PLAYER WATCH v Sheffield United (A)

[tonyoz]

PLAYER WATCH v Sheffield United (A)

Each incident in the match was rated on the following scale: 

+5 GOAL 

+4 Excellent play 

+3 Very good play 

+2 Pleasing/good play 

+1 Decent play 

  0 Routine stuff 

 -1 Sloppy play 

 -2 Disappointing/poor play 

 -3 Very poor play 

 -4 Terrible play 

 -5 Own goal 

The ratings for each player were then combined to produce a measure of the players overall contribution to the match. 

 
Ratings       

Key incidents per player = coloured stars              Overall contribution = numbers

Kaminski                         *******  ****     10                               

Nyambe (81)                  **********   *     16

Lenihan                           ****************  ******     19 

van Hecke                       *******************  ****      19

Wharton                         ***************  **********     6

Pickering                        ***********  *******    6 

Travis                              ***********  *******     4     

Buckley                           ********  *********    -3        

Rothwell                         ***************  *******     6     

Gallagher                        ************* ***********     3

Khadra                            ********* ********     4 

 

Dolan (81)                      *  *     0

 

Highlights and Lowlights 

(A justification for the main ratings given above)

 

United are one of the form teams at the moment. They’ve won 8 out of 12 since getting a new manager but, overall, their home form hasn’t been great.

02 Pickering is well beaten and brings down Berge near the corner flag. Kaminski gets up to collect the free kick comfortably.

05 Rovers seem taken by surprise by a long throw. Kaminski misses it completely and it bounces off Wharton’s head for a corner. It’s been a prolonged bombardment by United but we’ve coped so far. Norwood fluffs his attempted shot but it’s another long throw in!

06 Kaminski punches and Travis hooks clear.

07 An ineffective Travis challenge 33 yards out allows the United man to square the ball to a completely unmarked Baldock. His shot, from 20 yards is low and hard and Kaminski does well to dive to his right and parry it into the air. Van Hecke gets his head in and eventually Nyambe puts it out for a corner. Norwood beats van Hecke in the air but it’s into the side-netting. United are making it all look too easy. We can’t get hold of the ball!

09 Rothwell gets his first touch of the ball! 

Now United surge forward through the midfield, cutting us to pieces embarrassingly! Norwood to Sharp to Berge, 15 yards out. Pickering attempts to challenge but the shot comes in and Kaminski is the saviour again. Davies puts the rebound into the net but he’s offside!

10 Buckley slips a lovely ball, between the centre-halves, through the right channel to Gallagher, in the box; he manages to get in a cross from the byline to the edge of the 6 yard box but a defender boots it clear.

11 We win a free kick wide on the right and the big men come up. They needn’t have bothered as Rothwell’s forward ball is pathetic. The rebound is back to Rothwell and he runs forward but his shot is well off-target.

13 United waltz easily towards our box again and Nyambe gets in a block. The ball bobbles around and Kaminski picks up.

17 A nice long pass by Rothwell to Khadra on the wing. He gets in a decent first-time cross but the defender is there well before Gallagher. We get a corner but it’s a poor cross by Khadra.

18 We get a throw just inside their half but Pickering throws it directly to a Sheffield man! White sends Berge free on the wing. Sharp has managed to get in behind Lenihan but he heads wide!! Another good chance for United as a result of our sloppy play. That should have been Sharp’s 263rd goal.

19 Poor attempt at a tackle by Rothwell, then van Hecke gives it away dangerously. This is poor fare from Rovers. Lenihan clears up with a meaty challenge. The midfield trio need to step up.

20 Great challenge by Gallagher in the United half and Buckley picks up. He heads towards goal and, with no one challenging, he decides to shoot from 24 yards. It’s well wide and disappointing.

23 A lovely bending through ball from halfway, down the right channel, by Lenihan  for Khadra to run on to and he’s free and clear but he’s also offside!

24 Now it’s Travis with a lovely long ball down the right to Khadra. He beats his man and takes it to the byline and crosses but Buckley, back to goal, stretches for the ball and takes it off the toes of the incoming Pickering near the penalty spot. Rothwell falls over and United clear. Travis tries a shot from 30 yards but it’s straight at the keeper.

25 I was waiting for it! Rothwell, as he’s left behind, has 2 goes at snapping at the Sheffield man’s heels and it’s another yellow card. He’s the worst tackler in the team. Free kick, 30 yards out. It’s played wide to Baldock who beats Pickering too easily and crosses to the far post where Egan puts his header wide. Wharton probably did enough to put him off!

