Player ratings

[Scott]

Drogba 7

Anelka6

Lamps 5

Ballack -2

Essien 6

Belleti 4

Bossie 5

Ash 6

JT 7

Alex 7

Cech 7.5

[loz]

Bloody geenerous scores there Scott - you make it sound like we did alright.

Ballack was no worse than Lampard, belletti, Essien or Quaresma today - in fact I would say Lampard and belletti battle it out for worst player on the park.

[blizeH]

Cech 7

Bosingwa 5

Alex 5

Terry 8

Cole 7

Belletti 4

Essien 6

Lampard 4

Ballack 4

Anelka 6

Drogba 6

Quaresma 4

Malouda 8 (what)

[PloKoon13]

Cech - 6

A Cole - 5

Alex - 3 defensively / 6 going forward

Terry - 6

Bosingwa - 4

Ballack - 2

Essien - 5

Lampard - 2

Drogba - 4

Anelka - 6

Belletti - didn't see the first half so can't really comment...

Quaresma - 5

Malouda - eh...

[Virosh]

Cech 7 - made a few good saves and catches, but could have done better for their goal. Should stop dummying players outside his area, it will come back to haunt him

Bosingwa 5 - started really well, but grew very ineffective and wasteful as the game progressed

Alex 5 - made too many mistakes for anyone's liking.

Terry 7.5 - Captain Lion Heart. Solid and provided the most dangerous crosses from the team (sadly)

Cole 6 - Had Lennon in his pocket and did well forward.

Belletti 3 - why he started in the first place is a mystery. He can't play as a winger

Essien 6 - no major mistakes, but he should do more.

Lampard 4 - waste being the key word

Ballack 3 - every good thing he did he immediately undid. More often that not, there was no good thing to begin with...

Anelka 5 - unsurprisingly ineffective on the wing and will be so as long as he is played out of position. The only good things he was involved in happened when he was in the centre.

Drogba 7 - looked liked he cared, looked somewhat dangerous, especially in the second half and tried to create some chances, which the team wasted. Should have scored at least one goal tonight, but his finishing was poor

Quaresma 6 - guarded too closely by their congested defense, but still managed to create good stuff.Suffered from lack of support

Malouda - was too pissed at the end to watch clearly, so I can't give him a mark

Hiddink - 4 - messed it up today and one point alone goes for putting on Quaresma

Edited March 21, 2009 by Virosh

[just]

Cole 6 - Had Lennon in his pocket and did well forward.

Think you might have got that one wrong Virosh. He popped out of Cole's pocket long enough to have a run and put the ball across for their goal.

I didn't get to watch the game today so had to settle for listening to it the radio. The commentators remarked how well Lennon had played when he was taken off at the death.

I'm gutted Lennon has just signed a contract extension at Rottenham. He is growing as a footballer and Redknapp is shrewd enough to see that. I'd have him over Robben that's for sure. He's just as quick, more robust and, most importantly, up for the fight in big matches.

[Virosh]

Cole 6 - Had Lennon in his pocket and did well forward.

Think you might have got that one wrong Virosh. He popped out of Cole's pocket long enough to have a run and put the ball across for their goal.

I didn't get to watch the game today so had to settle for listening to it the radio. The commentators remarked how well Lennon had played when he was taken off at the death.

I'm gutted Lennon has just signed a contract extension at Rottenham. He is growing as a footballer and Redknapp is shrewd enough to see that. I'd have him over Robben that's for sure. He's just as quick, more robust and, most importantly, up for the fight in big matches.

The situation for their goal was more complicated than that. Cole had Lennon covered and he couldn't cross on the outside, towards the small area and he couldn't dribble towards the line without a serious risk of Cole dispossessing him. Lennon then decided to cross the ball towards the arch of the penalty area, which, if our other players had done their marking, should have been covered well. Lol and behold, it wasn't and Modric scored. The goal was hardly Cole's fault - there is no way you can always stop a player from crossing some ball in. In this occasion, Cole had limited Lennon's options to a desirable minimum and if all else was in order, we wouldn't have had any problems clearing that ball.

I also don't remember Lennon leaving Cole behind him for once. I might be wrong on that one, though, but still my point stands.

I agree about Lennon becoming quite the player. I've always liked him and he has bright days ahead of him. Off to wash my mouth now... :(

Edited March 21, 2009 by Virosh

[octville]

I just tell you that Ballack and Alex are more liabilities than assets.

We need a new centre-back when Carvalho is injured and I thought Ivanovic is better.

Ballack should just retire at the end of the season or join Energie Cottbus as I see him having no future at the Bridge.

My clear-out list has just been confirmed :

- Ballack, Alex, Malouda, Mineiro, John Obi Mikel, Anelka

[Virosh]

I just tell you that Ballack and Alex are more liabilities than assets.

We need a new centre-back when Carvalho is injured and I thought Ivanovic is better.

