End of season Player poll

Can't remember if we did one of these last year, but you know how these things work.

Rather than use a BS poll, I want you to rate all the players who have made sufficient numbers of appearances this season to warrant a grade. I have arbitrarily decided that this number is 6 appearances (starts and subs).

Grade each player according to the following ratings:

10 - unbelievable, really
9 - excellent season
8 - good season
7 - on balance, a successful season
6 - a qualified success, good in parts

5 - pretty average
4 - rather poor
3 - awful
2 - diabolical
1 - Istvan Kozma
0 – probably dead, please check

So, those are the ratings. I don't want you to post them here, PM them to me and I will compile a nice little summary so that we can get an official, on-balance, on-average view of what the BS LFC regulars thought of the season.

These are the players you must rate (appearances in brackets, starts + subs):

Babbel (6+1)

Baros (21+19)

Biscan (5+8)

Carragher (50+3)

Cheyrou (14+13)

Diao (21+17)

Diouf (34+13)

Dudek (44+1)

Gerrard (51+2)

Hamann (39+3)

Henchoz (31)

Heskey (37+14)

Hyypia (55)

Kirkland (15)

Mellor (4+2)

Murphy (54+1)

Owen (48+5)

Riise (47+9)

Smicer (18+16)

Traore (45+4)

Xavier (6)

 

Apologies, first of all for the length of time you have had to wait for the results of this poll. I have been haring around Europe on business for the past week and, whilst I have been able to stop in on occasion, have not had the time to compile the results and write them up.

But I have now - so, here we are with the inaugural BS-LFC End of Season Poll:

Thanks to all who contributed, it was an interesting exercise. The voting ranged from a zero (no news yet as to the player’s current state of vitality) to a couple of 10’s. There are those that would hold a score of “Unbelievable, really” for any player this season is markedly generous but - well, at least we can say that the BS-LFC crowd can be a very accommodating bunch, eh?

The average of marks awarded was a 6.08 (some of you could not stick to 10 marks and began awarding halves and even quarters. Thanks for that … ). Which means that the ultimate verdict on this season is “a qualified success, good in parts”. Now, we can debate the veracity of that here (as I am sure we will), but with as optimistic a hat on as one can find, you can make the argument that a qualified success it was (as in “most other clubs would kill for fifth, a trophy and some decent European nights in what ultimately counts as a poor season for the club”.). And it certainly was “good in parts” - those parts being the record-breaking start to the season, the trip to Cardiff and the later (too late) decent run. But I have to be honest that I would have felt more comfortable with a score in the 5 region. So those of you who awarded 10’s (I shall name no names) …

Overall, the meanest BS was … well, it was me. I awarded a total of 116 points. Most kind and gentle of the BS crowd was Newbie Valerpool, who awarded 147 points in total to the 21 players open for a mark.

Anyway - the nitty gritty.

First, of course, our player of the season. And I think I need not had any hammy suspense or build-up to this one, it was of course Danny Murphy, with an average mark of 8.375. The second most rated player was (and it was by a whisker, it has to be said) Mickey, with 8.315. Overall, not contentious, I’m sure we can all agree. OK - so Owen scored a career-best 28 goals, broke the 100 league goal barrier earlier than any of the other 10 players to have done so in the history of the Premiership, stayed injury-free and did all this at the age of 23 during a season that he himself had “written off” in pursuit of a new fitness regime aimed at curing those troublesome hammies and coming off the back of leading the line for England at the World Cup. But Danny Murphy was the single most effective player for us over the season. Crucial, that, in a year when you could sum up everything we have seen with the one word - “inconsistency”. The team had it’s best start to a season since 1988 and then it’s worst run since 1954. It then rounded off the season with another burst of points and the slumped again in the final two games.

Throughout this, though, Danny Murphy has performed with admirable composure, consistency and, crucially, guts. Others have, at times, hidden (no point denying it … it happened) but Danny, despite a strong current of discontent with some of his performances throughout our fanbase continued to play with authority and with an eye and a steadiness that others lost. Anyway, before this turns into something akin to a citation for the Victoria Cross, it’s Danny Murphy, BS-LFC 2003 Player of the Year.

Third place, by the way - and by quite some margin down from the top two, went to our Sami. Personally this astounded (I was meanest to him, awarding a 6) but then this poll also awarded Neil Mellor a higher mark than Steven Gerrard. Clearly, some nuanced interpretations of the marking system going on there.

Wooden spoon, inevitably, goes to our favourite Portugese Santa. With an average mark of 3.5, Abel Xavier soundly thrashes Smicer (4) and Cheyrou (4.25) in the race for last place, cantering over the finishing line rather like he used to canter back down the right wing to get back into position. Abel Xavier gets the 2003 BS-LFC Sean Dundee Medal and Shield.

So, the final standings, for all the voters:

Winner:
Danny Murphy - 8.375 (HI 9, LO 8)

Runner-Up
Micheal Owen - 8.315 (HI 10, LO 7.5)

Third place
Sami Hyypia - 7.75 (HI 10, LO 6)

The Sevens (on balance, a successful season)
Baros (7.5), Kirkland (7.5), Gerrard (7.25), Hamann (7.06), Henchoz (7)

A word here to Baros - many of you liked him, but many of you clearly decided he had not been given sufficient opportunity to earn a higher mark and this was reflected in the voting. His HI (a 9) was counterbalanced by some lower valuations (LO of 6). But I think we can all agree that he was certainly an impressive performer when given the chance and that he should have a greater chance to make an impact next season.

The Sixes (a qualified success, good in parts)
Dudek (6.625), Carragher, (6.5), Traore (6.5), Diouf (6),

Interesting to see the much castigated Traore poll a higher average vote than Diouf. Whilst Diouf certainly spent as much of the season blowing hot and cold as Traore did, he surely did as much in playing himself into the midfield as Traore did in performing credibly in the centre of defence when called upon to replace Henchoz (for the record, I gave both a 6).

The Fives (pretty average)
Riise (5.5), Heskey (5.25), Diao (5.125), Mellor (5)

Again, interesting to note that the relatively limited opportunities afforded to Mellor impact upon the valuation of his contribution, especially relative to Heskey.

The Fours (rather poor)
Smicer (4.5), Babbel (4.25), Cheyrou (4.25), Biscan (4)

Best of a bad bunch for Vladi. Hooray! Story of his four years at Anfield, one might say. Always the least crap of the crap ones. Mind you, I would have Biscan ahead of him on points, even allowing for the relative lack of involvement. At least Biscan gets stuck in. Babbel is unfortunate, but with full fitness seemingly destined to elude him for good, his season was never likely to reap him a repeat of his Fans Player of the Season award from the Treble Year.

The Sean Dundee Medal and Shield

Abel Xavier. (3.5). A piss-poor player bought for a piss-poor reason. Has piss-poor season with us and, lately, Galatasaray. Hopefully we will not see him here again, unless it is in the next Merseyside derby of course.

His goal against Leverkusen last season beguiled us, but ultimately, he was just not good enough. At least Carra can defend, even if he is the wide attacking equivalent of chronic constipation.

 

Because he was one of the players who hid. It's sad to name and shame, but John Arne Riise hid when the going got tight over the winter months. He was poor for some time before that, but then he hid. And that's unforgiveable.

 

Sorry ... True.

 

Hey, you're a mod! Of what?

 

Ah, the old Temp mod thing. Huss is known as "timely" in the Mod's board.

Ah well ... now you're here ...