Gonzo hands out his marks
Fabianski: 7 Untroubled and unflappable. Caught crosses and corners well.
Coufal: 7 Started slowly and grew into the game. Great to have him back.
Diop: 6 indecisive and hesitant at times. Missed Ogbonna.
Dawson: 7 No frills, no nonsense and as a result no trouble from the opposition attack. Possible concussion following a brave header but got the all-clear.
Cresswell: 6 Not quite at full steam but composed and a certain starter for Newcastle.
Rice: 8 Steady and composed. Not the rampaging Rice in the first 45 but stuck to his task of protecting the defence. Passed the ball well and controlled midfield. Top quality.
Soucek: 6 Neat & tidy back in the West Ham engine room.
Fornals: 7 Impressive again, looks ready for the start of the season. Possibly the fittest player at the club.
Yarmolenko: 6 Clearly a fitness selection. Looked a bit off the pace but got some valuable time on the pitch.
Benrahma: 9 A constant threat. Surely starts the season in the team. Atalanta had to resort to cynical fouling to stop him. Sensational pass to set up Antonio’s goal. Unlucky not to claim the 2nd goal deflected in from Fornals.
Antonio: 7 Looking fit but his touch deserted him early on. Great control and finish to score just before half time.
Areola: Part of the multiple substitutions on the 62nd minute. Hard to appraise due to West Ham’s control of the game.
Fredricks: 7 His pace gave Atalanta a different set of problems. Crucial in the build up to the 2nd goal.
Johnson: 7 Mr versatile and reliable. I expect him to feature in at least 20 games this season. Played on the left on this occasion.
Noble: 7 Picked up the pace of the game straight away. Always looking to give & go.
Coventry: 7 Pass, move into space and repeat. Despite the exit of Rice and Soucek West Ham controlled midfield with Coventry & Nobes.
Bowen: 6 Very sharp, added extra urgency to the attack.
I know we all see games differently but, please, don’t let this Gonzo guy give the marks out again.!! Apart from the fact he seems to have been watching a different game to me he says of Bowen “Very sharp, added extra urgency to the attack” and awarded him a 6. Same as Yar,olenko , of whom he said ” Looked a bit off the pace but got some valuable time on the pitch.” And how on earth Diop can be said to have been “indecisive and hesitant at times”, beggars belief.
Why don’t we all just enjoy the games, or suffer them depending on the result, instead of indulging our own opersonal prejudices, which is what it seems here, about certain players.
Are you not aware that every paper and news websites do ratings – surely the game is about opinions…prejudice is a silly word on this occasion. It’s about judgements to which you are of course entitled