Player of the season so far??

[Pepe the Horseman]

Not quite POTS, but special mention to Gunts who looks back to his best. Was getting a lot of stick last season, despite being runner up(?) in POTS the year before, so nice to see him looking solid and chipping in with some assists.

[Ouroboros]

Pepe's stolen your log-in, m8.

[Ouroboros]

Er, hang on

[St. Brynjar]

Can't see past Blackman. Am assuming a bunch of the other votes are to give credit to other strong performers. Fantastic to see Norwood, Tshibola, Ferdinand, McShane and Quinn all excelling.

[Stuka]

It's easy to focus on the striker who is scoring goals but his finishing and pace are exceptionally good, also his team ethic. Blackman it is.

[BonBoh]

I think as the season progresses, Oli Norwood is becoming a bit of a star man, too.
Blackman is certainly the big surprise package and continues to create a real buzz with his pace, movement, skill and goals.
Danny Williams is driving at other teams and interacts really well with Norwood. Norwood's passing range is really good and, at times is pulling teams apart.

A special mention for HRK who has, for some reason, really kicked into life. He looks to create something when in possession of the ball and has certainly taken a leaf from Blackman's book.

Long may it continue.

[DaddyKuhl]

I see getreading is doing an early season report card with the goalies and defenders done so far. Therefore was wondering what 'grade' you would give the players (you can caveate as you wish)?

This is mine:

Bond: C Solid if unspectacular but you have to mark him down for the gaff against Sheff Wed
Al Habsi: C Would have been a D or D+ but Saturday's performance has raised him up a notch
Gunter: B+ Confident defending, good going forward
McShane: A Has brought much needed assurance to the back with the only negative (and preventing an A+) is he has not been threatening enough from corners and set play
Ferdinand: A- Like McShane, very solid, hopefully current injury is not to severe
Hector: B+ Shaky start, making amends now
Obita: B Needs more of an attacking threat, but very solid defensively
Taylor: B- Has been dependable when called upon
Norwood: A- Has run games from midfield, re-captured the form that had deserted him last season
Tshibola: A Considering he was on loan at Hartlepool last time out he has come in and looked very strong, composed and pacey. Can really develop into a fine player
Williams: B+ Love his running, energy and enthusiasm. Still a bit 'headless chicken' when he has the ball but has complimented Norwood very well and has started making his late runs into the box. 2 goals in 10 is a good return for a centre mid
Piazon: B Needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Championship. Has shown some excellent touches and vision so far and really adds even more class to the team
HRK: B Starting to gain some confidence and momentum. Has shown strength and stamina and looks to be trying again which is helping unlock his talent in recent games
Blackman: A+ Just superb
Sa: B+ The striker the Pog should have been. Would have got an A if it wasn't for the hedbutt
Vydra: B- Yet to find his stride and being injured hasn't helped. Although he hasn't found the net and his passing is a bit off he has still been a handle and created space for others
McCleary: B+ Coming back to his best especially after such a busy summer. You feel Clarke can now afford him all of the recuperation time needed whereas the last couple of years he has been thrown in as soon as he was free of injury
Quinn: B+ Lots of energy and running. Allows other players to bomb forward without leaving the back too exposed. Needs more composure in and around the final third

[Ian Royal]

Can't we just use the traditional 1 - 10... the other one gets complicated with Gs Us, grade boundaries shifting and ensuring the rough distribution remains the same each year...

Clarke - 10 - A slightly slow start that's accelerating into a train. Keep it up!

Bond - 6 - a fairly mediocre start. Needs to be more confident and work a little harder.
Al-Habsi - 6 - a fairly mediocre start. Needs to be more careful and work a little harder.

Gunter - 8 - Much improved on last year. Keep it up.
Obita - 7 - Better than last year. Still needs to make fewer unnecessary and obvious fouls.
Taylor - 8 - Looks excellent cover. Needs to remain patient and take his chance with Obita's inevitable suspension.

McShane - 9 - Excellent start. Keep up the great work.
Ferdinand - 7 - A strong start, but worrying absence record. Must stay fit.
Hector - 7 - A tired start, but recovering last season's excellent form. Steady progress.
Cooper - 7 - Limited opportunity, but good performances. Wait patiently and take the chances when they come.

