Harper 6.5 - Dealt well with the crosses and long throw-ins from Stoke, did what he had to well. I still think he needs to lose a bit of weight, and although his kicking was still poor it was vastly improved from the Arsenal game.
R.Taylor 5 - Gets worse every week, the occasion when he was presented with about four seconds to tee up the ball, and ping a cross into the area, and he managed to put it out for a Stoke throw on the other side. I mean, for fucks sake. Once again, naff set pieces and some gash positioning.
Edgar 6 - Struggled manfully after being thrown in, made some good headers etc but was skinned time and again by fat 80's porn star Fuller, can't wait till we get rid of him like.
Beye 6 - Can't complain, made two excellent last ditch challenges to put first Etherington and later Pugh off at the back post to make them drag their shots wide - composed as ever but still a bit prone to being outmuscled.
Bassong 6 - Out of position and didn't look comfortable attacking down the left side, although defensively he was average, a few class turns and robberies of Stoke players was counter-balanced by some shit positioning and marking.
Guthrie 5.5 - Did little, as he feels his way back to fitness. Correctly removed by Shearer.
Nolan 5 - No anticipation, drive or ambition whatsoever. Made a few tidy passes in the last 20 minutes as we got more possesion, but he's still about two yards off the pace. Needs to join Harper on the Cambridge diet as soon as possible.
Butt 6 - Steady game, for once he made some excellent tackles and then popped the ball off three yards to keep possesion. Should have been captain. Doesn't get more than a 6 though because his shooting was wayward (again!) and he keeps trying these crossfield Paul Scholes type balls that never come off. At least he's trying though, not as bad as usual.
Duff 6.5 - Provided the cross for Carroll's equaliser and for once kept the ball in key areas well. You can tell Shearer's had words with him as his positioning and anticipation are far better. General delivery was hit and miss although 10 times better than Ryan Taylor's.
Owen 5 - Played very deep again, and when it's only Shola ahead of him that simply doesn't work. Was anonymous second half, one header saved by the keeper early doors and little else of note.
Ameobi 1 - People will say it's harsh giving him such a shit mark, but it's fully warranted. Where do I start? He can't mark from corners, he can't shoot, dribble, run with pace (one decent move ended up with Shola doing his walking in treacle impression as he tried to reach a through ball he was about 4 yards closer than slow meathead Wilkinson, who got there first) - he doesn't even try for gods sake. The funniest part was, as soon as Carroll was stripped and ready for action, he looked up, won a flick-on, then sprinted back and won possesion and gave it to Butt to launch an attack - funny that. The best bit is, his replacement scored and defended corners like a centre half, meaning this waste of space should be out of the team.
SUBS
Jonas 6.5 - Added endeavour and creativity to the attack and won a succession of free kicks. Kept the ball well, and although his crosses were awful, at least they tended to find the other winger on the opposite flank opposed to drifting for a throw-in.
Carroll 8 - Scored an excellent header to level the match, defended every corner with a dominant header (are you watching, Shola?) and generally put himself about, winning more headers than Ameobi in his 25 minutes. Has to start the next game.
SHEARER 7 - Correctly replaced Guthrie after the interval, and Ameobi (although he's marked down for starting him) and the players he brought on made noticeable differences.
