Steven Baxter's player ratings 2001/2002

GOALKEEPERS

Alex Kolinko

Crystal Palace's Latvian stopper had a superb season in which he challenged £1m man Matt Clarke for the right to stand between the sticks.

The year began badly, with a shocking display against Leyton Orient away in the Worthington Cup, but that was to be the only blemish in a year in which Kolinko's confidence grew. His finest hour was as a one-man match-winner at Valley Parade in December, putting together a string of magical stops to deny Bradford, but it was one of many stunning performances in goal. Save of the season was his acrobatic effort to get out of trouble against Newcastle in the FA Cup, where he sprinted back into goal and off-balance twice kept out efforts from Olivier Bernard. Kolinko is Palace's number one on the teamsheet in more ways than one.

Matt Clarke

It was a solid year for Clarke in goal, in which he commanded his area excellently and provided some super stops from close range.

A couple of poor performances (Gillingham, Burnley) aside, Palace's big keeper found himself busy at the back due to lapses in front of him, but dealt with whatever the opposition threw at him. His keeping was crucial in keeping Palace's slim advantage in the games against Wolves at Molineux and Barnsley.

Cedric Carasso

He only made one appearance in a Palace shirt, but the Egypt-born stopper kept his cool, and kept Birmingham out.

DEFENDERS

Jamie Smith

A persistent injury has deprived the Palace fans of the pace and skill of Smith down the right for most of the season.

Effective when going forward, and with a rocket shot, he is a capable player who is still waiting for the big breakthrough.

Craig Harrison

Palace fans were not always confident of "Lovejoy"'s skills at left-back, but he filled in competently when required, despite lacking a little pace against the faster forwards.

His passion was never in question. But his future now looks bleak after he sustained a horrifying broken leg during a reserve match.

Dean Austin

Palace's club captain has improved in his fitness and his confidence throughout the year.

A target for abuse from some sections of the Selhurst faithful early on this season, he has proved his critics wrong with a series of substantial performances.

Fan Zhiyi

Although a favourite with supporters, Fan and Palace parted company shortly after the start of the season, and he is now plying his trade in the SPL.

Kit Symons

Silver fox Symons joined the club at the start of Trevor Francis' tenure.

His stature and experience have proved effective against even the toughest opponents, and he and Tony Popovic were in the process of forming a really strong partnership in the centre-back positions before both got crocked in the home game against Coventry, a team hovering near the bottom of the fair play league. When he is fit, the defence is boosted by awareness around the box and his aerial prowess.

Gregg Berhalter

Berhalter had a reasonable start to the season, but sometimes had a tendency to look lost at the back, and made mistakes under pressure.

His breakthrough into the first team never quite materialised, and he is left on the transfer list, looking for a new employer, despite making the US national side.

Steve Vickers

Steve Bruce brought veteran Vickers to the centre of defence, and it was a shrewd move.

Vickers played well for Palace, commanding the back line and deflecting all comers. His determination not to move to the south east, however, was his downfall.

Tony Popovic

The revelation of the season for the Eagles, Popovic has brought superb solidity to the back line, with an awareness in the air that the Palace defence has been seeking for a long time.

Unfortunately for Palace, he has been missing from the club through international duty, and through the injury sustained against Coventry. Palace have missed him, and have been forced to arrange hasty cover. If only he had played in more games, the promotion push could have been stronger.

Curtis Fleming

Trevor Francis brought in Middlesbrough's Fleming to patrol the right-hand side of defence and sweep up into midfield when necessary.

While he lacks the pace of, say, a younger player like Jamie Smith, no-one is in any doubt about his commitment to the cause, and the ferocity of his tackling has been a delight finally, a player in red and blue who can really thump into the opposition with some well-timed challenges!

Shaun Murphy

Francis brought in Murphy to cover for Popovic/Symons when they sustained injuries in the latter stages of the season.

He had the aerial power but not quite the guile of the men he was standing in for, but slotted in effectively.

MIDFIELDERS

Hayden Mullins

It's important to put Mullins in as a midfielder, for this is where he has made the greatest impact throughout the year.

Sometimes you get the feeling that certain players' competence counts against them; like Sol Campbell at Spurs and Gareth Southgate at Palace, Mullins' skills mean he can play in a variety of roles around the field but not always where he is most useful. For sure, he is a solid defender but when he plays there it deprives the midfield of someone who can spray the ball around intelligently, as well as a good tackler and chaser of the ball. Next season will hopefully see Palace's captain-in-waiting make the midfield role his own.

David Hopkin

He's still got the feet, but has he got the legs? Palace's Wembley hero was bought for a hefty sum last year, but has not been able to complete many football matches this term.

However, when he has been on the pitch he has been capable of good things with the football, and his accurate passing has been a bonus, as well as his goalscoring class.

Aki Riihilahti

Palace's amiable Finn has been an enigmatic character this year.

Is he a strapping destructive midfielder or a journeyman who lacks pace? Some of his performances, particularly ruining Ali Benarbia's afternoon at Maine Road, have been remarkably fine. On other occasions, he has looked tired not surprising, perhaps, given that he has been ever-present (apart from suspension and a couple of knocks) in the side. What Aki does is not the most obvious or glamorous of roles in the side, but he does it well and efficiently, works incredibly hard for the club, and even pops up in the box every now and then to score. His commitment has been a real asset to his side.

