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Toon Player Ratings Vs Fulham (h)
 Match
Date: 11 September 2005
By Howaythetoon
A look at each individual's performance at St. James' Park in the
1-1 draw, rating the players, the manager, the Toon fans, the opposition
and the referee. Also included are ratings for Fulham with a brief
review of their performance too.
Shay Given - 6
Shay made two excellent saves during the game and generally kept goal
well, sweeping up, coming for crosses and launching attacks, or trying
to launch attacks but the poor protection in front of him seen him
tested far more than he would have liked to have been. Not at fault
for either of the goals.
Steven Taylor - 4
After a great start to the season playing in the centre of defence
Taylor was switched to right-back to accommodate the return of Bramble
and while he started the game well, it just went from bad to worse
for the youngster. First he misplaced a back-pass which gifted Fulham
their goal really, and then he clattered with the post to make a goal-line
clearance which ultimately ended his game, coming off for Bowyer.
Not a great afternoon for Taylor.
Jean-Alain Boumsong - 5
Boumsong carried on where he left off against Man Utd with a jittery
performance that suggests he's lacking confidence. Usually calm and
authoritative he was indecisive, hesitant and rushed all afternoon.
The number of times he misjudged a ball in flight or a bouncing ball
could have seen us punished quite badly. His whole game was off and
he alongside Bramble, looked a shambles. To be fair to the defence,
only Parker was doing his job in protecting his defenders but still,
you expect much better from a man that cost £8m.
Titus Bramble - 5
It was good to see the big man return but this was one of those "shambles"
type performance that he has unfairly in my opinion, been tagged as
down the years. He just wasn't on the ball at all and looked rusty,
unsure of himself and lethargic. Which is to be expected given that
this was his first match of the season. But the basics of defending
just weren't there and on reflection, it was a mistake to put him
in for Taylor who has arguably been our best player for August.
Celestine Babayaro - 5
Babayaro had a very familiar look to him in this game. His performance
reminded me of Bernard just before he was released to Southampton.
His position was awful, his passing poor and his attacking play sloppy.
This after a few recent games where he played well. I won't give the
lad too much stick because he was part of a poor defensive unit and
he lost his flank man after 35 minutes. Baba is a frustrating player,
you know he has skill and pace to burn yet he rarely uses those assets
to make a difference in the attacking 3rd.
Steven Carr - 5
Starting the game on the right-wing, Carr wasn't comfortable out there
at all as he didn't know whether to stick or go and Boa Morte &
Co. gave him and Taylor a torrid time in the first half. After Taylor
went off injured and he reverted back to his proper position he was
much better, cracking the post with a tremendous strike in the second-half,
but overall he was poor and the flanks are a definite weakness of
the team at the moment.
Amdy Faye - 5
Yet another woeful performance from Faye who gave away possession
needlessly in the first-half and generally got run ragged by Fulham's
fluid, interchangeable and pacey midfield. In the second half he was
better, not by much, but he showed some character after a few murmurs
from the crowd, and he got stuck in and along with Bowyer started
to press Fulham and drive at them. Still he lacked quality on the
ball and it is this that is stopping him from being a decent squad
player. He and the management need to work on his passing badly.
Scott Parker - 7
Had we not had Parker in the side, protecting the back-four as he
did, Fulham would have scored more goals and we would have lost. In
the first-half he was doing the job of two, his and Faye's who ran
about like a headless chicken. Parker is quickly turning into a super
signing but he needs help in there. His passing as ever was crisp,
clean and often on target and his tackling vital. He did pick up two
silly bookings which resulted in a red card though.
Albert Luque - 4
Post-match there has been a mixed reaction to Luque's performance,
some say he was shocking, some say he showed some promising signs.
I agree with the latter. He delivered a few cracking balls, with one
in the opening minutes to Shearer that split Fulham's defence in two.
He also sent in one or two decent set-pieces and he obviously has
good quick feet. He also seems to like running at people, something
we haven't had since the days of Ginola. He clearly wasn't fit and
is clearly still adjusting. It's just a shame he will be out for a
while now with a hamstring injury. Overall it was a poor 35 minutes
but he did show a few promising signs.