Ballack should just retire at the end of the season or join Energie Cottbus as I see him having no future at the Bridge.

My clear-out list has just been confirmed :

- Ballack, Alex, Malouda, Mineiro, John Obi Mikel, Anelka

First of all, why did you need to post that in a Player Rating thread. There are plenty of other threads in the other sections. Just weird - this structure exists for a reason, you know <_<

Alex has been an excellent cover for Carvalho and unless he wants out, he must stay. Mikel has been the surprise of the season so far and besides, with time, there is a great chance he will make the holding position his own, why would you want such a prospect out. Anelka is the league's top scorer and although I admit we can do better upfront, surely he can be at least a useful squad member.

As for the rest, I agree.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Virosh

[blizeH]

octville is clearly a joke poster, I wouldn't humour him to be honest. He throws in the most ridiculous trolls ever (Mikel and Anelka out!? lmao) and tries to disguise them amongst really obvious stuff like Mineiro, Malouda and Ballack out

[PloKoon13]

Maybe we should give Malouda a shot as super-sub?

80 minutes in, everyone will be so tired that it won't matter that he's sh*t.

[The Brit]

Cole 6 - Had Lennon in his pocket and did well forward.

Think you might have got that one wrong Virosh. He popped out of Cole's pocket long enough to have a run and put the ball across for their goal.

I didn't get to watch the game today so had to settle for listening to it the radio. The commentators remarked how well Lennon had played when he was taken off at the death.

I'm gutted Lennon has just signed a contract extension at Rottenham. He is growing as a footballer and Redknapp is shrewd enough to see that. I'd have him over Robben that's for sure. He's just as quick, more robust and, most importantly, up for the fight in big matches.

not a chance...yes lennon is quick but his end product is jesper gronkjaer mark two...I listened to the game on the radio too and then watched the replay (madness I know) on chelsea tv last night...it's always interesting to match up radio commentary with actual images and neither sp*rs or lennon played that great either...yes lennon set up winning gl, but radio made out he did this amazing trick when he simply ran onto a header and squared the ball, no johan cruyff turn in sight! True cole didn't stop the cross so was still at fault, but my point is lennon didn't do anything that amazing...10 minutes later, we saw what lennon is really about....he bombed into acres of space as sp*rs hit us on the counter...he was in the penalty area all alone and had a couple of team-mates tearing into the middle of the box and....blazed the cross high into the stands...it was shocking...i've always thought lennon is overrated, has no end-product and gets away with a lot of below par performances cos he plays for a sh*te mid-to-lower-table club...put him in with the big boys and he'll just be another pennant

[just]

As I said Brit I haven't seen the whole game so can't comment really other than the highlights on MOTD and the live radio commentary which, as you rightly point out, doesn't always give a true reflection.

What I will say is he is certainly better than Pennant. And I can think of big-games where has already made a real difference. Undoubtedly, against United in the CC final the other week. He took Evra, who is a decent full-back to the cleaners. Every media hack and neutral fan agreed on that. Also, the 3-3 cup game at our place two seasons ago, one of the most exciting games I have seen in recent seasons, he was terrific. In fact I remember we were all really grateful to Martin Jol for having a massive brain fart and taking off Lennon and Berbatov, because they were causing us no end of trouble.

I'm not saying he's the finished article. Not by a long chalk. And like you I also question his decision making at times, though I would put him above the likes of Wright Phillips and Gronkjaer. But from what I've seen of him this season I think he is steadily improving and going in the right direction. And I love the fact that he is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get stuck when it's needed.

PS: There's three young english wingers I wouldn't mind being given a chance at Chelsea. Lennon, Walcott and Ashley Young. Actually, make that four, you can add Scott Sinclair.

[The Brit]

one thing is for sure, we need decent wingers at the club...our performance on saturday showed that...when quaresma eventually came on he put in a good cross from the byline within a couple of minutes and we would have scored but for a handball on the line

[mad_mac]

Cole 6 - Had Lennon in his pocket and did well forward.

Think you might have got that one wrong Virosh. He popped out of Cole's pocket long enough to have a run and put the ball across for their goal.

I didn't get to watch the game today so had to settle for listening to it the radio. The commentators remarked how well Lennon had played when he was taken off at the death.

I'm gutted Lennon has just signed a contract extension at Rottenham. He is growing as a footballer and Redknapp is shrewd enough to see that. I'd have him over Robben that's for sure. He's just as quick, more robust and, most importantly, up for the fight in big matches.

On the break, late in the seond half, Lennon broke through our midfield with almost scary pace! He left a few for dead. however, thankfully his rossing was gronkjaer-esque or we'd have been 2-0 losers!

Anyone staring to also tihnk Cole's head might be leaving the game?

[mad_mac]

Argh, just read the Brits' post! But both of us drawing comparisons on Gronks sums up Lennon.