Burnley v Watford - Player Ratings

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:35 pm

Please leave ratings for all players who have played 20 mins or more.

Scoring is from 3 to 10 as follows:

10 - Out of this World
9 - Excellent
8 - Very Good
7 -Good
6 - Average
5 - Below Par
4 - Poor
3 - Abysmal

jdrobbo · Post by **jdrobbo** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:38 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Anthony 8
Cullen 9***
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 9
Flemming 6

taio · Post by **taio** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:54 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
CJER 7
Esteve 7
Humphreys 7
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 9*
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

claretspice · Post by **claretspice** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:56 pm

A good cohesive performance against the most open side we've seen at Turf Moor all season, and an important and deserved win.

Trafford - 8 - largely uninvolved but picked some nice passes when we played for deep and one made an excellent save and a couple of excellent claims, when called upon.

Roberts - 8 - a very sharp afternoon's work. Defended tidily and added dynamism to our attack.

Humphreys- 7 - solid and neat enough down the left.

Egan Riley - 8 - used the wind to great effect to play 4 or 5 sublime long range passes. Very solid defensively until the slightly frenetic last 10 minutes.

Esteve - 8 - another composed and commanding afternoon.

Cullen - 9 - recovered so many balls there must've been two of him, and used the ball with fabulous composure.

Laurent - 7 - did the ugly stuff well although his booking slightly impacted his effectiveness, but a little less tidy or incisive in possession.

Brownhill- 9 - a superb box to box performance capped with an assist and a well taken goal.

Anthony - 8 - took his goal really smartly and really purposeful in attacking his full back. Got a bit more space and showed what he can do with it.

Hannibal- 8 - by some distance his best performance for Burnley. Didn't look an obvious fit on the left wing but produced a performance reminiscent of Scott Arfield at his best. Involved in both goals and really unlucky not to score.

Flemming- 7 - much sharper and more purposeful, and helped by both a pretty average Watford defensive performance and a commitment from Burnley to make the pitch bigger than against Derby, although there were still a few occasions when you sensed a natural number 9 would have been sharper in his movement.

Subs - not on long enough but a shout out for the tenacity and commitment of Koleosho in working the length of the left wing for the team.

A really good performance and a really creditable game in tough conditions. The teamsheet raised a few eyebrows given our struggles with a similar set up against Derby, but it worked far better today. Firstly we were up against a far more expansive and defensively ill-disciplined opponents who gave us space to play, and that played into our hands. But secondly we made the pitch a bit bigger with Hannibal doing a really selfless job for the team of holding his width on the left to create a little more space in central areas, and we used Egan Riley's ability to switch play to great effect. The two goals were lovely moves that were the best of what Parker is trying to do.

We got a little bit rushed once Watford got a slightly fortuitous goal against the run of play but in the end we saw the game out relatively easily.

Onto bigger tests in the next two away games but this was an excellent start to this really tough run.

JohnMac · Post by **JohnMac** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:56 pm

Trafford 8 A lot of quality in his kicking today and a brilliant save.
Roberts 7 Had some good players up against him today and marshalled them well.
Egan-Riley 8 Back to his steady best
Esteve 8 - Same as CJE-R
Humphreys 8 - Showed his potential today
Anthony 8 - Well taken goal and didn't shy away from anything
Cullen 8 - He has a consistency few can match
Brownhill 9** - Here, there, everywhere and took his goal really well.
Laurent 7 - Has to start every week, allows the other Josh's to do what they do best.
Hannibal 9** - His best game for us and deserved top billing with Josh Brownhill
Flemming 7 - Starved of the ball but tried to create angles and space.

Best team performance so far this season.

HahaYeah · Post by **HahaYeah** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 5:59 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 8
Egan Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 9
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Anthony 9
Flemming 8

Subs:
Koleosho na
Rodriguez na
Egan na

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:00 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7

Anthony 7
Cullen 9 *** Immense today
Brownhill 9 great game. Lovey finish too.
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8 Best game so far.
Flemming 7

Some excellent individual performances and, a largely excellent team performance.

