Player ratings v Heart

Well done boys!!!!

Mossy 8 yet again another couple of top saves to keep them out
Louis 6 Some good defensive work tonight, still cutting in too often on the attack, hope his shoulder isn't too bad
Siggy 7.5 Great in the air, good combination with Dura
Dura 8 Terrific block, led well
Manny 7 Although he was targeted in the first half, he was superb in the second half
Reira 7 Another very sound showing
Vinnie 6 Passing not as good as usual, still helped control that midfield
Kenny 5.5 Worked hard as usual, still not always on same wavelength
Carlos 6.5 Another good effort, hit post, good freekick
Stein 7.5 Another goal, combining well with midfield, dragged too wide to be dangerous at times
Brocks 6 Some good shots
Boyd 7 An assist, a missed chance, and some great holding up the ball play to waste time 
Leo 5.5 Useful
Hicks 5.5 Useful

A very professional performance once we got ahead. Well done.

What do you think?

I'd probably drop brockie down a point he should have had 2-3 goals to his name.

A great effort and a good win, but not against the best side in the League ... I'd probably differ with;

Brockie 5.5 - he has improved his work rate but he still can't shoot and is still not involved enough.  Would love to see him scoring for fun like last year.

Stein 6.5 - he couldn't miss that finish and, while better than tidy, is not enough of a real threat for pace, turn or shot.  Not saying he's bad at all, 6.5 I'd say is a good solid game, just I can't easily rate him higher than that.  Nice interview.

Carlos is such a mixed bag, a passenger sometimes, but then there is the quality he brings, but not all the time.  For me he is a mixture of 6 and 7.5, so I guess I agree with you.  We've still not got an 8 or better game out of him, so hopefully it's coming.  But I think his game suits a couple of good quick guys up front and we haven't really got that to give him.  Unless Boyd starts for Brockie and shows us he can finish, and Kenny shows a bit better control and shot.

I'm with you on Lia - I thought he passed a lot away today, maybe his worst game, but the stats don't really show that.  We still bossed possession and the midfield, so maybe he deserves a 6. (57% possession and 79% passing accuracy over the whole team).

For the same reason I would bump Kenny up to 6.5.  He may not be a world beating import, but he is a decent part of why the midfield dominated with the way he is getting about, and is still a threat with his pace.  Compare his contribution to Brockie and there is daylight between them, I think.

On Fenton, some-one said as a FB he is having to be cautious on the outside not to get caught too far forward, which I think is a fair comment, but I'd still like him to take them on more often and leave the others to cover him. Boyd did it, but he was playing in a different role.

And maybe a bit generous with the D, they got beaten all ends up a few times.  If the Heart weren't worse finishers than us we might have been in trouble.

Ernie - 8.5.  We are better than the sum of the parts

Would bump Riera up, thought he was fantastic tonight. Seems to be improving with every game.

someone on here was saying he's the worst import ever. 

I think he's getting better and better. 

Cleberson was best import, a real top drop. 10/10 for Cleberson in that match.

Gao?

I've liked Riera from the start, and am glad to see him getting his feet at this level gradually. More about that in another thread. Think our midfield got let down by Lia a bit today. He's been a lot better this season, but gave the ball away a bit last night, and watched a few people blow past him which was disappointing.
Our defense is very vulnerable against pace, which they exploited in the first half, especially against Muscat, which worries me. Right through the season so far we've looked our worst when speedy forwards exploit holes behind our back four (e.g. 1st half Victory game, Perth game), and I don't see a quick fix for that.
Hernandez is what he is (i.e. slow) but I still think he's worth having. I agree that he'd look a lot better with one or two speedy players up front to thread balls through to, which would also open up a bit more space for him to have a couple of cracks from just outside the box, which is his best range.
Still not convinced by Kenny. His offence is starting to pay some dividends, but his defence is actually pretty ineffectual when you watch it.

+1

Riera was great, goo turn of pace too!

Great that Fenton gets so high- but he/we need to have a plan once he gets the ball. 

Same in our game against Perth Glory.