Post-Match Thread and Ratings Match report: AFC Wimbledon 2, Southend United 0

[rigsby]

I would dispute what you say about Turner being a forced change. Before the game I heard Brown say that given the number of matches over Christmas he was resting Turner. I would say that if he hadn't bought half of his side from the knackers yard, he would have had no need to rest a player.[/QpitchUOTE]

Every manager has rested players over Christmas. Then add in the fact that we have played 3 of the better teams in the previous 8 days and on the heaviest pitch for years at RH on Saturday......It would be foolish not to

 

[rigsby]

I’m a halfway house on this one. No-one saying he shouldn’t enjoy his social life but he was supposedly completely trashed. There is definitely a case for arguing that it sets a poor example the night before an important match. Supposedly he was rarely out of his seat during the match which is unlike him even when the chips are down. If that’s because he was hanging out if his arsehole then it’s affected his job performance.

We can put this in the same bin as the all the other false reports. Ferdinand has stormed out of the ground...Half the first team were eating a full monty at Waitrose 2hours before a match etc.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Usually I’d agree but with the club being in the position it’s in and assuming the players have all been told to keep the celebrations to a bare minimum, I fail to see what good it does him being pictured out on the **** the night before what is in effect, a relegation battle.

On that basis then there must be a position in the league when it's acceptable to be seen out smiling on New Year's Eve and when it's not. 13th must have been an awkward position. Assuming the photo was taken on the 31st. :winking:

 

[hamiltonblue]

This is not an enjoyable passage of time for Southend supporters, however to say that this is worst seen, on and off the pitch, for some 20 years, I have to disagree.

On the pitch, those who witnessed that dished up by Alan Little, Alvin Martin and even Rob Newman, surely cannot compare the current fare with that?!?!?

Abject performances, dire tactics, dross signings, far, far worse to that of the current. I have no doubt that Alvin Martin gave 110% in his tenure, but it was 110% clueless, talentless, soul destroying rubbish.

Off the pitch, 10 years ago Ron Martin was, almost, wholly considered to be the villainous end of Southend United, intent on raping and pillaging the club before a quick exit, yet he is still here, still financing the Club, still supporting the manager for the long term, rather than knee jerk sackings, still 100% focused on delivering a new ground of which will give the Club a better hope of long term survival.

I'm not saying that I'm not happy with current performances, if there were such a thing my finger is hovering above the 'Sack Him' button, but IMHO this is a long way from the worst I've seen in the last 25 years.

Better times are not far away, keep the faith, Up The Blues!

 

[RobM]

It might not be the worst for 25 years, but words like "entertaining", "Exciting", "encouraging" don't really apply.
The best bit at Wombles was the pie and chips.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

Abject performances, dire tactics, dross signings

Sounds exactly like what we're going through at the moment to me!!

 

[hamiltonblue]

Sounds exactly like what we're going through at the moment to me!!

At the start of the season did you say that Ferdinand re-signing, Kightly, Hendrie, Kiernan, Turner, were dross signings?

 

[Cricko]

At the start of the season did you say that Ferdinand re-signing, Kightly, Hendrie, Kiernan, Turner, were dross signings?

Hidesight is wonderful, shame their reputation preceded them and they turned out crap.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Hidesight is wonderful, shame their reputation preceded them and they turned out crap.

I also expect that mattytheshrimper doesn’t have a job where he is expected to watch numerous football matches, supported by a team of scouts and coaches. He probably isn’t at every trial or training session where we get triallists in.

As supporters, in particular of lower league teams we tend to judge new players on paper. The manager gets paid to judge them on the pitch.

 

[Cricko]

On that basis then there must be a position in the league when it's acceptable to be seen out smiling on New Year's Eve and when it's not. 13th must have been an awkward position. Assuming the photo was taken on the 31st. :winking:

You sail on a river of always wanting to think the best...fair play to you for that...The picture was taken new years eve and that is also ok for PB to have a drink....The thing is you cannot preach two sides of a story...The players have to be saints but the manager can do as it suits him.

If the team and PB are so committed to get us out of the syhte hole position we are in, there would be some form of urgency in the camp.....I just see it as they all collect wages whatever, regardless of SUFC our club as a whole.

It has become farcical at the club, PB has no idea what he is doing, did he ever?

His only promotion rode on the back of Paul Sturrocks work. He took the glory at the final.

 

[hamiltonblue]

Hidesight is wonderful, shame their reputation preceded them and they turned out crap.

And so you voiced your concern at the time? You highlighted that they were potentially crap players? i.e. you thought they were dross signings?

 

[hamiltonblue]

I also expect that mattytheshrimper doesn’t have a job where he is expected to watch numerous football matches, supported by a team of scouts and coaches. He probably isn’t at every trial or training session where we get triallists in.

As supporters, in particular of lower league teams we tend to judge new players on paper. The manager gets paid to judge them on the pitch.

