Player Ratings vs Birmingham (1 Viewer)

[guicey15]

Murphy 6 - Only player I was disappointed with really, unconvincing on his punches and sloppy on catching. Probably should have saved there second goal as well.

Hussey 7

Willis 8

Edge 9 - Kept King totally quiet, very assured on the ball and doesn't just hoof it away when in a spot of danger.

Brown 8

Kilbane 8

Jennings 8

Barton 8

Baker 10!

McDonald 8

Elliot 7


Very impressed by all, play like that near enough each game and we'll be out of this league.

 

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[JulianDarbyFTW]

Disagree about Murphy being a 6. The second goal was hit like a rocket and was the defences fault not his. And Elliot was an 8 or 9 for me, just for effort and movement. The rest I agree with.

 

[skybluegod]

Murphy 6 - Didn't do much could have done better with second goal but good time wasting and came for crosses

Hussey 6.5- average games he was awful first 70 mins but after that was decent going forward and stopped them scoring at the very end.

Willis 8-good defending looks very promising didn't get forward much but very solid defensively

Edge 9 - Kept King totally quiet, very alert stopped king going through by chasing everything even when he had cramp and could hardly run great performance!!!

Brown 8- best game in a sky blue shirt he was solid won all his headers and cleared his lines well a couple decent passes as well

Kilbane 8- showing his exp today lead the team well always available for a pass and helped hussey and a scorcher of a goal, good through ball for cody to score

Jennings 8- didn't stop running always chose the right options, and solid a good signing

Barton 8-he's not had a pre-season as shaw said he's running on empty he is a good signings has a very good mind, can skin players and is very calm headed

Baker 10!- amazing absolutely amazing he ran at players with the ball he skined a very good birmingham side and his commitment today was top class well done baker (decided he's now going on my new shirt after tonight)

McDonald 8- well taken goal he looked dangerous didn't stop running and great commitment again.

Elliot 7- didn't stop running the entire 120 mins he was always up to the job he also helped for cody's goal if you noticed he pulled one of the CB's with him so kilbane could play the through ball

ball 6- didn't do a lot he should have scored (even though offside anyway) but again great commitment

christie 6- not match fit plainly obvious but i wont comment much he did his defensive duties

sheffers 6 - he had a point to prove tonight he showed his experience in time wasting and also did well defensively even though normally poor

Great game to watch, great result and good team togetherness i would be happy if that team started on Saturday maybe Clarke in but i don't mind if not !

team rating 9- started slow but grew into the game.

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Murphy- 7 - Thought he was very commanding of his area today, when he claimed that long punt at the end was great. Some punches were not the greatest but he managed to punch them away from opposition players majority of the time
Willis- 6 - Thought he done well for a young man still learning the game, didn't attack much though and crossing was generally poor
Brown - 8 - For all the criticism he has come under recently he was brilliant tonight, barely put a foot wrong all night
Edge - 8 - King hardly had a kick. Nuff said!
Hussey -7 - Crossing was a great plus for me tonight, hardly wasted any crosses tonight which is always annoying as we know he can cross a ball
Jennings -8 - Work rate, energy an tackling was fantastic. Also seems confident on the ball
Barton -6 - I missed the Bury game but once again he didn't make a great impression on me tbh. I acknowledge he is unfit and won't pass judgement on him until he is fully fit
Kilbane -8 - Was visibly tiring in the second half and ET as Redmond was getting more 1v1 vs Hussey, two great moments of pure class an quality in the first half got us our two goals
Baker -9 - MOTM his performance epitomised the team performance tonight, work rate, commitment and conviction was second to none. Seemed to really believe himself and had the Birmingham defence in knots in times
Mcdonald -6 - Think I may be being harsh on this one, took his goal very well after being played in but I don't recall him doing much else
Elliott -8 - Was a constant thorn in the Birmingham defence with his constant running and wriggling, closing down the defence and running the channels tirelessly all night

Thought we were poor in the first 15 minutes and were lucky not to be 2 down, was thinking same old, same old. We then equalised with probably the best move of the match and scored another cracking goal. I felt we then were on top for the rest of the half and could have scored again a few times, I think we could feel a little hard done by to go into HT level.
The second half was a much more even game and very exciting and the game was going from end to end. We managed to get the decisive goal and saw out the game with excellent defending

The biggest difference tonight was not the formation or personal but the mentality. The work ethic, determination and effort given from all players was probably the best I have seen in a long time, I know the norm is that this is the minimum you expect but tonight the work rate went above the normal level. I think this may be something directly tried to be drilled in to the squad by Shaw and all players including the subs were willing to run themselves into the ground for the sake of their team mates. Even if we had lost tonight I don't think any of us could moan as all players left everything on the pitch.

