Vital Lincoln City: Player Of The Season 2018-19

The following three awards are calculated using marks awarded by Vital Lincoln City members under the Rate The Players thread following each match. At the end of the season, a multiplier is applied to each player’s average rating dependent upon the number of appearances each player has made. This is done for two reasons:

a) It is relatively easy for a player to perform very well over a smaller number of games. This can be particularly noticeable when a player is brought in on loan for a short period: that player wants to make a good impression for a variety of reasons and often raises his game for that period. The player is also less likely to pick up an injury or suffer from the effects of fatigue. Conversely, it is far harder to perform at a consistently high level over a greater number of games due to the increased likelihood of physical and mental fatigue, injury and loss of form. It would be inequitable therefore to make no allowance for these factors.

b) To build in a measure that reflects the importance of each player to the side and their overall contribution to the season as a whole. It is fair to assume that the players who have made the highest number of appearances have been the key players.

Therefore, the final average rating shown for each player is for hierarchical reasons rather than to produce a true reflection of their actual scores. Anyone wishing to compare actual ratings made prior to the application of the multiplier can do so readily enough.

A total of 51,702 marks were awarded to 32 players over the 55 games of the season, but where did those marks go?

Can Neal Eardley hold on to the top spot he won last season?

Does Vital Lincoln’s match-by-match marking correlate with the official Player of the Season awards?

Which of the three main goalkeepers came out on top?

Who was our top striker/winger/midfielder/defender?

Are there any interesting disparities between any player’s home and away performances?

Are there any surprises in terms of final placing?

And do these results change your mind at all about which players should be retained for League One and which should not?

Time to find out.