Match Ratings

[Hibstrooper]

Thoughts for today? Here's my tuppenceworth...

Oxley 8 - some good saves today from the big man

Gray 6.5 - Good to have him back
Hanlon 7 - strolled it
Fontaine 7 - strolled it
Stevenson 6 - gave the ball away a few times, particularly first half

Bartley 8 - strong & composed, impressed today
McGeouch 7 - the main man with lost things going through him
McGinn 8 - Player. Low centre of gravity, just waltzes past players
Henderson 5 - not the best today however ups & downs to be expected from someone so young

Cummings 6.5 - another goal, overall game improving
Keatings 6.5 - great finish

[mentalhibee]

Thoughts for today? Here's my tuppenceworth...

Oxley 8 - some good saves today from the big man

Gray 6.5 - Good to have him back
Hanlon 7 - strolled it
Fontaine 7 - strolled it
Stevenson 6 - gave the ball away a few times, particularly first half

Bartley 8 - strong & composed, impressed today
McGeouch 7 - the main man with lost things going through him
McGinn 8 - Player. Low centre of gravity, just waltzes past players
Henderson 5 - not the best today however ups & downs to be expected from someone so young

Cummings 6.5 - another goal, overall game improving
Keatings 6.5 - great finish

A 5 for Henderson? He was involved in the build up play for both of our goals!

[PeterboroHibee]

Oxley 7 - A couple of flaps but equally some good saves.

Gray 6 - Dodgy back pass that could have cost us a goal, but generally comfortable.
Hanlon 8 - Strolled it.
Fontaine 8 - Strolled it.
Stevenson 7 - I thought he was better today. Still a few misplaced passes, but better going forward. Also put in the cross for the 2nd goal?

Bartley 8 - Played an important role defensively, and contributed more going forward.
McGinn 9 -Impressive display. Looks to be acomplete midfielder.
McGeough 9 - Probably just outdone by McGinn, but was an influential player.
Henderson 6 - I think hes got ability, but he was easily dealt with by Raith. Needs to learn to deal with other teams bullying him.

Cummings 6 - Got his goal but probably should have had a couple more, and should have also passed to Malonga.
Keatings 7 - Thought he looked good and seemed to work well with Cummings. Good finish for his goal as well.

[Pretty Boy]

Oxley - 8

Gray - 5
Hanlon - 7
Fontaine - 6
Stevenson - 6

Bartley - 7
McGeough - 7.5
McGinn - 8
Henderson - 7

Cummings - 6 (an extra point for the goal as he was poor but did what a striker should)
Keatings - 7

[Onceinawhile]

Oxley - 7 - Couple of good saves and a clean sheet, nothing to out of the ordinary though.

Gray - 6 - Few good tackles, highly average
Hanlon - 6 - wasn't overly tested, mostly solid
Fontain - 6 - wasn't overly tested, mostly solid
Stevenson -6 - got an assist, but his distribution was mostly poor.

Bartley - 7 - Physically dominant - a few decent passes.
Mcgeouch - 7 - Played well always looks to get going forward.
Mcginn - 8 - MOTM - some real classy touches. Few good shots.
Henderson - 5 - thought he was poor - pulled out a few challenges and was knocked about a bit.

Cummings - 6 - thought he was terrible, but fluffed two one on ones.
Keatings - 7 - scored - put himself about a bit, good start to his career.

Subs:
Dom - A few good touches, but i'd have brought him on earlier.
Martin - nae time, but got stuck in.
Mcgregor - nae time, but got stuck in.

[bingo70]

A 5 for Henderson? He was involved in the build up play for both of our goals!

A 5 is harsh but I thought he was pretty poor today.

[Andy74]

A 5 is harsh but I thought he was pretty poor today.

Didn't notice him at all today. I think that's what we will get with him as he is a young guy.

I think it's time for Cummings to take a wee step back for a bit. Poor today and I'd like to see Keatings and Malonga together.

