Best two posts on this thread. I'm amazed how some slip Mayuka in with a decent rating and some still nudge Lallana up a point or two just because its Adam and we love him! I like the comments in the those two posts. I'd just add: Cortese - ballsey; right decisions taken. Adkins - nearly got it right; improved a lot Pochettino - changed he style of the team and got more from a few players; almost there. Fans - mostly great; sometimes too quick to criticise team and players; sometimes too quick to leave the stadium.
I think people are being harsh on Mayuka... He only ever came on In the last 10 mins when we badly needed a goal. Don't think he has had enough time to make an impact yet! Boruc: 9 made some cracking saves and that penalty might have been decisive! Kelvin: 6 - made an average contribution but had a difficult start Gazzaniga: 5- looked a bit shaky but could be a good keeper in the future Clyne: 9- made lots of cracking tackles and very good offensively as well... We will do will to keep hold of him I think. Jos: 5 - ok so he improved a little bit in the second half of the season, he still scored a lot of own goals... Ultimately he could have relegated us... Him and fox playing together was a nightmare. Fonte: 6 - shaky start but solid after that Yoshi:6 - same as above Shaw- 8 -cracking player with a bright future Schneiderlin:10 - one of the best CDms in the league IMO. Got the lot now he has started scoring! Corky: 8 -really helped the team on his comeback from injury. Good season Davis :6 - meh Lallana : 6 looks fancy no end product. Yesterday typified his season Gaston: 6 more or less the same as lallana... Needs to realise that he isn't necessarily the best player J rod and lambert 9: scored some food goals and plenty of them... Could use with one more striker as cover but these two have a brilliant relationship and know each others game. Mayuka: 6 as above not as big and impact as hoped but not seen enough to judge...
I'm amazed Steve Davis gets a 6 and a "meh". Shows a little ignorance in understanding the importance of different players contribution to a game. Davis has had an unsung and important contribution to our team this season.
Well I suppose that's fair but whenever I saw him at it just seemed a little aimless... He will have added to the team in small ways but for me he didnt make a massive contribution but to be honest I don't think he played in his actual position all season... Not saying he was bad he was alright but doesn't exactly set the world on fire
It's no coincidence that we have created next to no chances when we have played: --------Cork---Morgan------ -Rodriguez--Davis--Lallana -----------Lambert---------- Against Sunderland we were abysmal until Puncheon came on. Puncheon may give the ball away but he will take a risk when he attacks, which is why he creates chances. Play the above lineup and you won't score a goal a game. There are other reasons why we have been poor recently, Lambert has been sore and perhaps we have lost our intensity and energy, but the lack of goal scoring chances can be attributed to the lack of creativity in midfield.
From this and other posts, we muust just agree that we see football differently really. Don't we? Nobby Stiles didn't create a thing in his life, but was an important part of World Cup Winning team. Let me edit and add this poser: Are you saying Steve Davis deserves a "meh" and has no contribution to the team?
I get what you're saying, but our "Nobby" is Jack Cork...Steve Davis is playing the Bobby Charlton role as an advanced central midfielder. The 1966 team also had creativity from Ball and Peters. I actually agree with rabbitspectrum that there is a bit of a lack of creativity from the central midfield area when Davis plays behind Rickie, especially at home and would prefer to see Punch start with Jay up top and Rickie playing just behind him. Steve Davis is a very good 'conduit' player but is better suited playing a deeper midfield role in my opinion.
I agree Saints Alive. My whole point started when I read "Meh" against Steve Davis' performance which is totally unfair. He has played really well for us and had a big contribution for the team. I'm getting pulled into a "Steve Davis Creativity" discussion, when that is not my point. He is not our most creative player but helps those creative players. He played at home v City, home v Chelsea and came on at half time against United away and we then dominated them.
I gave him a 7 for the reasons below: Davis is quite a passive defender choosing to come within a metre prop and stand still rather than tackle. His stock plays are to be in an advanced position, move to the ball carrier and play a one touch pass back to where he recieved the pass from. Davis also enjoys dribbling forward slowly at 50 degress and then passing backwards, stymying any attacking momentum. Add to this he is weak in the air and also weak in the tackle. I would agree that "His contribution to our possession, closing down and winning the ball back is very important" to keeping possession but not winning games of football. When Davis is allowed to dictate the tempo he strangles our attacks, perhaps you can't see this but we did pretty much nothing with our possession except when Ramirez was on (against west brom) as he was looking to take chances with his passing rather than look for an easy pass. No one can deny that Davis has been good at keeping possession. Unfortunately he can barely lift the team or himself above keeping possession and as I have said he can be a negative influence on our attacks. He looked good against Stoke and Sunderland when he broke on the counter but both times he picked the wrong option and ruined a very good chance to score. If we start next season with Davis in midfield I will be truly devastated. The man can't attack well. Thankfully he will always have some purpose in closing a game out if we are winning by a lot. He's like the opposite of Le Tissier, a luxury defending attacker, bring him on to make sure no one scores.