Julian Gray

Fans' favourite Gray has had a storming season on the left wing.

With his tricks and pace he's been a real handful for every defence he has played against, often drawing two defenders to him to try and deal with his close control and sprinting ability. Some defenders have made the mistake in thinking he is fragile Gray usually collapses in a heap on the ground early on in a game, but it seems like trickery to make the opposition think he's not as strong as he really is. The only disappointment has been that his fine work has not brought him more goals, but at least he finally broke his duck with lovely efforts against Barnsley and Grimsby.

Tommy Black

He started the year with a skinhead and returned with a shaggy brown effort, and in between Tommy Black was hurt by injury.

This capable and trusty battler has fine control and a fiery spirit, which got him into trouble on a couple of occasions this year, and was missed when he was away from the side. Popular with the fans, next season should see him crystallise his first-team place.

Steve Thomson

A utility player with a good touch, Thomson has always been there or thereabouts, despite a couple of niggling injuries that have kept him away from the first team on occasions.

He was more favoured in the days of Alan Smith but is gradually coming back into the reckoning for Palace; he can look tasty going forward, as well as being solid in the tackle.

Jovan Kirovski

Is Palace's American star a superb creative midfielder, or a luxury a division one team can't afford?

No-one can question his excellent abilities, but it's the application of them that has been not altogether consistent throughout the season. He began the year well, looking for all the world as if he could control the game from the centre, with a great shot that always threatened the net and paid dividends against Wolves. But he developed a tendency to drift out of games that did not find him favour with management a rift that opened up in public when Francis put him on against Stockport County, he crossed the ball for the winning goal and was promptly substituted, much to his chagrin.

Simon Rodger

Rodger's final season at the Palace has not been a jolly one, hampered by the recurrence of the injuries that have damaged his career.

Some good dribbling and the classic Rodger tenacity gave glimpses of what the Palace stalwart was capable of doing, but he was never really given the chance to prove his fitness.

Andrejs Rubins

Palace's Worthington Cup hero of last season had a bleak time on the fringes of the first team, the victim of a somewhat brittle nature under the thumping challenges of Divison One yet when he returned to action right at the end of the season he looked the part, terrorising defences down the left.

But can Crystal Palace find a way to keep Julian Gray and Rubins in the same side without one necessarily becoming a mere understudy?

FORWARDS

Clinton Morrison

Clinton has everything a striker needs confidence, touch and a fine shot, as well as the nous to find the gap and go for it.

Fast but not relying solely on pace, he prefers the ball played Shearer-style into his feet with his back to goal before slipping away from his marker and finding the target, but there's much more to his game than that. He'll go anywhere to find the ball, collect it and move on, roaming out wide on both wings to slip away from defenders when necessary. His partnership with Dougie Freedman this year has been really special. The additional fillip for his game has been a string of good games in the green shirt of the Republic of Ireland, and he has impressed Mick McCarthy so much that he's bound to be on the plane for Japan and Korea. Consistently linked with a move to a big-name club, Morrison has stayed at Palace so far, and kissed the Eagle crest in defiance to his critics in the press when he netted against Walsall.

Dougie Freedman

It's been another stunning season from Palace's saviour of last year.

Freedman is becoming something of a latter-day Peter Beardsley, foraging for the ball, finding good spaces and then threading through killer passes for his partner Morrison. But he's also a bit clever finding the goal himself, scoring 20 times this year. He's also managed to be more effective than Morrison away from home, as demonstrated in a particularly enjoyable performance against Preston at Deepdale, where he irritated the defence to bursting point and had the whole crowd on his back before replying in the finest way possible, with a goal. Freedman is an intelligent footballer who like Gray begins a game looking flimsy, only to power past defenders a minute later with his considerable strength tricking defenders doesn't make him popular with opposition crowds or players, and his psychological warfare often reaps the benefit for Palace.

Steve Kabba

When will the breakthrough come for Kabba? Not this season.

He hasn't really been given the chance to make his way into the reckoning for the coveted strikers' positions, and has not sparkled in the few minutes he has been allowed on the pitch. Kabba is a player who needs some polish before he can really start to make his case to be allowed up front.

Wayne Routledge

A couple of starts have been encouraging for young Routledge, but he has yet to be on the pitch for a significantly long time in order for fans to see what he is capable of.

Despite his stature, Routledge is hoping his speed, touch and commitment will bring him more and more to the fore.

Trevor Benjamin

Benjamin came to Palace as part of a 4-3-3 experiment from Trevor Francis and as cover for the two stars up front, but although he scored a good goal at Valley Parade against Bradford, he didn't quite make the grade under loan, and was sent back to Leicester.

Ade Akinbiyi

On the pitch, Akinbiyi has not performed to his potential nor his price tag, and has looked nervous.

He has struggled to settle down in a Palace side with two such prolific strikers, and the hangover of his torrid spell in the Midlands looked evident as the big man fought to find his touch in his early outings. Akinbiyi has plenty of pace and strength, and when he's really up for the game he can look dangerous; it just seems that he has been trying too hard, has been too tense and has lacked confidence. But with a full pre-season of training, and the chance to settle into the squad, he should be fired up for the start of the next campaign, and it's then we will truly see what he is made of.

May 13, 2002 16:30