30 Raining and the relentless United bombardment has subsided for a minute.

33 Gallagher draws a foul, 30 yards out. Khadra whistles in a decent effort just above the right side of the bar.

36 Glory be! A bit of pressure from Rovers but nothing too exciting yet.

37 Another ineffective challenge for a long clearance by Gallagher. United move forward and Berge goes past Wharton easily and then does Pickering all ends up at the edge of the box before putting in a low cross from near the byline. Kaminski dives and parries straight to Baldock who’s shot hits Kaminski’s knees; the ball bounces against van Hecke and finally it drops into a prone Kaminski's arms!

43 Rothwell and Khadra combine to produce a poor short corner.

44 Some nice interplay between a few Rovers sees Pickering put clear near the corner flag, his cross reaches Gallagher but his back is to goal and he’s dispossessed. Eventually we get another corner on the left. It comes to nothing but we keep possession. Wharton puts the ball into the box where Gallagher is waiting 15 yards out. He tries to turn and volley at the same time but that would have been goal of the season! It’s well off-target but worth a go I suppose.

It’s half time and Sheffield should be at least one goal to the good. We have improved a lot though, after the first half hour.

 

45 We win a free kick in the United half but Rothwell’s sneaky pass to the invisible man was awful. Our throw-ins and set pieces are really poor.

50 More positive intent so far this half but little quality around the box.

51 A nice cut back from Rothwell to Khadra 35 yards out. He advances on goal before laying on a lovely flat ball across the 6 yard box but Gallagher was nowhere near it in truth!

52 United work it from the keeper all the way to Fleck 25 yards out and unmarked (where is the midfield?) His shot is only parried into the air by Kaminski. Pickering can’t get a foot on it and White hits it back towards goal from just to the right of the 6 yard box but Kaminski is there and this time it sticks!

58 Van Hecke misjudges a long punt downfield and Sharp makes a fool of him as he picks up the ball and goes past him on the byline. He makes some amends as he gets back to block and concede a corner. Sheffield are claiming handball by van Hecke but he had his back turned.

63 Rovers have perked up at last but still there are those poor passes in the final third. Nyambe wins a corner. Rothwell’s cross is met by Lenihan but he can’t get it on target.

65 Pandemonium! Goode takes out Khadra with a vicious sliding tackle. Could have broken his leg there. Mowbray and the players are incensed. Goode off! Travis has to be dragged away. It looks worse on the replay!

68 Nyambe beats the defender and puts in a decent cross from the byline but it’s deflected and Gallagher can’t do anything with it. We keep the ball though and it’s sustained pressure. Buckley slides the ball square to an on-rushing Pickering, just outside the D, and he puts in a powerful drive which the goalie saves well, diving to his left. More pressure from Rovers.

69 Khadra picks up the ball on the left, 25 yards out, and manages to wriggle past 2 defenders and storm into the box. He goes for goal and the ball hits the defender's arm. Penalty! Khadra is taking it! He hits it central and shoulder height….just right for the keeper to save. It’s a poor penalty; will we ever score again? The keeper was off the goal-line too!

74 It’s a straight ball down the United right wing, Wharton trips over his own feet and White is away and clear. Van Hecke comes across to close him down but it’s a corner. Phew! Gallagher heads away. How come Sam gets in far more successful headers in our box than he ever does in the opponent’s?

75 Another scary long throw but Wharton gets up first.

79 Sheffield are still managing to cut through midfield and Lenihan has to make a commanding accurate challenge in the box to clean up.

81 Nyambe off, Dolan on. Lenihan drops to full back.

84 Rovers win a free kick on the left wing 17 yards out. Khadra whips it in and it bounces in the 6 yard box, takes a deflection and hits the startled goalie. Rovers claim a penalty but, as earlier, the defender had his back to the ball. United scramble it away.

85 Rothwell tries a shot from over 20 yards but it’s blocked. Travis, on halfway lobs a lovely ball to Khadra in space. He advances into the box and sends his defender the wrong way before curling a nice shot to the far post but it’s just wide.

86 Foul throw by Khadra!

91 United attack and Pickering prevents the cross at the expense of a corner. It comes in and Kaminski flaps and misses. The ball goes straight up in the air and McBurnie gets his head to it before Gallagher. It falls to Davies, in  the 6 yard box who gleefully smashes it into the net. Catastrophe! The Sheffield players and subs celebrate annoyingly. It’s very loud.

95 Two, painfully, too short punts forward by Buckley as we send up the big men. And the whistle goes. I can feel us slipping remorselessly into the mire.

Edited February 24, 2022 by tonyoz

[Sparks Rover]

3 hours ago, tonyoz said:

PLAYER WATCH v Sheffield United (A)

Each incident in the match was rated on the following scale: 

+5 GOAL 

+4 Excellent play 

+3 Very good play 

+2 Pleasing/good play 

+1 Decent play 

  0 Routine stuff 

 -1 Sloppy play 

 -2 Disappointing/poor play 

 -3 Very poor play 

 -4 Terrible play 

 -5 Own goal 

The ratings for each player were then combined to produce a measure of the players overall contribution to the match. 

