Derby County v Crewe Alexandra: Player Ratings

[Ellafella]

Half-marks allowed; please rate all subs. Closes Thursday @ 18:00. Results by Thursday 22:00. Average is 6.00. Therefore, when a sub steps on the pitch he is on 6 -that'sthe baseline. Also indicate ATG (at the game) Or Radio (R).
 

1Wildsmith

2Wilson

35Nelson

6Cashin

3Forsyth

5Bradley

4Hourihane

42Fapetu

7Barkhuizen

12Smith

10Waghorn

8Bird 🐦 

17Sibley

23Ward

9Collins

 

[1of4]

Unfortunately ATG

1Wildsmith:-6.5

2Wilson:-6

35Nelson:-6

6Cashin:-6

3Forsyth:-6

4Hourihane:-2

7Barkhuizen:-5

12Smith:-5

8Bird:-5.5

17Sibley:-5

9Collins:-6

10Waghorn:-5.5

23Ward:-6

42Fapetu:-6

5Bradley:-6

[angieram]

1Wildsmith 6.5

2Wilson 6

35Nelson 5.5 

6Cashin 5.5 

3Forsyth 4

5Bradley 6

4Hourihane 3.5

42Fapetu 5

7Barkhuizen 4.5

12Smith 4

10Waghorn 5

8Bird 🐦 6

17Sibley 6

9Collins 5

23Ward 6

ATG

[sage]

1 hour ago, Ellafella said:

Half-marks allowed; please rate all subs. Closes Thursday @ 18:00. Results by Thursday 22:00. Average is 6.00. Therefore, when a sub steps on the pitch he is on 6 -that'sthe baseline. Also indicate ATG (at the game) Or Radio (R).
 

1Wildsmith 7

2Wilson 5.5

35Nelson 6

6Cashin 6

3Forsyth 5.5

5Bradley 5.5

4Hourihane 4.5

42Fapetu 5.5

7Barkhuizen 5.5

12Smith 5

10Waghorn 6

8Bird 🐦 6

17Sibley 4.5

23Ward 5

9Collins 5

 

 

[DiggerB]

ATG

1Wildsmith 6 - Could’ve been 5-6 without his athleticism. Still not great at quick distribution kicking out of his hands.

2Wilson 6 - Not his best and faded 2nd half, but at least he was trying. One crunching tackle won in the early first half. 

35Nelson 5 - won his headers but looked less steady without his usual RB partner. Their first, albeit a great strike came from his side.

6Cashin 4 - not on his own but his passing was very poor tonight. Basic distribution was woeful. January valuation is slowly dwindling. Turned his back for their deflected second. Not sure what the point of him being up for corners is?

3Forsyth 5 - just a bit, meh tonight.

5Bradley 5 - nothing he did cost us a goal! High praise indeed.

4Hourihane 3- I can’t even! Stealing a living!

42Fapetu 6 - Lovely to see him get on. Occupied the central midfield and was able to manage what his senior colleagues couldn’t - find a white shirt with a simple pass. Mostly sideways though.

7Barkhuizen 5 - on the pitch 45 minutes to long. Goal earns him an extra point, otherwise not really any threat

12Smith 3 - absolutely awful. As sloppy and lacklustre as Hourihane. Struggled to see how Fornah/Fapetu didn’t replace him sooner?

10Waghorn 5 - looked every inch to be returning from a lay-off. Got no service to allow him any influence.

8Bird 🐦  6- saw plenty of ball but couldn’t really exert any control. Unlucky with a fine shot from distance that warmed the keepers fingers, then the bar.

17Sibley 4 - assist for the goal adds a point. Customary silly yellow for diving in for a pointless tackle  ran like he had an anvil down his pants second half. 

23Ward 4 - to match the number of crosses on the trot that the keeper swallowed up. Not fully match fit.

9Collins 5 - Rich vein of form came to an abrupt end tonight. No real service and rightly frustrated in the second half.

Credit to Crewe, we might be playing them at least twice next year at this rate. Wanted it more, out-thought and out-fought us to a man!

Edited November 14, 2023 by DiggerB

[Premier ram]

16 hours ago, Ellafella said:

Half-marks allowed; please rate all subs. Closes Thursday @ 18:00. Results by Thursday 22:00. Average is 6.00. Therefore, when a sub steps on the pitch he is on 6 -that'sthe baseline. Also indicate ATG (at the game) Or Radio (R).
 

