overseas shrimper
Life President⭐
Well, the match against MK Dons marked game one of the OS Xmas / New Year visit... and what a let down it was.
It all started pronisingly enough. A quick lunch at The Fish House followed by a visit to the much improved club shop and the beaming smile of the ever helpfull and friendly Claire. Strange move to decide that the club shop can no longer sell match day programmes.-- Staff had to direct bemused customers to the ticket office for programmes! Doesn't make sense to me!
This was followed by a visit to the Shrimpers bar to re-new the memberships of me and the missus and book our places on the coach up the Hartlepool (mug). I prefer the Shrimpers bar now that it's smoke free... but what's happened to Blues TV?
At around 2.45 we made our way into the ground... sitting in the East blues. Thankfully the sun set behind the West Stand just after kick-off (so we'll be blinded for the early kick-off Bournemouth game if we sit there again!!!).
The whole pre-match atmosphere seemed very low-key. Too many hang-overs perhaps?
MK Dons has very poor support, but they tried to get a response from the home crowd... to pretty much no avail.
If the supporters didn't want to know, their demeanour was more than matched by the players.
What a terrible first half. Not one Southend player came out of it with any credit of note.
I was pretty much in line with the penalty incident, and as soon as it happened, there was only one outcome... and Prior's reaction showed he new it, too. For some reason, I didn't think the penalty would result in a goal... and it didn't. A terrible miss.
The middle part of the second half was all Southend. I honestly expected us to get something during this period... but then it all ended like a damp squib.
Gray was abysmal. As has already been said, he spends more time on his backside than on his feet. For a player with speed listed as one of his main attributes, he is well off pace. He just doesn't seem to want to know.
Eastwood, to me, was average at best. His timing for jumps to win headers is a joke. He jumps so early, he's just about back on terra firma when the defender is meeting the ball with his head.
Gower looked okay, if nothing that great, linking okay at times with Jupp (in the 2nd half) before being sent to the left of midfield when JCR came on for Cole.
Jupp lost the ball on one occasion late on and looked too knackered to chase back. Thanfully, the lightning quick JCR ran the length of the pitch to win the ball back.
JCR seems to have lightining speed, but was introduced too late. When he did break away, he actually tried to cross quite early.
As for Cole winning Man of the Match; he had a better second half, as did many players... and as I said to my surprised brother... 'Somebody had to win it'.
I am now left 'looking forward' to the long coach trip with the missus up to Hartlepool... and I am worried about witnessing another performance like yesterday's... or getting up there to find out it's been snowed off.
It all started pronisingly enough. A quick lunch at The Fish House followed by a visit to the much improved club shop and the beaming smile of the ever helpfull and friendly Claire. Strange move to decide that the club shop can no longer sell match day programmes.-- Staff had to direct bemused customers to the ticket office for programmes! Doesn't make sense to me!
This was followed by a visit to the Shrimpers bar to re-new the memberships of me and the missus and book our places on the coach up the Hartlepool (mug). I prefer the Shrimpers bar now that it's smoke free... but what's happened to Blues TV?
At around 2.45 we made our way into the ground... sitting in the East blues. Thankfully the sun set behind the West Stand just after kick-off (so we'll be blinded for the early kick-off Bournemouth game if we sit there again!!!).
The whole pre-match atmosphere seemed very low-key. Too many hang-overs perhaps?
MK Dons has very poor support, but they tried to get a response from the home crowd... to pretty much no avail.
If the supporters didn't want to know, their demeanour was more than matched by the players.
What a terrible first half. Not one Southend player came out of it with any credit of note.
I was pretty much in line with the penalty incident, and as soon as it happened, there was only one outcome... and Prior's reaction showed he new it, too. For some reason, I didn't think the penalty would result in a goal... and it didn't. A terrible miss.
The middle part of the second half was all Southend. I honestly expected us to get something during this period... but then it all ended like a damp squib.
Gray was abysmal. As has already been said, he spends more time on his backside than on his feet. For a player with speed listed as one of his main attributes, he is well off pace. He just doesn't seem to want to know.
Eastwood, to me, was average at best. His timing for jumps to win headers is a joke. He jumps so early, he's just about back on terra firma when the defender is meeting the ball with his head.
Gower looked okay, if nothing that great, linking okay at times with Jupp (in the 2nd half) before being sent to the left of midfield when JCR came on for Cole.
Jupp lost the ball on one occasion late on and looked too knackered to chase back. Thanfully, the lightning quick JCR ran the length of the pitch to win the ball back.
JCR seems to have lightining speed, but was introduced too late. When he did break away, he actually tried to cross quite early.
As for Cole winning Man of the Match; he had a better second half, as did many players... and as I said to my surprised brother... 'Somebody had to win it'.
I am now left 'looking forward' to the long coach trip with the missus up to Hartlepool... and I am worried about witnessing another performance like yesterday's... or getting up there to find out it's been snowed off.
