RATINGS FOLKS v Brighton (2 Viewers)

Gael 7? Didn't thing he was on the park to have any impact.

4 stand out players for me. Deegan, Keogh, McShuff and Juke.

I wouldn't give Christie an 8 either. First half he was torn a new arsehole and was beaten at least 5 times by their winger. He did improve in the second half mind, but in the first half Deegan had to drop back to help him out,

Murphy-7-Very good performance, excellent handling and claimed the ball well
Christie-6-Can't really see why he is in the side still tbh, the only thing he has going for him is his dribbling and crosses, never gets his head up to play simple passes and is poor defensively and technically not that good. Often miss kicks the ball when clearing his lines.
Keogh-8-Great performance once again
Cranie-7-Good performance after injury
Wood-7-Defended well but didn't get forward much
Thomas-7-Becoming a very good player and is learning quickly
Deegan-7-Some good tackles and some iffy ones as well, booked thought he was going to get himself sent off at one point
Baker-6-One shot the only thing of note I can remember
Bell-7-First touch was poor at times but makes some intelligent runs
Juke-7-Battled well against a dirty centre half, took a bit of a battering hope he doesn't have a serious injury
Mcsfeff-8-Match winner

We will play than that this season and lose. Didn't like Brighton their team go down like a bunch of pansies conning the ref for a free kick 80% of the time, add to that they have the whiny bitch Poyet in charge.
Also Brighton keeper was awful one of the worse keepers in the league imo.

What made me happy with McSheff was that it shut up some of the idiots around me who were constantly having a go at him before his - quite stunning - goal.

Murphy - 8 - did everything that was asked of him, and that one on one save from Mackail-Smith was outstanding.

Christie - 5 - Noone and Lua Lua are pacy, tricky wingers and they gave him a torrid time. Deegan, and later on, Bigi, did a good job of doubling up and helping out. He improved a little in the second half, and Noone was quiet until his injury.
Keogh - 8 - Outstanding from him. Won everything, blocked everything and there were no real lapses that he sometimes has.
Cranie -7 - Considering he's only just back from injury he was excellent. So composed and won all his headers as we were holding out for the win.
Wood - 7 - Defensively solid, they barely threatened down his wing. Didn't provide the attacking threat that a left-back needs to in the diamond formation, but that's not his fault.

Thomas - 8 - Correct decision after correct decision. The kid looks like he's been playing Championship football all his life. At one point Cranie ran forward to challenge for a header, the second ball landed in the gap Cranie had left, but Thomas had dropped into the space to clean up. Plays that position excellently.
Deegan - 7 - Battled hard, kicked a few people and looked to go forward. In the last half an hour he and Thomas were instrumental as we started to pass the ball around with confidence. Could have done better with a couple of chances but you can't have it all.
Baker - 6 - Found a lot of space which he perhaps could have used a little better, especially in the first half. Had a decent shot in the second half and generally looked a little more like the player we thought we'd signed.
Bell - 7 - Did well today. He gets a lot of stick from people but today and Boxing Day he's looked much better. It was nice to see him get a couple of crosses in on his left foot as well.

Jutkiewicz - 7 - Ran himself into the ground again. The guy is so strong on the ball, he wins free-kicks he has no right to win. A really determined header for the goal as well.
McSheffrey - 8 - Where has this guy been all season? I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw him line up the shot from 25 yards and groaned. But it went in! Delivered a super cross for the second. Was the match winner today, no doubt about it. Now can he turn these occasional brilliant games into a consistent run of form?

Sutty said:

Murphy - 8 - did everything that was asked of him, and that one on one save from Mackail-Smith was outstanding.

Christie - 5 - Noone and Lua Lua are pacy, tricky wingers and they gave him a torrid time. Deegan, and later on, Bigi, did a good job of doubling up and helping out. He improved a little in the second half, and Noone was quiet until his injury.
Keogh - 8 - Outstanding from him. Won everything, blocked everything and there were no real lapses that he sometimes has.
Cranie -7 - Considering he's only just back from injury he was excellent. So composed and won all his headers as we were holding out for the win.
Wood - 7 - Defensively solid, they barely threatened down his wing. Didn't provide the attacking threat that a left-back needs to in the diamond formation, but that's not his fault.

Thomas - 8 - Correct decision after correct decision. The kid looks like he's been playing Championship football all his life. At one point Cranie ran forward to challenge for a header, the second ball landed in the gap Cranie had left, but Thomas had dropped into the space to clean up. Plays that position excellently.
Deegan - 7 - Battled hard, kicked a few people and looked to go forward. In the last half an hour he and Thomas were instrumental as we started to pass the ball around with confidence. Could have done better with a couple of chances but you can't have it all.
Baker - 6 - Found a lot of space which he perhaps could have used a little better, especially in the first half. Had a decent shot in the second half and generally looked a little more like the player we thought we'd signed.
Bell - 7 - Did well today. He gets a lot of stick from people but today and Boxing Day he's looked much better. It was nice to see him get a couple of crosses in on his left foot as well.

