HaL's entirely subjective and probably wildly inaccurate half-season ratings

Didn't they do well? Well, apart from the couple of tits on the Big Bank

It's January, it's the New Year, it's roughly half way through the season, so, in the style of Delia, let's be having you and dish out HaL's half-season ratings to the squad. Please note, everything on here is generally ill-informed and will probably be proven to be utterly wrong come the end of the season when the player that comes in for most criticism fires 30 goals in a couple of months and leads City to the playoffs.


Goalkeepers

Paul Jones
Out for a couple of months with injury, Jonah has looked solid when he's played and there's nothing to suggest he won't continue to do well at a higher level. Difficult to give a complete picture as he's missed so much, but decent enough without being spectacular.
HaL rating: 7/10

Andy Marriott
Considering he'd spent the best part of two years sitting around on the bench and working in an admin role at the club, the 39-year-old has done pretty well when called upon this season. 11 appearances came and went and probably won't be repeated now Jonah's back from injury, but a very solid backup.
HaL rating: 7/10

Oscar Jansson
He's now back at Spurs and made only the briefest of brief appearances this season before succumbing to calf-tweak, but considering he stepped in at late notice and put in some assured, if raw, performances it's enough to have us nodding our approval. Has the attributes to become a very good player but Harry Redknapp will probably sign a random Bulgarian and ship Oscar out to Huddersfield for twice the amount Spurs paid for him. Such is football.
HaL rating: 7/10 (oh this is getting tedious. C'mon, let's have another number)


Defenders

Steve Tully
Hand up who thought Tully would be a solid League One defender. Not us, that's for sure. Yet, out of all the team, Steve Tully has been the player who has stepped up to the challenge of a higher league and nailed a place in the side. Having Duffy as competition has helped, and Tully hasn't just pushed him all the way, he's forced the Welsh international to play out of position. Fast becoming our favourite player.
HaL rating: 8/10

Richard Duffy
Exactly the type of player we needed to sign for L1, Duffy has been a solid presence at the back and even put in a brief stint as a holding midfielder against Gillingham. Doesn't like getting forward that much, but his experience has been needed and he's got on with the job with the minimum of fuss.
HaL rating: 7/10

Matt Taylor
We know the story by now. Playing in goal for Burscough back in 2003, unknown quantity from Team Bath, yadda yadda. That was in the past, now is the future, or something, and Taylor is the future. And the past. Quite simply, he has been immense, adjusting to League One with ease, getting his head to all balls that fly his way, and generally continuing in the way that no-nonsene centre-halves ought to. We approve.
HaL rating: 9/10

Danny Seaborne
If we'd been writing these a couple of weeks ago, then Seaborne would have scored highly as City's most improved player. But in the last couple of weeks bad habits have been creeping in again. Casual possession, silly fouls, poor distribution. And yet Danny has looked more up for the fight this season, willingly filling it at left-back and looking solid in the air. There's a decent footballer in here somewhere if only he could become more consistent.
HaL rating: 6/10

Troy Archibald-Henville
The man who wrote himself into some form of City folklore, albeit the kind obscure City supporting folk singers might compose a ditty to down The Globe, after a top debut at Dagenham has sort of lost his way somewhat. There are glimpses of brilliance but you wonder if he feels League One is a bit, well, beneath him. He can pick a pass, but will just as often shank it sideways into the stands. There's the ability to tackle back... often after letting the ball bounce. Danny Seaborne has often been ahead of him on merit, yet he's clearly a better player. And then there's a stupid sending off. Will he be back in January? Do we want him back? If a tree falls in a forest and no-one hears it, does it make a sound?
Hal rating: 5/10

Rob Edwards
A bona-fide City legend, albeit one with legs made of very heavy iron these days. Sir Rob hasn't exactly been a regular starter but his experience has been crucial on occasions. For every shocker (see: Huddersfield) he's also been the man who can calm it down against Southend and show Troy how it should be done at Charlton. He won't win any awards this season but is still an important squad player.
HaL rating: 7/10

Scott Goldbourne
After an inauspicious start to his City career with a red card against QPR, Gollum has gone from strength to strength and looks every inch a top player in the making. Has that unique ability to actually track his man and defend him, plays equally well on the wing and can whip in a mean ball. Quietly effective and if he keeps this up, he's in danger of putting himself in the running for City's player of the season before being sold to Sheffield United for £540,000
HaL rating: 8/10


Midfield

Alex Russell
A much-maligned man, if he were a Shakespeare character he may well be the melancholy Jaques in As You Like It, destined to stand near the action, occasionally sliding a perfect ball through but largely despairing at somebody's inability, as often his as anybody else's, to get a grip on the game. Target for the boo-boys and hasn't been sparkling, but also suffers from being 85 and not being Matt Gill. Add balance and calmness to the side. Sometimes.
HaL rating: 5/10