And so did you voice your opinion that Ferdinand was crap last season and a poor signing for this?

 

[Cricko]

And so you voiced your concern at the time? You highlighted that they were potentially crap players? i.e. you thought they were dross signings?

I always thought going to old dross was wrong.

 

[hamiltonblue]

It has become farcical at the club, PB has no idea what he is doing, did he ever?

I'm not Brown's biggest fan at present but you're pushing it there, IMHO we're actually having the season I expected when we were first promoted to the division, to say that the fact that we're in this division has nothing to do with Brown whatsoever is unbelievably harsh

 

[onceknownasrab]

There has to be a balanced view adopted here. I did post, before the season began, that our defence was a major concern, just as it was at the beginning of last season. But before a ball is kicked it was only my opinion. I guess PB thought otherwise. Some of the signings looked dodgy but then just look at MAF. He can still strut his stuff. PB has got it wrong but it was a roll of the dice. I am sure he did not intend to saddle us with injury prone, past their best players. It just turned out this season was one too many for a number of the 'quality' boys. If he had managed to squeeze one last season out of them, we would be applauding his foresight. All signings are a gamble. For me, beyond his signings, it's the tactics that concern me most but again that's only my opinion.

 

[Cricko]

I'm not Brown's biggest fan at present but you're pushing it there, IMHO we're actually having the season I expected when we were first promoted to the division, to say that the fact that we're in this division has nothing to do with Brown whatsoever is unbelievably harsh

No it's not....He did nothing apart from steal Paul Sturocks send off.

 

[southendkid]

PB has no idea what he is doing, did he ever?

His only promotion rode on the back of Paul Sturrocks work. He took the glory at the final.

Of course he did, just because Sturrock built the squad doesn't mean Brown didn't have to do anything, otherwise we would have finished outside the playoffs again like Sturrock did. Brown took a good Sturrock side, found a good left back in Coker and turned them into promotion contenders. Brown's tactical ability is limited but he has a favourite tactic that is very effective in the lower leagues when he has the players that fit it. Unless you think tactics mean absolutely nothing and it's just about the players I don't see how you can say Brown did nothing.

Brown's major flaw (aside from his inability to remotivate a losing side) is that he is crap at identifying transfer targets, he goes for names rather than recent form. As you said he used a lot of Sturrock's men when we went up but the tactics he used were different from Sturrock's and they proved effective with the players we had. Now we're seeing a team made up of Brown's picks and a lot of them aren't good enough (or at least don't suit Brown's favourite tactics like Sturrock's players did).

 

[hamiltonblue]

There has to be a balanced view adopted here. I did post, before the season began, that our defence was a major concern, just as it was at the beginning of last season. But before a ball is kicked it was only my opinion. I guess PB thought otherwise. Some of the signings looked dodgy but then just look at MAF. He can still strut his stuff. PB has got it wrong but it was a roll of the dice. I am sure he did not intend to saddle us with injury prone, past their best players. It just turned out this season was one too many for a number of the 'quality' boys. If he had managed to squeeze one last season out of them, we would be applauding his foresight. All signings are a gamble. For me, beyond his signings, it's the tactics that concern me most but again that's only my opinion.

Agreed, along with is man management skills i.e. berating players to press

 

[Cricko]

Of course he did, just because Sturrock built the squad doesn't mean Brown didn't have to do anything, otherwise we would have finished outside the playoffs again like Sturrock did. Brown took a good Sturrock side, found a good left back in Coker and turned them into promotion contenders. Brown's tactical ability is limited but he has a favourite tactic that is very effective in the lower leagues when he has the players that fit it.

Brown's major flaw (aside from his inability to remotivate a losing side) is that he is crap at identifying transfer targets, he goes for names rather than recent form. As you said he used a lot of Sturrock's men when we went up but the tactics he used were different from Sturrock's and they proved effective. Now we're seeing a team made up of Brown's picks and a lot of them aren't good enough (or at least don't suit Brown's favourite tactics like Sturrock's players did).

Can you say that about our team atm..we maybe have the bones of a good side. PB has no man management or a clue to what team to play formation wise that fits the players he signed or any idea on other teams attributes or subs....I am sorry to rain on your parade here, but the facts speak for themselves.

 

[southendkid]

Can you say that about our team atm..we maybe have the bones of a good side. PB has no man management or a clue to what team to play formation wise that fits the players he signed or any idea on formations, other teams attributes or subs....I am sorry to rain on your parade here, but the facts speak for themselves.

So the facts speak for themselves this year because we're losing but don't speak for themselves in the other 4 years when we played well? I think it is time for Brown to go because he's made poor signings that don't fit his style, and I don't think he's adaptable enough to come up with something outside his comfort zone that will work, but rewriting history so that everything he did in previous years was actually down to Sturrock seems unfair and doesn't really make sense considering he's been here 4 and half years and this is the first season it's gone wrong.