 

[Reynolds_121]

Murphy - 6 - Should have saved the second.

Willis - 7 - Solid enough, decent user of the ball.
Edje - 7 - Solid defensively apart from their second goal, not the best on the ball.
Brown - 7 - A lot better.
Hussey - 7 - Solid enough, good on the ball, better crosses.

Jennings - 7 - Uses the ball well, shields the defence well, potentially our best signing.
Barton - 6 - The game passed him by a little bit, a few nice touches here and there.
Kilbane - 8 - Great ball for Cody's goal, great strike for his own goal, get's an 8 just for that.
Baker - 9 - Worked his knackers off and offered us quality, top performance.

Cody - 8 - Worked hard, ball stuck with him and a good finish.
Elliot - 8 - Phenomenal workrate.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Murphy 6 - Didn't do much could have done better with second goal but good time wasting and came for crosses

Hussey 6.5- average games he was awful first 70 mins but after that was decent going forward and stopped them scoring at the very end.

Willis 8-good defending looks very promising didn't get forward much but very solid defensively

Edge 9 - Kept King totally quiet, very alert stopped king going through by chasing everything even when he had cramp and could hardly run great performance!!!

Brown 8- best game in a sky blue shirt he was solid won all his headers and cleared his lines well a couple decent passes as well

Kilbane 8- showing his exp today lead the team well always available for a pass and helped hussey and a scorcher of a goal, good through ball for cody to score

Jennings 8- didn't stop running always chose the right options, and solid a good signing

Barton 8-he's not had a pre-season as shaw said he's running on empty he is a good signings has a very good mind, can skin players and is very calm headed

Baker 10!- amazing absolutely amazing he ran at players with the ball he skined a very good birmingham side and his commitment today was top class well done baker (decided he's now going on my new shirt after tonight)

McDonald 8- well taken goal he looked dangerous didn't stop running and great commitment again.

Elliot 7- didn't stop running the entire 120 mins he was always up to the job he also helped for cody's goal if you noticed he pulled one of the CB's with him so kilbane could play the through ball

ball 6- didn't do a lot he should have scored (even though offside anyway) but again great commitment

christie 6- not match fit plainly obvious but i wont comment much he did his defensive duties

sheffers 6 - he had a point to prove tonight he showed his experience in time wasting and also did well defensively even though normally poor

Great game to watch, great result and good team togetherness i would be happy if that team started on Saturday maybe Clarke in but i don't mind if not !

team rating 9- started slow but grew into the game.

Elliott was excellent, epitome of the commitment needed. Ball did what was required when he was on.

 

[6 Generations]

Murphy- 7 - Thought he was very commanding of his area today, when he claimed that long punt at the end was great. Some punches were not the greatest but he managed to punch them away from opposition players majority of the time
Willis- 6 - Thought he done well for a young man still learning the game, didn't attack much though and crossing was generally poor
Brown - 8 - For all the criticism he has come under recently he was brilliant tonight, barely put a foot wrong all night
Edge - 8 - King hardly had a kick. Nuff said!
Hussey -7 - Crossing was a great plus for me tonight, hardly wasted any crosses tonight which is always annoying as we know he can cross a ball
Jennings -8 - Work rate, energy an tackling was fantastic. Also seems confident on the ball
Barton -6 - I missed the Bury game but once again he didn't make a great impression on me tbh. I acknowledge he is unfit and won't pass judgement on him until he is fully fit
Kilbane -8 - Was visibly tiring in the second half and ET as Redmond was getting more 1v1 vs Hussey, two great moments of pure class an quality in the first half got us our two goals
Baker -9 - MOTM his performance epitomised the team performance tonight, work rate, commitment and conviction was second to none. Seemed to really believe himself and had the Birmingham defence in knots in times
Mcdonald -6 - Think I may be being harsh on this one, took his goal very well after being played in but I don't recall him doing much else
Elliott -8 - Was a constant thorn in the Birmingham defence with his constant running and wriggling, closing down the defence and running the channels tirelessly all night