Ryan Harley
Ah, Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. With your ginger beard and silky playmaker skills, you could sit somewhere between Steve Sidwell and Paul Scholes in the Ginger Premiership Hall of Fame. Instead, you occasionally take one touch too many and sometimes miss an obvious pass in favour of running around in circles. But you are still comfortably Exeter's most gifted player, can hit a mean free kick and can change a game in a split second. And you now tackle people. Occasionally. You can do better but this is like telling Jean-Luc Godard his movies are occasionally flawed.
HaL rating: 7/10

Bertrand Cozic
For a player routinely assumed to be making up the numbers because we took pity on him in the Conference, and similarly maligned until this season, Bertie has been nothing short of a revelation. He adds bite to the middle of the park, gets forward, roughs up the opposition and now looks like a decent footballer. And he's just opened a crepe restaurant. If that isn't reason to give him the freedom of St James Park, nothing is.
HaL rating: 8/10

James Dunne
Currently occupying the role of 'The Man Who Looks Good Coming Off The Bench But Isn't Quite Always At It When Starting A Game'. There's definitely talent there and he will improve. Definitely one for the future and will get plenty more chances this season. He can only improve, as we expect his HaL rating score to do by the end of this season.
HaL rating: 6/10

Liam Sercombe
File this one under A Shame. Everybody likes seeing a local lad do well, but after a bright start and decent performances last season, Sercs has put in some poor performances. Like we say, a shame, as he's clearly got ability. His confidence looks shot and maybe a loan spell in League Two for a month might help him, as will a bit of a spell out of the team. He's still very young, so hopefully he'll come back better and stronger. This mark is nothing against you Liam, as we do like you a lot as a player. But fate can be a cruel mistress.
HaL rating: 4/10

Neil Saunders
Makes the occasional appearance to remind us that he is indeed still alive. There is little more you can say. Perhaps he would benefit from an extended run in the team. Perhaps the global recession will end in 2010. As with all matters of great complexity, it is difficult to say with any certainty.
HaL rating: 4/10

Craig Noone
Now back at That Lot Down The Road WHo Shall Not Be Named, and what we wouldn't give to have him back in Red and White. A very talented winger who can make things happen, torment a full-back and score goals. His star shined brightly for his brief spell at the park and we can but hope Paul Mariner continues to show no common sense whatsoever, drops him then loans him back to us. Frankly, he's wasted on that green lot.
HaL rating 8/10

Joe Burnell
*HaL checks Wikipedia. Scratches head, puzzled. Checks official site. Yes, there's a photo there, but who is that man in it, for he looks familiar, yet not familiar*. Apparently Joe Burnell does exist. This is all we can say, having never seen him play. I'm sure there was a purpose to signing him in the summer, but we'll be buggered if we know why.
HaL rating: N/a

Emmanuel Panther
He may have gone off in a huff to Morecambe. He may have been on the receiving end of Sol Campbell's only meaningly contribution to League Two football. He may well never play for Exeter again. Which is a shame, as despite the suspicion of An Attitude, we'd still like him back at the park. Never going to happen, mind.
HaL rating: n/a


Forwards

Marcus Stewarrrrrrrt
Another target for the boo-boys on account of being 97 and no longer able to run. It's true that this isn't the same Marcus Stewart who only had to look at a ball and he'd score for Ipswich, but then nobody told Marlon Brando he wasn't quite the same actor after he aged a bit did they? On occasions, not quite good enough. On others, an invaluable and clever member of the team. Look, I think he's still got a bit of class and it's my opinion that matters on here.
HaL rating: 6/10

Adam Stansfield
Will run all day, all night and then put in an extra running shift in the morning if you told him to. Nobody epitomises City's fighting spirit better than Stanno. As always, he has remained patient, bided his time, when put in a series of performances where he quite literally could give no more, and has scored some nifty goals in the process. Like a fine wine, he improves with age and has well and truly shown that he is capable of playing at this level.
HaL rating: 9/10

Barry Corr
An enigma. Either Barry Corr is a very good player who is still to find his feet again after a series of bad injuries, or a not very good player who occasionally scores good goals and looks half useful, much like a stopped clock. On occasions, he has looked tantalisingly close to the former, but he also has picked up too very stupid red cards and should count himself lucky not to be thrown out of the nearest exit.
HaL rating: 6/10 for general performances, 4/10 for two very stupid sendings off

