City 3 Burnley 3: Player ratings

November 07, 2009

6 GIVEN One tremendous save before Burnley’s second, and couldn’t be faulted

6 ZABALETA Joined in the attack to good effect but had a couple of dodgy defensive moments

7 TOURE Saw the defence crumbling around him, but went to the other end and bagged an equaliser

5 LESCOTT Soft penalty to concede and went missing for Burnley’s second goal

5 BRIDGE Needs to learn when to get forward and when to defend – caught out more than once

8 WRIGHT-PHILLIPS Never stopped trying, and ended up scoring one and making the third

7 IRELAND Dreadful first half but gritted his teeth and played a big part in the fightback

6 BARRY Just not happening for him at the moment, but not through a lack of endeavour

6 BELLAMY Booking and a goal – just a normal quiet day at the office

6 TEVEZ The shooting practice isn’t paying off and the quality just wasn’t there

6 ADEBAYOR It isn’t happening for him but the big man kept on trying to be a nuisance

Substitutes PETROV (for Tevez 73 mins) not enough time to mark

Not used: Taylor, Richards, de Jong, Johnson, Weiss, Santa Cruz

BURNLEY: Jensen, Mears, Caldwell, Carlisle, Jordan, Alexander, Bikey (McDonald 62), Eagles (Nugent 71), Elliott, Fletcher, Blake (Gudjonsson 62)

Battle of the bosses: Hughes has spent a lot of time working on his defence but might need to change his personnel

Referee: Stuart Attwell 5

Attendance: 47,205

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Bristol Blue, Bristol (07/11/2009 at 18:03)

Hughes has spent a lot of time working on his defence? Really? It's not working then. Get Nedum fit again - he stabilised us last season and do something about Bridge - hint try Sylvinho he played for Barca last season.

PJS, Oz (07/11/2009 at 18:04)

"Hughes has spent a lot of time working on his defence"

Based on what? I've seen no evidence of that whatsoever. What's the point of having a 7 man bench if you're not going to replace any handful of half a dozen players that are practically putting their hands up to be substituted?

mat005, Macclesfield (07/11/2009 at 18:04)

New manager please!!

Portsmouth Blue (07/11/2009 at 18:05)

Do we have a defence ????

Ian Ogley (07/11/2009 at 18:06)

very generous

paul c schofield (07/11/2009 at 18:08)

Left back for sale.Any offers considered.Somehow he is the England squad.

karen tyler (07/11/2009 at 18:08)

Defenders should not be picking up their wages this week
Lescott cannot cope with his price tag.
Need Nedum back asap and Lescott tried at left back or dropped!
What midfield? not had one all season! Come back Kompany and Johnson!

HAYMAN BACK IN BOLTON, WESTHOUGHTON (07/11/2009 at 18:09)

Some of the marks are over generous for players that continue to go backwards in terms of performances under Hughes.He has consistenty failed,as has his coaching staff around him,to obtain the best from his players.Hence for me Hughes scores a more than generous 3.

Steven Goran Eriksson, www.mancity.blogsfc.com (07/11/2009 at 18:09)

Fair play to Burnley, they came here and played us off the park in the first half. But as soon as we got our third goal, we again showed some naiverty. Of course we want to go on and get more goals, that is in line with our new mentality, but we also need to learn when to take the sting out of games. De Jong should have been brought on to shore up the midfield, especially because Barry was hvaing a 'mare. He cost us the second goal and was again, for about the fourth match on the trot, unable to gain a foothold in the game. Adebayor look totally disinterested today, failing to win any forward aerial ball. Tévez was again poor, and his shooting was shocking! Personally, I thought the defence did OK. Lescott in the second half was awesome, whilst Zabaleta looked promising.

I am usually one who gives the referee the benfit of the doubt, but today, Attwell was just simply appalling. He missed loads of clear-cut decisions and gave many free-kicks which were baffling. For our second goal, he seemed to forget which way to point! Overall, he was extremely poor.

Harry Dowd's Broken Finger, Guildford (07/11/2009 at 18:11)

Bridge woeful. Need to move Lescott to LB and put Nedum in the centre of defence as a stop gap until January. Describing Adebayor a nuisance is digraceful.

Cabeeno (07/11/2009 at 18:11)

LESCOTT = CLOWN
he is a disgrace to the clingon race

50 and mad for it (07/11/2009 at 18:19)

adebayor was a nuisance all right, but to the wrong team, constantly offside and bone idle

Auntie Mary's Canary, My Blue Heaven (07/11/2009 at 18:21)

Given 6, Zabaleta 7, Toure 5, Lescott 3, Bridge 2, Barry 3, Ireland 5, SWP 4, Tevez 3, Bellamy 3, Ade 1 (and that's for turning up!)

MH 0. The rest of his coaching staff etc 0.

Completely clueless. We're going nowhere. I've now accepted that (as Arsenal score a 3rd in the first-half away to Wolves) and we just have to lower our expectations to zero.

No class, no clue, no hope.

