Quick player report vs Brentford

[DronnieBlade]

Amazing how we all see things different.

Samir was careless in possession and misplaced several crucial passes to turnover the ball.

Leon did his job well and hussled and harried. Comical step over for the assist. Sharp should have done better with header start of 2nd half having been teed up well, again by Leon.

Coutts was Coutts. Not necessarily our best player but performs the most important role / function in the side. And does it well.

Fleck was fleck. Solid.

Enda started well, but faded. Similar for Freeman.

Back 3 very promising. Bash MOM for me.

Blackman did well, but looked a little jittery at times. Confidence will do him a power of good. Kicking suspect at times.

UTB

 

[dazzlingblade]

it just shows how people see the game differently, i thought fleck didnt have his usual influence/control on the game today, i thought couttss carried him a little today, not a dig i love fleck, just how i saw it today


blackman - 8 couple of fine saves, especially the one on one, looked comfy on crosses too

freeman - 7 worked hard as usual, thought he was better defensively today and not bombing on as much, maybe something wilder has been looking at

stearman - 7.5 good debut for me, looks like he reads the game very well

joc - 8 - solid as a rock, great last ditch tackle

bash - 8 most improved player ive seen in years, arguably one of the first 3 or 4 on the teamsheet

edna - 7.5 steady, good on the ball and gets forward too

fleck - 6 thought he was very quiet and didnt get his usual grip on the game

coutts - 8 where the hell has this player come from, so comfy on the ball and looks fit as a fiddle now

samir - 8 best ive seen from him, not been his biggest advocate but thought he caused them all sorts of trouble today, worked his socks off

billy - 7 pretty quiet today but like all good strikers he took his chance

leon - 8 put himself about and caused problems. great dummy before the cross for the goal



subs

lundstram - hmmmmmm wont judge him on 20 mins of football, but looked off the pace to me and a little ungainly

lavery - usual hustling self, great bit of link up between him and clarke


all in all very satisfying, they were a good side and we did well to negate the threat on the whole, think unless samir was knackered it was the only decision i would have disagreed with today, we had them on the rack for 10 mins before he went off, after we lost his energy we were on the back foot for the last 20. right decision not to bring brooks on today. at 1-0 it was a bit too tight, he will get his chance soon though, well done blades its only week 1, but plenty of positives to take forward

 

[dazzlingblade]

Amazing how we all see things different.

Samir was careless in possession and misplaced several crucial passes to turnover the ball.

Leon did his job well and hussled and harried. Comical step over for the assist. Sharp should have done better with header start of 2nd half having been teed up well, again by Leon.

Coutts was Coutts. Not necessarily our best player but performs the most important role / function in the side. And does it well.

Fleck was fleck. Solid.

Enda started well, but faded. Similar for Freeman.

Back 3 very promising. Bash MOM for me.

Blackman did well, but looked a little jittery at times. Confidence will do him a power of good. Kicking suspect at times.

UTB

just posted mine at same time as you, i think we watched different games haha, definitely all see things differently

 

[Pinchy]

Just about how I would have marked them, maybe a tad harsh on Samir there though imo.

On a side note - I just love watching Coutts play football, he makes it look oh so easy.

 

[Sheffsteel]

If you look at these ratings for a 1-0 home win against a mid table side..

Mid table?
Many experts have Brentford as dark horses for the playoffs.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Everyone has their own opinions but...

I thought Samir was one of our best players today. Seemed to be involved in everything decent going forward... AND THAT TACKLE...

Hats off to everyone.

 

[zablade]

Blackman - 9 MOTM saved us today
Freeman - 5 quiet game some good tackles though on Henry
Bash - 8 immense as usual
Stearman - 6 did what he had to
O'Connell - 7 grew into the game
Stevens - 7 looks great going forward
Coutts - 7 looked bright all over
Fleck - 6 quiet for him only saw glimpses of his usual self
Carruthers - 6 for me tried but a bit slow in possesion and a few things didn't come off
Sharp - 7 quiet again but did what he had to and great header.
Clarke - 6 slow in possession like Samir but held the ball up well at times and good cross for the goal.

How anyone could watch that game and possibly give Carruthers and Clarke six ...

Well I'm speechless..