Jutkiewicz - 7 - Ran himself into the ground again. The guy is so strong on the ball, he wins free-kicks he has no right to win. A really determined header for the goal as well.
McSheffrey - 8 - Where has this guy been all season? I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw him line up the shot from 25 yards and groaned. But it went in! Delivered a super cross for the second. Was the match winner today, no doubt about it. Now can he turn these occasional brilliant games into a consistent run of form?

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Conor Thomas is such an intelligent player. If you watch his positioning, it is top class. The amount of times he reads the game and drops in, is huge. At 17 years old, this guy has everything going for him

Thomas MOM for me. Quite exceptional. Clingan cansod off anywhere for me! Thomas has made the role his own and we look a better team with him in that position. I also think Craine was a good as Wood and Keogh on the back 4 today. Christie had a tough time but he will not up against many better wingers than he was today and the team worked hard to help him.

thought cranie was better than 7 so composed and that last ditch block tackle in 1st half was superb

How can anyone give thomas a 6 on todays showing baffles me ,he's up there with the other 8-9s ,what a clever and influential player he is becoming.

Murphy - 9 did not do anything wrong and saved us against Bristol. Strange gone quite from his detractors
Christie - 6 had to work hard against pacy wingers. If McPake/Cameron are fit could do with a rest
Wood - 8 always consistant
Keogh - 9 Excellent
Cranie 8 Good to see him back
Deegan - 8 - Hard in tackle and good on the ball
Bell - 7 Good most of the game
Baker - 6 Average I thought
Juke - 9 Great centre forward play
McSheffrey - 8 Super goal I think his best days are behind him but pleased to see him deliver today
Thomas - 8 Impressive and getting better

wingy said:

How can anyone give thomas a 6 on todays showing baffles me ,he's up there with the other 8-9s ,what a clever and influential player he is becoming.

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i gave my reasons,how about you respond to them

btw 6=above average so im not saying he didnt play well,just dont think he did aswell as others on here did

covcity4life said:

i gave my reasons,how about you respond to them

btw 6=above average so im not saying he didnt play well,just dont think he did aswell as others on here did

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Not sure how you can give Thomas a 6 but Christie an 8. Noone ripped him a new one in the first half.

It seems I'm the only one who thought BEll was poor again today,. His first touch and use of the ball were unbelievably bad at times today. He has never been pacey or strong but can usually rely on decision making so I was astonished when his harshest critic (Ian on the radio) said he thought that Bell did well and then SL agreed with him. It seems others have too so perhaps it's me who is wrong? All about opinions of course, but I thought he was the one weak link in an otherwise impressive team performance.

Rob - I didn't feel Bell had a great game on the ball, his touch was heavy at time's, etc, but I thought his workrate and movement was really good, he created a lot of space for others, and wad always available. He also kept his position well and looked to make forward runs.

I thought baker was okay again today, not as much in the first half, but in the second worked hard and didn't give the ball away easy.
There wasn't one of his mazy runs but him and macca worked well.

Juke was superb today, there centre back couldn't handle his strength and power and was unlucky not to have 2.

Murphy again great, we have only let one in three against peterborough, bristol and brighton which isn't too bad.

Keogh, exceptional
Its not juke I'm worried about going its keogh he's in another class to his mates at times, and pulls the strings.

Macca,
like his similar self,
I knew with henry back on the scene he would relive the old, 'better than henry' lyrics.
Worked very hard, took his goal fantastically well and him a juke worked very well.

Bell was average today, but he tried fairly hard.

Wood/ christie/ craine
All solid and all put in some fantatic blocks throughout.
Never failed to clear the ball also.
Christie had a tough time, pacey wingers flying at him, but really he didn't to bad and held back as he should.
Needs a rest though maybe keogh should drop back there, with wood dropping in left.

Thomas again, fair play to the lad, battled brilliantly and pulled the strings in there.
Deegan battle but needs to watch himself he will get a red one of these days.

All-round great performance.
PUSB

stupot07 said:

Not sure how you can give Thomas a 6 but Christie an 8. Noone ripped him a new one in the first half.

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he did and initially i gave christie a 7,but he worked well to try stick to witha superior play and amanaged to block a good few crosses after hed lost noone originally

maybe i should have stuck with 7 though,fair comment

as for thomas,i think he played well,just didnt wow me as much as he did others,case for a 7 there too no doubt

stupot07 said:

Rob - I didn't feel Bell had a great game on the ball, his touch was heavy at time's, etc, but I thought his workrate and movement was really good, he created a lot of space for others, and wad always available. He also kept his position well and looked to make forward runs.

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I agree with this, Bell's movement was good today. Made some intelligent runs of the ball which opened up lots of space.

We haven't seen enough of this from the majority of City players this season.