Norwood - 9 - Back to last year's best if not better. Keep going.
Williams - 8 - Strong start and showed patience to get back into the team. Perhaps shoot from long range a fraction less.
Quinn - 8 - Settled in well and works hard for the team. Needs to get back to fitness.
Tshibola - 9 - Revelation, an excellent start. Keep it up and he'll go far.
Piazon - 7 - Shows promise, but weak defensively. Needs to man up a little.
Fernandez - 6 - A solid if uninspiring start. Needs to do more to take the opportunities that arrive.

McCleary - 7 - A good showing from limited opportunities. Keep it up.
John - 7 - A good showing from limited opportunities. Needs to simplify things slightly.
Hurtado - 6 - Some clear promise. Needs to improve his fitness and take his chances.
Robson-Kanu - 7 - A slow start, but starting to hit his stride. Needs to maintain this level consistently.
Blackman - 10 - Fantastic start. Don't let it affect him when he has a dry spell.
Sa - 8 - Very strong start. Watch the temper.
Vydra - 7 - Promising start. Needs to capitalise on it.
Cox - 5 - Looks defeated. Needs to move groups.
Samuel - 5 - Disappointing injury. Needs to get and stay fit.

[sandman]

I see getreading is doing an early season report card with the goalies and defenders done so far. Therefore was wondering what 'grade' you would give the players (you can caveate as you wish)?

This is mine:

Bond: C Solid if unspectacular but you have to mark him down for the gaff against Sheff Wed
Al Habsi: C Would have been a D or D+ but Saturday's performance has raised him up a notch
Gunter: B+ Confident defending, good going forward
McShane: A Has brought much needed assurance to the back with the only negative (and preventing an A+) is he has not been threatening enough from corners and set play
Ferdinand: A- Like McShane, very solid, hopefully current injury is not to severe
Hector: B+ Shaky start, making amends now
Obita: B Needs more of an attacking threat, but very solid defensively
Taylor: B- Has been dependable when called upon
Norwood: A- Has run games from midfield, re-captured the form that had deserted him last season
Tshibola: A Considering he was on loan at Hartlepool last time out he has come in and looked very strong, composed and pacey. Can really develop into a fine player
Williams: B+ Love his running, energy and enthusiasm. Still a bit 'headless chicken' when he has the ball but has complimented Norwood very well and has started making his late runs into the box. 2 goals in 10 is a good return for a centre mid
Piazon: B Needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Championship. Has shown some excellent touches and vision so far and really adds even more class to the team
HRK: B Starting to gain some confidence and momentum. Has shown strength and stamina and looks to be trying again which is helping unlock his talent in recent games
Blackman: A+ Just superb
Sa: B+ The striker the Pog should have been. Would have got an A if it wasn't for the hedbutt
Vydra: B- Yet to find his stride and being injured hasn't helped. Although he hasn't found the net and his passing is a bit off he has still been a handle and created space for others
McCleary: B+ Coming back to his best especially after such a busy summer. You feel Clarke can now afford him all of the recuperation time needed whereas the last couple of years he has been thrown in as soon as he was free of injury
Quinn: B+ Lots of energy and running. Allows other players to bomb forward without leaving the back too exposed. Needs more composure in and around the final third

SoLOLid.

[NewCorkSeth]

Bond-5 not done too much wrong, not done to much right
Al-habsi-4 too much wrong and not enough right..
Gunter-6 looking strong and calm. Perhaps relieved he's no longer captain?
Obita-6 he's played a lot of games in 3 seasons in a position he's had to learn to play as he goes! This season he's coming into his own.
Taylor-5 pushing for a 6 but limited chances to truly impress. Great addition though.
McShane-7 well I for one did not expect that. As one of the few Irish (if only??) on hna I thought he would be average. He's great.
Ferdinand-6 redeemed.
Hector-6 solid if unpolished. This season will be good for his development.
Cooper-6 limited by the superior players in his position but I felt he showed he's not just one for the future in the Everton game. He's at this level already.
Tshibola-7 expect him to be linked with some PL clubs in January.
Norwood-7 clearly whatever Clarke told him to do over summer worked he's an asset.
Williams-6 struggle pig sums him up perfectly.
Quinn-6 shows his experience every game. Adds essential maturity to our midfield.
Fernandez-5 not really done much eh?
Piazon-6 doesn't quite have a position in the team but adds something different for sure! Seems not to read passes very well?
McCleary-7 probably our best attacking mid. Still.
John-6 he looks like he has bags of potential! I fully expect him to grab a first team position.
Hurtado-5 needs time.
HRK-6 keep it up bud.
Vydra-6 the goals will come! Defenders must dread knowing what he can do if left unmarked!
Sa-7 what more could you want? Missed pen, hat trick, red card.. He's entertaining and will make a name for himself here
Blackman-8 redemption must feel so good for him. The fans love him, he loves himself, he's scoring like there's no tomorrow. Didn't he say in an interview when Clarke came in to the club he took him aside and told him hes a striker and he should be scoring goals? Well he certainly is now!
Who did I miss?