Thought we were poor in the first 15 minutes and were lucky not to be 2 down, was thinking same old, same old. We then equalised with probably the best move of the match and scored another cracking goal. I felt we then were on top for the rest of the half and could have scored again a few times, I think we could feel a little hard done by to go into HT level.
The second half was a much more even game and very exciting and the game was going from end to end. We managed to get the decisive goal and saw out the game with excellent defending

The biggest difference tonight was not the formation or personal but the mentality. The work ethic, determination and effort given from all players was probably the best I have seen in a long time, I know the norm is that this is the minimum you expect but tonight the work rate went above the normal level. I think this may be something directly tried to be drilled in to the squad by Shaw and all players including the subs were willing to run themselves into the ground for the sake of their team mates. Even if we had lost tonight I don't think any of us could moan as all players left everything on the pitch.

I really enjoyed tonight but i slightly disagree on Brown. I thought that he was culpable for both of their goals. I haven't seen the highlights yet, so i am willing to stand corrected.
In the second half, however he was immense as was The Edge. I would give Brown 7 and Edge 8 based on what i saw.

Our Midfield were excellent and Baker had his best game in our shirt. not many players have had me on my feet in recent seasons. He deserves his 10.

I actually thought that Elliot was a very close second. He chased and linked everything. I would give him a 9.

Jennings is our Terrier.8 for him

Well done to all the players tonight. It was an enjoyable experience compared to recent performances.

I like Barton, Zinadine ran his socks off, and remember, we have Fleck to come in to the squad.

Any fancy another jolly to Old Trafford??

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

I really enjoyed tonight but i slightly disagree on Brown. I thought that he was culpable for both of their goals. I haven't seen the highlights yet, so i am willing to stand corrected.
In the second half, however he was immense as was The Edge. I would give Brown 7 and Edge 8 based on what i saw.

Our Midfield were excellent and Baker had his best game in our shirt. not many players have had me on my feet in recent seasons. He deserves his 10.

I actually thought that Elliot was a very close second. He chased and linked everything. I would give him a 9.

Jennings is our Terrier.8 for him

Well done to all the players tonight. It was an enjoyable experience compared to recent performances.

I like Barton, Zinadine ran his socks off, and remember, we have Fleck to come in to the squad.

Any fancy another jolly to Old Trafford??

Yea I haven't seen any goals on replay so it was possible that Brown may have been slightly at fault but if so it wasn't a howler

I agree Baker had his best performance in a city shirt, he just comes up short of a 10 though for me

I also agree Elliott was excellent but I wouldn't give him a 9 simply because he didn't find the net

 

[Buster]

Murphy, Hussey. 6.5
Barton,Brown.Willis Jennings,Kilbane 7
Macdonald, Elliot 7.5
Baker. 8
Edge. 9. Mom
Christie. 6.5. Mcshef. 6

I think were getting carried away with the high ratings ,but for all the right reasons . Well played Sky Blues
Can I single out the Edge for destroying a good striker in Marlon King . He played the last 3/4 hour on one leg .

 

[skybluegod]

i'd like to add it we also played for 90mins and more!!!!!

 

[thechase]

Cant disagree with most of the ratings. Baker gets mom quite rightly but there were several close contenders behind. As has been said Edjenguele had King in his pocket all game, even on one leg.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

I personally thought Brown was awful, accountable for both goals (I think he was on Lovenkrands) he played some good passes, yes but his defending was v shaky!

All the headers he 'won' were all over the place and nearly got us in trouble on a couple occassions.

There was an occassion where he tried to let the ball run out of play and it got nicked off him, although I personally thought it was in, the lino called out, luckily for Brown.

I could go into more detail but I won't because today was a good game.

In short, he was very shaky, doesn't look confident and I think Cameron, Wood, Malaga + Edge are better choices IMO.