 

[scottyblade70]

If we'd have brought on Brooks instead of lavery, and Duffy instead of lundstram it may well have eased the pressure brentford put on us,in the latter stages. Could have gone the wrong way but in wilder we trust COYRAWW

 

[Pinchy]

Blackman - 9 - What a debut. Won us the game.
Freeman - 6.5
Basham - 9 - What a guy. He's a fucking tackling machine.
Stearman - 7
O'Connell - 8.5
Stevens - 7.5
Coutts - 8
Fleck - 7.5
Carruthers - 8
Clarke - 8.5 - Put in a great shift. Had a hard job to do and did it very well.
Sharp - 7.5

Lundstram - 6
Lavery - 7


It has to be said that Brentford made it very hard for us and deserved a draw. And they're probably only a mid table side. Ryan Woods bossed the second half and never stopped getting on the ball, and obviously Jota's a very good player too. They were sharper than us, more mobile and they have more ball carriers than us. That's why they had more of the ball. It was hard to get close to them at times, and I thought we should have increased our central midfield numbers - Carruthers had a lot of space to cover on his own and that's probably why he was taken off - he will have been knackered.

A really committed performance from us and a great way to start the season but at the same time it was a reality check for a lot of our fans. The difference in quality is significant, in case anyone doubted it.

If you look at these ratings for a 1-0 home win against a mid table side, it tells you quite a lot. We're going to have to be at it this season to stay out of trouble.

Brentford didn't 'deserve' a draw at all. They had 90 minutes to get one. They failed. No hard luck stories; no robbed by the ref.

The fans who got a reality check (not including you, of course) are those faint hearts who insisted we would struggle in the Championship and that many of our quality players would not 'step up'. We could add to this Brentford fans who clearly hadn't a fucking clue if the pre-match extracts from Roy are representative.

One or two of us have seen real life Division Two before.

 

[Ricky]

Brentford didn't 'deserve' a draw at all. They had 90 minutes to get one. They failed. No hard luck stories; no robbed by the ref.

The fans who got a reality check (not including you, of course) are those faint hearts who insisted we would struggle in the Championship and that many of our quality players would not 'step up'. We could add to this Brentford fans who clearly hadn't a fucking clue if the pre-match extracts from Roy are representative.

One or two of us have seen real life Division Two before.

I know your view on 'luck' and deserving things so won't go into that.

You are correct about the doubters having a reality check. There's no way we'll go down based on our commitment and spirit alone, which we saw today. But it's also fair to say that it was a reality check for anyone who might watch the odd Championship game and think it's not a considerable step up. It certainly is. Brentford, IMO at least, aren't one of the top sides and they made us work extremely hard for a 1-0 win today.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

Brentford didn't 'deserve' a draw at all. They had 90 minutes to get one. They failed. No hard luck stories; no robbed by the ref.

The fans who got a reality check (not including you, of course) are those faint hearts who insisted we would struggle in the Championship and that many of our quality players would not 'step up'. We could add to this Brentford fans who clearly hadn't a fucking clue if the pre-match extracts from Roy are representative.

One or two of us have seen real life Division Two before.

You are bang on about the ignorant Bees fans who must have had a huge wake up call today great slap in the face as we were far and away the better FOOTBALL team for most of the game. We must however pinch learn quickly that we must be quicker in thought and deed at all times. Things Wilder acknowledged and looked to sort in his most excelent post match interview.
Today was pretty much the best first game we could have hoped for. Very strong opposition,great crowd and support and the boys meeting the challenge with style and deserving the win. Great performance.

 

[grafikhaus]

It has to be said that Brentford made it very hard for us and deserved a draw. And they're probably only a mid table side. Ryan Woods bossed the second half and never stopped getting on the ball, and obviously Jota's a very good player too. They were sharper than us, more mobile and they have more ball carriers than us. That's why they had more of the ball. It was hard to get close to them at times, and I thought we should have increased our central midfield numbers - Carruthers had a lot of space to cover on his own and that's probably why he was taken off - he will have been knackered.

A really committed performance from us and a great way to start the season but at the same time it was a reality check for a lot of our fans. The difference in quality is significant, in case anyone doubted it.

If you look at these ratings for a 1-0 home win against a mid table side, it tells you quite a lot. We're going to have to be at it this season to stay out of trouble.

Mostly agree and I think it'll take about 6-8 games to come to terms with the speed of thought and foot we're now up against. But we equipped ourselves very well and, apart from that incredible triple miss near the end, our two attempts that hit the woodwork put us ahead overall.

Not sure if Brentford are 'only a mid-table side'. By the end of the season, we may look back at a very good three points. Yes, I think by half-time we would have had to reassess to new pace we're up against. But I bet a few in the Brentford dressing room were wondering how good we were.

 

[Blade56]

........and deserved a draw.