LincsWoldsClaret · Post by **LincsWoldsClaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:01 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
Egan Riley 7
Esteve 7
Humphreys 8
Cullen 8
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8*
Anthony 8
Flemming 7

MeeActon1 · Post by **MeeActon1** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:03 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 8
Hannibal 8
Anthony 7
Flemming 7

cockneyclaret · Post by **cockneyclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:04 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 8
Egan Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Cullen 9**
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Anthony 8
Flemming 8

Parker 8

quoonbeatz · Post by **quoonbeatz** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:04 pm

Trafford 8 one excellent save, a good punch late on under pressure and his kicking was remarkably straight in the swirling wind

Roberts 7 sound

Egan-Riley 8 sound defensively and some top pings out wide

Esteve 8 Steve

Humphreys 8 he’ll have a very good career

Cullen 8 metronome

Laurent 8 calm, assured, strong

Brownhill 9 excellent throughout, set the tempo and found some great positions pushed forward; a top cross with his swinger for the first and a lovely curler with his swinger for the second

Anthony 8 did brilliantly to control his finish for the first, unlucky not to get a second

Hannibal 7 at last a decent performance from him and in a position probably nobody really wanted to see him playing; amazing the difference when he concentrates on playing football rather than being a tool. Involved in both goals, twisted and turned cleverly and his passing was markedly improved

Flemming 7 still not convincing up top but he did well today

Probably the most complete 90 mins of the season so far and in rancid conditions. High fives all round.

equinox · Post by **equinox** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:04 pm

Cullen, the clue that sticks the team together.

I'm not sure Parker would know what to do without him.

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:07 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 6
Esteve 7
Egan-Riley 7
Humphreys 6
Cullen 7
Brownhill 8
Hannibal 8
Laurent 7
Anthony 7
Flemming 6

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:12 pm

equinox wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:04 pm
Cullen, the clue that sticks the team together.

I'm not sure Parker would know what to do without him.

We really do need some backup for him in case of injury.
I don't see how we maintain any sort of challenge if we lost him.

IanMcL · Post by **IanMcL** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:14 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Esteve 8
Egan-Riley 7
Humphreys 7
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9
Hannibal 8
Laurent 7
Anthony 8
Flemming 7

Best team performance of the season.

RVclaret · Post by **RVclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:15 pm

Trafford 8 - did well in tough conditions for a keeper
Roberts 8 - some really purposeful attacking play
Egan-Riley 8 - effective long range passing
Esteve 7 - swept up most stuff
Humphreys 7 - he’s got a good footballing brain
Cullen 9* - ran the game
Laurent 7 - needed his physicality against Watford
Anthony 8 - used the ball far better today and another goal
Hannibal 8 - energetic, tidy feet and positive
Flemming 7 - looked better in a ‘2’
Brownhill 9 - at his best today, ball winning and finishing

The 4-4-2 type shape worked well today. Flemming and Brownhill pressed well together, while Hannibal was able to pick up pockets in between the lines nicely to help knit moves together. Credit to Parker for identifying Watford’s weakness in central midfield, Sissoko was shocking for them.

helmclaret · Post by **helmclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:15 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 7
Anthony 7
Flemming 7

Much more urgency and fluidity going forward.

Such a solid base and now starting to see a bit more going forward. Well done SP.

Stalbansclaret · Post by **Stalbansclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:18 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Cullen 9 ….superb and my MoM
Brownhill 9 .includes a point for a brilliant goal
Laurent 7… the “three Josh” midfield looked great today
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7
Anthony 8 …immeasurably better than his dire performance v Derby

Luppy · Post by **Luppy** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:20 pm

Trafford - 8 - difficult conditions, one outstanding save

Roberts - 7 - linked well with Anthony all day
CJER - 8 - another excellent performance
Esteve - 7 - good performance though got turned a couple of times
Humphreys- 8 - thought he had a really good game

Cullen - 10* - don’t give maximum marks often, but thought he was immense today. Can’t recall a misplaced pass, won every challenge, broke the game up constantly and stayed calm when it got a bit frenetic
Brownhill - 8 - good game, great goal
Laurent - 7 - needed his physicality against a big side

Anthony - 8 - a constant threat and good goal
Flemming - 6 - can’t fault the effort
Hannibal - 8 - his best game to date for us

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:27 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Anthony 8
Cullen 9* MotM
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 9
Flemming 6

Now thats more like it Burnley ... keep it up

Poulton-le-Claret · Post by **Poulton-le-Claret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:29 pm

JT - 8
Roberts - 7
CJ - 8
Esteve - 8
Humphreys - 7
Hannibal - 9*
Cullen - 9
Brownhill - 8
Laurent - 8
Anthony - 7
Flemming - 7

Koleosho - 7 - didn't play long but feel he deserves a positive score for his effort.

