Harrison Reed before anything. What a boy.

I don't know numbers and targets but I believe there is a plan for progressively strengthening/replacing throughout the squad including budget for the likely expenditures needed to bring young players in with very clear Premier League prospects. From here on I am second guessing but it doesn't take a genius to look at the age of Charlie Mulgrew, wonder what Premier League opposition would do every week to certain of our players and ask whether others would really be in a 25 man squad list...

So the assumption is we will spend at least two seasons at this level and I guess you can take Sheffield United as a sort of model.

Football is football of course- we might go and screw all this careful strategic planning up by still being within 5 points of 1st and 2nd during January 2019.

And yes I agree about Harrison Reed BUT remember he hasn't yet hacked it in the Premier League at a fairly lowly club- THAT is the size of gulf this strategy is intended to cross.

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

17 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Him being a key player is a stretch! We'll need a first choice centre half signed soon. If @philipl's transfer policy statement is true and the £7m investment in Brereton was part of a long term strategy I hope we see a similar sum soon spent on a defender. Do that and suddenly this squad becomes the real deal.

Of course, though, I'd spend near enough £10m of todays money on Harrison Reed before anything. What a boy.

The silver lining of Evans being out Saturday means we should get to see Reedy in the centre! 

[roversfan99]

Williams looks more comfortable at left back in my opinion, as @BlackburnEnd75 rightly said he made an awful mistake against West Brom and against QPR he had nothing to do defensively.

We also need him at left back as Bell is often a bit of a weak link.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Bell is an enigma to me. He wasn't the player I expected at all. Have we just not seen the best of him? He hardly got in the League 1 team of the year playing as he has for us 

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Bell is an enigma to me. He wasn't the player I expected at all. Have we just not seen the best of him? He hardly got in the League 1 team of the year playing as he has for us 

For a player who came with the reputation of an attacking wing back, he cant attack at all.

[tonyoz]

8 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Him being a key player is a stretch! We'll need a first choice centre half signed soon. If @philipl's transfer policy statement is true and the £7m investment in Brereton was part of a long term strategy I hope we see a similar sum soon spent on a defender. Do that and suddenly this squad becomes the real deal.

Of course, though, I'd spend near enough £10m of todays money on Harrison Reed before anything. What a boy.

It’s all about opinions! I’ve been pushing Williams’ cause for a while but I’m still not a fully enthusiastic Reed fan.

6 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Williams looks more comfortable at left back in my opinion, as @BlackburnEnd75 rightly said he made an awful mistake against West Brom and against QPR he had nothing to do defensively.

We also need him at left back as Bell is often a bit of a weak link.

Williams did make a shocking error against WBA and Reed was our Mom (whoscored rating 7.9). Williams was still rated second best though (7.6) and he made goal saving blocks in the 75th and 93rd minutes.

Against QPR, Williams was the overall Mom (7.8) while Reed was rated 6.8. He also made another goal saving block on 71 minutes.

Edited November 6, 2018 by tonyoz

[tonyoz]

6 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Bell is an enigma to me. He wasn't the player I expected at all. Have we just not seen the best of him? He hardly got in the League 1 team of the year playing as he has for us 

I thought he might be an exciting replacement for Williams when he arrived. He’s not pushed on though. Saturday was his worst performance in my opinion. I hope it’s just a confidence thing.

 

[JacknOry]

Bell initially looked a good upgrade on Williams at LB purely because he tried to get forward a bit more. However, rarely does he ever manage to do anything when he gets there. Rarely do I see him cross and he always seems to cut back before playing it back - if he has not lost it by then.

He has a bit of pace and is a bit better with the ball at his feet than Williams but I am not sure he knows what his feet are going to do next sometimes. There must have been some very poor LBs in L1 to have been voted into the Team of the Season purely on the back of half a season at Fleetwood. 

Still young and didnt cost the earth though, so hopefully he can push on a bit but right now I would be selecting Williams over him.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thanks for the review Tony.