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Half-Term Roker Report Cards (Part 2)

So, continuing yesterdays thoughts on how our boys are doing so far this season, Roker Report presents to you part two, the final part where we run through the rest of the squad. We've got grades for Gyan, Ferdinand, Riveros and more! Don't forget to tell us who you think have been your best and worst of the season, either by commenting on this, or visiting our pages on Twitter and Facebook!

15. Nedum Onouha
A genuine contender for player of the season so far. I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t convinced by him at the start of his SAFC career, but since Spurs away when he kept Bale firmly in his back-pocket, he’s never looked back. He’s right up there with Welbeck when it comes to importance of signing our loanees. Grade: B

16. Crisitan Riveros
We haven’t seen much of Cristian, and judging by the World Cup, we definitely haven’t seen his best. Riveros got his first 90 minutes in the 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford, where he was largely anonymous, as was most the team that day. I’m remaining hopeful he can do something. His passing was fairly neat and tidy, without being spectacular, although he doesn’t get forward much. I think a run of games will do him the world of good, but will Bruce take the chance? Grade: C

17. Danny Welbeck
Martyn Who? Ah, remember the days when we said "Pointless signing, no better than Waghorn"... Well look how that turned out. Welbeck struggled on the wings during Bruce’s flirtation with 4-5-1 at the start of the season, but since a move up front, he’s actually out-performed Gyan & Bent. His performance against Bolton in particular was a joy to behold. I’d be on the phone to Sir Alex right now telling him to name his price for Danny. Grade: A

18. David Meyler
David hasn’t played much this season having done his cruciate ligaments last season. In brief appearances against Fulham & Man United he looked off the pace, but that’s to be expected. By all accounts he’s worked incredibly hard to come back from injury, and is ahead of schedule. Still a player of good potential, and the rest of the season should be about getting back to full fitness. Grade: C

19. Titus Bramble
I’ll be the first to hold my hands up, when we signed Titus Bramble, I thought Bruce had lost the plot. However, it’s clear to see now why Steve Bruce is manager of the club, and I’m some hack on the internet spouting opinion. Bramble has been a revelation. Mistake free for pretty much is entire SAFC career to date, and to be fair, never even really looked in danger of making errors. An absolute bargain at £1m (as reported), and Titus will be a crucial player for us on his return from Injury. Grade: A

20. Andy Reid
Reidy has all the talent, but unfortunately none of the fitness. His ability is never in doubt, but it’s fair to say he’s not quite cut out for the rigors of the Premier League. He’s hardly featured for SAFC in 2010, but has done his best when asked. Time to move on, and hopefully someone like Sheff United, where he currently resides on loan, will take him permanently. Grade D

22. Simon Mignolet
The young Belgian was thrust into action way before any supporter, and he himself expected. I was concerned pre-season having seen a few slip by him in the friendly matches. However, he proved me wrong, and performed admirably. I don’t have the stats to hand, but I read somewhere recently that he’s kept 8 clean sheets this season? Some keepers don’t do that in a season, especially young Premier League rookies like him. I’ve been hugely impressed by Mignolet, and a large offer for Gordon might be deemed acceptable knowing the future of our GK department is in ‘safe hands’, to use an awful pun. Grade: B

24. Trevor Carson
At the start of the season I fully expected Trevor to be our back-up keeper. He’s been around the club a while, however, his career has been a sharp contrast to say, Mignolet. They’re roughly the same age, but Carson isn’t making the progress we might have all hoped, and it’s hard to see a future for him at the club. A loan to get some regular football for the lad would do him the world of good confidence wise, and we can learn more about him. Grade: D

25. Jack Colback
Having made his debut towards the back end of the season, I think I and many others expected him to be a regular part of the match-day 16 in the 2010/11 season, however Bruce was reluctant to use the ginger-bonced midfielder, and he went off on loan to Roy Keane’s Ipswich where he was Player Of The Year in a previous loan spell with the club. Hopefully this will bring him into first team consideration at SAFC next season, but if not, it might be time for him to move on. Grade: C

26. Jordan Cook
Cook made a promising debut at Old Trafford. I’ve got to admit, that was the first I saw of the lad, but he was unafraid to run at defenders, and was one of the more creative players on the pitch during his 10 minute cameo. I hope we see more of him, and perhaps the forthcoming FA Cup clash with Notts County will see him make a start. A promising player. Grade: C

27. Ahmed Elmohamady
The on loan Egyptian was very impressive when he started the season on the right wing, but has gone slightly downwards with his recent performances at right-back, which is allegedly his preferred position. He doesn’t seem too confident in the tackle, preferring to intercept than get stuck in. Quick on his feet, and very strong in the air, I’d like to see him get forward a bit better. Whilst he gets forward a lot, his final ball and all-round attacking threat leaves something to be desired. We have a deal in place to snap him up for a sum believed to be around £2.5m, I’d take it. He’s still a work in progress, and he does bring something to the club. Grade: C

29. Anton Ferdinand
For a man who started the season without a squad number, Anton has come back pretty strong, and we’ve really needed him in recent months when we’ve been on our arses defensively. Barring the error in the Arsenal home game, it’s been hard to find too much fault with Anton. He’s still the same player, but the errors have been cut massively. Plus, reading on Twitter that he has sent Rio’s kids SAFC strips for Christmas, and they’re wearing them puts him up a notch! Grade: C

33. Asamoah Gyan
Our record signing hit the ground running when he eventually got in the team. What was it, 5 goals in 6? Since then his production has slowed down, but he is still an exciting player. To be slightly critical, his control is pretty terrible, and he seemed to click more with Welbeck than Bent, but hopefully that will change over time. We haven’t had a player who excites the crowd when he touches the ball like BabyJet for quite a while, so we should treasure the moment. Still only 24 (allegedly) so his best years should be ahead of him, and they should be in an SAFC shirt. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Ghanaian hit-man. Grade: B

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