Welcome to the player ratings.
Apologies to the purists that had their blogging routine disrupted by the whole Uncle Woy business. But that’s the business we call ‘show’. Here’s my assessment of the runners and riders.
And my thanks to Aaron ‘The Baker’, with whom I watched the game. I hope your Tipana was as delicious as you described it although chicken livers and me have never been close friends. One more goal and we’d have brought William Hill to it’s knees.
7.001 Clean sheet
7.002 Bless him, his children and all his relations past and present for that goal. His performance otherwise was less blessing worthy.
6.009 Hardly troubled by the world’s greatest attacking forces.
6.000 Hammerfoot the movie.
4.999 Daft as a brush. Good job this was Blackburn.
5.999 Another flattering to deceive gig. Fizzed, popped but never really hurt a thoroughly second/third rate side.
9.100 Oh yeah baby. Good in all sorts of ways. More please…
7.000 Kind of alright. Against garbage like this I expected more. If I’m allowed to be honest.
5.888 ‘He plays on the left’, why does he feel that this is such a second class gig? Who cares? Somebody needs to manage him or ship him out.
6.999 He’s a gift. Our manager appears to ‘indulge him’ somewhat. There’s a quote about that sort of thing, if my memory serves me right…
6.777 Disappointing a good few times again but it’s tough to fall out of love with such a selfless player.
I am getting really fed up with the idiotic criticism of Bale. He is the best player we have had at the Lane in the last two decades and the faithful are going to run him off much like you did to Kanoute just before he exploded for 30 goals.
I can picture all the same lot ripping Levy next season when Bale is up front for Barca scoring 40 goals.
Bale spent the entire second half out near the left touchline and every time the ball switched to his side, there were 2-3 defenders around him. There was one moment in the 62nd minute when Modric tried to switch to the left but there were SIX defenders within 10 yards of Bale.
Wenger found this hole in our attack two months ago, and since then, every team in the PL is employing the same tactics. Overload your defence to Spurs left side to shut down Bale and you pretty much kill any of our attacking threat.
Without Thudd, we have no ability to attack down the middle and while Lennon/Walker are often running free down the right side, their crosses are so poor that opponents can get away with lightly defending to that side.
So, keep singing out for HR to lock Bale to the left side while teams are greatly overloaded to defend that side. It is the sure fire way to ensure a 6th place finish. The good news for you is that next season it will be Danny Rose or Matt Jarvis out on the left and opposing teams wont be defending that side at all.
Do you genuinely believe that Bale has been as effective since this ‘free role’ business?
Hmm..I not sure, but doesn’t deserve a slagging off I would say..
agreed Steveo
Is he REALLY playing a free role right now? I didn’t see him floating into the middle much at all on Sunday. He does come into the box when Lennon has the ball, but that is what a left winger should do.
Also, moving him to the right touchline is not freeing him up – defences simply shift to that side.
My issue is that Bale is taking all the abuse, when it is the failure of our other mids to make teams pay for overdefending the left. Until Lennon/Walker/BAE/Rose improve their service and Modric/Parker/Sandro stop taking a lifetime to move the ball up the pitch, Bale is going to continue to be a statue if he is locked out on the left.
Is he REALLY playing a free role right now? I didn’t see him floating into the middle much at all on Sunday.
All I can say is, ‘Wow’….
you seriously need some glasses or as your name suggests maybe lay off the lsd when you watch spurs
this bale ‘play where he likes’ mularky is costing us big time and if you can’t see that look at our form before xmas and compare it with the games since this roving role started
this ‘alleged’ tactic in my mind has worked in one game norwich away, since then all it’s done is give us the hump
Day Tripper is a long time respected poster, but this Bale nonsense… I could cope if the goals or assists had flooded in. We’ve had neither. Self indulgent gittishness…
An article in one of the weekend papers said in his last 10 games Bale had either 1 goal and no assists, or no goals and 1 assist.
Can’t remember which it was but if correct, it is an incredibly low return.
it’s all about end product, if citeh want him and we get johnson & ade/dzeko I’d do the trade
we’ve really miss the hudd, he sets the wingers free
I think this Bale business comes down to the feeling that he’s playing for himself not the team.
If he plays for the team, he’s immense, nobody’s disputing that. Having 6 defenders on him, for the team, is ideal. Switch the play and there’s acres of space down the right. The opposition can’t double up on everyone can they? I remember Giggs having the same problem after his break through season. United would just switch the play to Kanchelskis hugging the other touchline, teams soon had to change their tact.
I was sat in the corner at Wembley and watched in horror as Bale ambled back to the half way line all alone, whilst Chelsea raided our left for the 3rd goal.
Dips in form and human error I can live with. Self indulgence and dropping of work rate without the ball are unacceptable for any player.
