Post-Match Thread and Ratings Newport County AFC 0 -1 Southend Utd

[stewart]

Great result. Terrible first half on a woeful pitch.

The last 30 mins we looked a very useful side.

Potentially we have

Hart
Mellis
Oyalinka
Taylor
Walsh
Egbri
McCormack
Holmes
Simpson
Ranger

all to play a part in the end of the season.

We have every chance to stay up.

When you look at those options you got to wonder why we are where we are,really with thse options i cannot for the life of me think we are in danger of relegation.

 

[LI11]

Tom Clifford MOTM for me and should be nailed on starter at left back every game.
Really liked the presence of Ferguson in midfield, didn’t do anything spectacular but prevented us from being overrun and allowed Dieng to get forward as he does well.
Not going to get ahead of myself because it’s still going to be really tough for us but the thought of Holmes, Olayinka, Ranger, Mellis and McCormack getting involved in this team gives me hope.
that is of course if we do go through with the signings of Holmes and Ranger

 

[KevinJH]

"Woulda, coulda, shoulda....." Well, you didn't, 3 points to us thank-you very much. Next.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Didn't watch, followed on Twitter - delighted!

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

Can we have a word of appreciation for the Newport commentator who proved that there are numerous ways to mispronounce “Bwomono” without ever finding the correct pronunciation.

Also the way he added even more syllables to “Farquharson” was a delight that reminded me of the name of the doctor played by Steve Martin in “The man with two brains”!

 

[Jay_SUFC]

Precisely. There's been a lot of gnashing of teeth about the 5 at the back, and a lot of fans using it as a stick to beat MM with but it's clearly never been his preferred system. He just didn't have enough options in the middle over the past fortnight, we've had so many central midfielders out for one reason or another.

Sorry, I completely disagree with this. MM did have options; maybe not his ideal options, but they were there, which would have allowed him to remain with 4 at the back.

 

[Tinks]

Can we have a word of appreciation for the Newport commentator who proved that there are numerous ways to mispronounce “Bwomono” without ever finding the correct pronunciation.

Also the way he added even more syllables to “Farquharson” was a delight that reminded me of the name of the doctor played by Steve Martin in “The man with two brains”!

One of the highlights of the evening especially when he said “the free kick thingy”
Found the first half slow and boring to be honest and through Newport were a very poor side however, take nothing away from us we worked hard and got the result the wanted and I for one am as pleased as the next person and above all we are finally off the bottom. During the second half the football was better and I enjoyed the way we were passing the ball around.
I am not an Ox fan but, he made a great save in the last minute which meant we got to keep all three points
Let’s hope this win will boost their confidence for Saturday as we all know confidence can help win games

 

[Stan33]

When you look at those options you got to wonder why we are where we are,really with thse options i cannot for the life of me think we are in danger of relegation.

How long have we had them ?????

 

[LennySUFC]

Hopefully that is the result to kick start the second half of the season!

I thought we looked much better going back to a 4 defender formation as it gave us the extra man in midfield which we utilised. I think it's no coincidence that Hobson had a good game being back in a back four as well. Oxley looked really good, commanded his area and made a great last minute save!

I thought the new lad in midfield looked tidy. He looked like a CM who was confident on the ball and was happy to look to go forward which sometimes we lack with Demi, Macca, Dieng. I thought ANG proved again his dribbling and skill is Championship level however his final ball and finishing is league two. If he can do a Ryan Hall and find his shooting boots in his second season we could have a seriously talented winger on our hands!

I thought Halford did ok, he battled but never really had the players around him to flick onto. I know he was offside, but that turn against their CB in the box in the first half made me screech! Akinola off the bench changed the game and really put their defence under pressure.

It's funny because we've won that, but it was another game where we could have or should have scored 3-4, (ANG 1v1, RHF Blocked, Akinola Header). I said to someone last night that if we continue with this 433/4231 I would love to see Holmes play in the CAM just behind the striker. I doubt he has the legs to play on the wing but I think he could be a menace in that position.

Others have said it so I won't list them, but we have a lot of good players to come back into this squad plus the two on trial at the moment. The squad we have does not look like a L2 relegation squad on paper.

 

[Tampa Blue]

Sorry, I completely disagree with this. MM did have options; maybe not his ideal options, but they were there, which would have allowed him to remain with 4 at the back.

Totally agree with Jay_SUFC.

The only personnel changes in the squad from the shambles at Port Vale were Hart and Walsh out, Goodship and Howard in.

What we don't know is were any carrying niggles etc but if you are fit enough to be on the bench then you should be fit enough to play most of the game as you could need to come on very early in a match if injuries occur.

It appears that MM did have options at Port Vale but chose not to use them when deciding to go 5 at the back - hopefully he will now stick with a back 4 to the end of the season!

 

[damien]

Up early for work, which is a very long commute to other side of the room to the desk.