Stuart Fleetwood
File under Could Do Better. Arrived after a brief loan spell last season with high expectations and the chance to confirm the big reputation he built for himself in the Conference. Instead, he's looked out of sorts and, on occasions, somewhat useless. Perhaps he needs a parade of people to shout in his face that he's overweight each week, as that seems to motivate him to score. But there have been flickers of a decent striker in the past week and we suspect there's every chance something may click and he'll score goals for fun in the second half of the season.
HaL rating: 4/10

Richard Logan
HaL suspects Logan may have run over Paul Tisdale's cat one day. How else to explain his near-constant presence on the bench while mere mortals such as Fleetwood and Corr get starts ahead of him. Every appearance he's made, and these have been few and far between, he has looked useful. Has scored three goals despite spending the majority of the season picking his nose. If we have one wish for 2010, it is more Richard Logan. Logan will lead us to the promised land (we are also idiotic opinionated football fans, so what do we know).
HaL rating: 7/10 for general performance on his rare appearances, but 8/10 for being Richard Logan

Craig McAllister
As we currently have 52.7 strikers on the books, it's no surprise Macca's been loaned out to Barnet. But every team needs a large, sightly angry-looking physical target man and what Macca lacks in ability, namely the ability to last 90 minutes, he still brings something different to the table. We haven't seen if he can cut it in League One. We'd like to see him get the chance.
HaL rating: n/a

Ben Watson
Much like the crew of Star Trek Voyager, Watson lists slowly around the reserves hoping for decimation of the forward line so he can get a chance to prove once and for all he belongs in such exalted company as Logan, Stanno and Stewart. Has scored hatfuls for the reserves and is a decent player, probably. Has made the bench a couple of times and has carried a few water bottles. That's about the extent of his contribution this season.
HaL rating: n/a

James Norwood

If you're reading this twice, congratulations. Have yourself a bonus in the shape of an assessment of James Norwood that we forgot to add the first time around. The assessment runs thus: bags of potential, utterly fearless, plenty of pace, nearly scored at Leeds, needs a bit of coaching and experience and he could be the mutts nuts. Accordingly, we've sent him to Sutton, where I once saw a bloke with a huge labrador. Fitting, really.

HaL rating: 6/10

The manager

Paul Tisdale
By his own admission, Tis is unfamiliar with League One. He's also not used to managing a team in a relegation dogfight. Essentially, this has been a crash course at the footballing school of life. And generally he's done ok. City are never going to be able to compete on the same level and your Leeds's and Charltons but Exeter still play neat, attractive football and haven't disgraced themselves too often. Still able to pull out some tactical strokes of genius, along with a few strange decisions. By and large, he's done alright and kept us out of the drop zone so far, which is all you can ask for really. Long may he continue.
HaL rating: 7/10

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Stuffed

At the start of the Christmas period, six points from nine was the ideal target. Instead we've ended up with 4 from 9, which isn't as bad as three but not as good as six. HaL can do mental arithmetic providing we don't venture into double figures.

What we're trying to say is this isn't the worst haul we could have had, but neither is it the best. If only Alex Russell's superb shot could have stayed a little to the right, we'd have been a tad more comfortable.

Southend we've dealt with. Saints was a game where anything other than a horrific loss would have done. We nearly had the horrific loss. Two goals and a man down before half time, we managed to fight back and were eventually undone on the break. Such is life. At least we can be proud we didn't roll over and die, like we may have done in the past.

Shame it was spoiled by a very stupid sending off for Troy. Naive is the phrase I'd use. That may have been his last appearance in a City shirt and I can't work out if that's a good or a bad thing for us. Although he was wandering around the ground before kick-off today, so I suppose he's staying. That's a good thing. I think.

But if a loss to the Saints was disappointing, drawing at home to Gillingham was more so. That's only the second point Stimson's men have collected on the road. Once they leave the comfort of the industrial estate, they're lost, it seems.

And make no mistake - they were there for the taking. It's a shame we had to endure 80 minutes of turgid, depressing football that wouldn't have been out of place in Eastenders before the game picked up.

Gillingham, unusually, had a solid defence, albeit once helped by a linesman fresh out of school, and one that hadn't yet been to the 'offside' lesson. They also were woeful up front. Dennis Oli could have had the ball presented to him on a silver platter while our defence formed a guard of honour and he'd still have shanked it over the bar.

Not that we were much better insofar as we simply couldn't create chances. Marcus Stewart and Ryan Harley had pops but nothing special. Special praise for Stewart today - he may not have been a fans favourite over recent weeks but today he was excellent: headers were won, passes were probed and he looked a class above.

