Been trying to evaluate the team's performance, so have decided to rate all the players from my eyes for their season's performances.
Mark Paston - 7
Pasty had another stop start year with injury and Tony Warner holding him out for the first half of the season. But when he played, he generally performed. He made far less punches this year, and made some cracking saves, especially in one v one situations. Has a tendency to not attempt to save long distance shots (James Brown, Hernandez) when he thinks he cant do anything, where a few people would want him to attempt to dive/ reach them.
Manny Muscat - 7.5
Not a vintage season from Manny, as he had a few quiet games in comparison to recent seasons, but two important goals from him this year were well deserved. He had to switch over to the left at points where he seemed to cope quite well. Would be nice to see him back in the middle, but he is the best Right Back the club has had and will stay there unless we recruit someone else.
Ben SigmUnd - 9.5
What a player, and what a season. A wall at the back and a danger up front. He ended up with most interceptions in the league, and thats due to his heart on sleeve attitude. A few times we saw him galloping forward down the line and occasionally even putting in some crosses that Leo would be jealous of. Siggy threw himself round all year and was a real loss in the semi against Perth. Player of the year for mine.
Andrew Durante - 9
Another great campaign from captain fantastic. He lead from the back and even picked up another goal. There aren't too many mistakes I can think back on, and he is always so cool and composed at the back to neutralise any attacks.
Tony Lochhead - 6
Despite a lot of criticism, Lochhead had a decent season. He doesn't pretend to have pace or unbelievable skill, but he helps balance the left side of the field for us - which was apparent when he was out injured. When we dont have someone like Daniel with a left foot, his overlapping runs are very important and he does manage to get forward quite a lot. He wasn't overly exposed throughout the season either.
Vince Lia - 6
He was put into many different postions on the field and seemed to adapt to the best of his ability. RB & LB are obviously not his strongest postions, but he coped and did enough to not be targeted as a big weakness. No goals this season which will be a disappointment for him, but that isn't one of his main tasks, and his general vision and distribution have improved immensely. A few lazy passes are still in his game, but with time on his side, he still has something to offer the nix.
Tim Brown - 6.5
Timmy wasn't as good as he has been in his previous years, and a lot of the time he ended up playing quite high up the pitch and leaving his midfield partner a lot to do in the middle. His conversion rate in the air wasn't as good as in the past however he scored some amazing and crucial goals for our season to stat on track (Syd Screamer, Brisbane tap in). His ability to ghost into the box and get into great positions to score is amazing and his leadership and passion is a big loss for the club.
Dani Sanchez - 5.5
The spaniard came to the club as an attacking midfielder / second striker but finished as a wide man. The change in position killed off his season, whereas up to Christmas, he was starting to look like the attacking link our team was in desperate need of. His move out wide was to accomodate our other players, but in hindsight he really should have stayed central. A good return of goals from him as well. A good debut season, but not a great one.
Leo Bertos - 5
Finished the season a bit stronger, but earlier he was definitely not at his best. He didnt bring enough attacking spark to warrant his starting postion, and Ricki eventually did drop him to the bench which seems to have been the needed catalyst for his somewhat return to form. No goals from him in open play is really a big hole in his game. However he did manage to produce some decent crosses and corners to earn him 6 assists for the season.
Paul Ifill - 8
Paul was good, but not as devastating as he had been in previous seasons. On his day, he can skin any player in the league, and score from just about anywhere, but he had an injury mid season that meant he lost a bit of form and took a while to get back into the game. Great goal return and also created a few goals. The focal point for the team, and he needs another big injury free season next year for the nix to go further.
Chris Greenacre - 7
Greeny worked his ass off again, and returned 5 goals and 2 assists. His workrate is exceptional, and he opened the game up for many other players around him. Wer have never really fully accommodated his abilities as a player, and he has tried hard to adapt his playing style to ours with various amounts of success. His shift into a coaching role will be good as it means we can keep his experience within our club to pass onto the next generation.