HerHum, utter bollocks Ricky

 

[RMBlade]

I would go

Blackman 7.5 (distribution and the save which lead to the offside goal let him down)
Bash 8
Stearman 7
O'Connell 7.5
Freeman 6
Stevens 7
Coutts 6 (I think his legs were gone after 60 mins)
Fleck 6.5
Carruthers 7
Sharp 7
Clarke 8 (motm)

Good team performance. You could tell everyone was putting their body on the line for the win.

 

[Dnblade]

Yes,it's funny how we see things different...Thought Samir did ok,Blackman made some great saves...kicking was a bit suspect,but great display.
Steadman looked a bit sloppy with the ball on a few occasions;JOC..
What a last ditch tackle.
Blackman 9...great saves
Freeman..6.5
Bash... 8
Steadman...6 sloppy in possesion on occasions
JOC...7..great last ditch tackle
Enda...7 decent debut,unlucky hitting the post,slight deflection
Coutts..7.5...steady
Fleck 6.5..improved 2nd half
Carruthers 8..tried to make things happen,and moved the ball quickly
Clarke..8..put in a real shift
Sharp..7.5..as above.
Subs..Lundstram 6,Lafferty

Brentford looked what i expected,moved the ball well and very mobile...looked like 4231..Jota was impressive.
They probably deserved a draw,but we did have 2 offside goals,and hit the woodwork twice.Great to get off to a winning start.

 

[Blend-it-like-Harris]

Based on that performance Brentford looked far better than any of the 4 teams that bored us silly in last season's play-offs. However, if they can't find anyone capable of sticking the ball in the net (a Billy Sharp type) then they may have to settle for mid-table again.
Freeman had a tough job on his hands - their left side looked very strong and we all know that Kieron's defensive qualities aren't quite as good as his attacking qualities! He coped though, and it bodes well for us this season.
Do we have any reason to fear anyone in this league? Hull? - NO! Aston Villa? - NO!
Sunderland? - NO!
We'll know soon enough about Middlesborough, and meanwhile I'll keep my powder dry.
Sheffield Wednesday? - the only fear for me is that they may get rid of Carlos on September 20th

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I though Samir had a great game, linked up well and was disappointed he was brought off. Bash was a beast.

Thought he was average 1st half, 2nd half when we were dominating he was running the show, I would have kept him on as Brentford didn't know how to deal with him at that point although I can see Wilder's point of view in trying to shut up shop.

 

[BarnardCastleBlade]

Carruthers was my man of the match bar Jamal Blackman, thought he was a real creative spark from midfield. Very direct play which we lack at times from others. We lost a lot when he went off. I think he's going to be a huge player for us this season. UTB.

 

[TheGoatPenguin]

How anyone could watch that game and possibly give Carruthers and Clarke six ...

Well I'm speechless..

It was because i think we can and will play a heck of a lot better than that today matey. I was trying to keep my ratings conservative as well because if they all got 8's 9's and 10's they'd have no room to improve and we need to improve on today.

Can't see Clarke playing major roles unless we don't bring in better quality to be honest. Carruthers gave the ball away a fair few times and was caught in possession a bit too often for me. He did make a couple of decent tackles as well though.

Think the club needs to improve and get used to the new increased pace of the division as well. Which i think we will in the coming weeks.

I don't think Brentford were poor by any means today, they showed why they have been a top 10 side for the past few years.

I Still think we'll be comfortable between 12th and 18th. Be happy if its higher.

 

[robbiez666]

I'd echo the above. That was nowhere near our best performance, and we got away with it a bit, but through sheer commitment we got the result.

I thought Coutts and Fleck weren't good enough for what we need in this league. They both really need to be on their game, and Fleck in particular wasn't.

We desperately need to sign another midfielder before the end of the window. Not to start, but to cover what Fleck does. Currently, he has no competition and I think it showed in pre-season and today.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Carruthers had a poor first half but I was impressed wtih him carrying on looking to be involved, he didn't hide at all.

Fleck maybe a 7 not an eight but he had a good last half hour.

Freeman 7, maybe 8. Played as if he meant it and was not overawed at all.

Agree with all the others. Bash and O'Connell were immense at the back. Keeper had a dream of a debut. Clarke was very good and really put a shift in. Coutts neat and tidy, Stevens had a great first half hour then just held his defensive positioning under orders perhaps.

Sharp so/so but scored. Lundstram looked slow but it was a fast game to adapt to first up.

Lavary needs things to go his way and to keep fit for a spell, then we can judge him better, a bit to prove as yet.

Manager marvellous. Crowd awesome.

Sleep well Blades.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Carruthers had a poor first half but I was impressed wtih him carrying on looking to be involved, he didn't hide at all.

