Toon Player Ratings Vs Portsmouth (a)
 Match
Date: 1 October 2005
By Gosport
Toon
We take a look at each individual performance from the 0-0 stalemate
against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, rating the players, the manager
and the referee. Also included in our match analysis are ratings for
Pompey with a brief review of their performance too.
Shay Given - 8
Shay put in an almost faultless display in between the sticks at Fratton
Park. He had the opportunity to show off his excellent reflex saves
and managed to win us a point with a number of fine stops with both
his feet and hands. Arguably his best performance of the season and
he's coming into form just at the right time. My man of the
match.
Steven Carr - 6
A standard display that we are getting used to now from the Republic
of Ireland full-back. Carr defended reasonably well in the game, also
getting forward in support of the attack on occasions without doing
either particularly well or poorly. When Solano returns, will Carr
get more involved in the attacking 3rd and show some of that form
that had him marked down as a top-class player just a few years back?
Steven Taylor - 6
Taylor was decent in the air on his return to the first-team, not
too bad on the ground but looked a bit shaky at times and was very
fortunate not to get his hand to the ball when laid on the ground
in the first half. Could have been a disastrous display but with that
good fortune not too bad but not good enough to keep Titus Bramble
from coming straight back into the team in my opinion.
Jean-Alain Boumsong - 7
A better performance from Boumsong this time who was excellent in
the air throughout and in the right place at the right time to make
some crucial interceptions and tackles during the match. One of his
better games of late but still a million miles away from being a Jonathan
Woodgate type figure at the back for Newcastle. Decent though.
Celestine Babayaro - 6
Babayaro put in a similar standard performance to Carr, just doing
enough to not be a defensive liability and not quite doing enough
to be an attacking threat. I was just thinking how well he had done
to play a number of consecutive games without injury and then his
leg went, going off to be replaced by Robbie Elliott.
Lee Bowyer - 7
Bowyer took some time to get into the game but overall he worked tirelessly
to both defend and attack and the sheer force and commitment of his
blockbuster tackle on Vignal was possibly the highlight of the game
other than Given's saves. From where I was sitting it looked like
a quality tackle regardless of what the media say.
Scott Parker - 7
Parker, so influential since his move to Newcastle from Chelsea had
what I'd call a steady if unspectacular match. Winning possession
and passing the ball 5 or 10 yards was the limit of his ambition as
an attacking force, defensively he held a strong line however and
overall he put in a decent shift in the middle.
Lee Clark - 7
The reborn Geordie put had a very similar game to Parker, kept the
ball well in that short passing style of his, protected the back four
but as an attacking force he just didn't quite cut it. The aim was
to clearly protect the defence. One or two wasteful moments but overall,
again a decent shift.
Charles N'Zogbia - 6
The star of recent weeks with some dazzling performances in the Black
& White shirt, N'Zogbia had one of his poorest games of his Newcastle
career to date. Highlighted by the wasting of numerous corner kicks
and other passes, one he'll want to forget and look to improve on
in the near future. Worked hard still.
Shola Ameobi - 4
Ameobi played as if he was on some sort of medication to avoid him
getting above a stroll. I've defended Shola a lot in the past and
had faith in him coming through as a good Premier League striker.
I'm afraid it just ain't going to happen for him as he didn't appear
to have the energy, determination or passion to earn the right to
wear the shirt. His chance to stake a place in the future of the team
has all but gone now and I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave
St. James' Park in the next 12 moths. A very poor performance.
Alan Shearer - 5
More of the same from Big Al. This must be one of Shearer's most painful
seasons, he's playing on for the goalscoring record and to help the
club as we are bereft of attacking options. I can't imagine he's enjoying
himself and as soon as he gets the goals he needs and we can get another
striker in January I expect him to take a back seat.
Subs
Robbie Elliott - 6
Came on for Babayaro in the second half and put in a steady performance.
Amdy Faye - 6
Came on for Clark in the 88th minute.
The Boss Man
Graeme Souness - 6
The team picked itself to a great extent, though he could have picked
Chopra instead of Ameobi or Shearer and could have brought Chopra
on for Ameobi or Shearer. Doing either would have given us a better
chance of winning the game and wouldn't have put us at more risk of
losing it so I think Souness could have done a little better than
what appeared to be settling for a 0-0 draw.
Referee
Steve Bennett - 7
With the exception of the free kick against Bowyer for the tackle
on Vignal I thought the referee had a good game for him.
The Opposition
Portsmouth
Ashdown - Didn't have a great deal to do but what
he did wasn't over convincing. He had a good game against us last
season but if we had been able to put some pressure on him he may
have been vulnerable. 6/10
Griffin - Steady performance in all respects, came
forward once or twice but not as much of a threat as he might have
been. 6/10
O'Brien - Never really troubled as he is decent in
the air and didn't have to cope with any pace or trickery on the ground.
He is tailor made for a player like Owen, just a pity our own players
are injuring each other. 6/10
Stefanovic - Much the same as O'Brien but a little
classier on the ball. 6/10
Priske - Didn't really make much impression. 5/10
Taylor - Plenty of energy attacking and defending
plus got on the end of a number of attempts at goal, with a bit of
luck he could have been the match winner and you couldn't say that
about many of the players on show. 8/10
Vignal - I was particularly interested to see how
this guy played as we were linked to him and he was available on a
free. Had to contend with Bowyer and I thought he came out of the
game quite well considering he was under more pressure than O'Brien
or Stefanovic. 6/10
O'Neill - Decent performance for a younger player
up against Clark, Parker and Bowyer. 7/10
Diaio - Steady performance without doing anything
particularly of note, competitive and involved. 6/10
Vukic - Pretty good performance for a player new
to the Premiership, his team mates and the opposition. 7/10
Silva - Offered more of a threat than either of our
2 strikers, another player new to the Premier League, might have scored
on another day. 6/10
Subs
Hughes - Yet another hard working player prepared
to get stuck in without providing much in the way of inspiration,
the pitch seemed full of them. 5/10
Songo'o - Yet another new player getting his first
experiences of the Premiership, not much chance to do anything. 5/10
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