Post-Match Thread and Ratings Accrington Stanley 1-1 Southend United

[Ricey]

Please post all ratings and reports in here....

Cracking effort by the 267 travelling fans.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Not much to say really. Team didn't play well for some reason. Poor first half, poor (rather cold) second half.

A group of boy scouts could have defended better for their goal.

My man of the match was Leonard but overall no-one covered themselves in glory. We could have won it at the end but that would have been harsh on Accers. A draw was a fair result overall.

 

[shrimperjon]

Not much to say really. Team didn't play well for some reason. Poor first half, poor (rather cold) second half.

A group of boy scouts could have defended better for their goal.

My man of the match was Leonard but overall no-one covered themselves in glory. We could have won it at the end but that would have been harsh on Accers. A draw was a fair result overall.

Yet we had more possession, more shots on and off target, more corners and their keeper was MOM. That doesn't suggest it would have been a lucky win. If we are honest we haven't played well for weeks but have dug out some decent results. We still lack in the forward line. Corr is struggling for goals, albeit playing a slightly different role, Woodrow works hard but with little impact, might get 10 this season and Fred probably won't play beyond this season, he looks shot to me. I'm not moaning as such because I would have taken this position in August, but think we are lacking a bit at the moment.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

PB "massively disappointed" not to have got three points. Very low key first-half and then it took them to score before we really woke up. Unusual for PB to make such an early substitution, just after ten minutes into the second-half......clearly not a happy bunny with our performance up to then. Don't know whether he'll repeat the experiment again, of starting Woodrow up front on his own?

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

.Ok. Aside from the worse ground in the league and a pitiful attendance what can I say about today?The pitch was almost square as it was very short, it sloped a lot, any wind had no stands stopping it affecting play (not too windy today thankfully) but it had short grass and was the same for both teams, it did seem to be bobbly at times and not the best.
The ref was ok but didn't have to make any real decisions, only card to one of Accers for kicking ball away; there was some handbags at half time involving Ant Straker but I have no idea what that was about
Ok line up with CW as solo striker.
We started passing nicely for 15 minutes then descended into kick and aimless hoof until half time with all 22players doing the same and rarely putting 3 or 4 passes together, very forgettable 46 minutes of non league stuff.
2nd half began the same: which was barely visible under dimmed cycle lamp style lights (are they acceptable with the FA?) and we conceded an own goal from a needlessly given away free kick (no thanks Luke!) when Mark Philips put in our net.
The ineffectual Strakes went off and we improved a little as an attacking force and the introduction of BBBC shortly after Fred helped.
AND then we started playing football! For 15 minutes we passed and ran, kept the ball, crossed and created chances. Their gk made some good saves, we got a few corners, Luke headed a corner home.
We could have got a winner from a post hitting BBBC header but it didn't happen and a draw was probably a fair result.
Some positives are ; no injuries, no bookings, a good spell near the end, a point away.
As for rating the players, 6 for all except Strakes who gets a 4 & looks as if he needs a bench rest and refresh.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Yet we had more possession, more shots on and off target, more corners and their keeper was MOM. That doesn't suggest it would have been a lucky win.

That's the problem with statistics .... they don't tell you what the game was like.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Yet we had more possession, more shots on and off target, more corners and their keeper was MOM. That doesn't suggest it would have been a lucky win. If we are honest we haven't played well for weeks but have dug out some decent results. We still lack in the forward line. Corr is struggling for goals, albeit playing a slightly different role, Woodrow works hard but with little impact, might get 10 this season and Fred probably won't play beyond this season, he looks shot to me. I'm not moaning as such because I would have taken this position in August, but think we are lacking a bit at the moment.

Did you go? Barry changed the game (with the other subs) and made us more balanced. CW worked very hard but had no support as both AS and KH (to a lesser extent) had poo games. Fred does give us threat and is good for 30 minutes every game. Statistics are just general guides and NOT the full picture.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Isn't it interesting this season, how the expectation being put on the players is being openly discussed? In his post-match interview PB spent some time talking about the importance of the players 'singing from the same song-sheet' as the Chairman and management team in terms of where we want to be in the league, come the end of the season. Luggy certainly had a points tally in mind but IIRC it was rather underscored and the sentiment concerning promotion wasn't being sung from the rooftops as it is now. Whether it will make any difference in the end, we shall have to wait and see.

 

[rlb999]

4 points from 2 games in 3 days is fine.
Today we weren't that good and it wasn't flowing. But Accrington were rubbish and 3 points were there for the taking. I'd agree with PB that we should have won it, but he's responsible for the tactics. We should have ended with Corr, Eastwood and Woodrow on the pitch - if we'd gone for them today they would have crumbled.
I've seen every away game this season. The interesting thing is that whilst we pick up a few points, we don't create that many chances. We had a lot of the ball today but couldn't get through them or behind them - are our full backs instructed not to overlap?

 

[Pubey]

I thought we were average in the first half, with our defence looking fairly solid but we were poor in the final third. I haven't seen the team for a while so couldn't really judge the selection, but my fears were true with Woodrow poor and our midfield a bit unorganised. To be fair, hurst, Straker and Timlin tried to support, but only a couple of decent moves were strung together. Accrington looked pretty poor also.