[Billy Whizz]

Didn't notice him at all today. I think that's what we will get with him as he is a young guy.

I think it's time for Cummings to take a wee step back for a bit. Poor today and I'd like to see Keatings and Malonga together.

I'd agree on Henderson, completely disappeared in the 2nd half. Dom's still got a major part to play for Hibs, I like him, but that's if he's still with us come Tuesday night

[NAE NOOKIE]

Oxley ..... 7 ...... A few decent saves and one flap, solid enough though ... bloody annoying how long he takes at bye kicks.

Gray .......... 5 ........ He gave the ball away a couple of times and one shocking back pass .... he stuck at it and got better as the game went on.

Fontaine ..... 6 ..... Was solid and had a decent game overall.

Hanlon ...... 7 ....... He was everywhere and had a very good game.

Stevenson .... 5 .... In the first half especially he gave the ball away too often. 3 times he failed to control long balls to him and I noticed he moved in from the touchline after the 3rd one, to my mind to take away his team mates option of the long ball to him.

Henderson ..... 6 .... Started well but faded from the game as it went on ... I think the break this weekend will do him good.

Bartley ...... 6 .... Broke up their play well and put himself about .... if he had stayed on probably would have been a 7

McGeough .... 8 .... Played very well and won lots of tackles .... soon be back to his best.

McGinn ...... 8 ..... The same as McGeough, but still man of the match, passing, shooting, running with the ball, making space, tackles, this kid has it all .... could end up a real star for us.

Cummings ..... 6 ..... He was one on one twice and didn't score ... to be fair he made the first opportunity himself by closing down a defender, but his 2nd touch was far too heavy and gave the keeper time to close him down. Scored though and that's what he is supposed to do, well done for sticking at it.

Keatings ..... 7 .... Worked his arse off and it was a sublime finish, very good first game.

Subs:

Malonga ...... 4 ...... One great bit of skill and tried to get about.

Martin ...... 4 .... Worked very hard and closed them down well.

McGregor .... 3 .... No time to do much.

[GreenOnions]

I'd agree with much of the above. McGinn, McGeouch and Hanlon stood out in particular for me. Liked the look of Keatings too.

Lots to be positive about. Only two issues for me: the ongoing issue of poor use of the ball by our full-backs in the final third. The number of times we fail to deliver a quality cross from wide areas or it's cut off by the first defender is quite incredible.

Secondly - we got a bit sloppy and, despite being by far the better team, we did concede chances to Raith which, on another day, could cost us.

[gegs70]

It was an ok display today, still needs a bit of work. Lewis Stevenson although moved around well still can't produce that final ball. Hopefully we will see what players come in before the windows slams shut?

[KWJ]

Oxley - 8

Gray - 5
Hanlon - 7
Fontaine - 6
Stevenson - 6

Bartley - 7
McGeough - 7.5
McGinn - 8
Henderson - 7

Cummings - 6 (an extra point for the goal as he was poor but did what a striker should)
Keatings - 7

Pretty much this, maybe lower Henderson a half or point. Even up McGinn a half point too, great to watch.

[GreenLake]

We had a period of defensive stupidity at the end of the second half which bothers me. We should have been balls to the wall until the score was unreachable. I'm not sure who to blame for that if anyone, but I like McGregor signing and hope we rotate positions in defense a lot more than we did last year. Hanlon and Fontaine play great for most of the time but we can improve that further with competition for places. Similarly, rotating strikers develops a hunger and lethality that guaranteed selection does not. Well done Keatings, you just raised the bar. McGeouch looks like he will expand to fill the void left by Scott Allan and he should get a lot of help from McGinn and Fyvie. I think we have good chance this season.

Looking for an unbeaten home and away run of 374 until we get beat by Bayern Munich in a friendly.