Murphy 8- top save in first half
Christie 7- always a threat going forward although he got rinsed a couple of times
Wood 7- defensively sound
Keogh 9- outstanding as usual
Cranie 8- solid and won everything
Thomas 8- growing in stature with every game
Deegan 8- added grit to middle
Bell 7- did well, good movement
Baker 7- was decent I thought
Sheff

Sheff 9- was outstanding
Juke 9- also brilliant

Murphy-8. Some very good saves, much better handling, a couple of nice throws and a wise and powerful punch. His third best performance after Leeds/Bristol.
Christie-6. Defensively struggled but was up against Brighton's strongest threat, and we kept a clean sheet. Needs to be more aware of when Deegan finds space. Good throw-ins, couple of good runs, one very poor cross into 'keepers hands. But possibly the pass of the game 2nd half when he swung it over to the other flank.
Wood-8. Played very well out of position. Crossing wasn't great and he got sucked-inside defensively at times, but his short-passing was much improved and at a high tempo. Gets an 8 for his utter dominance in the air, which he always brings to the FB role and adds an extra threat to corners.
Keogh-9. What a player. Seems to be even better as skipper. Seems to have got an extra 15% out of his colleagues as captain, too.
Cranie-8. Brilliant comeback from injury. Won everything in the air (sometimes a weakness). Great tackle, distributed calmly from the back. Need a takeover so that we can keep him!
Thomas-10. I've never given a 10 before...he just blew me away today. So skillful, and the pace and energy he has brought to the DMC role is massively underestimated. He's stepped into the shoes of a player we thought vital and irreplaceable in the summer...and played miles better than him. Looks so much more confident and assured now, his first touch, positioning, awareness and anticipation have gone through the roof. Allied to his strength in the tackle and superb engine, he's close to the complete defensive midfielder. I thought he was stunning today, a vital cog at the centre of our shape who dictated play and bossed his opponents out of the game, and made the space for Baker, Sheff and Deegs to play in. Definitely a future Premiership player, but he will be better for staying here and playing than rotting in a big clubs reserves, as we are now seeing-and as he realises, luckily for us. Man of the Match, best performance of his young career. Best home-produced midfielder since Lee Hurst. Deegan-9. Patchy passing early on but got better with time. Some great first-time passes, one great shot and one mis-kicked-a product of countless late-surges into the box, almost unnoticed. Gave us a physical edge, did the dirty stuff well, kicked the right men when they needed kicking. Superb off the ball movement. But most of all his defensive positioning screens the defence and moves our play higher up the pitch. Ran himself into the ground today. A genuine box-to-box midfielder in the classic mould (thought they didn't make 'em like that any more!) Gets extra credit (as does Sheff) for his rousing "come on!" gestures to team-mates during breaks in play;undoubtedly adds guts, leadership and determination. The Pitbull has now well and truly introduced himself to The Championship :wave:
Baker-7: Did some lovely stuff, linked play, clever passing and movement, dribbled well without really taking men on, not quite as effective at switching play to the right as last week. Could have had a goal and in general is looking much-improved of late. May yet be better in the AMC role.
Bell-5. I'm usually a fan (honest!), but thought he was well below par today. In the first half, around 5-6 good moves broke down when they got to him. Got better 2nd half, but not by much. At least he found space and worked hard.
McSheffrey-9. Brilliant. The bloke is a striker, he's been saying that for years! Great goal, great assist, several other great crosses, closed down, dropped wide into space and ran the Brighton defence ragged. The perfect partner for Lukas. Great urging on of team-mates, and a revelation. Welcome back, Sheff-chenko! (yeah, I know, we never really called him that...)
Lukas-8. Held the ball up superbly, strong as an ox but skillful and agile-love these "chest-offs" he keeps doing! Took his goal perfectly. Always a threat in the air or on the deck and worked tirelessly, as usual. A great target-man performance, and his best game for a few weeks.

Gael-6. Passed neatly but dangerously, usually backwards, and didn't look sure of his positioning, but worked hard to protect Christie from Lua-Lua.

I am suprised that many give baker a 6 I thought he played reasonably well today involved and good on the ball ball yet bell gets higher marks off some . my 14 yr old son asked me if in the transfer window we could replace someone who would it be when we played well , Bell was my first response.

Today Bells first touch was poor and generally looks the first player i would replace even if we played good every week. I am not saying he was rubbish just 1st choice to let go ................oooooooooooo 4 year contract???????????????

Happy new year to All city fans, who were Brilliant again Yesterday.
MOTM..Martin Keogh 9/10...Jukie 8/10....Mc sheff..8/10 .

Keogh is an inspirational, player, as Honest as you'll see, a born leader, and a great choice as Captain.
jukie, covered every blade of grass, ran himself to a standstill,..What a strong Target, he's become, reminds me of Chris Sutton, hope we can keep
Him.
Mcsheff had another good game, worked hard and scored a trade mark, Macca goal, can still shine...If he applies himself.
Deegan,....Is turning into a cult figure, with his warrior style approach, but must control his petulance, getting carded for kicking the ball away is
unforgivable, he flirted arround the edges of a second yellow, and if he'd been sent off, the result could have been so different, being booked for
Heavy Tackles is one thing, but Mouthing to a referee, however bad, is Foolhardy, and potentialy costly.
overall, an exciting match, and a win that we deserved, if we can carry the imputus foreward, and the Take over transpires, well who Knows?
"The Fat Lady Aint sung Yet"