Fleck maybe a 7 not an eight but he had a good last half hour.

Freeman 7, maybe 8. Played as if he meant it and was not overawed at all.

Agree with all the others. Bash and O'Connell were immense at the back. Keeper had a dream of a debut. Clarke was very good and really put a shift in. Coutts neat and tidy, Stevens had a great first half hour then just held his defensive positioning under orders perhaps.

Sharp so/so but scored. Lundstram looked slow but it was a fast game to adapt to first up.

Lavary needs things to go his way and to keep fit for a spell, then we can judge him better, a bit to prove as yet.

Manager marvellous. Crowd awesome.

Sleep well Blades.

On reflection I wish I had saved my comments for the Deadbat Report. Bit of duplication going on.

 

[The Hobott]

Last season Carruthers was poor when he started and better as a sub. Today was his best game as a starter but I'd still rather have seen Duffy start. Last season we were always stronger when he played.
That said thought everyone put a shift in today and Bashan was mom. UTB.

 

[Sheffsteel]

In my view best players were

1st Carruthers (our man of the match)
Always involved, always looking for the ball, quite unpredictable making him our main danger man. We lost something when he went off. Agree that last season it was often Duffy that made us tick and we missed him.

2nd Blackman
Massive presence and looked very calm and laid back, made 2 match winning saves, however apart from the 2 saves didn't have that much to do. Brentford had brilliant approach play but overplayed it and ultimately were toothless up front.

3rd Leon
I was surprised how good and effective he was, maybe their defense was physically weak because he seemed to have much more physical presence than last season and was a good outlet. Worked really hard too. Well done!

4th Basham
Brentford were a very tricky team and we desperately needed some tackling aggression without giving away stupid fouls, thought Bash stepped up,and did a great defensive job in difficult circumstances.

Thought Billy did very little, hardly involved but just like Keith Edwards did he comes up with the goods, scores one and almost scored another but disallowed for off side. Will do his confidence the world of good to be off the mark already. Well done Billy!

 

[Deadbat]

On reflection I wish I had saved my comments for the Deadbat Report. Bit of duplication going on.

Bit slow getting it up tonight. So to speak. Right off to bed. Train to Old Trafford for the cricket at 8am in the morning.

 

[finlaytheblade]

A pretty decent assessment apart from I think Brentford will be more than mid table side, would not be surprised if they aren't in contention at least for top six.

Brent Ford have put a good squad together with quality and pace throughout the team.We are not used to such levels need time to adjust ( Learning curve ).The effort was superb and we will improve.
What bugs me is these teams with small gates can assemble such a team of quality players who cost a lot and be on good wages.Are they another smallish club like
Bournemouth with the aid of a sugar daddy ruining our top leagues with outlandish amounts of money , I feel there will be an earthquake at some point which will bring it all crashing down.
The Naymar transfer might signal the end is insight.Bring back the maximum wage and some sanity it's might be restored.

 

[Benny and the Blades]

Think some are being a bit harsh on Billy, he took a pretty hard whack to the head just after he'd scored and that would have knock anybody's duck off, so to speak...

 

[Lawrence]

Sorry.
Carruthers was fantastic and Coutts should have come off instead when Lundstrum came on. Thought he was lethargic the more the game went on and offers nothing defensively which he needed to today.

Sorry again, Agree Carruthers was class and did so much work in midfield, thought Coutts was Slow to cover at times in midfield and Samir and Fleck had to do some serious work to cover for him in the middle, but they all did well on a very hot afternoon!

 

[Woodwardfan]

Sorry again, Agree Carruthers was class and did so much work in midfield, thought Coutts was Slow to cover at times in midfield and Samir and Fleck had to do some serious work to cover for him in the middle, but they all did well on a very hot afternoon!

I have to agree with Sean that Coutts was blowing a fair bit by the hour mark. Watching him in between the action, when he's shot he walks like I do all the time, an old bloke with hip and lower back problems!! However, Coutts' presence is important in that midfield, he has the brain, control and experience that's invaluable and the introduction of fresh legs and an 'enforcer' was spot on. The surprise was that we didn't play Lundstram deeper in the central three.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

The criticism of Carruthers is unjustified.

It appears as though he is the free player this season charged with picking the lock in an advanced position. He WILL hold onto the ball, he WILL lose the ball when passing (at times) - that is the job he is there to do. Accepted he may frustrate some fans, but it is HIS job to try and play the killer pass. You only have to look at his pass to Fleck for the goal v Malaga. That is what he is good at.

Once he picks up the pace of this league he could be our most influential player.

UTB