Might be a tad sad of me just watched the game again and can confirm post 3 point delusion that we did in fact deserve those 3 points. Yes they had a couple of chances but some of those passing moves originating from Dieng and Clifford to get us into chance creation opportunities really helped the weetabix go down this morning, smooth as you like.

Cambridge a toughy next but we should be fired up seeing as with a good side out we were unlucky not be 2 or 3 up by half time a few weeks back. Get a total of anywhere between 7 and 9 points in Feb would be a very good return for us and really really helped by a surprise win last night.

Up the blues we are not done just yet

 

[Joolz]

I think the discussion about playing 4 or 5 at the back is not as relevant as some might think (although I prefer 4). Before the season is done we will almost certainly have a few more 'Port Vale' performances, but conversely will also have a few more 'Newport' ones - we just need to make sure we have more of the latter.

 

[Tampa Blue]

I think the discussion about playing 4 or 5 at the back is not as relevant as some might think (although I prefer 4). Before the season is done we will almost certainly have a few more 'Port Vale' performances, but conversely will also have a few more 'Newport' ones - we just need to make sure we have more of the latter.

Personally I believe that the two types of performance may well be interlinked with the team set up though.

 

[Danshrimper]

I think the discussion about playing 4 or 5 at the back is not as relevant as some might think (although I prefer 4). Before the season is done we will almost certainly have a few more 'Port Vale' performances, but conversely will also have a few more 'Newport' ones - we just need to make sure we have more of the latter.

I agree with this, I feel we would have still lost the previous games even if we had played with 4 at the back. Although I must say White and Hobson look far more comfortable as a 2 than in a 3. 4-2-3-1 is definitely the way forward. Especially as we have so many options in midfield now.

 

[kentblues]

So as I said at HT- the bad news is we didnt look like scoring. The good news we reverted to the 4 at the back with the two CB's who were by far the most successful in the spell where we got back on track and stopped leaking goals. This meant we had the possibility of the score beginning Newport 0. And then we could nick it. And we did.

The pleasant surprise was despite our obvious lack of goal threat we were very well organised, played the right way for the conditions and were able to maintain our share of possession including up the pitch. It was very even and frankly the two teams looked a very even match on the night and that is an achievement. It wasn't a backs to the wall win.

Hobson and White hoofing for me is a relief. We need to old fashion no nonsense CBs. I don't want to see risky stuff at the back or little passes that put others under pressure, or miscontrolling. Newport are one of the better sides in the division and we blunted them as an attacking force. I will take that as a real positive,

 

[BARNETBLUE]

Funny how we all see a game....Demi played more passes than any Southend player!! 43 passes at 67.4% complete also made him the highest no of completed passes for Southend too.

Thats a fair point, but I agree he has had his day with us.

 

[rigsby]

A game no one fancied on a night no one really waned to travel and on a pitch no one would want to play on.Throw in a commentator that had been dragged last minute from his school fate announcing job, plus they couldn't even find a pundit?

Quite understandable that some of you didn't want to part with £10 and some of you were probably regretting doing so after 20mins.

I got the first half i was hoping for, very ugly but at 0-0 it meant we were in the game. Ref was good as we always lose the con the ref competition and last night could have ended up horrendous if he hadn't played on after "contact".

I was impressed with the new target man upfront, did exactly what was needed first 45. We need to improve the service and be on the move when he wins a header , thats how you pressure a back 4 but i guess they are just not used to it. He even flattened one of their CB's. Don't think I've seen that in the last 3 years.

Brilliant move by MM as he went down the tunnel at H/T. Managed to nick their mangers team talk. "Their s***, keep it tight for the first 10. Then step it up for 15 and we will win this"

Fresh legs that had not played on Saturday and crucially not chased lost causes in the first 45 was how we grabbed all 3 points. So well done to head of PE. Not that he will get any credit but hey its worth mentioning.

On to Cambridge which is another free hit but with some added confidence. Again I hope none of you are entertained that gets you 0-4 at Half time. Its points that will save us and you only get them by playing ugly for most of the game when you are down the bottom.

What with the test win in India earlier I had a good day....For someone who is snowed in during lockdown and his team are 92nd. I hope the majority of you lot are feeling more positive today....You should be.

 

[OllieSteph44]

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just feel sometimes, especially in our position, the most valuable player in the team is probably the one that carries out all the duties and jobs that are least noticed...they knit the team together and play a very underestimated role in steering the ship in the right direction.

I personally still feel that he plays a vital role in the fabric of the side and sometimes a player that helps other players look good is more important than a player who looks good....

 

[sufc4life21]

Shame MM didn't play 4231 formation in the previous 4 games....... we might have got few more points if he did. We look more of a compact unit with 4231 formation compared to 532. Hope MM has now learnt from those previous mistakes!

 

[martinreed]

In hindsight bit of a masterstroke playing Halford from the start to try and win headers and unsettle them (limited success) and saving the legs of Akinola for later in the game when the defenders were tiring.

Halford was hopeless. Won nothing in air, did little to set things up and no pace. Made Acquah look good.