Ratings:
Verrips 1/10 – He gets 1 for coming out for one through ball. The rest of his night he was an absolute mess. Nervous, no command of his box and could not even do the basics well. It was like playing with no goalkeeper. Everything they put on goal went in and his mistakes cost us 2 goals (not great on the other 2 really and both these were savable). His attempts to deal with the long throws/corners were hard to watch. He seemed to not be able to use his hands very well – a problem if you are a keeper. He did not seem to have the right technique going at things with open palms for punches. He could not even get off the ground and seemed weak for a big bloke too. He was directly at fault for the 2nd and 4th and may as well have thrown them in as he put 2 on a plate for them. A nightmare debut and up there with Lee Baxter. Looks miles off the standard required at this level and would not be surprised if he does not play for United again after that – as harsh as that sounds. We are being linked with Olssen but if he does not come in then Foderingham will now start the next game but not sure he is much better? Lots said we would not miss Ramsdale that much as goalies are ten a penny but tonight, we saw what problems we may have.
Baldock 3.5/10 – Another who seems to be getting sucked down to the level of others really. He did not get forward at all but is playing as a regular right back. He kept plugging away but lots of balls came in from his side and he does not get close to his man at all. He seems to have lost all his confidence and at the moment you look at someone like Furlong for them and he is ten times the player he is which is sad as Baldock 2 years ago looked a solid Premier League player.
Osborn 3.5/10 – Whilst he did not do much really and often the ball came away from him felt he did put some effort in and at least ran around a bit. He did get stuck in but clearly, he is another that is too small/weak and lacking in quality to make any difference. Also, he is not a left winger but tonight not sure where he was playing really?
Robinson 2/10 – A player that is not good enough. He looks so soft for a fairly big bloke and gets muscled off things easily. Never gets there first and makes mistakes every game. Headed it into his own net for no reason whatsoever – he has done nonsensical things like this before. They won everything really that came into the box and although he made the odd interception you felt worried whenever they put it into his area. A player that is League 1-2 standard and another baffling Wilder addition that is miles off what we need regardless of formations.
Basham 3.5/10 – Struggled again and not sure he can play in a two as his strengths are getting forward and driving us on. Not sure he has ever been a brilliant defender – he has been solid but he also does daft things (even when we played well). Tonight, West Brom completely bullied us and felt by the end he was making mistakes as much as the rest.
Egan 3.5/10 – He is one that Jokanovic clearly likes judging from his pre game comments but even he is struggling. Not sure he suits a 2 at all and means if we do not have any dominant players alongside him it will be a struggle. I feel teams like Birmingham and West Brom have seen that outside of him (and not sure he is that dominant) that we have no aerial strength. I thought he did not win much really tonight and whilst everyone (me included) will throw Verrips under the bus – not sure our experienced players helped him much either.
Norwood 3/10 – He was one of the three who did not hide (as much) but he was rubbish again. He did make a few passes and win a few tackles but also lost a lot of loose balls and challenges and not sure helped get us up the field and went backwards more than forwards. By the end the midfield was completely non-existent. Sadly, I think they are all done really but whether he sees this I am not sure. Even tactical tweaks does not get these lads to actually be able to tackle, run, dribble, shoot, assist or score. Not sure what any of them do anymore?
Berge 1/10 – For all the hype he gets, good players get games by the scruff of the neck. He gives the impression to me he does not want to be here in how he plays. He barely gets his shirt dirty and the game passes him by. When a player tackles him, he seems aghast that someone can be physical against him. We need to move him on and get some players that can affect games. He may have some talent and do one great run every now and again but we are already carrying a lot of players / we cannot carry another and if we can move him on, we need to do that for me. Sadly, teams will be watching his lack of heart and application and backing off somewhat.
Fleck 1/10 – Sad to see. He looks finished to me. Hard to say that when he should be in his peak but he is woefully unfit, does not get on the ball and seems disinterested. The energetic, lively and tenacious midfielder has gone. I think he needs a fresh start and the club do too. We have had 18 months of this same midfield (with Lundstram as the other) and we have been overrun and outfought and outplayed by teams in the Prem and now in the Champ. We need new blood and they need to go somewhere else. I hate saying it but have been pinning my hopes on a resurgence but with a new so called tough manager coming in and they cannot get out of the slump, then not sure they ever will here again?
