Post-Match Thread and Ratings Wigan Athletic 3 - 0 Southend United

[buffalowolf]

I said we would lose but all i was hoping for was an improved performance,some say it was but reading the threads im not so sure, to set a team up to play defensively when you have 2 makeshift CD s seems strange,i would have preferred an attacking formation and taking the game to them. Thinking about it was more than 2 makeshift CDS if Timlin was playing LB and no recognised DMF.Strange tactic to me.

 

[blues exile]

Whatever the rights or wrongs of team selection and substitutions and regardless of the injury list, the unavoidable facts are that the standard of football has been really poor. Hoofing it up in the air all the time is not the kind of football that will get results. The midfield, regardless of who is playing on the day, seem to regard the ball with suspicion as something to get rid of quickly as if it was an explosive device. Ranger is running himself into the ground chasing lost causes as a result and few goalscoring opportunities are being created. The ball keeps coming back to an overworked defence which inevitably cracks under the pressure.

 

[AndyT]

"Interesting" ???? Is that a euphemism for downright perverse ?

His whole tenure has been characterised, right from the beginning, by strange team selections and woeful substitutions.

I wouldn't go that far 'Mick'.

What I do think is that when he hits on a winning formula, he tends to stick to it. Which I guess anyone would.

However, when injuries occur or the team goes through a couple of poor performances, he does tend to over-react and shuffle the pack a bit too much.

I've said before that his Achilles heel is over-thinking and consequently over-complicating things. Like last season, when he changed the system at home to Sheffield United, when he didn't need to.

PB has aspirations to be a first division manager, but has a fourth division budget.

Sometimes the two collide with spectacular consequences.

My only request is to keep our formula simple and stick to it.

He has been unlucky with injuries, but setting up with McGlashan and Robinson yesterday just didn't make any sense to me.

 

[geoffmundo]

I am 'neutral' on PB. However, the way he set the team up (with the position of injuries/suspensions/form) is understandable as the 'game plan' was to soak up the pressure and hit them on the break. If it wasn't for the deflected free kick part of the plan would have been working. That his team didn't execute as he wanted is another matter.

Who are the 1-2 Senior players who are letting him down as mentioned in the BBC Essex post match interview?

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

We've been crucified by the changes to the transfer window this year. Any other year we'd have had at least an emergency loan available to us with our injury situation.

All the more reason not to blow your budget on players who haven’t been fit enough to play

 

[Mick]

"Interesting" ???? Is that a euphemism for downright perverse ?

His whole tenure has been characterised, right from the beginning, by strange team selections and woeful substitutions.

I wouldn't go that far 'Mick'.

I would have gone further, but I was trying to be reasonably polite.

 

[AndyT]

Who are the 1-2 Senior players who are letting him down as mentioned in the BBC Essex post match interview?

I was thinking that.

There seem to be one or two players who get jettisoned when things start to unravel.

Cox and Fortune are two of those. McLaughlin also seems to be.

Not saying it's them, but there's an uncanny coincidence.

 

[AndyT]

I would have gone further, but I was trying to be reasonably polite.

His "whole tenure" hasn't been, in my view.

On occasions he has made some odd decisions, which was more my point.

That said, I'm sure there's plenty of fans forums around the country where the same is said of their manager.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I was thinking that.

There seem to be one or two players who get jettisoned when things start to unravel.

Cox and Fortune are two of those. McLaughlin also seems to be.

Not saying it's them, but there's an uncanny coincidence.

The 2 players highlighted are important to us, especially for Tuesday's (hopefully) winnable game. They have either been injured or played (and played) so not starting maybe was a calculated risk. At 1 nil down with 11 players and them coming on fresh who knows if we might have done better?
As for "letting down" that applies to those not following the game plan, which could be any of the midfield?

 

[SeaSideDoughnut]

We do seem to be continuing to ship late goals AND that is something the players and PB need to work on. Play the FULL game.

I agree with this. Even games we've won we can only play football to a point and then hold on. Blackpool could be an example. We played 5-10 minutes of decent football at the start of each half, got our goals at least and then invited pressure.

 

[LBBlue]

He has been unlucky with injuries, but setting up with McGlashan and Robinson yesterday just didn't make any sense to me.

