Seeing as nobody else has done it yet, here's my extremely disappointed-but-hoping-it's-just-preseason ratings:
Dunn-5. Didn't save much, didn't have much to do as Nuneaton missed many good chances. Didn't stand much chance with the goal. Terrible long-kicking, rarely found a City player and sometimes found touch
Pegg-6. Decent enough positioning, anticipation and pace, tried to over-lap first half. Very raw, but if he gets half-a-dozen to a dozen games this season, he'll improve massively. Jumped ahead of Phillips as Clarke's reserve until Cyrus returns?
Hussey-6. Best creative outlet, but overhit most crosses and was out of position at times defensively in wide positions. Tried more than most of his team-mates, and it felt like he was skipper, TBH.
MUST NOT BE SOLD! before the season starts!
The Edge-2. We'd be better off with Bono..slow, clumsy, cumbersome, often out of position, little defensive awareness. Good at hoofing it over the stands, and is "a big unit". Take that as a positive if you want..
Brown-3. Seemed lacking in confidence. Good athlete but 2 terrible mis-placed passes that led to the goal. Maybe better at DM? Between them, he and The Edge were carved open at will by balls in-behind by Nuneaton. It should have been 4 or 5 but for wasteful finishing.
Jeffers-6. Good hustle, tried more than most, at least got a couple of crosses in. Played out of position but did OK until subbed. Best of the front-six first half.
Ricky-4.
Tiny and it would be tough for him in L1. Didn't do much first half, made two or three good runs into space second half but totally fluffed the finishes for two great chances, which looked like it destroyed his morale. I think I'd give him another game or two, but I doubt he'll be good enough for L1. Isn't GD3 South essentially BSP/L2 standard?
Deegan-2. Looked
miles off fitness, terrible distribution for the most part. Two decent through-balls, although he attempted many others that went straight to Boro shirts. Hope he's better when fit..not counting on it.
Garner-3. Had a bit of attitude, but didn't look like the player I'd seen on video clips
at all. I thought he was a RW, not a DMC? Very disappointed, but it could be yet another youngster being played out of position, and he is very young, so I'm sure he'll come again from what I've seen previously.
Bruno-4. Very slow, poor first touch, easily beaten in the air, blew his only chances. Probably nowhere near fit, but I think I've seen enough to say he certainly wouldn't adequately replace Platt: yes,
that bad.
Ball-4. Just didn't really
do anything..no presence, no pace, and came very deep to little avail. If he was playing in "the hole", it must have been about 8-feet deep! Looks like a Championship youth team player here for experience..
Subs
Cody-7. Our sharpest player when he came on, good runs, unlucky not to score after hitting post (a chance he made for himself), and layed on a sitter that Ricky blew. Was deployed too wide for my liking, but still impressed, despite looking a bit tubby and clearly being early into his pre-season. Seemed generally a bit pissed off. I know the feeling...
MUST NOT BE SOLD BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS!
Roberts-5. Was very, very wide and isolated from our play (not that we saw much of the ball 2nd half..). One OK cross, but when he got the ball, seemed to whip it in early when he had more time. Decent yard of pace, so would like to see him run at players. But he needs giving the ball more to do that...
Wiseman(?)-5. Busy but only in a defensive midfield capacity. Not really his fault that he replaced a striker just after we went 1-0 down..
VERDICT: A poor, uncohesive performance with no obvious gameplan. No penetration, a hell of a lot of pointless long balls. Have to hope that things will improve with the return of the likes of Fleck, Jordan, Sheff, Thomas and...erm, Wood, Baker and Bell?!? At least they have
some footballing ability, for all their failings, and are experienced in English football-and have excelled in L1 in the past...I wish ROD had played, we might have had a goal threat then! If I was to compare O'Donovan against 'Boro last season to Ball and Bruno this, I'd take ROD every single time! 'Nuff said.
POSITIVES: Me and my mate met the Swedish women's football team at a pub in Kenilworth on the way home! As I said to my brother when watching highlights of them last week, "Wow, I can't believe it-they're women footballers, but they're actually
attractive!". They were undoubtedly the highlight of our day. When taken to task by my mate for drinking during a tournament, they took a Thorn approach, saying "no, it's actually good for us to have a few Stella's, as it helps us to relax!". They seemed quite knowledgeable about CCFC, loved the stadium, and said that Roland is still a legend back home and Magnus is now recovering well from his porn addiction