Forwards

Tom Hopper

SW Average Rating: 6.26

Do you remember those days when the vocal minority thought Tom Hopper was the problem? It turns out he wasn’t. It actually turns out we’ve missed his hold up play, his tracking back, his defensive headers and his all-around influence. You have to laugh, don’t you? I’ll let you into a secret, shall I? I spoke to someone connected to a high-flying League One club a couple of weeks ago, off the record, and they told me they’d love Tom Hopper in their team. Their current squad has a player who, when he moved there, was worth more than £1m, and yet they’d rather have Tom Hopper. You just don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone.

My Season So Far Rating: 7/10

Chris Maguire

SW Average Rating: 6.48

Aah, Chris Maguire; a belligerent figure who could start a fight in an empty lift, who gets under the skin worse than ringworm and who should be one of your favourite players. Let’s face it though, he isn’t, is he/ He’s got plenty of skill, he never lacks effort and he looks to be dead creative, but it just hasn’t come off for him. Sometimes he looks frustrated. Sometimes he looks angry. Once or twice, he’s even looked like scoring. The problem is (and will be for a while) his clash with supporters the other week. That sort of thing only goes away with goals and effort (doesn’t it Ben Hutchinson?) and right now, Chris is in the red in that respect.

My Season So Far Rating: 6/10

Hakeeb Adelakun

SW Average Rating: 5.21

The last couple of games I think we’ve seen much more from Haks. He’s direct, he created both goals on Boxing Day, and the ability is there to have a serious impact on the team. The problem is off the ball; whether he’s having a drink and costing us goals, or lazily wandering about when he needs to track back, all his hard work is undone by moments of what I can only term as a loss of concentration. Then, when he’s in a rut, he lacks confidence to do what he does, get at players, make them tackle or chase back and begin to open up teams. I don’t think he’s been as bad as you lot have rated him, and I think with confidence, we’re going to see a better Haks. I hope so, at least.

My Season So Far Rating: 6/10

Anthony Scully

SW Average Rating: 6.84

I was very surprised to see how low his overall rating was, but it isn’t entirely a fair reflection as a couple of months he’s struggled. Actually, I’d be tempted to suggest that Anthony Scully is the Player of the Season so far, despite being missing for two months of it. After all, is it any coincidence that he got injured at Sheff Weds in October, and that in November and December we’ve struggled to score goals? Nope, it isn’t. I do think that some are building him up too much, I wonder if the cult of Anthony Scully is, at times, better than the real thing, but that’s not to say he’s been bad. He’s been the best of a poor bunch.

My Season So Far Rating: 7/10

Remy Longdon

SW Average Rating: 5.20

Remy has joined York and I’ve seen people saying stuff like ‘found his level’. I find that frustrating. Here you have a lad who was so badly injured at one point he couldn’t put his socks on when he got out of bed, but who carried on. Here’s a player who made the move to Lincoln happen himself; he’s the only player who didn’t go through the usual process, instead getting in front of Michael a different way. He’s a player who, if he isn’t League One standard, still got starts last season for a team in the top six, and who scored League One goals. So, he’s not made it here and will wind up further down the spectrum, I’d still say his achievements are greater than those of many in the squad. However, this season, he’s looked out of his depth in this division.

My Season So Far Rating: 5/10

Dan N’Lundulu

SW Average Rating: 5.40

Twelve teams wanted Dan in the summer, more than those who wanted Brennan Johnson the year before. Everything about him looks good; he’s big and strong, he’s appeared in the Premier League and he’s scored for Southampton. It’s all well and good saying our recruitment has been poor, but before we opened the box, he looked like the perfect purchase. The reality has been different; aside from one or two decent games he’s looked well off the pace, and I wonder if he hasn’t quite realised the difference between senior football and Under 23 level. I’d be surprised if he stays until the end of the season. In fairness though, Tom’s injury has put a lot of expectation on his shoulders that he wouldn’t have had if our transfer plans had gone well and players remained fit.

My Season So Far Rating: 5/10

Freddie Draper

SW Average Rating: 6.16

Freddie is doing ok for us; he’s a young lad who has had a lot of expectation put on his shoulders this last month or so. He’s been close to a goal (he would have had one had he not been fouled against Wigan), but you must remember he is a young lad. Very rarely, no matter what your romantic view of youth football, does a 17-year-old come into a Football League team and blow the fans away. Freddie will be fine, he’ll work hard, get minutes and maybe head out on loan. Right now, he’s filling a hole he should never be expected to fill.

My Season So Far Rating: 7/10