[RichTea94]

4 players in the Championship team of the month for September (stats-wise anyway).

Arguably our three outstanding players so far, plus Hector emphasising how mean our defence is.
Three victories against sides who were in the top six when we played, two in the top three! Throw in a narrow loss against an on-paper quality Derby side, a comfortable win against Bristol and a great performance against Everton by what was essentially our 2nd XI, I think it's safe to say this has been our best month since April 2012.

[loyalroyal4life]

Blackman then Norwood

[Nameless]

Always interesting to see how people award marks. Amazed our defence is worth largely 6's in some eyes !
The keepers still getting slaughtered for not having anything to do and making isolated mistakes.

Based on the last half dozen games no one deserves less than 7 and it's mostly 8's and 9's for me. What is there to criticise ! (And yes, I know we're not perfect yet !)

[CountryRoyal]

Always interesting to see how people award marks. Amazed our defence is worth largely 6's in some eyes !
The keepers still getting slaughtered for not having anything to do and making isolated mistakes.

Based on the last half dozen games no one deserves less than 7 and it's mostly 8's and 9's for me. What is there to criticise ! (And yes, I know we're not perfect yet !)

NewCorkSeth's ratings seem pretty harsh to me for a team that's sitting in 3rd having just beaten 2nd.

You can only get judged on what you do, if they don't have much to do but still make a lot of mistakes then it has to be a negative. It's perhaps unfortunate for them at the moment that they aren't getting more opportunities to do their job, but from my point of view and that of many other fans it's probably a good thing they don't. Low marks for the keepers understandable imho. We were hailing Al-Habsi's performance against Boro - he made one save and didn't drop anything, a sign of how poor he's been. Like I said, you can only give a rating for what they've done, not what they haven't. You can't say "he's been mediocre 5, but then he hasn't had that much to do, so 7" doesn't work like that. Anyway, without further delay (think you know what's coming here )

Bond 5 - doesn't look commanding at all, too many mistakes

Al-Habsi 4 - see above, but more mistakes

Gunter 7 - solid this season, very impressive the last couple of games especially

Hector 7 - poor at the start of the season though wasn't that just one game? Has been very good since his reintroduction at Derby.

Ferdinand 9 - didn't put a foot wrong until his injury, would like to see him again at some stage this season

McShane 8 - very commanding and aggressive CB (with regards to interceptions/stepping in and headers as opposed to temperament), however... has been at fault for a few of our goals by commit it too much and being allowed to be turned so easily, see Brentford, Ipswich and Derby. Still, a crucial part of our defence.

Cooper 7 - against a strong Everton side, remember a few years ago he was hailed as potentially being better than hector whilst he was on loan at Aberdeen so exciting times

Obita 7 - massive fan of obita's and always have been, unlike Gunter he hasn't significantly upped his game this season, because he hasn't had to, for me his performances are overall still pretty solid. One or two shaky moments but then answered critics with some fine defensive displays, notably against Burnley.

Taylor 7 - fantastic cheeky bit of business there. Has not looked out of place one bit, was solid if a little unspectacular at Hillsborough and very very good against Everton in the cup. He obviously doesn't want to warm the bench so is really making the most of his game time to impress.

Quinn 8 - brilliant, what a terrior, fantastic work rate with suprisingly decent technique as well.

Williams 8 - oh Danny Danny. Fan favourite for a reason, consistently putting in big performances and a couple of goals as well. His shooting is still hit and miss but it is improving.

Tshbola 8 - what a talent, what a player. Was one of the best players on the park at Birmingham on the opening day and he's, by and large, continued and improved on that. In addition to his technique and work rate his awareness really impresses me.

Norwood 9 - got to be a 9 for Norwood. Has been so key to everything we've done so far. Everything starts with him. Looks a completely different player to last year, some say back to his best, he's better than that. Really solid defensively as well and is definitely not afraid to put a tackle in. Set pieces are mostly improved as well. That goal v Ipswich is probably almost worth a point on its own.

Fernandez 6 - probably needs a run of games, looked poor one game and fairly good another. Must be hard being a CM in this team.