Tony Warner - 5
Big bad Tony Warner was an interesting recruitment in the off-season, but he proved to have the abilities to play in this league. A few errors crept into his game which led for his demotion. He offered something a bit different from Paston, but at 37 was never going to have the best mobility or reflexes.
Alex Smith - 6.5
Smith was added to the squad initially as injury cover higher up the pitch, but proved his value as a deeper lying midfielder in front of a back four. His athleticism and mobility were key in the game he started, and his vision and distribution are also quite impressive. The team hasn't operated with a player of his type before which meant his impact wasn't as big as it could have been. His versatility is also an asset and he managed to score a cracking goal when given licence to move forward.
Nick Ward - 4
Mr. Inconsistent. On his day, Ward could be a truly dangerous player. However he could never really find any type of consistency, and being in and out of the side, and never having a pre-season wouldn't have helped. He gave the ball away far too many times when he came off the bench, and often had little impact, or a negative one. However other games he brought class and abilities that Leo doesnt have. His versatility is an asset, but his inconsistency hurts him.
Daniel - 7
Daniel was amazing earlier in the season, one of our best. He had 5 assists half way through the season and could have kicked on had he not been relegated to the bench for no real reason. His second half of the season was stop/start due to injury and playing future, but Daniel proved he still has it this year.
Mirjan Pavlovic - 3
Mirjan Pavlovic has been described as a headless chook, and I tend to agree. He has shown signs of promise at times, and brings energy to the side, but just doesn't seem to have much of a footballing brain. Every time he comes on, Ifill looks pissed he has to play with him. He does bring passion and a bit of speed, but next season is more than likely going to be his last with the nix unless he can dramatically turn things around.
Brent Griffiths - 5
It was always gonna be hard to break into the back two, so his chances were only gonna come through suspension or injury. A big young lad who struggled against pacey attacks, he didn't look to bad once he found his rhythm, could become a decent A-League defender in the future, but will need game time somewhere.
Niko Tsattalios - 4
Signed as a Left Back, but ended playing mostly off the bench as a Left Winger. He brought a bit of pace and mobility, but lacked the composure or x factor to really make a difference.
Jimmy Downey - 4
Has pace but not too much more. Used as a winger or even striker during the season sort of summed up his ability as a Right fullback. Similar to Tsattalios, in the fact he brought mobility and pace to our side which is something we dont have, but when he got the ball, he couldn't do much with it.
Cameron Lindsay - n/a
A few bench roles but no game time in his debut season. Still very young and good noises are being heard about this chap. Maybe he can help reduce the loss of Timmy from Midfield?
Mark Paston - 7
Pasty had another stop start year with injury and Tony Warner holding him out for the first half of the season. But when he played, he generally performed. He made far less punches this year, and made some cracking saves, especially in one v one situations. Has a tendency to not attempt to save long distance shots (James Brown, Hernandez) when he thinks he cant do anything, where a few people would want him to attempt to dive/ reach them.
Manny Muscat - 7.5
Not a vintage season from Manny, as he had a few quiet games in comparison to recent seasons, but two important goals from him this year were well deserved. He had to switch over to the left at points where he seemed to cope quite well. Would be nice to see him back in the middle, but he is the best Right Back the club has had and will stay there unless we recruit someone else.
Ben SigmUnd - 9.5
What a player, and what a season. A wall at the back and a danger up front. He ended up with most interceptions in the league, and thats due to his heart on sleeve attitude. A few times we saw him galloping forward down the line and occasionally even putting in some crosses that Leo would be jealous of. Siggy threw himself round all year and was a real loss in the semi against Perth. Player of the year for mine.
Andrew Durante - 9
Another great campaign from captain fantastic. He lead from the back and even picked up another goal. There aren't too many mistakes I can think back on, and he is always so cool and composed at the back to neutralise any attacks.