 

[shmmeee]

Murphy - 7 Thought he was good, came for a couple of crosses towards the end and his distribution (though still slow as hell) was better than normal

Willis - 7 Good game, King targeted him early on and got not much. Didn't get forward much, but that may have been an instruction. Didn't look like he wanted to come off when subbed, very strange.

Brown - 6 His best game so far but still a couple of shocking errors and really poor headers. Still not convinced, would have started Malaga if Wood is injured.

Hussey - 7 Again a constant outlet on the left, got some good crosses in and defended OK. Is always available for the cross field ball and rarely gives the ball away.

Jennings - 7 Would get an 8 except he left his marker for their equaliser. Got his foot in, was always on hand and played it simply. Looks an excellent signing for that position.

Barton - 7 Really like Barton, good range of passing and can work the ball out of trouble. Worrying that he's still not lasting 90 mins though, when Fleck and Thomas are fit our midfield will be outstanding for this league with a really nice mix of players.

Kilbane - 7 Solid game, probably his best so far. Ran all game and worked well with Hussey and Jennings.

Baker - 9 What a game! By far the best I've seen Baker, dribbled like he did in his first couple of games for us, reminds me of Paulo Wanchope in that he's a tangle of legs. Ran his arse off and did the ugly stuff well and deserved his goal. His position is so key in our formation and it's no coincidence that when he plays well the team looks much better going forward.

McDonald - 8 Ran his arse off, closed down everything, beat defenders a foot taller and pulled defenders all over. Scored an excellent goal, one touch then bang, brilliant finish. Will score goals for fun this year.

Elliot - 8 Chased everything for 120 minutes, makes things happen with his workrate and running. Forget needing a big man, Elliot and McDonald have the makings of a partnership if we play to their strengths.

Christie - 6 Looked unfit and not confident of running at pace like we know he can but did his job well.

McSheffrey - 6 Didn't do much really, closed down well and no stupid passes so looked better than normal.

Ball - 5 What is up with our loan signings this year? Ball won nothing in the air, missed an absolute sitter (even though he was offside) and didn't look a threat at all. Send him and Brown back and get some pace and a proper targetman.

Shaw - 8 Kept the team motivated, at every point where you thought Birmingham would step it up and we'd collapse like normal we redoubled our efforts. Was always up gesticulating and took several opportunities to relay instructions, so quite a contrast to Thorn's management style. Let's see him do this over the next few games but if he can keep getting performances like this then he deserves the job on merit.

 

[harvey098]

Murphy - 10

Willis - 10

Brown - 10

Hussey - 10

Jennings - 10

Barton - 10

Kilbane - 10.

Baker - 10000

McDonald - 10

Elliot - 10

 

[SBS]

Murphy - 7 - Maybe could have done better with the second, punched and caught well though.

Hussey - 7 - Just about dealt with Redmond, who will be in the Premier League before Birmingham will be.
Brown - 6 - Some decent clearances, looked a little shaky at times
Edge - 8 - Cracking game, was receiving treatment on his calf on 90 mins. Didn't seem to let it affect him.
Willis - 7 - Played a few nice passes and looked more comfortable than Brown at RB.

Jennings - 8 - Another solid performance, rapidly becoming one of my favourite City payers.
Barton - 7 - Linked up well but did look tired.
Baker - 9 - Best City performance by a mile. Couple of risky passes but got forward really well
Kilbane - 8 - Definitely the experience we were missing last year.

McDonald & Elliot - 8 - Impressive performances from both. I think Elliot is surprising a lot of people, never stopped running.

Very impressed with how Shaw handled the game from beginning to end. Obviously a very popular character, but we can't get ahead of ourselves. He does however deserve a few games after this performance. He was involved in a Millwall team (Can't remember if it was as player or coach) that won promotion so it's not alien to him. Everything he said in the interview afterwards was spot on.

One thing I did think tonight, is that its pointless opening the whole ground on a night like this. I understand that some people may like the view behind the goal, but it was so sparse tonight. Get everyone together to make a bit of noise.

 

[covcity4life]

Murphy didn't have a chance with second imo

 

[pusbccfc]

I thought Murphy did well

 

[psgm1]

Edge or Malaga to start?

From the Hinckley game I felt Malaga was decidedly average, but I was impressed with Edge.

I would pick Edge over Malaga every day of the week - does anyone agree or am I blowing in the wind on this?