RalphCoatesComb · Post by **RalphCoatesComb** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:33 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 9
Humphreys 7
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 9 *
Laurent 8
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

That is more like it. Some of the movement today was top notch

ClaretFelix · Post by **ClaretFelix** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:35 pm

Not sure if Watford were poor or we just made them look that way? A glance at the table suggests it could be the latter. By far our best performance all season. Not a single negative today, and I very rarely give 9s!

Trafford 8. Quiet game but big save and punch at key times along with decent distribution

Humphreys 8 not a natural left back, but certainly showed his versatility once more. Excellent in both directions

Esteve 8 Set the standard in the first game of the season and as yet has not fallen below it.

CJER 8 As above. As soon as he partnered Esteve, he's not looked back. Some of his positioning and long diagonals today were immense

Roberts 8 worked well with Brownhill and Anthony on that right side with lovely short interplay so full back didn't know whether he was coming or going

Cullen 9 dictated play, battled hard, won possession all game. Imperious

Brownhill 8 slightly more freedom to press with Laurents physicality alongside Cullen. Allowed him to get higher up the pitch where he found pockets of space to exploit

Laurent 8 I think we look far more fluid with the 3 Josh's in there. They seem to compliment each other

Hannibal 9 best game he's had by an absolute mile. Was allowed space early doors so played key passes at key times, which brought out his swagger with the ball, and aggression without it, though more controlled today, this is the player we want to see!

Anthony 9 I thought he was excellent. A constant threat and mixed it up well with short passes in the channels and whipped crosses outside.

Flemming 8 still not his natural position but held up play well and dropped into space allowing runners beyond him in a selfless display

Koleosho 7 not much time to make an impact but had them rattled
Jay n/a
Egan n/a

Parker 8 didn't tinker. Didn't try to fix something that wasn't broken and admitted that this is the kind of display he has been working towards.

Burnley1989 · Post by **Burnley1989** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:39 pm

Goliath wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:12 pm
We really do need some backup for him in case of injury.
I don't see how we maintain any sort of challenge if we lost him.

I gejt that but you could say that about quite a few

I dont think people realise how important Brownhill is, if he has a good game we generally win

Dark Cloud · Post by **Dark Cloud** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:40 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
Egan Riley 8
Esteve 7
Humphreys 7
Cullen 8
Laurent 7 (Great first half, but less so second half)
Anthony 6 (And that includes +1 for the goal and good shot which brought a superb save!)
Hannibal 9 (Maybe he's not JUST the new Dean Marney. Maybe he's more than that! We'll see!)
Brownhill 8 (Give him time and space and he's dynamite. Squeezed and pressured it can be a different story!)
Flemming 6

Koleosho 8 (Mainly for tracking back and being excellent defensively!)

Possibly the best performance this season at the Turf and yet still clinging on a bit at the death against a side who managed 2 meaningful goal attempts all match! We simply HAVE to stick the ball in the net and put teams away, especially when we're so, so much better than them! We had so many opportunities today and yet could easily have missed all 3 points by not being clinical enough.
I think SP can be hit and miss regarding subs and today he didn't get it right because we were losing steam almost straight after the second goal and he wasn't proactive and Watford were and could have made us pay. Anyway, we're keeping pace with the other contenders and we can hopefully do that until January when our striking options can be massively improved and that's going to be key!

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:40 pm

Some excellent performances today. Hannibal and Flemming both had their best performances of the season and it showed in our overall game play. Cullen was brilliant though and the best player on the pitch for me. It'll be interesting to see how we get on over the next few weeks. If we can keep this level of performance there's no reason we can't get a result at Sheff U and Boro.

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

Cirrus_Minor · Post by **Cirrus_Minor** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:47 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Estéve 8
Egan-Rily 8
Humpheys 7
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

fungus_the_bogeyman · Post by **fungus_the_bogeyman** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:47 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 8
Humphreys 8
Esteve 8
Egan-Riley 8
Cullen 9*
Brownhill 9
Laurent 8
Hannibal 9
Anthony 8
Flemming 8

I thought we were superb today. Really enjoyable performance.