Piazon 7 - looks the business and is justifying mine and a lot of other fans excitement at his arrival on deadline day. Needs to play behind the strike for me and not out wide. No complaints about his physicality, you wouldn't bitch at David Silva for being weak/slight. It's not his game. Defensively meh, at fault for the goal at Burnley, reckon Clarke would have had some choice words about that. Again, it would be fantastic if he could do his defensive duties 100%, it's not his natural game, but I'm sure he'll improve in that respect if he wants to be selected more.

John 7 - really impressed with him in his fee appearances. Tricky, fast, will beat his man, has a decent shot on him.

Hurtado 6 - hasn't really had too many chances to impress, didn't do too much when I've seen him

HRK 7 - was standard HRK for one or two games this season, but beyond that he's been a revelation. The effort he's putting in is unreal, and I suppose it has to be to keep out any of the other wingers. I'm sure he'll get his goal soon enough.

McCleary 7 - more consistent then last year, can't imagine he's enjoying not getting much game time

Vydra 7 - crazy to think we've beaten two of the best teams in the division and supposedly our best player has been out of the squad. Has been impressive since his arrival, hope to see him back in the squad after the international break. He'll get his goal soon as well I'd imagine.

Sa 8 - I said some pretty damning things about Sa after he missed the pen against Brum but he's really impressed overall. Good touch and his ability to manoeuvre in small spaces on the field is impressive, twice the hold up man that pog will ever be. Hat trick a plus point, red card a negative, just as well Blackman stepped up and his suspension didn't cost us any points.

Blackman 9 - better believe he scores goals. 9 goals in 13 games league and cup says it all.

Other mentions;

Cox 4 - was alright when he started against league 2 Portsmouth but was pretty poor and ineffective in his substitute cameos in August. Hasn't had a look in since the Brentford game and rightly so.

Samuel 5 - not affective before his injury, any idea when he'll be back?

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

It is going to be a tough call come the end of the season as there are number of players who have put their name in the hat Hector, Norwood, Blackman,Sa and McShane to name a few.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Blackman, closely followed by Norwood, then Williams and McShane. Ferdinand would be on a par with these if he'd played as much because he was excellent.

[NewCorkSeth]

Just to defend my marking out of ten it might look harsh but only if you don't see a scoring of 5 as an average performance.

6 would be above average which is what many of our players have been (including several defenders) I would argue that the main reason were conceding so few shot is that were defending from the front in a lot of games. Our mids have been crucial in breaking up play so in my head our defensive solidity is down to the team working as a unit.

If a scoring of 10 is the highest mark available do you really think anyone deserves a 9? A nine is like scoring a hat trick every game.. Or whatever the midfield equivalent is..

[tidus_mi2]

Just to defend my marking out of ten it might look harsh but only if you don't see a scoring of 5 as an average performance.

6 would be above average which is what many of our players have been (including several defenders) I would argue that the main reason were conceding so few shot is that were defending from the front in a lot of games. Our mids have been crucial in breaking up play so in my head our defensive solidity is down to the team working as a unit.

If a scoring of 10 is the highest mark available do you really think anyone deserves a 9? A nine is like scoring a hat trick every game.. Or whatever the midfield equivalent is..

I don't know why but football doesn't seem to obey logic when it comes to averages and 6 seems to be the standard for an average performance.

[Nameless]

5/10 seems pretty rubbishy in any marking scheme (purely my opinion !)
Mathematically it's less than half marks and I've always seen 6 as a 'standard' score going up for better than the norm and down for worse.
Don't think there is a definitive scheme but obviously if we each have our own benchmark the comparisons do look odd. Not telling you that you are wrong, just interested that different people's marks reflect their benchmark as well as the player's actual performance.
I think MCShane and Blackman have strong claims to be in the 9 category. Not sure what either of them could do to be significantly better ! Scoring 8 in 8 games is almost as good as it gets for a striker, add in that many have been pretty good goals, and then add in acknowledgement of the huge change in attitude.

[Lenny The Tramp]

5 is pretty generous if you go by the Gazetto dello Sport ratings …


One of its most respected, closely followed and scrutinised features is its Player Rating system. Awarding an individual mark out of 10 to players for their performance after every game, the notoriously difficult rating has become something of a benchmark for fans and the professionals themselves, with just a handful of players ever receiving a ‘perfect’ 10 score since the first ratings were published back in October 1973. Most commonly awarded, is the score of 6 – the rating ‘given to a player considered to have done the very least of what is required’ during a match.

http://www.fantasista10.co.uk/totti-top ... erfect-10/