Team of the Week: Bo Myhill selected

Hull goalkeeper Bo Myhill was showered with praise after a display that single-handedly earned his side a point at White Hart Lane.HOW IT WORKS
We take marks out of 10 awarded to Premier League players from a selection of six national newspapers – The Sun, Daily Star, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, The Times and the Guardian – then create an average and round to the nearest half. The top player in each position will be rewarded with a spot in the team of the week, while the worst scorers will be named and shamed in our Flops XI.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Just how good was Bo Myhill’s performance between the sticks for Hull against Tottenham? We’ll leave it to Spurs boss Harry Redknapp to explain.
“Miraculous,” he said wistfully after the match. “Five or six incredible, world-class saves… he just kept getting in the way of the bleeding ball!”
Miraculous was the word, with Myhill earning nines-all-round for his heroics – while right-back Paul McShane is also in the side for his part in carving out the 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane. West Ham’s Matthew Upson and James Tomkins also won spots for grinding performances in a goalless game as the Hammers kept out Aston Villa.
Chelsea’s drubbing of Sunderland earned plaudits for many of their side, with left-flank duo Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda joining Nicolas Anelka in this week’s side.
Everton’s clinical deconstruction of Roberto Mancini’s previously flawless Manchester City earned midfield spots for both Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, while Cesc Fabregas found the net and bossed the midfield in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Bolton.
And finally, Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia has flourished since Roberto Martinez moved him across to the right flank. The Frenchman ran Wolves ragged and found the net in the 2-0 win.
Team of the week (4-3-3):
GK: Boaz Myhill (Hull) – 9
RB: Paul McShane (Hull) – 7
CB: Matthew Upson (West Ham) – 7.5
CB: James Tomkins (West Ham) – 7.5
LB: Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – 8
RM: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) – 8.5
CM: Marouane Fellaini (Everton) – 8.5
LM: Steven Pienaar (Everton) – 8.5
RW: Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan Athletic) – 8.5
CFW: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) – 8.5
LW: Florent Malouda (Chelsea) – 8
FLOPS OF THE WEEK
Shipping seven goals in 90 minutes is one thing; shipping seven goals and leaving spectators wondering how it wasn’t twice as many is a completely different matter, and that’s how Fleet Street’s football judges saw Sunderland’s capitulation to Chelsea.
But we can’t help feeling some sympathy for French hard man Lorik Cana, who was playing out of position in central defence during the annihilation; and also for Steed Malbranque, who was rated worst player of the week as he came up against Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda more or less at the top of their games.
Also getting a bit of sympathy from TOTW this morning (we must be going soft!) is Manchester United’s Nani.
Yes, he’s normally rubbish, but our man watching the match actually thought he had one of his best performances for United. That didn’t stop the critics mauling him just the same as they ever do, and he is once again in the flops side.
Getting much less sympathy are Liverpool’s David N’Gog and Stoke’s Thomas Sorensen, who were judged harshly in their sides’ 1-1 draw for being on opposite sides of the same statistics: Liverpool shots on goal – 1; Liverpool goals – 1.
Flops XI (4-4-2):
GK: Thomas Sorensen (Stoke) – 4.5
RB: Richard Stearman (Wolves) – 3.5
CB: Lorik Cana (Sunderland) – 3.5
CB: Paolo Da Silva (Sunderland) – 4.5
LB: Javier Garrido (Manchester City) – 4.5
RM: Steed Malbranque (Sunderland) – 3.5
CM: David Meyler (Sunderland) – 4.5
CM: Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) – 5
LM: Nani (Manchester United) – 4.5
FW: David N’gog (Liverpool) – 4
FW: Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn) – 4.5
TEAM OF THE SEASON (minimum 10 starts)
Aston Villa’s Luke Young slips out of the team of the season this week after falling below the minimum starts threshold, bringing Liverpool’s Glen Johnson back into the side.
Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie and Blackburn’s David Dunn are on the verge of slipping out of the side, also due solely to injuries limiting their number of starts.
Elsewhere, it’s as you were, though weak performances at the weekend from Shay Given and Craig Bellamy have hit their averages.
Bellamy is now tied with Didier Drogba in the player-of-the-season race – though with the Chelsea striker in action at the African Cup of Nations, it’s all up to the Welshman as to whether he goes up or down.
Team of the season:
GK: Shay Given (Manchester City) – 7.01
RB: Glen Johnson (Liverpool) – 6.57 – NEW ENTRY
CB: Richard Dunne (Aston Villa) – 7.06
CB: Roger Johnson (Birmingham City) – 7.00
LB: Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – 6.72
RM: Aaron Lennon (Tottenham) – 6.95
CM: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) – 7.10
CM: David Dunn (Blackburn) – 7.08
LM: Craig Bellamy (Manchester City) – 7.23
FW: Robin van Persie (Arsenal) – 7.33
FW: Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – 7.23
FLOPS OF THE SEASON (minimum 10 starts)
A trio of changes to the flops this week, and two of the players lining up only have themselves to blame: Sunderland goalkeeper Marton Fulop and Wolves defender Michael Mancienne. Both reportedly put in woeful displays, bringing their averages down low enough to force their ways into the team.
Salf Diao had the opposite problem: he actually put in a reasonable display at the weekend, but his appearance bumped his number of starts up to the minimum qualification number and such were his early season woes that he is now in the team.
Flops of the season:
GK: Marton Fulop (Sunderland) – 5.94 – NEW ENTRY
RB: Paul McShane (Hull) – 5.49
CB: Jloyd Samuel (Bolton) – 5.45
CB: Michael Mancienne (Wolves) – 5.44 – NEW ENTRY
LB: Herita Ilunga (West Ham) – 5.51
RM: Greg Halford (Wolves) – 5.44
CM: Salif Diao (Stoke) – 5.52 – NEW ENTRY
CM: Radoslav Kovac (West Ham) – 5.70
LM: El-Hadji Diouf (Blackburn) – 5.48
FW: Aruna Dindane (Portsmouth) – 5.48
FW: Jason Roberts (Blackburn) – 5.63

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