PhiladelphiaChris · Post by **PhiladelphiaChris** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:11 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 8
CJER 8
Esteve 9
Humphreys 8
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 9
Laurent 8
Hannibal 9
Flemming 8

CoolClaret · Post by **CoolClaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:16 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 8
Egan Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9*
Laurent 7
Hannibal 8
Anthony 8
Flemming 7

Superb. Two more excellent goals, and dare I say it, that second goal was the best bit of linkup play we've had in 10+ years.

Fantastic win.

Anonymous Claret · Post by **Anonymous Claret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:27 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Anthony 9
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9
Laurent 8
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

Koleosho 7

MDWat · Post by **MDWat** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:41 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 8
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Laurent 7
Cullen 9*
Brownhill 8
Hannibal 8
Anthony 8
Flemming 7

Herts Clarets · Post by **Herts Clarets** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:43 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Anthony 8
Cullen 9*
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 9
Flemming 7

KlyBfc · Post by **KlyBfc** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:48 pm

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 7
Laurent 7
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9
Hannibal 8
Anthony 8
Flemming 7

sjb · Post by **sjb** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 8:03 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 8
Egan Riley 8
Esteve 8
Humphries 8
Anthony 8
Cullen 9*
Brownhill 8
Laurent 8
Hannibal 9
Flemming 8

Best home performance of the season

jedi_master · Post by **jedi_master** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 8:08 pm

I really, really enjoyed it today. Made the drive home far more satisfying! Great game.

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Esteve 8
CJ 8
Humphreys 7
Cullen 8
Brownhill 9
Laurent 8
Hannibal 8
Anthony 8
Flemming 8

billyhamilton82 · Post by **billyhamilton82** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 8:20 pm

Trafford 8 - Solid. Great save, good distribution in poor conditions. No chance with their goal.

Humphreys 8 - Defended well and got forward to support Hannibal on the left. He has genuine quality and does the basics extremely well as you would expect from a Chelsea graduate. Surprisingly effective going forward.

Esteve 9 - Our options at centre half are ridiculous at this level, and the current incumbents are not only our best options but also the best in the division.

CJER 9 - Class above anything Watford had up top. He is our key distributor, so comfortable on the ball and reads the game impeccably.

Roberts 8 - The balance was perfect with energy up and down both flanks he supported Anthony in attack whilst nullifying any threats from Watford's left.

Cullen 9* - MOM Performance - His new nickname should be GOD as he was everywhere.

Brownhill 9 - This new formation gave Brownhill the space to express himself which can only be a good thing at this level, and what a finish.

Laurent 8 - Parker has found the perfect balance in this formation using the players we have as Laurent supported Cullen ably and added strength and tenacity to the midfield battle, which we won along with the three points.

Hannibal 9 - Another quality player who has obviously been coached properly from a young age. We are a much more dynamic unit with him in the team and his workrate is excellent.

Anthony 9 - His best game yet for us IMO. Great goal and some fantastic wing play, he was a constant threat whilst also helping Roberts defend.

Flemming 8 - Obviously gained confidence from his goal last week. I can't wait to see him play in his best position but as it is he is doing a fine job with another selfless display although you can tell he is desperate to score in front of the home fans. The goals will come.

the_magic_rat · Post by **the_magic_rat** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 8:43 pm

Trafford 8

Roberts 8
Egan-Riley 9
Esteve 8
Humphries 8

Cullen 9 MOM
Brownhill 9
Laurent 8

Anthony 9
Flemming 8
Hannibal 8

CrosspoolClarets · Post by **CrosspoolClarets** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 9:11 pm

Trafford 9 - excellent saves at key moments
Roberts 7 - progressive
Esteve 9 - huge when we consider he must be half fit
Egan Riley 8 - passing in foul winds was superb
Humphreys 7 - not his natural position and did well
Cullen 9 - the new father to be seems to have come into form with that news and is thriving
Brownhill 9 - in his preferred position and is one he excels at in this division, calm finish
Laurent 8 - did well especially when considering he was booked early by that clown Liddington
Hannibal 8 - yet another played out of position, not ideal, but his fast feet won him lots of balls today
Anthony 8 - calm finish and did some flicks that I haven’t seen from him before
Flemming 7 - out of position and did well but wasn’t a natural

My heart sank when I saw the defensive team but we gained control and stamped our dominance on it throughout. Lots of neat intricate passing, often a pass too many, but overall a big step forward. I felt the Norwich comeback was a major turning point and it felt like it today. We will only know for sure after the next 2 weeks.