 
Ratings       

Key incidents per player = coloured stars              Overall contribution = numbers

Kaminski                         *******  ****     10                               

Nyambe (81)                  **********   *     16

Lenihan                           ****************  ******     19 

van Hecke                       *******************  ****      19

Wharton                         ***************  **********     6

Pickering                        ***********  *******    6 

Travis                              ***********  *******     4     

Buckley                           ********  *********    -3        

Rothwell                         ***************  *******     6     

Gallagher                        ************* ***********     3

Khadra                            ********* ********     4 

 

Dolan (81)                      *  *     0

 

Highlights and Lowlights 

(A justification for the main ratings given above)

 

United are one of the form teams at the moment. They’ve won 8 out of 12 since getting a new manager but, overall, their home form hasn’t been great.

02 Pickering is well beaten and brings down Berge near the corner flag. Kaminski gets up to collect the free kick comfortably.

05 Rovers seem taken by surprise by a long throw. Kaminski misses it completely and it bounces off Wharton’s head for a corner. It’s been a prolonged bombardment by United but we’ve coped so far. Norwood fluffs his attempted shot but it’s another long throw in!

06 Kaminski punches and Travis hooks clear.

07 An ineffective Travis challenge 33 yards out allows the United man to square the ball to a completely unmarked Baldock. His shot, from 20 yards is low and hard and Kaminski does well to dive to his right and parry it into the air. Van Hecke gets his head in and eventually Nyambe puts it out for a corner. Norwood beats van Hecke in the air but it’s into the side-netting. United are making it all look too easy. We can’t get hold of the ball!

09 Rothwell gets his first touch of the ball! 

Now United surge forward through the midfield, cutting us to pieces embarrassingly! Norwood to Sharp to Berge, 15 yards out. Pickering attempts to challenge but the shot comes in and Kaminski is the saviour again. Davies puts the rebound into the net but he’s offside!

10 Buckley slips a lovely ball, between the centre-halves, through the right channel to Gallagher, in the box; he manages to get in a cross from the byline to the edge of the 6 yard box but a defender boots it clear.

11 We win a free kick wide on the right and the big men come up. They needn’t have bothered as Rothwell’s forward ball is pathetic. The rebound is back to Rothwell and he runs forward but his shot is well off-target.

13 United waltz easily towards our box again and Nyambe gets in a block. The ball bobbles around and Kaminski picks up.

17 A nice long pass by Rothwell to Khadra on the wing. He gets in a decent first-time cross but the defender is there well before Gallagher. We get a corner but it’s a poor cross by Khadra.

18 We get a throw just inside their half but Pickering throws it directly to a Sheffield man! White sends Berge free on the wing. Sharp has managed to get in behind Lenihan but he heads wide!! Another good chance for United as a result of our sloppy play. That should have been Sharp’s 263rd goal.

19 Poor attempt at a tackle by Rothwell, then van Hecke gives it away dangerously. This is poor fare from Rovers. Lenihan clears up with a meaty challenge. The midfield trio need to step up.

20 Great challenge by Gallagher in the United half and Buckley picks up. He heads towards goal and, with no one challenging, he decides to shoot from 24 yards. It’s well wide and disappointing.

23 A lovely bending through ball from halfway, down the right channel, by Lenihan  for Khadra to run on to and he’s free and clear but he’s also offside!

24 Now it’s Travis with a lovely long ball down the right to Khadra. He beats his man and takes it to the byline and crosses but Buckley, back to goal, stretches for the ball and takes it off the toes of the incoming Pickering near the penalty spot. Rothwell falls over and United clear. Travis tries a shot from 30 yards but it’s straight at the keeper.

25 I was waiting for it! Rothwell, as he’s left behind, has 2 goes at snapping at the Sheffield man’s heels and it’s another yellow card. He’s the worst tackler in the team. Free kick, 30 yards out. It’s played wide to Baldock who beats Pickering too easily and crosses to the far post where Egan puts his header wide. Wharton probably did enough to put him off!

30 Raining and the relentless United bombardment has subsided for a minute.

33 Gallagher draws a foul, 30 yards out. Khadra whistles in a decent effort just above the right side of the bar.

36 Glory be! A bit of pressure from Rovers but nothing too exciting yet.

37 Another ineffective challenge for a long clearance by Gallagher. United move forward and Berge goes past Wharton easily and then does Pickering all ends up at the edge of the box before putting in a low cross from near the byline. Kaminski dives and parries straight to Baldock who’s shot hits Kaminski’s knees; the ball bounces against van Hecke and finally it drops into a prone Kaminski's arms!

43 Rothwell and Khadra combine to produce a poor short corner.

44 Some nice interplay between a few Rovers sees Pickering put clear near the corner flag, his cross reaches Gallagher but his back is to goal and he’s dispossessed. Eventually we get another corner on the left. It comes to nothing but we keep possession. Wharton puts the ball into the box where Gallagher is waiting 15 yards out. He tries to turn and volley at the same time but that would have been goal of the season! It’s well off-target but worth a go I suppose.