McGoldrick 2/10 – A striker who cannot finish. I love the guy (like Fleck, Bash, Norwood and others) but he looks another that seems to not quite fit at the moment in whatever we are trying to do. His game is based on getting on the ball but he cannot get on it at the moment and when he has chances, he is wretched. Still think he can offer something but we may need to go away from him for a while and try McBurnie and Brewster for a spell of games (we have paid that money – we may as well give them a run now).
Sharp 2.5/10 – Another one who sadly looks a long way from what we need as great as he has been for us. He gets little service and did make one good assist tonight but mostly not in the game and battling off scraps. Not sure that is all his fault really but he did have one chance and it got stuck under his feet. Never going to get much off big defenders though. Wins an odd free kick but mostly not a threat as he lacks pace and physicality and we do not get the ball in the box.
Subs –
Burke 1/10 – Ran one out of play. Again. Useless and both sets of fans laughing at him. Will surely just drift down the leagues soon. He is nowhere near good enough for the Championship.
McBurnie 3/10 – Committed some silly fouls but did get stuck in and won a few headers – one that led to a chance for Egan and one over. I am not sure he is the answer but deserves a run just as the rest are so bad!
Freeman 6/10 – Given him a mark even for limited time as at least he got on the ball and looked interested. Few ok runs and tried to get on the half turn/
Jokanovic 1/10 – Harsh mark considering he has been left this shower of shite and cannot help having to pick Verrips really. However, he has not motivated them at all, has them in no clear shape/formation and has no idea of his first eleven at all? He has had a bit of a disastrous start with the shocking prep/preseason disruption, lack of incoming player and now losing a key man. Throw in 3 awful results and performances and us being in the bottom 3 and he will be already feeling the pressure (not job losing pressure) Harsh for Glen Murray to call him uninspiring and drab I think it was but his post match interviews make little sense (yes, I know the language is not his first language). Has a hell of a lot of work to do. Looked almost shocked by it all. Clearly been successful where he has been before but he had a lot of work to do and Saturday already is a big game for him. Another poor performance and result and as much as it clearly is not his mess, there will be fans already asking questions of him. That is sadly how it works as fans do not have any patience. I just want to see some kind of plan and regardless of the criticism of the players that I have served up above, they still should be doing a bit better than this and other manages clearly have got relegated sides playing decent already. Were those teams that much better than us last season? Maybe they were?
West Brom – It is odd that everyone says it will take Jokanovic time and he will have to implement his own style and ways when West Brom/Fulham/Bournemouth all have had new managers playing different ways and have started well? The evidence is Jokanovic’s teams always start slowly but it is not as if the other sides backed by the books have not had similar transition. West Brom have lost their best player too but still seem to have hit the ground running. Ismael’s pressing and hard running style with direct football worked really well at Barnsley and with a big, physical side here you would be surprised if he does not have them around the top as is the evidence so far. They probably lack out and out goal scorers although Grant and Robinson will get 15+ each you would think but have enough experience, quality and depth to be too strong for most at this level. If they went up, they’d struggle again without investment of course but as with Norwich, the money you accrue is worth the boing boing they may invariably do, like they have done in previous decades. The concern is we have a season of transition that it may be, that we then become a Stoke, Swansea or gulp worse such as Wigan/Portsmouth/Charlton etc.
Tonight they did the ugly long ball/direct stuff and recycled the ball and put us under pressure but the intensity was good all night. I heard many say how ugly they were to watch and agree the set plays and throws are basic but they did some other decent things that won’t be talked about. They could have scored several other goals from open play. Overall though I am not sure they are this fantastic side some of there fans are making out. We made them look a lot better than they are. First half they led but were not fantastic. They kind of had a spell for 15 minutes and that was enough.
Opponent Man of the Match – Take your pick. The lad Furlong got it and was really good but it was more a team performance really and they just did the basics – tackling, pressing and putting the ball in good areas.
Opponent Weak link – Noone. They had better players in every position who fought harder and did the basics better.
Referee/Officials – Matthew Donohue. New ref who has never officiated a game involving us before. I thought he was fine – they were more physical but non were fouls and every set play/throw that came in never saw a foul really. We just got outmuscled all game. One booking – McGoldrick and that was soft but he did kind of raise his finger/hand in reacting to something of nothing. Easy game to ref with our set of weaklings.T