I do feel we would have struggled to create against a defensive side but were lucky to be against one willing to attack, but I’ll give credit to Parker for picking the right team against the right opponents. In truth it was a bit old-City-esque, a false 9, no wingers and full of midfielders, but, as City used to prove, it can work.

Two to go up automatically (if we dismiss prospects of three due to a City relegation) and three sides currently at two points per game or better. I don’t think any have failed to go up from this before? So something has to give, and we have to ensure that isn’t us. A win on Thursday really would light the blue touchpaper

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 9:33 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Estève 8
Humphreys 8
Cullen 9
Laurent 7
Anthony 9
Brownhill 9
Hannibal 9*
Flemming 7

ClaretLoup · Post by **ClaretLoup** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 9:52 pm

Trafford 8. Liked it when he came through a crowd of players for his two fisted clearance.
Roberts 7 steady
Egan-Riley 8 my favourite player atm
Estève 7
Humphreys 7 prefer him to the more erratic Brazilian.
Cullen 9
Laurent 8
Anthony 9 chalk and cheese Derby/ Watford games
Brownhill 9 the Joshes bossed the shop for 75 minutes
Hannibal 7 good at the ball winning, drawing fouls, needs to tidy up his distribution and improve shooting.
Flemming 7 much better today than vs Derby

My main hope for the window is that we nail down CJER to a new contract. Given his recent displays he might be tempted to run down his contract in the summer and we A) lose him B) lose him for nowt.

claretgimmer · Post by **claretgimmer** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:00 pm

Trafford 7 Better all round today, great punched clearance late on
Roberts 8 Covered a lot of ground today, contributed greatly to the attack
Egan Riley 8 Solid as a rock, great distribution, overcooked a couple in the second half but has vision
Esteve 8 Usual steady away performance
Humphreys 8 Looked more comfortable today going forward and defended well against a tricky winger
Cullen 9 Mom He was everywhere, total commitment, great tackles and excellent distribution.
Brownhill 8 Great goal again but at times seemed a little lethargic, hope he`s still here when the window closes
Laurent 8 Gives us a real presence in midfield, great acquisition at that price
Hannibal 8 Agree with many that was his best game for us, just needs to up his finishing
Anthony 8 Great on the ball but to many of his crosses didn`t beat the first defender
Flemming 8 Worked hard and held the ball up well, brought other players into the game.

A great team performance with some excellent one touch football, if this is the future then the future looks bright. UTC

Aclaret · Post by **Aclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:04 pm

Trafford 8 Very Good
Roberts 7 Good
ER 7 Good
Esteve 8 Very Good
Humphreys 7 Good
Cullen 9 Excellent
Laurant 7 Good
Anthony 8 Very good
Brownhill 9 Excellent
Hannibal 9 Excellent
Flemming 7

ksrclaret · Post by **ksrclaret** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:06 pm

Trafford 9 - outstanding save and outstanding punch out coming through a lot of bodies from a dangerous free kick

Roberts 8 - added a lot to our forward play

Egan-Riley 8 - some truly outstanding distribution and generally defended well too

Esteve 8 - Baah gave him more to think about than the forwards at this level are normally capable of, but dealt with pretty much everything in the end with his usual calmness

Humphreys 7 - played well in both directions

Anthony 8 - a great game and a cracking finish, which was more difficult than he made it look

Cullen 10 - flawless in his defensive work and in making us tick with the ball

Laurent 7 - adds a real physicality to the middle of the park that complements what Cullen brings perfectly. Couldn't influence things as much as he'd like after his yellow but was still very good overall

Hannibal 8 - his most complete performance to date, by miles. Tactically absolutely spot on with his positioning and knowing when to calm the game down and play backwards, and when to accelerate.

Brownhill 9 - he and Hannibal must be the fittest midfielders in the Championship. He got through an unbelievable volume of work and his finish was immaculate.

Flemming 7 - a better display from the centre forward position, in which he seemed to link up better with the midfield. There are still occasions though when it's obvious he's not got the sharpness

A proper Championship game that reminded me of seasons gone by. We absolutely bossed the midfield area. I was doubtful when I saw the team but for my money this was our best team performance of the season. Tom Cleverley saying at the end that the 2-1 defeat flattered them says it all.