There was more than a touch of luck to Richard Duffy's first goal for the club as it took a massive deflection, but a goal is a goal and it's a while since we've had any player try their luck from distance. I was beginning to believe they'd been brainwashed to thinking you could only shoot inside the penalty box.

And then we switch off. Typical City, get our noses in front and then we muck around in defence and let them score. Still, lovely finish from the Gills player for the equaliser. As the Bus Driver said to me just before our opener: "I'm nervous if we score. That normally means we concede two."

Losing a second goal was never likely to happen though. Once it went it, the Gills were already mentally thinking about the post-match cup of tea and sat back, happy with a point. City weren't and suddenly remembered there's no crime in playing attacking football and bombarded the box.

Alex Russell, who was immense for his 20 minute cameo, hit a fantastic long distance volley that struck the bottom of the post. Stewart looped a shot over the bar. Harley skipped past three to the byline and cut back onto for Alan Julian in the Gills goal to somehow reach and pull it to safety after the scramble. It. Was. One. Of. Those. Days.

It's hard to be too disappointed with the performance (second-half only. Both sides were woeful in the first) but it reinforces the fact that the second half of the season is going to be as long and dark as the inner workings of Roman Pavlychenko's mind.

There's something in the performances to suggest we're not far from clicking. When that click will come is another question.

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Settling in for Christmas (aka humbug to Southend)

To get sent off once for taking a swing at an opponent in front of the ref may be classed as an accident. To do it twice looks like carelessness. To do it when your team is 1-0 up and holding onto their first win in four games in all competitions by the skin of their teeth is plain idiocy.

Step forward, Barry Corr. Well done that man, now fine him and send him to the reserves.

It's a shame, as Corr's red card kind of overshadows a scrappy but oh-so-vital win over Southend. It's also a shame as Bazza was having a decent game up until that point, and has been givings hints of why Swindon fans rated him so highly. And then he goes and ruins it all by doing something stupid like aiming a couple of kicks at an opponent under the nose of the ref.

Fortunately, Southend had an even bigger idiot in Jabo Ibehre, who needlessly shoved over Richard Duffy and joined Barry in the changing rooms. Ok, Duffy made the most of it, but if you raise your hands and push an opponent over, you're at risk of a red. If I were Steve Tilson, I'd have been fuming at him.

And Ibehre's sending off allowed us to stabilise, calm down and see out a nervy victory, and a much needed one as well. Sometimes you need a below-par performing that requires the players to dig deep to set them on their way again, and the Sarfend victory could well be that game.

It was still confusing at times though. City were playing some lovely football in the first half and Troy's raking pass for Stanno's sublime finish was probably one of the best goals you'll see at the Park this season.

Harley and Goldborne were buzzing around the penalty area, Corr was linking up well, the defence looked ok, other than a few times where Tully was isolated on the right, allowing a couple of free headers for Southend (which they really should have done better with), but generally City looked good.

Then in the second half, it so very nearly fell to pieces. Sarfend had clearly had a rocket up their collective arses at half time and came out all guns blazing, while City were clearly still enjoying the taste of their half-time cuppa. Serious backs to the wall stuff.

Suddenly passes went loose, Harley tried to take one touch too many, our wingbacks were getting exposed and the three across the back plan looked shaky. And then Bazza got sent off.

How Southend didn't find an equaliser is beyond me, but either through last-ditch defending or poor finishing we survived, and grew. Big Rob had an excellent cameo and a cool head when he replaced a rather skittish Troy, Goldborne was excellent repelling attack after attack on the left, Jonah had a great return to the side in goal, and Stanno ran his heart and everything else out up front.

We'll forgive him a couple of misses at the end - the mere fact his legs were working was enough.

So, that arrests a slide of four losses, and three games where we haven't scored, and there's much to suggest we've turned a corner and have a spot of belief back.

Southampton will be an interesting one. I won't say we can afford to lose, but we said last week that six points from nine over Christmas would be a good return and we're halfway from that. Anything at the Saints will be a bonus.

Perhaps we'll get a bit of rotation as well. Certainly Corr's suspension and Alex Russell's injury will free up another couple of spots in the team. James Dunne's most likely to replace Russell, while we may even see Logie or, shock, Ben Watson make an appearance.

As for Corr, he's got the ability and was starting to come good, which is what was so frustrating. After several bad injuries, Bazza clearly needed a long run out games, and now he's disrupted this and he'll need a couple of games to get back into the swing of it all.

Two sendings off for petulant off-the-ball incidents is crass stupidity. If I were Tis (and Grecians should thank their lucky stars most days I'm not) Corr would be fined the maximum possible amount and sent to the reserves for a spot to reflect on what he's done.

