Player Ratings - Sheffield United

28 December 2011 21:33
Just who was at fault for the most for yesterday's capitulation?

SHEFF UTD AWAY RATINGS

 

STUART NELSON - 7 - Did all he had to do, basically. Had little chance with both goals and was left horribly exposed by his defence, whilst he made plenty of good saves without having to make one that was exceptional. Blameless.

JULIAN KELLY - 6 - He's a good prospect is Kelly, he once again had a solid game without really excelling. Rarely troubled by United's left side, he offered plenty going forward in a positional sense but until he improves his final ball he won't be as much of an asset as he should be.

SAM SODJE - 5 - Our centre backs have a Serotonin imbalance and it's dear Sam who has huge amounts of the stuff racing around his body. What goes through his mind at any given moment is a psychological mystery. Generally strong and solid, but horribly at fault for the opening goal and he seems to spread panic through the team whenever he plays.

KRYSTIAN PEARCE - 5 - Paradoxically, Pearce's neurotransmitters often appear at dangerously low levels, with his calm approach costing Notts yesterday. Made an elementary error for the winning goal that proved disastrous. Pearce simply doesn't look as composed or confident playing alongside Sodje.

ALAN SHEEHAN - 6 - As with Kelly, he offered plenty going forward but when it came to delivering a telling cross into the box he fell way short of the mark. His early season delivery seems to have disappeared, with the last few games having seen Sheehan struggle to put any dangerous crosses into the area. Shinning the ball out of play having beaten his man and got into the area summed up his afternoon.

NEAL BISHOP - 7 - An industrious display that was at times spoiled by his suicidally misplaced pass that rears its head every ten minutes or so. Won every tackle and generally distributed the ball well, but needs to improve his pass completion rate if he is to be as important as he can be.

CHARLIE ALLEN - 3 - Its hard to be so harsh on Allen, who gives every single thing he has and seems a genuinely nice lad, but he unfortunately has the first touch of a pointy lamppost. For every tackle he won, there was five occasions when he struggled to control a simple ball and lost possession, whilst his distribution was also frustratingly wayward.

JEFF HUGHES - 6 - Skillful and industrious, but like Bishop he has a tendency to play a hopelessly bad pass in a dangerous area. Often looks like our biggest goal threat however and is one of few players capable of unlocking a defence.

ALAN JUDGE - 8 - Comfortably Notts' best player, Judge was able to find space and use the ball intelligently. Let down by a lack of movements from his teammates, he supplied the goal with a delicious, teasing cross and looked the most likely to unlock the Sheffield United throughout the entire game. Is becoming more influential with every passing week.

BEN BURGESS - 4 - Simply doesn't fit in with the system or with his strike partner, Burgess won a bit in the air and created a couple of chances but this was tempered by long periouds of anonymity and a complete lack of any goal threat.

LEE HUGHES - 5 - As with Burgess, the team is not playing to his strengths and he struggles to strike up any sort of understanding with his strike partner. Clever and industrious as ever, Hughes will struggle to find his best form until we find a strike partner who can get it out of him.

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ISHMEL DEMONTAGNAC - 4 - If this boy was a superflous household item, he'd be a bowl of pot pourri. Nice to watch, but ultimately its hard to see what its use actually is. He got on the ball plenty when he came on, but looked afraid to take on his man or put in a cross and often settled for the simple pass. Of course, he then got himself sent off with a particularly mindless act of stupidity.

KARL HAWLEY - 4 - Offered very little, as with our other two strikers we simply can't find a way to bring the best out of him with the current system and personnel. Missed the best chance Notts had to level the game.

Source: FOOTYMAD