It didn't make sense to me either but he convinced himself to play a counter attacking game and for that he thought he needed pace ( what he said pre match) . I guess he thought Robinson and McGlashan would provide that - unfortunately they aren't very good footballers in respect of the finer arts of the game that require a bit of brain power.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

It didn't make sense to me either but he convinced himself to play a counter attacking game and for that he thought he needed pace ( what he said pre match) . I guess he thought Robinson and McGlashan would provide that - unfortunately they aren't very good footballers in respect of the finer arts of the game that require a bit of brain power.

If the choice was a fully fit Flash and Theo or a less than 100% Cox and McL then the pick was made. Now for Tuesday a more rested Cox and McL will need to show they can step up to the mark for a very important 3 points.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

It didn't make sense to me either but he convinced himself to play a counter attacking game and for that he thought he needed pace ( what he said pre match) . I guess he thought Robinson and McGlashan would provide that - unfortunately they aren't very good footballers in respect of the finer arts of the game that require a bit of brain power.

Theo Robinson was a disgrace yesterday. He has the first touch of a donkey. At least 3 times it just seemed to bounce off him and it went out for a throw. Mind boggling how we gave this bloke a three year deal

 

[AndyT]

The 2 players highlighted are important to us, especially for Tuesday's (hopefully) winnable game. They have either been injured or played (and played) so not starting maybe was a calculated risk. At 1 nil down with 11 players and them coming on fresh who knows if we might have done better?
As for "letting down" that applies to those not following the game plan, which could be any of the midfield?

Totally agree. In my ideal starting line-up, they would both be playing without a doubt.

My thoughts, particularly on Cox, is that on three occasions now, he has been left out after there's been talk of issues within the team.

Personally, I think he is one of our best three players and should start every match, but I can see the point that maybe PB was managing games, as we have two more this week. I mentioned this, funnily enough, on the 'official match thread' but not for the first time, he has also alluded to certain off/on-field issues regarding player attitude.

I hope I'm wrong on this. Cox is one of the players I am happy to pay money to watch.

 

[Sufc.2008]

Absolutely. Because money isn't an object, all available players are desperate to come to Southend, and they certainly don't have any offers from other clubs. He could have had any ones he wanted, a bit like a football manager game, but he chose THEM. And we all told him at the time, didn't we. No one thought Kightly, Ferdinand, Keirnan, Turner, Robinson were good players. We all knew he'd got it wrong. He didnt' listen.

I'm not saying he should have signed John Stones and Chris Smalling, am I... however, he could have easily signed a couple of cheaper centre-back options as squad players (budget was not a problem, as we managed to sign Josh Wright when he wasn't really a neccessity) - much like we have done in previous seasons. I don't remember us ever having to be so short of options at the back. Using the "we can't attract any players" excuse isn't really valid IMO.

 

[BrettieAngell]

We've got plenty of defenders but most of them are/have been injured or are suspended!

 

[Tommy2holes]

i don’t blame the manager for Coker’s leg break if that’s what you’re asking. Or Kyprianou getting injured last week. Or for Ferdinand getting suspended. And I find it bizarre that you clearly do.

I think it bizzar that you have read my statement and want to highlight ferdinand coker and kyprianou. Yet I mentioned none of them.

As for ferdinand. He has been woeful for quite some time but doesn't get dropped.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I think it bizzar that you have read my statement and want to highlight ferdinand coker and kyprianou. Yet I mentioned none of them.

As for ferdinand. He has been woeful for quite some time but doesn't get dropped.

A very bizarre spelling of bizare there T2H.

 

[Ramsdenblue]

Not sure what happened with the 3rd goal that went in.
I was at the back of the stand and had a clear view of their player standing there all on his own in front of goal totally UNmarked, and then the ball coming across to him where he seemed to have all day to do what he wanted with the ball, thus scoring the 3rd. Oxley i thought done really well.

Thank you also to the SUFC chap that passed on to myself 3no. complementary tickets that he had saving me £54.00 Thank you.

 

[SHRIMPERPETER]

Could it be something with to do with the players travelling up on the day by train instead of going up the day before and staying overnight so giving the players a not so hectic morning and a better sleep? They seem to have done this about 3games in a row now!