Also would like to see much more of Louios Garner. Really impressed me, yet Thorn only used him once - why? He was quick in midfield looked very sharp.

He is a kid, so I wouldn't rely on him for the full season, but he is the kind of player I would like to gradually bring forward to the first team.

First time in a while I have a spark of optimism - SISU - PLEASE make the right decision this time.

 

[Diehard Si]

As good as Baker was ( And he was immense ), his distribution many times let him down so he cant be a 10. Just that final ball he needs to work on.

 

[wal3590]

Bakes, Jennings Elliott and William

Very Impressed with Baker last night, hadnt seen him turn defenders in and out for a while, and his work rate was excellent. Makes you wonder if he and thorn weren't on the best of terms. I was very impressed with George aswell (william endjungle, somehow we started calling him George as no one seemed able to pronounce his name), He didnt give Marlon a sniff all game. Also very impressed with the work rate of Stephen Elliott, the lad doesnt seem know what a lost cause is.

Ratings

Murphy 6: maybe should have got a stronger hand to their equaliser but no real mistakes.

Willis 7 : Did ok considering he was out of position, good to see cyrus get some gametime though.

Brown 7: Looked alot more comfortable at CB.

George 8: Very impressed with his physical attribute and seem to frustrate marlon.

Hussey 7: Pretty poor first half I thought but coped very well with Redmond when he came on.

Jennings 8: Absolute work horse. Looks a very good signing for a free, makes clingan look very average.

Kilbane 7: Haven't been his biggest fan so far but it was a very good ball for codys goal and a pretty tidy finish for his own goal. Also impressed he still seemed pretty lively after 120 mins considering his ages.

Barton 6: Never really seemed to get on the ball, which is a shame.

Baker 9: About time but the lad about, he showed a great hunger to get on the ball and win it straight back on the few occasions he lost the ball. MOM

Cody 8: Think him and Elliott are forming a very good partneship and both seem to work their arses off up top, think it will create them many goals putting so much pressure on poor defences in this league.

Eliiott 9: Another hard working performance from the lad, can see him banging 10-12 goals this season at least if he continues with that work rate.

Like i said good to see Cyrus get some game time, think his pace can be a real attacking asset to us this season from RB.
Not too sure about Callum Ball though??

Thoughts lads?

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Having seen both Birmingham goals on replay I would say Edge was more at fault than Brown

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Joe Murphy - 7 - Solid game, came out well and claimed in the air, not sure he could have done much about the Spector goal, a little suspect for the first

Jordan Willis - 7 - Great game, put in some big tackles on King and showed some great awareness. How do we keep on producing such fantastic right backs?

Reece Brown - 7 - Vast improvement but still looks a little shaky. Hope we aren't being forced to play him.

William Edjenguele - 8 - Wonder if he has let Marlon out of his pocket yet? Dominating performance after a shaky start, at fault for the goals but didn't look like anything was going to get past him at times.

Chris Hussey - 7 - An improvement on previous performances, links well with Elliott, Kilbane and Baker and put some dangerous looking balls into the box

Steven Jennings - 8 - Very impressive once again, likes to keep it simple and links up play very well. Allows the players in front of him more security and freedom to play.

Adam Barton - 8 - Big fan of this lad. Glides around the pitch and plays at his own pace. Brings other players into the game and looks like a class act.

Kevin Kilbane - 7 - Magnificent assist and goal, good to see he still has that in his locker. Game passed him by at times.

Carl Baker - 9 - Wow, simply magnificent, feel sorry for the poor lad that had to play against him tonight. Beating men at will, chasing everything down. Crossing let him down.

Cody McDonald - 8 - He's so sharp it's unbelievable, going to be fantastic for us this year. Links up with Elliott so well and took his goal brilliantly.

Stephen Elliott - 8 - Runs all game, never gives up. Has a good understanding with Cody and I feel the will have a great partnership this season.

Subs

Cyrus Christie - 7 - Great to see him back much faster than expected! Good defensively but seem reluctant coming forward.

Gary McSheffery - 6 - Better but still wasteful on the ball, his shot was embarrassing.

Callum Ball - 5 - Looked better but still not good enough. Missed an absolute sitter.