In the second half, accrington stepped up and their goal was poor defending. Browns subs did see an improvement, with the ineffective Straker, Woodrow and Timlin replaced by Corr, Freddy and Payne. We stepped up and our equaliser was probably deserved. We continued to apply the pressure and a few chances fell to Phillips. However a draw was probably a fair result.

Ratings:

Bentley - 6 - good handling and kicking.
White - 6 - fairly solid. Poor going forward
Prosser - 7 - very solid. Banged in a scrappy goal (I think!)
Phillips - 7 - assured. Some stray passing. Good attacking threat
Coker - 5 - poor all round
Timin - 5 - put Woodrow through a couple of times but fizzled out after a good start and rightly subbed
Atkinson - 6 - offered very little. A willing recipient but maybe lacks a killer pass
Hurst - 5 - some good crosses in the first half but lost composure and wandered in the 2nd
Straker - 5 - wasteful
Leonard - 8 - MOTM - very classy. Long range passes were dodgy but he knows when to pass or dribble and tackled and headed well
Woodrow - 5 - given a tough job. Had some chances he should have done better with.

Subs:
Fred and Corr - 6
Payne - 5 (looked a lost boy)

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Not surprised to hear Coker struggled. He looked and sounded under the weather against Wimbledon. I thought he did well to last 90 minutes there considering.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Surprised at your comment on Payne there Pubey, he normally injects a bit of impetus...mind you, I was surprised he came on as I'd have expected Laird to really.

Woodrow seems to me to be far more effective as a 2nd striker, not as a lone one. Sounds as if he was on a bit of a hiding to nothing.

How much longer can Straker continue getting games and doing next to nothing? Two big games coming up this week, we need to be producing more.

 

[slapheadsteve]

Would we have taken four points before the Wimbledon game on Boxing Day.
Yes i am sure we would have. Anyone who says no sorry i dont belive you!!!!!!!!!!
We would have taken this position at new year before the season started

I do feel PB made a mistake in not starting with Barry Corr.
Woodrow runs and gives 100% but is not as effective as Barry. We lacked the physical pressence up front.
Although Woodrow is more likely to score than Bazza.
In the Greyhound before Accrington supporters told us there keeper was a youngster who was i think in only his second game.
He would be very nerveous and maybe would not like a physical pressence around him.
The keeper was excellent and given there man of the match, and looked comfortable. A little hassling would have maybe lead to a mistake. Barry can do this very well (within the rules) Cauley cannot.
However Lenny again my man of the match. I do think Daniel had a few ball juggling moments which he got away with!

Not the best performaance (what you could see in the second half, I dont belive those lights are up to league standards)
We are grinding out results, which most others in this division would take. As i said after the Torquay game that was a one off.
Finally 3 pints for under a fiver in the pub before the game. Makes you like the frezzing dark grim north.

 

[Bromley Blue]

Woodrow seems to me to be far more effective as a 2nd striker, not as a lone one. Sounds as if he was on a bit of a hiding to nothing.

How much longer can Straker continue getting games and doing next to nothing? Two big games coming up this week, we need to be producing more.

Agree with this and to be honest I'm surprised PB was so naive to think Woodrow as the lone striker would work. For the 4 5 1 formation to be successful the striker has to be a target man type of forward player who can win the battle against sometimes 2 centre backs, control the ball and wait for support in order to build a move. That player will also often have to drop deep to receive the ball whilst midfielders proceed to get beyond him to get on the end of any flick ons or passes out to the wings.

This issue doesn't just happen in the lower leagues. Man Utd had the same problem against Norwich the other day when they played Hernandez alone up front. He had little success until Welbeck came on to play the Barry Corr role.

 

[Pubey]

Agree about the lights. We said that too

 

[tia]

Very poor ground we all know that,good effort from our fans up there,we were maybe a bit unlucky not to have won but i think a draw was just about right.First half we were very poor.Goal we conceded was very soft.Improved as second half went on and there keeper had a blinder.Accrington battled very well and i think Beattie is doing a good job up there all things considered.4 points from 2 away games is a good return in this very competitive league.

 

[* ORM *]

BC doesn't need to be banging the goals in playing a lone striker role. His ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play is impressive enough for me. I like Brown's tactics away from home. Soak up the pressure, tire the opposition out and bring on fresh legs to have a go at them. This in addition to a squad that seems to me to have above average stamina for this division.

 

[Pubey]

Surprised at your comment on Payne there Pubey, he normally injects a bit of impetus...mind you

Were you there? I thought he was the right substitution actually because I thought he could be a game changer a la Burton. However he was poor.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

I agree that Woodrow is not as good alone up front as Barry ..... but Barry does have many more years of experience ..... and I don't think Barry could play for 65 minutes for 4 games in 10 days .... plus we don't know who has a slight cough or temperature. In hindsight, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some players are currently a little under the weather.

 

[Pubey]

If YB is right about Coker being unwell then that explains a lot. He was poor in all respects.