[Brightside]

very surprised about the comments for cummings. I thought he did very well with Keatings today. he was forced into a 1:1 simply coz Malonga wasn't bothered making a run. Cummings worked hard, held the ball up well and i think him and James have the making of a decent partnership.

[Aldo]

very surprised about the comments for cummings. I thought he did very well with Keatings today. he was forced into a 1:1 simply coz Malonga wasn't bothered making a run. Cummings worked hard, held the ball up well and i think him and James have the making of a decent partnership.

Both strikers scoring, a clean sheet and a win.

Giving the manager a strikers headache... Both Cummings and Keatings must be in line to start the next game!

[Hibeewilly]

We had a period of defensive stupidity at the end of the second half which bothers me. We should have been balls to the wall until the score was unreachable. I'm not sure who to blame for that if anyone, but I like McGregor signing and hope we rotate positions in defense a lot more than we did last year. Hanlon and Fontaine play great for most of the time but we can improve that further with competition for places. Similarly, rotating strikers develops a hunger and lethality that guaranteed selection does not. Well done Keatings, you just raised the bar. McGeouch looks like he will expand to fill the void left by Scott Allan and he should get a lot of help from McGinn and Fyvie. I think we have good chance this season.

Looking for an unbeaten home and away run of 374 until we get beat by Bayern Munich in a friendly.
The defence is a major problem for me. Stevenson although his effort is unquestionable is a weak link and other teams know it. I would like to see a back four of Gray McGregor Fontaine and Hanlon to see if it improves things. The defence at times yesterday was a shambles and Raith will think they were unlucky to lose

[nickwhibs]

Ox - 7

Gray - 6
Hanlon -7
Fonts - 7
Stevenson - 6

Bartman - 7
Mcgeough- 8
Mcginn - 9
Henderson -6.5

Cummings - 6.5
Keatings - 8

[Smartie]

very surprised about the comments for cummings. I thought he did very well with Keatings today. he was forced into a 1:1 simply coz Malonga wasn't bothered making a run. Cummings worked hard, held the ball up well and i think him and James have the making of a decent partnership.

:agree:

I also thought that whilst it wasn't a virtuoso performance that Cummings did very well indeed.

He got a goal - and it took a bit of a stretch and the type of decent movement we've been crying out for to get on the end of it.

It's easy to criticise his 1-on-1s but I actually thought it was like he created great chances for himself almost out of nothing. He seems to have developed an extra yard of pace that carries him beyond defenders and keeps him there.

I thought all 3 strikers did well yesterday and whilst it was the strong midfield performances of McGeoch and McGinn that were the standout, we should also be happy with the way the other departments played. The keeper was excellent (again) and the defence did their bit.

Much more like it and whilst I think there can be further improvement and we can play better still it is really harsh to criticise anyone for that performance yesterday.
Henderson did fine and was simply overshadowed by the other midfielders playing well and whilst Lewis had the odd shaky moment he's playing himself out of a dodgy spell of form and should be delighted with the quality of the ball he put over for the second goal. That's what can happen when he plays a ball into a dangerous area, at pace and early without dithering too long first. He's capable - just needs to do it more often.

[Scouse Hibee]

very surprised about the comments for cummings. I thought he did very well with Keatings today. he was forced into a 1:1 simply coz Malonga wasn't bothered making a run. Cummings worked hard, held the ball up well and i think him and James have the making of a decent partnership.

Yes I agree, played well, stretched their defence, scored a goal and is still criticised. I see a massive improvement in his game from last season and importantly the goals are still coming.

[erin go bragh]

Oxley = 8

Gray = 6
Hanlon=7
Fontaine =7
Stevenson=6

Bartley=7
McGinn =8
McGeuch =8
Henderson=6

Keatings =7
Cummings=7

GGTTH

[LaMotta]

Oxley = 8

Gray = 6
Hanlon=7
Fontaine =7
Stevenson=6

Bartley=7
McGinn =8
McGeuch =8
Henderson=6

Keatings =7
Cummings=7

GGTTH

Exact same as what I would score them all! Not an unnecessary half mark in sight.