It’s half time and Sheffield should be at least one goal to the good. We have improved a lot though, after the first half hour.

 

45 We win a free kick in the United half but Rothwell’s sneaky pass to the invisible man was awful. Our throw-ins and set pieces are really poor.

50 More positive intent so far this half but little quality around the box.

51 A nice cut back from Rothwell to Khadra 35 yards out. He advances on goal before laying on a lovely flat ball across the 6 yard box but Gallagher was nowhere near it in truth!

52 United work it from the keeper all the way to Fleck 25 yards out and unmarked (where is the midfield?) His shot is only parried into the air by Kaminski. Pickering can’t get a foot on it and White hits it back towards goal from just to the right of the 6 yard box but Kaminski is there and this time it sticks!

58 Van Hecke misjudges a long punt downfield and Sharp makes a fool of him as he picks up the ball and goes past him on the byline. He makes some amends as he gets back to block and concede a corner. Sheffield are claiming handball by van Hecke but he had his back turned.

63 Rovers have perked up at last but still there are those poor passes in the final third. Nyambe wins a corner. Rothwell’s cross is met by Lenihan but he can’t get it on target.

65 Pandemonium! Goode takes out Khadra with a vicious sliding tackle. Could have broken his leg there. Mowbray and the players are incensed. Goode off! Travis has to be dragged away. It looks worse on the replay!

68 Nyambe beats the defender and puts in a decent cross from the byline but it’s deflected and Gallagher can’t do anything with it. We keep the ball though and it’s sustained pressure. Buckley slides the ball square to an on-rushing Pickering, just outside the D, and he puts in a powerful drive which the goalie saves well, diving to his left. More pressure from Rovers.

69 Khadra picks up the ball on the left, 25 yards out, and manages to wriggle past 2 defenders and storm into the box. He goes for goal and the ball hits the defender's arm. Penalty! Khadra is taking it! He hits it central and shoulder height….just right for the keeper to save. It’s a poor penalty; will we ever score again? The keeper was off the goal-line too!

74 It’s a straight ball down the United right wing, Wharton trips over his own feet and White is away and clear. Van Hecke comes across to close him down but it’s a corner. Phew! Gallagher heads away. How come Sam gets in far more successful headers in our box than he ever does in the opponent’s?

75 Another scary long throw but Wharton gets up first.

79 Sheffield are still managing to cut through midfield and Lenihan has to make a commanding accurate challenge in the box to clean up.

81 Nyambe off, Dolan on. Lenihan drops to full back.

84 Rovers win a free kick on the left wing 17 yards out. Khadra whips it in and it bounces in the 6 yard box, takes a deflection and hits the startled goalie. Rovers claim a penalty but, as earlier, the defender had his back to the ball. United scramble it away.

85 Rothwell tries a shot from over 20 yards but it’s blocked. Travis, on halfway lobs a lovely ball to Khadra in space. He advances into the box and sends his defender the wrong way before curling a nice shot to the far post but it’s just wide.

86 Foul throw by Khadra!

91 United attack and Pickering prevents the cross at the expense of a corner. It comes in and Kaminski flaps and misses. The ball goes straight up in the air and McBurnie gets his head to it before Gallagher. It falls to Davies, in  the 6 yard box who gleefully smashes it into the net. Catastrophe! The Sheffield players and subs celebrate annoyingly. It’s very loud.

95 Two, painfully, too short punts forward by Buckley as we send up the big men. And the whistle goes. I can feel us slipping remorselessly into the mire.

Why no red  for Kaminski...he flapped and cost us a goal

[tonyoz]

27 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Why no red  for Kaminski...he flapped and cost us a goal

There is a red ……both in the commentary and in the stars……but I have to admit the orange and red stars are a bit too similar. But I won’t be doing this much longer so I’m not stressed.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Well done Tony, it’s taken me whilst now to get the courage to read this.

[Sparks Rover]

25 minutes ago, tonyoz said:

There is a red ……both in the commentary and in the stars……but I have to admit the orange and red stars are a bit too similar. But I won’t be doing this much longer so I’m not stressed.

My eyes mate...sorry @tonyoz👍

Edited February 24, 2022 by Sparks Rover

[RoverCanada]

1 hour ago, tonyoz said:

But I won’t be doing this much longer so I’m not stressed.

Please do continue, if you can bear it 🙂

[tonyoz]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Well done Tony, it’s taken me whilst now to get the courage to read this.

Aye! I know what you mean!

27 minutes ago, RoverCanada said:

Please do continue, if you can bear it 🙂

Thanks. It’s getting harder by the game…….it’s the hope that kills you!