Tony Lochhead - 6
Despite a lot of criticism, Lochhead had a decent season. He doesn't pretend to have pace or unbelievable skill, but he helps balance the left side of the field for us - which was apparent when he was out injured. When we dont have someone like Daniel with a left foot, his overlapping runs are very important and he does manage to get forward quite a lot. He wasn't overly exposed throughout the season either.
Vince Lia - 6
He was put into many different postions on the field and seemed to adapt to the best of his ability. RB & LB are obviously not his strongest postions, but he coped and did enough to not be targeted as a big weakness. No goals this season which will be a disappointment for him, but that isn't one of his main tasks, and his general vision and distribution have improved immensely. A few lazy passes are still in his game, but with time on his side, he still has something to offer the nix.
Tim Brown - 6.5
Timmy wasn't as good as he has been in his previous years, and a lot of the time he ended up playing quite high up the pitch and leaving his midfield partner a lot to do in the middle. His conversion rate in the air wasn't as good as in the past however he scored some amazing and crucial goals for our season to stat on track (Syd Screamer, Brisbane tap in). His ability to ghost into the box and get into great positions to score is amazing and his leadership and passion is a big loss for the club.
Dani Sanchez - 5.5
The spaniard came to the club as an attacking midfielder / second striker but finished as a wide man. The change in position killed off his season, whereas up to Christmas, he was starting to look like the attacking link our team was in desperate need of. His move out wide was to accomodate our other players, but in hindsight he really should have stayed central. A good return of goals from him as well. A good debut season, but not a great one.
Leo Bertos - 5
Finished the season a bit stronger, but earlier he was definitely not at his best. He didnt bring enough attacking spark to warrant his starting postion, and Ricki eventually did drop him to the bench which seems to have been the needed catalyst for his somewhat return to form. No goals from him in open play is really a big hole in his game. However he did manage to produce some decent crosses and corners to earn him 6 assists for the season.
Paul Ifill - 8
Paul was good, but not as devastating as he had been in previous seasons. On his day, he can skin any player in the league, and score from just about anywhere, but he had an injury mid season that meant he lost a bit of form and took a while to get back into the game. Great goal return and also created a few goals. The focal point for the team, and he needs another big injury free season next year for the nix to go further.
Chris Greenacre - 7
Greeny worked his ass off again, and returned 5 goals and 2 assists. His workrate is exceptional, and he opened the game up for many other players around him. Wer have never really fully accommodated his abilities as a player, and he has tried hard to adapt his playing style to ours with various amounts of success. His shift into a coaching role will be good as it means we can keep his experience within our club to pass onto the next generation.
Tony Warner - 5
Big bad Tony Warner was an interesting recruitment in the off-season, but he proved to have the abilities to play in this league. A few errors crept into his game which led for his demotion. He offered something a bit different from Paston, but at 37 was never going to have the best mobility or reflexes.
Alex Smith - 6.5
Smith was added to the squad initially as injury cover higher up the pitch, but proved his value as a deeper lying midfielder in front of a back four. His athleticism and mobility were key in the game he started, and his vision and distribution are also quite impressive. The team hasn't operated with a player of his type before which meant his impact wasn't as big as it could have been. His versatility is also an asset and he managed to score a cracking goal when given licence to move forward.
Nick Ward - 4
Mr. Inconsistent. On his day, Ward could be a truly dangerous player. However he could never really find any type of consistency, and being in and out of the side, and never having a pre-season wouldn't have helped. He gave the ball away far too many times when he came off the bench, and often had little impact, or a negative one. However other games he brought class and abilities that Leo doesnt have. His versatility is an asset, but his inconsistency hurts him.
Daniel - 7
Daniel was amazing earlier in the season, one of our best. He had 5 assists half way through the season and could have kicked on had he not been relegated to the bench for no real reason. His second half of the season was stop/start due to injury and playing future, but Daniel proved he still has it this year.
