Just for fun, and due to the fact that I'm bored shitless, I'm handing out my end of season grades. Everyone will have a different opinion, so there's no need to go mental about things you don't agree with.
Feel free to copy and paste and give out your own opinions on each player (that's actually the point of this. I want to hear/read what everyone else thinks in one thread). I apologise if there's already been a thread like this. I must've missed it.
Weaver - Didn't do much wrong, besides the Plymouth sending off. He's proved to be an astute Bosman signing. Grade B
Moutaouakil - After impressing in pre season, the early injury suffered against Stoke set him back quite a bit. Has to improve defensively. Hopefully we'll see more from him next season. Grade D
Thatcher - Past it physically. His one redeeming feature (intensity) seems to have also disappeared. Grade F (Fail, Finished, F*** off).
Sir Chris Powell - Limited appearances. He gets a pass just for the goal on Sunday. Grade C.
Basey - Did OK in his first taste of 1st team action. Blackpool was bad, but that wasn't all on him. LW is his future, and his set piece prowess will come in handy next season. Grade C-
Bougherra - He's had his moments since signing, but not enough of them to justify the fee paid for him. A bit of a let down to be honest. Grade D
McCarthy - Had a particuarly tough start to life at The Valley, but did improve once he'd gotten some games under his belt. I'm still not convinced about him, though. Grade D+
Fortune - Was a regular in the team up until the day he got sent off vs Ipswich. It all went downhill for both him and the team after that (just 6 more wins in 25 league games). Grade C-
Youga - Aquitted himself quite well after returning from Scunthorpe. Added some much needed athleticism to the team. I hope he signs up for another year or two. Grade C-
Semedo - Did OK in midfield, but his future may lie at right back. Steady and unspectacular. Grade C
Holland - The fans voted him Player of the Year. 'Least worst Player of the Year' would be a more accurate description given how things went. No doubting his work rate, and his experience came in handy. Grade C+
Zheng Zhi - I thought he was nailed on to be POTY after the start he had, but tired and got injured towards the end (understandably given his schedule), and the goals dried up. Will be a key player next season. Grade C+
Ambrose - Nine goals from midfield is decent, but he was far too 'Hot and Cold' this season. They need to make their minds up about where they are going to play him. Grade C-
Thomas - A waste of talent. He should dominate at this level, but will need a personality transplant to ever do so. Grade F (Fail, Frustrating, FFS).
Sam - We've been waiting for Lloyd to make the breakthrough for a year or two. He did OK, but it's a big season for him next year. Grade C-
Varney - I feel a bit sorry for Luke. Injured in pre season, and then played out of position by Pards far too often (imvho). I hope he's around next season, and is given a fair shake as a CENTRE FORWARD. Grade D+
Iwelumo - Finished as top scorer, and scored some vital late goals. He doesn't really fit in with how most of us want to see CAFC play (passing on the floor, lots of pace), but that ain't his fault. A decent signing for nothing. Grade C
Gray - Was worried about his lack of goals, but off the field issues may have contributed to that. I think he'll come good next season given a full pre season with the team. Gray/Varney is the way to go (from the current squad). Grade D+
McLeod - Mmm. Good at winning penalties... That's about all I can remember. Grade D
Todorov - Clearly had lots of ability, but was always going to be an injury risk. Grade C+
Dickson - The timing of his injury was frustrating. He'd just potted his 1st for the club and was looking sharp. An intriguing player. Grade C (allowing for his loan spell at Gillingham)
Loanees
Halford - His long throws come in handy, and he chipped in with a couple of goals. Not convincing at RB. Grade C-
Sodje - He played like he cared and was a threat from set pieces. I wouldn't mind him staying. A Fortune/Sodje partnership coincided with a decent run of results. Grade C+
Mills - As intense as he was the first time around. Goaded into a stupid sending off vs Hull. The results after he left would indicate that he was missed. Grade C
Lita - I'm surprised we managed to sign him with Reading being in the shite. I thought he did well. Grade C
Cook and Sinclair were a waste of space, time, money and now, bandwidth.
Gone but not forgotten
Reid - He clearly made us tick and was badly missed. I can understand the board taking the money, and the lure of the Premier League for the player, but I'd liked to have seen him kept until this summer. Four more months off his contract wouldn't have made that much difference to his price. Grade B+
Marcus Bent, Amdy Faye, Jonjo Shelvey, Scott Wagstaff, Chinny Racon, Dean Sinclair, Rob Eliott and Darren Randolph didn't play enough to warrant inclusion. Apologies to anyone else I forgot.
Well done if you stuck this out until the end.
0
Comments
I'd rate Ambrose and ZZ as grade Bs.
I'd rate Sam as grade D, Bougherra as grade C+, McCarthy as C-.
I expected more from Ambrose. He got marked down. Sam was pretty much what I expected. That makes them equal in my book.
He gets a 'pass' for last season, but that's about it. I expect more from him.
Fair enough to expect more from him ....... although you must have had extremely low expectations for Sam!
That pretty much sums it up. 100% effort and the odd goal was all I expected from Sam (I think he got 3 didn't he?). That's what he delivered.
I'm certainly not questioning who the better player is.
Does that mean we expect too much from Ambrose? Not enough from Sam? Has Ambrose overachieved or sam underachieved?
I've got as frustrated as anybody with Ambrose at times when he appears to go missing but it is sometimes easy to forget that he is not much older than one of our "promising youngsters" and, as Salad says, contributes both goals and assists from midfield.
I think you are more or less right with the grades. I'd mark Varney a bit higher personally.
I thoink the age difference or lack of it puts Sam in perspective, he is no ambrose so if Ambrose is under achieving then sam is a lost cause, Ambrose is a C+ for me, against an expectation at this level of a B and Sam a D- and no chance of a retake.
Therefore I think its right that we adjust expectations accordingly.
The problem with Ambrose is that we all know how good he can be when he's playing properly, so when he doesn't, it is extremely frustrating.
None of us really know how good Sam is because we've never really been given a chance to show us before this year!
All the while he has more talent in his feet than a lot of the squad then he will continue to frustrate, at the start of the season he and Reid were fit and both (in a five man midfield) occupy the same position. You don't drop a fit Andy Reid do you? Ambrose is a quality footballer but where his best position is (behind a centre forard or two) is a premium and I think we need at least a couple of battering rams to come into the midfield first
Isn't that damning in itself. I am afraid time to ship Sam out .. Gillingham anyone