Michael Owen - 6
It wasn't quite the debut many in the stands had predicted for Owen
and I'm sure the player himself would have hoped for a better start
to his United career. While he rarely got involved due to what can
only be described as shocking service, he did create our goal with
a mazy run which lead to the free-kick which Zogy scored from and
overall he showed something we have lacked. A willingness to run at
people and draw people out of position. Not yet fully match fit and
that sharpness will need worked on but it's good to see him in a Black
& White shirt. I'm sure the goals will follow. His off-the-ball
movement and ability to ghost into space is second to none. I'm not
sure about his partnership with Big Al though...
Alan Shearer - 5
Shackled well by the Fulham defence the Toon man didn't have the greatest
of games and generally looked off the pace. In the air he won his
fair share but Fulham always had a man over to mop up. At holding
the ball up and leading the line however, this was a tired performance.
He needs a rest and the midfield and defence need to stop pumping
up long balls to him because unless they are 100% spot on, he just
doesn't have the mobility to chase them down or re-adjust his positioning.
Poor.
Subs
Charles N'Zogbia - 7
Came on for Luque and for the first 15-20 minutes struggled to get
into the game but as the minutes ticked away and space opened up he
got more and more into it and his pace and trickery caused them problems.
One or two decent deliveries from corners and of course, a brilliant
goal for the teenager. I like this lad, he's spiky and full of heart,
chasing down everything and getting stuck in. He's not bad on the
ball either. My man of the match and a start at Ewood
should see him rewarded for his goal and performance which will have
done his confidence the world of good.
Lee Bowyer - 6
Came on for for Taylor at half-time and livened things up with his
aggression, energy and enthusiasm. He was a catalyst for United getting
back into the game and while at times he simply wanted a fight with
anyone in red, he did well enough as a sub. Must learn to ignore the
silly side of the game however and his passing was still sloppy. Canny
half though.
Lee Clark - 5
came on for Faye to a great reception from both sets of fans and slotted
in well. Got booked for a late foul.
The Boss Man
Graeme Souness - 4
bringing back a clearly rusty Bramble and splitting up what had been
a pretty decent partnership in Boumsong and Taylor was the wrong move.
As a result Taylor was switched to right-back with Carr on the right-wing.
Chaos ensued as neither new what they were doing and the defence as
a whole was disorganised and playing far too deep. Whatever Souness
was instructing from the touchline, he wasn't getting his message
across well enough. He could do little about the injuries but his
team lacked any understanding and cohesion and you have to wonder
what exactly do they do in training and you have to question Souness'
preparation because we just didn't turn up. I wouldn't mind if this
had been a one off, a "bad day at the office", but it's
not. We are seeing this week in week out and it isn't acceptable.
I'm quickly losing patience in Souness. Time is ticking Graeme...
Magpies
Toon Fans - 6
Two words I would use to describe the support in this match "expectant"
and "apprehensive". The crowd started off well, but were
lulled when Fulham started the brighter of the two. Then when they
scored the crowd did their level best to gee up the lads but as the
half wore on the natives were getting restless and anxious. Throughout
the second half support was sporadic, vain attempts to get things
started and lots of moans and groans (where I was sitting) especially
for Faye, and Babayaro. Overall, poor once again. But then there isn't
anything happening out on the pitch to get ourselves worked up over,
other than poor refereeing decisions.
Referee
Alan Wiley - 5
5 bookings and a sending off? There wasn't a nasty tackle all game
and he well and truly lost it in the second half, awarding Fulham
nothing free-kicks, calling decisions all wrong and generally looking
lost in the vastness of St. James' Park. Wiley has always been a poor
referee and on this performance, he's lived up to his billing.
The Opposition
Fulham
Warner: Untested, not an awful lot to do. 6
Volz: Did well in both half's, looks a prospect.
7
Knight: Marked Shearer out the game and swept up
well. 7
N. Jensen: Stuck to his task and was solid enough.
6
Bocanegra: Attacked and defended well. 7
Malbranque: Caused all kinds of problems, excellent
game. 8
Diop: Awesome, one of the best midfield performances
at SJP I've seen. 9
C. Jensen: Neat and tidy, good deliveries from set
play. 7
Boa Morte: Showed United what he was all about, excellent
game. 8
McBride: Scored a goal and cause all kinds of problems
in the air. 8
Radzinski: Got at our defence from the off and cause
problems. 7
Chris Coleman will have been very pleased with his side's performance
and rightly so. They deserved to win and played some great stuff.
If he can keep his main players fit and pick up enough points away
from home, Fulham could well finish in the top 10. Their trio of Malbranque,
Boa Morte and Diop were immense. They were much the better side. Good
luck to them. |
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