Rate the performances of the Sanchez signings

From grades A through F (I suspect we won't be seeing many A's):

Kasey Keller: Thought he did relatively well during his cameos early, but has been out with a long-term injury. Think I'm going to give him a C, though he could stand to get some playing time once he comes back.

Chris Baird: Oh geez, where to begin? No pace; no ability to tackle, win balls, or pass; has been burned by virtually everybody he's marked; adds nothing at either end of the pitch. Arguably Lawrie's worst summer signing, and that's saying a lot. Big. Fat. F.

Paul Konchesky: Has provided a decent option at left-back, though he's liable to have an off-game from time to time. If nothing else, he's been consistently average to above-average. Teetering between a B-minus and a C-plus here.

Nathan Ashton: Haven't seen enough of the guy to give a rating, although he appeared competent on his debut vs Reading.

Dejan Stefanovic: I'm not sure how much athletic ability he had in his prime, but it looks like much of it has eroded over the years. Tries his best, but his miscues have led to several goals -- and imo, he hasn't been the solid defender that I thought he'd be when he was signed. I'll be nice and give him a C-minus, if only because he has looked good in patches.

Aaron Hughes: A couple of Jekyll & Hyde stretches from him thus far. On his day, he can replicate his NI form; when he's off his game, well... you get the idea. Still not a bad defender, though, and he's had to shrug off an injury as well. Gets a C from me at this stage.

Andre Leijer: See Nathan Ashton. Without the debut part, of course.

Steven Davis: An utter disappointment so far, after his much ballyhooed signing from Aston Villa. The Villa supporters were loathe to see him leave, but he hasn't done much to suggest that he was worth all the money and publicity. Been too lightweight in the middle of the park, and his passing hasn't been up to scratch. It's a D for him.

Danny Murphy: Been better than Steven Davis as far as going forward is concerned. However, his lack of mettle in getting down for tackles offsets his abilities in attack. Doesn't make a cohesive pairing with Davis, but can probably play better with a more defense-minded partner. Gets a C from me.

Seol Ki-Hyeon: Wasn't much more than an LG marketing ploy until he put in a few good crosses against CSKA London. Even then, he's still got plenty to prove -- that is, if he actually get the opportunities to actually prove himself again. All depends on how much PT he gets, but his performances so far suggest that he may not be in line for many starts. Warrants a grade of D.

Hameur Bouazza: He can give his markers nightmares on his day, but the problem with him is that you never know when his day is. He's definitely looked like a threat going forward, but he can also disappear completely from matches at times. Another Jekyll & Hyde-type player. His erratic ways bump his grade down to a B-minus.

Lee Cook: See Andre Leijer. Though his high transfer fee makes his lack of a debut performance all the more disconcerting.

David Healy: Was mooted to be the best signing for the money during the summer. He looked to be well worth the investment at the start of the season, but then the goals dried up in a hurry. Hasn't been the same player since, but beats the other (uninjured) options we have right now. I'll opt for a grade of C here.

Shefqi Kuqi: Has yet to score a goal, though he's played a part in setting up goals on several occasions. Having said that, he's still guilty of missing good chances. Then again, he wasn't exactly lighting it up in the Championship either... think I'll give him a C-minus.

Diomansy Kamara: A good scorer in the Championship, and a player with great pace. But a £6 million player? Never! He's provided the least amount of bang for the buck. But he did score with an overhead kick vs Spurs. That alone will net him a grade of D-minus.


Feel free to agree or (more likely the case) disagree with one, some of even all of the ratings here.

 

I'll just say this...
No one gets above a B-.

Its amazing, if you pause and reflect, how badly LS ruined this club. We're talking Peter Angelos/Isiah Thomas/Billy King-esque.

 

LS wasn't even FUNNY like Isiah.

 

You have to keep in mind what the players were 1) brought in for ($) and 2) brought in to play what role.

Keller. B- Put pressure on Niemi, forcing him to step up and provides Fulham with a reliable back-up (once healthy again).

Baird. D- He at least provides flexible coverage for RB and CH (from the bench).

Konchesky. B- Solid LB; good against physical strikers, not so good against pacey ones. Has confidence issues that Hodgson should be able to sort out.