2 decades…are you sure?
If we manage to qualify for CL I’d say to Barca give us villa & Pedro & he’s yours. I’m getting really pissed off with his self-indulgence, he’s killing BAE & modric, I’ve seen modric picking up ball & immediately look up to play it wide & there’s bale nowhere to b seen so what does modric do he has to pass it backwards.
The great things luka does is give wingers the ball in position to hurt fullback if there’s no one there your not playing to his & our strenght.
Sell him bring in Eljero Elia & Michel Bastos( plays right across midfield & lb).
I’d also go to utd if we are in Cl & offer them modric as long as they sell us hernandez, valencia or Smalling,1 of them & 15ml he’s yours otherwise we sell to city.
That was Bale’s worst game of the season. Ade got the ball out on the left a number of times. Rose sent in countless shit crosses from the left – would I prefer Bale on the left crossing rather than them? YES!
Lennon’s crosses may not all be great but his cross led to the first goal and I though he was far better than Bale.
So what you are seying is that we cannot use Bales greatest asset pace because he gets maked so we should play him in various positions in which he isnt that good. Nonsesnse.Bale may need better forwards to link up with, to target thats fair. Tottenham should be able to make use of the space created by the need to mark Bale. I cant agree with you about the rest.If Bale is sold do you really think he willbe playinfing as a floating forward. I doubt it. I hope he regains his form…and becomes the devastating player he once was.
I agree 100%. If Bale goes to Barca, RM. They’ll play him on the left, regardless of what he thinks.
He may start on the left there, but you will never see him parked out there in that system. Messi starts out on the right, and teams try to overload on him, but Barca counters this by having Messi drag defenders on top of other defenders, while his teammates run wild in the space left open behind him.
It seems to me that HR is trying hard to do the same thing with Bale, but Modric and Parker won’t make the runs to fill the space. BAE did, but he is one of the worst passers on the planet and he turns the ball over every time. Yesterday, Bale tried to pull his defenders out several times in the first half, letting Rose run in behind him, but we so how inept Rose was in open space.
After the crowd started chanting, Bale stopped moving and he spent most of the second half by the touchline as a well-marked bystander.
Well said Chris. No proper big side will remotely tolerate this ‘vision’ cobblers.
One other thing – the best way to use Bale’s pace is to get the ball up the pitch to him before defences can settle on him. We have no ability to do that without Daws or Thudd in the lineup.
Agree 100% chris & another thing bale is in for 1 hell of a shock if he goes to barca, he won’t get in there side with his workrate, if he plays left back they never cross the ball, he will ruin his career if he goes there b4 he’s ready.
The best way to maximise bales talents for going past players is to play him at LB and enable the LW to provide him with the foil to make a ‘later’ burst forward – ala Dani Alves at Barca…
But he’s clueless when it comes to defending eyeball, if he starts playing left back opposition will target him (probably with crossfield balls from opposition wing as he has no positional awareness & doesn’t track his runner.
I fear that if he continues on his ego trip hewill never fulfill his undoubted potential. The only way this bale roving can work is A. Choosing right time to go inside (less frequently do it as game opens up & is less expectant) he’s just acting as extra defender at moment,he’s blocking space where through ball could be played.
2. A left wingers is bought so we always have an out ball & It’s a straight choice between him & vdv.
3. He’s dropped until he improves workrate & stays wide for at least 90% of match.
Sandro was indeed a monster – he’s the player to base this team around. I’m sure Harry will sell him so we can bring in someone with a bit more PL experience.
Rose – lovely lad I’m sure but seems to be unable to dribble without looking like he’s about to fall over
Brad – had nothing to do but managed to do more than Bale.
Walker – cracking goal but his crossing is truly awful – can someone please coach him? (he hit one decent one out of about ten yesterday)
Kaboul – my man of the season, solid, commanding, he’s a keeper.
Gallas – found it easy playing next to kaboul against a shit team
Bale – what is his problem? he sulked for most of the game, didn’t track back – he wasn’t even interested in taking any of the freekicks.
Lennon – crossed for the first, fouled for the second, he’s had Olsson sent off before so think he should have attacked him more. Had a lovely run in the first half too down the middle, shame Ade’s run put him on his left foot for the shot.
Modric – had time and space to move and pass – just a shame his left sided options were Rose and Ade.
VDV – he does score, he also gets involved, passes,tackles etc he may not be the fastest but he’s quality with fight.
Ade – came far too deep and wide for our one up front
Defoe hit and miss!
Bale as Messi..not Bales fault but one from Noddyland.
Im not saying Bale shouldnt cut inside , sometimes change wings but thats it. The players dont know where he is to play the ball to him.
Bale can only play on the left because he only has a left foot.