Mirjan Pavlovic - 3
Mirjan Pavlovic has been described as a headless chook, and I tend to agree. He has shown signs of promise at times, and brings energy to the side, but just doesn't seem to have much of a footballing brain. Every time he comes on, Ifill looks pissed he has to play with him. He does bring passion and a bit of speed, but next season is more than likely going to be his last with the nix unless he can dramatically turn things around.
Brent Griffiths - 5
It was always gonna be hard to break into the back two, so his chances were only gonna come through suspension or injury. A big young lad who struggled against pacey attacks, he didn't look to bad once he found his rhythm, could become a decent A-League defender in the future, but will need game time somewhere.
Niko Tsattalios - 4
Signed as a Left Back, but ended playing mostly off the bench as a Left Winger. He brought a bit of pace and mobility, but lacked the composure or x factor to really make a difference.
Jimmy Downey - 4
Has pace but not too much more. Used as a winger or even striker during the season sort of summed up his ability as a Right fullback. Similar to Tsattalios, in the fact he brought mobility and pace to our side which is something we dont have, but when he got the ball, he couldn't do much with it.
Cameron Lindsay - n/a
A few bench roles but no game time in his debut season. Still very young and good noises are being heard about this chap. Maybe he can help reduce the loss of Timmy from Midfield?
Permalink
Permalink
Great summaries! Hard to argue with them at all.
Would love to see a spine of Muscat, Smith and Sanchez next year.
Muscat's proven he's the goods there, Smith can add a lot, and Sanchez showed he is very dangerous in that role as Attacking / Creative mid.
Would love to see a spine of Muscat, Smith and Sanchez next year.
Muscat's proven he's the goods there, Smith can add a lot, and Sanchez showed he is very dangerous in that role as Attacking / Creative mid.
Yellow Whever Whanganui
Permalink
Permalink
Pretty fair assessment, but I think its a bit harsh on Warner - I don't think there was really much difference between him and Paston over the whole season. Pasty's more more of a shot stopper but Warner dominates the box a bit more. I'd put them both at a 6.5.
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Permalink
Permalink
fair on all, I'd probably give Alex Smith a 7.5, I reckon his impact when he got a fair chance was bigger than you've given him credit for. Hopefully he'll be back next season. theprof2012-04-10 14:22:49
Queenslander 3x a year.
Permalink
Permalink
Gaz - 8.5
Was a great fixture/ambassador in the Fever Zone. Marked down slightly for a few non-attendances due to hunting Vikings/mice. All in all, a cracking debut season.
Manfred2012-04-10 14:39:28
Am I HardNews in disguise?
Permalink
Permalink
Permalink
Permalink
Considering where we finished I'd say the midfield players have to come up in rating. It's normal to slag them, but in the end they did a job. Also think Lochead should come up a little.
And Manny should go up- became an attacking force down our right in a way Hearfield could never dream of...and reliable on defence.
And Manny should go up- became an attacking force down our right in a way Hearfield could never dream of...and reliable on defence.
Permalink
Permalink
I think Smith may be worth a bit more, but I think midfield was our weak point this season and we got rather exposed through the middle a lot, and didnt create enough from our mids.
I think Manny had a good season, but it wasnt as good as past seasons in my opinion. Based on this season alone i dont think he was at his best throughout all the games, although yeah maybe worth an 8. dont think much more though
I think Manny had a good season, but it wasnt as good as past seasons in my opinion. Based on this season alone i dont think he was at his best throughout all the games, although yeah maybe worth an 8. dont think much more though
Permalink
Permalink
Jimmy Downey has to be a 2 at the most. Seriously, worst player in our squad.
Permalink
Permalink
I think Smith may be worth a bit more, but I think midfield was our weak point this season and we got rather exposed through the middle a lot, and didnt create enough from our mids.