Ashton. B Brought in and a young LB for the future; looks promising.

Stefanovic. B- Solid, if slow CH.

Hughes. B Decent CH, arguably the best we have.

Leijer. ? Who?

Davis. C+ Good talent playing in the wrong system. Has shown glimmers of what he should become under Hodgson.

Murphy. C+ We needed some more experience in the midfield; he provided that, but no longer has the legs for 90 minutes.

Seol. D Coppell wasn't playing him for a reason, despite his potential.

Boazza. B Good young winger with a lot of potential. Good long-term purchase for the club.

Cook. ? Who?

Healy. B No, he's not leading the Premiership in scoring, but he gives good effort and has solid poaching skills. He should be helped by the change in tactics.

Kuqi. A IMO, this was Sanchez's best pick-up. He was cheap and brought in to provide limited CF coverage. He has given 110% when he's been on the pitch. He hasn't scored, but has helped create chances and helped keep the pressure off Dempsey. For what he cost and what he was brought in to do, I think he has overperformed. Once we complete our change of tactics and we get McGod back, he'd be good for spelling Brian a bit later in the season.

Kamara. D- Sanchez's worst signing. Given his proven lack of work-rate, he simply wasn't worth the 6M he cost. He has pace and potential, but has always lacked the heart and killer instinct. He only avoids an F because of the acrobatic equalizer against Spurs.

 

Keller: C+

Baird: D-

Konchesky: B

Ashton: TDB

Stefanovic: B-

Hughes: B

Davis: C

Murphy: C+

Seol: D

Bouazza: B

Cook: TBD

Healy: C+

Kuqi: C-

Kamara: D+

 

Re: RE: Rate the performances of the Sanchez signings

I think you're right - we're obviously operating on a limited budget and so you do have to evaluate players in that context. I think this makes the Keller, Ashton and Kuqi signings/loan look better than they otherwise might.

I don't understand why people are so harsh on Kuqi. He was brought in at low cost, as a short-term fill-in for an injured player, and has consistently played hard in his appearances despite having less incentive to do so than most players (since he's only here on loan). Yes, he's really slow, but at least he runs.

 

RE: Re: RE: Rate the performances of the Sanchez signings

Keller: B - for the time that he was available he was solid and helpled push Niemi back to form and when he returns he will be at least a solid back-up pushing Niemi to stay on form.

Baird: F - failed as a fulback but perhaps he deserves a shot a CB.

Konchesky: C+ - I think he was underexposed and overrated while the opposition attacked Baird's side of the pitch. I think he is solid but not spectacular.

Ashton: TDB

Stefanovic: C+ - He is mostly solid but compounds our pace problems in the back.

Hughes: B

Davis: C - This is a tough one for me. At times he has been outstanding but he disappears far to often. I question if the long-ball style of play under Sanchez suited Davis's skill sets. A C for now but think we might see more from him in the future.

Murphy: B - I like Murphy for 45 minutes. Beyond that I think he loses something. With our current midfield I would love to see Murphy and Smertin split the position with each playing nearly a half.

Seol: D - If you can't play with your head up it does not matter what you can do with the ball while you are looking at it.

Bouazza: B - Pace and youth. Solid for now with real potential for the future.

Cook: TBD

Healy: C - There is no denying the man has a rocket launcher attached to his right leg and his left is not bad either but he has no pace and is very small. While he is not sitting the PL on fire I still think with the right help up top he could find the net. He should be coming off the bench and not our first option.

Kuqi: I am going to pass on giving Kuqi any grade other than an A for effort. His skill set however is not PL quality.

Kamara: D+ - I tired very hard to wait for Kamara to bloom and he still may but Fulham does not have the luxary of playing him regularly at this point hoping his head catches up to his physical attributes. I really love the fact that he looks to the goal when he receives a pass but a PL forward really ought to be able to pick his head up and pass on occasion.

 

RE: Re: RE: Rate the performances of the Sanchez signings

I don't want to reminisce no the matches played thus far...makes me sick. So I won't rate anyone but will say I'm glad we'll get the chance to rate them again under Hodgson now. Hopefully we'll see improvement from most if not all of them.