1Wildsmith 7.5 would have been worse without Joe

2Wilson 6 bright start, faded

35Nelson 6 didn’t do much wrong

6Cashin 7 wholehearted display

3Forsyth 5 feel sorry for Foz, looks tired

5Bradley 6

4Hourihane 3.5 awful display

42Fapetu 6

7Barkhuizen 4.5 goal, not much else

12Smith 3.5 anonymous

10Waghorn 6

8Bird 🐦 4.5 not one of his better games

17Sibley 5.5 started well, faded after yellow

23Ward 5 crossing was poor

9Collins 6 tried hard, no criticism from me

 

 

[bcnram]

17 hours ago, 1of4 said:

1Wildsmith  7

2Wilson  5

35Nelson 6

6Cashin 4

3Forsyth  4

4Hourihane  4

7Barkhuizen 5

12Smith 5

8Bird 5

17Sibley  5

9Collins  4

10Waghorn  6

23Ward  4

42Fapetu  6

5Bradley  6

 

[Ellafella]

1Wildsmith 7.5 Not to blame for any of the goals. Pulled off 2 Gold standard saves and other in the silver bracket.

2Wilson      6.5 Rather wasted at right-back in the first half. A good thumping tackle but not as fleet of foot as previous game.

35Nelson   6.5 More mobile with the ball at his feet and robust.

6Cashin     6.0 Some stray passes; mobile and energetic but exposed a couple of times.

3Forsyth    5.5 Running on vapour after Saturday's travails; tired-leg passes in evidence.

5Bradley    6.0 His introduction was a roll of the dice.  

4Hourihane 5.0 The left-foot wand was a bit of a flappy-paddle; awful pass to their dynamo who galloped away unchallenged and whacked it in.

42Fapetu 6.0 Difficult circumstance to be introduced to. Filled the middle well and sure passes but mostly sideways when we need forward thrust.

7Barkhuizen 6.0 Goal will give him confidence but his subsequent play was sideways and his cut-inside has become a little predictable and he runs across the middle, keeping possession and seemingly looking for a pass with little obvious option.

12Smith 4.5 His positional play is often awry & askew; he tracked the chap who scored their opener but got no-way near close enough before the guy pulled the trigger. Thereafter he tended to play simple passes without taking responsibility for a creative output. Smith has a gargantuan task given our style of play and often looks solitary in a very key midfield spot. 

10Waghorn 6.0 Tried to effect the game but fed off scraps.

8Bird 🐦 6.0 Lost possession a couple of times & the more he tried to impact the less effective he seemed to be.

17Sibley 5.5 A great start by robbing the full-back on the press but faded quickly. Was that tackle some kind of frustration-vent and it produced the inevitable yellow. Red mist followed by yellow?

23Ward 5.0 Not mobile enough for me and whilst his crossing-gait is stylish, his crosses flatter to deceive. I counted 4 crosses which their keeper caught in regulation fashion; one good pin-point corner into the uncertainty-spot; too eager to cross at times but suspect he's being directed to control then cross in one movement.   

9Collins 6.0 One good header which brought a good save; could see the frustration on his face about the lack of decent service; 

 

I try and treat the twin imposters just the same. I don't blame the team or individuals but I do hold the coaching staff to account. Hindsight-assisted of course but perhaps a good Crewe side who have some good players were bound to have that much more zip - clearly 3 days after a tough victory last Saturday was not enough down-time to re-charge for our players. That is an insight/judgement that the coaching side failed by not using more "untried" Youth who would've matched Crewe on fresh energy. 

My main concern though is the one-dimensionality of our play; crosses into the box, time-and-again with no real aim; if defences are tall and brave, its a very unsophisticated issue to deal with and lots of teams seem more than capable given how few crosses seem to pose any danger. This style - flank the ball as soon as possible for the cross - neglects midfield. It becomes so much more obvious when we haven't got NML to be the player who unnerves the opposition and raises defenders' doubts. Consequently, if Smith has advanced there is ripe-green grassy space in the back-pocket between our defence and midfield. I could even see it from behind the goal in the South Stand last night. I suspect Warne sees it too and if I didn't imagine it I think I even heard him articulate it "as a risk". Yet it's more than a risk; it's a structural defect to our team. We have a Fornah and now arguably a Fapetu who both could do the CDM role and be more able to thread that eye-of-a-needle pass, so I'm curious why Warne doesn't mitigate the risk. Plan B needed.   Football is a very simple game, complicated by fools with formations and marker pens on white boards, so I get the need to persist and do the basics repeatedly; but there comes a time when you have to look again and tweak rather than rinse and repeat. Without NML we have zero enigma and a gaping hole 30-45 yards out. Crewe deserved their victory but our Achilles heel (that better @sage? 😜) gave them a big opportunity which they devoured wholesale.    

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Ellafella

[europia]

1Wildsmith 6

2Wilson 5.5

35Nelson 5

6Cashin 5 

3Forsyth 4

5Bradley 5

4Hourihane 3.5

42Fapetu 5

7Barkhuizen 4.5

12Smith 4

10Waghorn 5

8Bird   5.5

17Sibley 5.5

9Collins 4.5

23Ward 5.5