[MSK]

Yes I agree, played well, stretched their defence, scored a goal and is still criticised. I see a massive improvement in his game from last season and importantly the goals are still coming.Ive seen him have better games, perhaps one or two wrong choices yest, however, he chased, harried and kept the Raith defenders on their toes throughout the game. He is a young lad who is still learning and will make mistakes, he was in the right place at the right time and got his goal. There's no doubt he will continue to improve and will be a big player for us in the coming years.

[Eyrie]

The defence is a major problem for me. Stevenson although his effort is unquestionable is a weak link and other teams know it. I would like to see a back four of Gray McGregor Fontaine and Hanlon to see if it improves things. The defence at times yesterday was a shambles and Raith will think they were unlucky to lose


It won't.

Hanlon is a CH, so why do you think that he can perform the wing back role better than Stevenson? Does he have the stamina and pace to shuttle up and down the touchline for 90 minutes, or the ability to supply a dangerous cross at the first attempt? And remember that we don't have a left winger to play in front of him.

[The Leith Dutch]

The defence is a major problem for me. Stevenson although his effort is unquestionable is a weak link and other teams know it. I would like to see a back four of Gray McGregor Fontaine and Hanlon to see if it improves things. The defence at times yesterday was a shambles and Raith will think they were unlucky to lose

I can get the criticism of Stevenson going forward - I think he gets up the pitch and into good positions well but the final ball is a little lacking.

Defensively he's obviously not a world class left back but I'm bemused by folk who think that our defensive problems are all or mainly on him - that would imply that we lose a large percentage of our goals through someone getting free on the right wing which I don't think is really the case. He's a decent defensive left back.

Most of the goals we conced have come from set pieces.

I was at the game yesterday and I didn't see that as a defensive shambles (if you did you must have a much bigger vocabulary than I do to describe Hibs defences in recent years ;) )
Kept them relatively quiet and most of their chances that resulted in Oxley saves were a result of shooting well from distance.

Hanlon is also no longer a left back in anything other than an emergency scenario.

[Frogga]

Oxley = 8

Gray = 6
Hanlon=7
Fontaine =7
Stevenson=6

Bartley=7
McGinn =8
McGeuch =8
Henderson=6

Keatings =7
Cummings=7

GGTTH

Yep I'd go with that too, although 7's for McGeough and Oxley for me. Good, steady performance all round with a deserved MOM for McGinn :agree:

[ancient hibee]

I also thought the defence was poor but don't agree that Stevenson was the weak link-all the danger came through our right back area -easily beaten,poor marking and inability to get back in position-not anywhere near his standard of last season.

[MWHIBBIES]

very surprised about the comments for cummings. I thought he did very well with Keatings today. he was forced into a 1:1 simply coz Malonga wasn't bothered making a run. Cummings worked hard, held the ball up well and i think him and James have the making of a decent partnership.You're kidding right? Malonga was back post for a tap in.

[HFC 0-7]

It was an ok display today, still needs a bit of work. Lewis Stevenson although moved around well still can't produce that final ball. Hopefully we will see what players come in before the windows slams shut?

What was wrong with his cross for the goal?

[liamh2202]

What was wrong with his cross for the goal?

Those ones don't count in some peoples eyes mate..

[HFC 0-7]

I also thought the defence was poor but don't agree that Stevenson was the weak link-all the danger came through our right back area -easily beaten,poor marking and inability to get back in position-not anywhere near his standard of last season.

Agree! Gray is nowhere near his form of last season and is looking very shaky at times. The 2 cb's positioning seemed suspect with too many balls not being met, there were a few crosses that managed to evade everyone yesterday. The defence looked under pressure as soon as we let the tempo drop. Oxley needs to be quicker at times with his distribution.

[Zazu62]

Bartley and McGinn looked solid very impressed.