I think Manny had a good season, but it wasnt as good as past seasons in my opinion. Based on this season alone i dont think he was at his best throughout all the games, although yeah maybe worth an 8. dont think much more though
I think Manny had a good season, but it wasnt as good as past seasons in my opinion. Based on this season alone i dont think he was at his best throughout all the games, although yeah maybe worth an 8. dont think much more though
Agree about the midfield. It was often a horrifying peek-through-the-fingers experience watching teams storm through and put our back four under so much pressure.
I think your player summary is accurate and fair. Obviously I've got to have a minor quibble though and suggest that over the course of the season Leo offered at least as much as Sanchez did, and IMO more. In fact Sanchez was a real disappointment for me. Perhaps because of his credentials I was expecting more, but I was at first surprised, then increasingly dismayed that his basic ball control and passing skills were often well below par.
I know he has a partial excuse of playing out of position but several other players in the team were forced to play in unfamiliar roles and acquitted themselves well, whereas Sanchez, for me, didn't. Leo also does a much better defensive job than Sanchez.
Permalink
Permalink
fair on all, I'd probably give Alex Smith a 7.5, I reckon his impact when he got a fair chance was bigger than you've given him credit for. Hopefully he'll be back next season.
Agreed. Too many points for Lia- he's been garbage virtually all season. Also agree with the Warner comment- he was pretty good when he played, and damn he looks fierce......Nostalgia isnt what it used to be...........
Permalink
Permalink
fair on all, I'd probably give Alex Smith a 7.5, I reckon his impact when he got a fair chance was bigger than you've given him credit for. Hopefully he'll be back next season.
Agreed. Too many points for Lia- he's been garbage virtually all season. Also agree with the Warner comment- he was pretty good when he played, and damn he looks fierce......
I liked him, and he always fit my mental image of bad, bad Leroy Brown ...
Permalink
Permalink
Smith City to 7.. 
We will never fully decide who has won the football.
Permalink
Permalink
Too generous overall. Tsatalios and Downey sub 3, lia 3 amongst others
But would give paston a mark or 1/2 more
But would give paston a mark or 1/2 more
Permalink
Permalink
Too generous overall. Tsatalios and Downey sub 3, lia 3 amongst others
How would you rate the rest of the league, especially the 6 other clubs below us?
Permalink
Permalink
^ curious about this too, if your rating the 4th best team in the league's players at an average of 5-7, you must be then rating the others pretty poorly
Queenslander 3x a year.
Permalink
Permalink
Brown and Bertos should get 4's IMO.
Bar for a few sporadic moments offered very little.e
Siggy down to a 9 and Durante 8.
The rest of the usual starters at about a 6 with Ifil 7 and Greeny 7.5.
I gave Greeny 7.5, scored a couple goals which was good to see and worked his arse off. Did more defending than half our midfielders despite playing up top, which is one reason i think we were generally hard to break down.
Pav gets 5 also. Runs around like a headles chook, but always brought energy to the team and often created something (didn't finish it unfortunately, but atleast things happened).
Ricki (4)
An exceptionally good season result wise, but i think that had more to do with the players than anything. Has a team of battlers who battled and never gave up.
Generally lacked ideas with substitutions, brought players clearly not up to scratch, made crazy selections based on who knows what logic ( Daniel was on fire and got dropped?? whilst Brown and Bertos were consistantly woeful and kept getting picked). Played players out of position regularly, Sanchez and Downey when used.
TouchMe2012-04-19 05:51:35
Permalink
Permalink
FourFourTwo Oz @FourFourTwoOz
442 Team of the Year: Ryan, Bojic, Durante (c), Zwaanswijk, Behich, McGlinchey, Paartalu, Miller, Nichols, Smeltz, Berisha, coach: Arnie.
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/offsider-opinion-display/Offsiders-Team-of-the-Year/47184
Ifill and Siggy on the bench. Smeltz in the startling XI.
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/Report-Card--Wellington-Phoenix/47161
Wellington Phoenix Overall Grade: B+
Permalink
Permalink