I agree with quite a lot of this. Glad you gave him a 7 too, better than the other chap's 6 and "meh". He is nowhere near as skillful as a Ramirez or a Lallana, and not as creative overall, however I think you are being a little harsh saying he has a negative impact on our attack. Some described him earlier a a "conduit" player and that is a great description. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he is a must starter, just sticking up fior him as I believe he has had a good season for us; like most of them, he has had good games and poor games. I like his simple little passes, particularly the little pass into JayRod's path for the first goal against Chelsea. Not very creative, but a good job JayRod made it look that way
Spot on in my opinion. This is the team I've been suggesting every week since we beat Man City but I don't think its ever happened.
For mine he's best used as an insulator, that Jay Rod goal was excellent and although it might have been slightly fortuitous he did play a decent aerial pass to lambert against Sunderland as well. He does do some good attacking when it only involves a short simple pass. That sounds too sarcastic, but I just think it hurts the team playing him as an attacking midfielder. I don't like having Davis playing alongside Cork or Morgan either, he has to be near the attackers to be able to be that conduit but he is an ineffective conduit. When we slow the game down which we tend to do when Davis is on the ball it makes it much harder to break a team down. The passing and movement needs to be quick to open up space, Davis is good at keeping control of the ball in tight spaces not playing expansive attacking football. He was at his best away at Man United but you will note we did not score when he was on the pitch despite playing Man United off the park. We actually didn't create many chances either which wouldn't surprise any serious Davis critic.
I think Davis is a better player in the more defensive minded midfield position. When he plays in the number 10 position our attacks are far too slow. It's hard to see where Davis will fit in to our first team next season because Gaston will play in the number 10 position more often than not and Morgan and Cork aren't going anywhere.
We will be at this all night at this rate ... good discussion though. Two points. 1. Yes Davis plays more possession stuff, however he also plays a lot of one touch short stuff, which can help create more space. 2. Against United we didn't score when he was on the pitch, but we had 21 shots and most of those were in the second half when he was on the pitch. I'll say again what I said earlier as this is becoming that "Davis Creative Debate" I mentioned earlier: I defended him because someone said "meh" to describe his season - completely unjust. The second part of our discussion was that you said we were "played poorly" in the last 6 games and didn't create, but I think we have created and have played well (WBA apart).
Yes, agree completely with this. I really hope (and furthermore believe) that Gaston will make that position his own with a good pre-season alongside the team. As I've said previously all this "he needs to justify his price tag" stuff is rubbish - that price tag was what our scouts and recruitment team decided he was worth - it's for them to justify, not him.
Yeah I agree with you but I just want better, and replacing Davis with someone creative would make us so much better. And will mean that we can bring him on when we are winning by a few goals. He's not a bad player and I think I will grow to love him once he is used in the role of defending attacker I have devised for him
Davis.. 6 Adequate, I guess we all know his faults Boruc.. 7 Once fit he looked goalkeeper of substance, commanding and a good shot stopper. Good distribution. Gazzeniga.. 5 Shows some promise, but has to learn his trade on loan.. Clyne.. 7 Consistently our best defender, and gets forward with purpose.. Fonte.. 6 Reliable but will be found out by the best.. Hooiveld.. 5 Our best header of a ball at the back, but his decision making is just so questionable. Yoshida.. 6.5 Grew into the season, central to our improvement defensively. Shaw.. 6.5 Great promise, understandably not the finished article. Fox.. 4 Sadly not premiership standard. Cork.. 6 Brought balance to the side on his return from injury, he's the continuity player, no goals, can't remember any assists. Schneiderlin.. 8 Excellent all purpose midfielder and has now added goals to his game. Should be skipper Ward-Prowse.. 6, Shows real promise, remember it's taken 5 plus years for Spiderman to mature, I wager Ward-Prowse will as effective in a shorter time. Ramirez.. 6 Flattered to deceive, lets hope he kicks on next term. Lallana.. 6 Another who flattered to deceive, has to be more decisive when his undoubted skill has made a yard. Puncheon.. 6.5 A real bonus, like signing a premiership player for nothing, goals and assists. An understanding with Clyne.. He should have started more games. Guly.. 4 Out of his depth. Lambert.. 7 made the transition to this level and has the skills to give more when the team set up is right. Rodrigues.. 6. Had a purple patch when he showed us his undoubted promise, now needs to find some consistency. Mayuka.. 4.5 Largely disappointing but little flashes of promise make me hope for more. It must be hard when your chances are so limited.