Painful, but true.

micheal ok, kilworth,county cork ireland. (07/11/2009 at 18:25)

adebayor had a decent game,put himself around a bit.
bridge and lescott both shocking,i would have a defence for liverpool (injuries withstanding)
RB:Onouha,RCB:Toure,LCB:Komp,LB:Sylvinho.

bridge has been given enough chances,lets see what sylvinho can do.

CTID

Lagos Kev, Nigeria West Africa (07/11/2009 at 18:28)

I agreed with the selection of Ireland ahead of DeJong but it didn't come off. Playing with no midfield defence in front of the back four turned out to be a disaster. And just because Barry 4 is not an attacking midfielder doesn't automatically make him a defensive one either. I don't have any beef with the selections just the individual performances. Tevez 4 for a man of his class, he blasted over when he should have put Emma in, shot weekly and put a good chance chance over in the second half. Lescott 4 hasn't turned into a bad player overnight but he needs a rest, VK to replace.
Obviously we are not going down but 5 points from 15 is relegation form.
Mr Hughes, sorry but it has to be musical shirts until the best 11 makes itself clear.

Sam Haggar-Mark Hughes is the Man (07/11/2009 at 18:30)

Given 7

Zabeleta 7 Lescot 4 Toure 6 Bridge 6

SWP 8 Barry 6 Ireland 6 Bellemy 7

Tevez 7 Adenayor 6

Tipperary Blue (07/11/2009 at 18:32)

For once, for the most part, well thought out comments and (relative) ratings, though I think you're being kind to Bridge, Lescott, Adebayor, and unkind to Bellamy

Cabeeno (07/11/2009 at 18:33)

Who voted for lescott as man of the match!!?? seriously whoever you are, you are either are totally blind or totally clueless, one or the other. Lescott is a dud. I cannot beleive that we forced our captain out of the club for this liability, he was the worst player on the pitch by a country mile and i dont care that he got that assist it just doesnt make up for his lack of ability to defend which is the reaosn we bought him. Send him back to whereever he came from, put richards back in the squad if needs be.. just get rid of him

bryan norbury, staffordshire (07/11/2009 at 18:34)

HUGHES OUT < HUGHES OUT.....the season is spiralling out of control...we are getting worse as a team not better....hughes out of his depth....needs to be replaced before xmas or risk finishing mid table again.. tactics non existant...cant blame a bad game...we were appalling last game at birmingham and not much better at home to fulham.....these games we should be winning.....ueafa league best we can hope for at the minute...if were lucky......

Burlington Blue, Canada (07/11/2009 at 18:48)

Watched the game and wished I hadn't, we were dreadful in pretty much all departments, Bridge was bad beyond belief I think I would rather have had Sylvinio in there and that be an improvement at least even at his age, Lescott was just as bad and I am yet to see a performance that convinces me he is any good at all, he can't head, he can't tackle, and he can't pass, and both of these players constantly get caught out of possition no one can tell me there not a liability, I know it takes time for players to settle in but how long and how many poor performances do we let them have, time for change me thinks!

And It's Neville to Goater ... GOAAAAL !!! (07/11/2009 at 18:51)

lescott should not be a first choice centre half at this club, drop him and sell him in jan, get someone in who can read the game, you cant teach football, you either have a football brain or you dont, he unfortunately doesn't.

Johnson6 (07/11/2009 at 19:02)

Ireland 7? He showed why Hughes hadn't recently played him. He and Barry made vacant space in front of the back line. Against Liverpool, City need Dejong.

Burlington Blue, Canada (07/11/2009 at 19:04)

Given 7

Zabeleta 7 Lescot 4 Toure 6 Bridge 6

SWP 8 Barry 6 Ireland 6 Bellemy 7

Tevez 7 Adenayor 6
Sam Haggar-Mark Hughes is the Man,
7/11/2009 at 18:30

Sam Haggar how do you get those marks were you watching a different game to me, I think you must have been especially giving Bridge a 6 he was lucky to get a 1.
I think these marks are much more fair!

Given 6

Zabeleta 6 Lescot 3 Toure 6 Bridge 1

SWP 6 Barry 5 Ireland 5 Bellemy 7

Tevez 5 Adenayor 5

Happy To Be Blue, Manchester (07/11/2009 at 19:05)

I don't think that it's coincidence that City's wobble has been during Gareth Barry's loss of form. He was instrumental in all the early season performances and now things are just not happening for him. Get behind the boys. We don't need dissent from the terraces right now. We still look good going forward. Burnley's equaliser was a good goal but it was their only shot on goal in the second half. I'm still optimistic and I feel it will come right.

IAN TAYLOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK (07/11/2009 at 19:06)

I think we should try a new left back but we don't need to go and buy one. Why don't we recall Ryan McGivern; he can't be any worse ( positionally ) than Bridge, is probably a better defender and even if he isn't as good going forward does it really matter because more often than not Bridge is doubling up on either Bellamy or Petrov and just blocking their space.

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