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:09 pm

Burnley1989 wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:39 pm
I gejt that but you could say that about quite a few

I dont think people realise how important Brownhill is, if he has a good game we generally win

If we lose Brownhill then we have Hannibal and Laurent who can play there. If we lose Cullen we suddenly have nobody who can receive the ball comfortably under pressure in midfield. We stop being able to play out of presses and our whole game plan falls apart on my opinion. It's a big risk we are running If we don't sign someone else in his mould.

bfcmik · Post by **bfcmik** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:19 pm

Dark Cloud wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:40 pm
Anthony 6 (And that includes +1 for the goal and good shot which brought a superb save!)

Has he sha**ed your sister or something. You give him a 4 for everything he did apart from scoring the opener and getting away a great shot that the keeper saved? WTAF

morpheus2 · Post by **morpheus2** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:29 pm

quoonbeatz wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 21, 2024 6:04 pm
Trafford 8 one excellent save, a good punch late on under pressure and his kicking was remarkably straight in the swirling wind

Probably the most complete 90 mins of the season so far and in rancid conditions. High fives all round.

His kicking in the wind was only straight because he can't kick straight.

THEWELLERNUT70 · Post by **THEWELLERNUT70** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 10:37 pm

Trafford 8
Roberts 7
CJER 8
Esteve 8
Humphreys 8
Anthony 8
Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7
Hannibal 9*
Flemming 7

Jakubs Tash · Post by **Jakubs Tash** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 11:05 pm

Trafford 8

Roberts 7
Egan-Riley 8
Esteve 7
Humphreys 7

Cullen 9
Brownhill 8
Laurent 7

Anthony 7
Hannibal 8
Flemming 7

ecc · Post by **ecc** » Sat Dec 21, 2024 11:55 pm

Trafford 8 : Couldn’t do much about the goal but made two vital saves. The free-kick right at the end was like a semi-penalty : with the wind helping him the taker only needed to get a reasonably accurate hit in to turn it into a missile.
Roberts 8 : Really is in a rich vein of form both in defence and attack. He’s a clever footballer : he’s constantly looking for angles, where to play the ball, where to run. This is a PL Roberts.
Egan-Riley 8 : A by now standard high-level performance. He’s more and more confident bringing the ball out.
Estève 8 : Fortunately the Norwich injury wasn’t serious. There was one attack when he found himself on the left flank up against their winger. He matched him for pace but not sufficiently to get a tackle in however he won the ball when they arrived in the box. The jewel in our crown. He’s the most elegant Burnley defender I’ve seen in many, many years. I’m not saying he’s better than the likes of Tarky, Keane or Mee but he’s a true athlete and is just damn good to watch.
Humphreys 7 : He’s being asked to play out of position. But he did enough to get their right-back booked early doors.
Cullen 9 MOM : Josh had a difficult day in Norfolk but he was back to his best today. Won a huge number of balls and then used them to fine purpose.
Laurent 7 : Played deeper than last week. Did a sterling job alongside JC. Difficult to understand why Stoke let him go.
Anthony 8 : He’s in and out but today he was very good. Has a very happy knack of ghosting in on the right post and he put it away well. Involved in a lot of flowing football.
Brownhill 9 : Seemed really pumped up today and gave Zian good support, at times almost playing level with him. Finished off a splendid move that SP and his staff must be drooling over. Set up the first goal as well. One of his best performances this season.
Hannibal 8 : Best performance I’ve seen from him. He was well focused on the game and didn’t react to some hefty challenges made on him. Whilst he’s not a left-winger he’ll do for me if he plays like that every week. I like this lad, he plays with a smile on his face which is rare these days.
Flemming 8 : Let’s (try to) forget last week. Today was his best overall game. He put in a solid shift and shows touches of genuine class. Could prove to be a true talisman.

Subs : Like many of my fellow Clarets, I really appreciated Luca Koleosho’s defensive work in his cameo.

John Egan is a reassuring player to have on the bench.

Today was the best performance post transfer window meltdown and that in conditions worthy of Melville’s Moby Dick.
Sometimes, when they’re poor, you wonder what your team does in training all week. Not today. That second goal alone was proof of what SP and his staff are doing with the lads day in, day out.

I really felt we were going to get three or four today but football is a strange game. Watford are a decent team but we outclassed them up to their goal. Really pleased for the fans who paid a lot of money to go on and had to endure horizontal rain for 90 minutes.