And if he picks up a third red card this season, then show him the door. I've wanted Corr to come good this season, and at times he's looked like a very decent player. Certainly one he could add an extra dimension, and goals, to our play.

But he's also not that good that we can afford to have him out for nearly ten games because he can't keep his temper in check. At that point he crosses the line from talented but flawed to liability.

Hopefully Bazza will have realised he's doing himself and the team no favours, and I'd love nothing more for him to fire us to safety this season. If he's going to do that, first off he needs to be able to stay on the pitch.

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Christmas cheer, non-Christmas chairs and the rest

Yeah, I know. Posts on here go quiet when we lose. And that's something we've done well. From being unbeaten in six to not winning in four (FA Cup included), everything changed in the last five minutes of that FA Cup tie at Franchise FC. Since then we've not scored in just over 270 minutes of football, including narrow losses to Brighton, Brizzle Rovers and Oldham, who themselves were a bit shot shy.

Exeter are that kind of team that, just when you think they're going to be safe from relegation, haul themselves back into contention. Well, you wouldn't want it to be quiet supporting City would you.

So, we now have three games going into the festive period: Sarfend at home tomorrow before travelling to Southampton on Boxing Day, then back to the Park to welcome Gillingham two days later. And there's no reason why we can't take six points from nine here, a haul that would do very nicely thanks, Santa Tis, and would put us back into mid-table.

Let's forget about the Saints game. They're in great form and would be in the playoff places if it weren't for the ten point deduction. Anything, even a point, would be a great result there. But Southend and Gillingham are very winnable.

The Shrimpers are mid-table (just above Southampton, in fact) and are decent but are poor travellers. The Gills are even worse on the road, without an away win all season.

As for who we'll play, God alone knows. We have a somewhat settled side of late, but Tis is never adverse to throwing in a few surprises. Whoever it is, we'll need to show more cutting edge up front than we have of late.

In other City-related news, we have a new chairman. The search for a new man for the job has gone on longer than a Clarkson diatribe, so let's hope that former Devon County Council Deputy Chief Executive Edward Chorlton is the man for the job.

I know I've met Chorlton before, but I can't for the life of me think where. No matter. He may not be a big name, but I'd rather we had a safe pair of hands than a whizz-bang new broom at this stage.

Part of me also wonders if this appointment was done with one eye on St. James' Park and redevelopment or a new stadium. It'd certainly help to have a person who knows local government well to hand for this.

The Trust have generally done a pretty good job with the people at the top, so we'll see how this one goes. If he carries on the current path they've taken, that'll probably be fine for us.

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Oh fickle fortune of fate, and other melodrama

If there is a God, perhaps he's a Carlisle United supporter. A Carlisle supporter with a mean sense of humour. How else can it be that Exeter CIty have, in the words of Paul Tisdale, three good performances, and nothing to show for it. It must be Karma for our smash-and-grab win in Cumbria in August.

If Exeter were second best that day, and emerged with victory, then we've definitely been the better side over two of the last three games, and worth a draw at least in another. Yet a five game unbeaten streak, and dreams from the more optimistic supporters of a playoff place, have swiftly turned to three losses on the spin and talk of a mini-crisis and all you'd expect from your modern day supporter.

At least nobody's called for Tisdale's head yet. Somebody will do at some point though, predictably. And the rest of us will sigh.

Milton Keynes was the start of it. Perhaps the players had their soul sucked out of them by the sheer depressing nature of the place. HaL has been to many shit holes watching Exeter play. At least they had character. Milton Keynes has nothing. Even the fans are neither nasty nor nice. They just exist and occasionally make a squeeeeeeeeeeee noise when the ball gets into the penalty area.

That FA Cup tie should have been a game Exeter should have won. Barry Corr had one of his best games and was a real handful. Stanno scored another cool finish. And then we sat back, job done. And that was fatal.

Our defence switched off, Marriott had a few dodgy positional moments and before we knew it, MK had pulled it back to 3-3. We'd have taken a draw at that stage, but from then on there was only one winner, and former A**** player Jermaine Easter netted to send us back on one of the most depressing journeys home HaL has ever experienced.

And then there was Bristol Rovers. Post-match Facebook statuses read much along the lines of "How did we not win that. FFS."

FFS indeed. From a game we dominated, one spilled shot and that was is. And then Brighton, where we were all over them yet missed a penalty and they netted an injury time winner. It's the old cliche of not taking your chances.

And so we head to Oldham on Saturday, who are winless in six and rather goal-shy themselves. This could either be a goal-fest or a nil nil draw. Given the form of our strikers, I'm guessing the latter.

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