Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-1 Bradford City

[Welly7]

certain players- Harris notably- have not been pulling their weight.

You're joking, surely?!?! Harris put in more of a shift than any of the other flavours of the month on show. Other forward players just watched him chase lost cause after lost cause.
Can't question Harris' work rate I'm afraid. If you want to discuss his value to the team/ability as a player then debate that, but to say he has not been pulling his weight is missing the problem Harris being in the team has created.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

Thought Sturrock talked a lot of sense in the radio interview. Mind team selection baffled me a little really can't see how Leonard gets selected in front of Grant and Sawyer. The whole team for much of the game lacked the confidence to put a foot on the ball. The front two were feeding on scraps. What is the point of playing the ball in the air to Harris when he is being marked by a giant ? The ball bypassed midfield for much of the game so hardly surprisng they failed to get into the match. Anyway at least it can only get better.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Called it exactly right in my team selection of what I wanted Grant and Sawyer, and what we would get in Leonard and Ferdinand. Also said we would win 3-0 if we got an early goal or lose 1-0.

Sturrock has got to see that some of the players are so out of form, yet he refuses and has refused to use some players.

Totally awful tonight, and the players need 3 or 4 days off, to recover both mentally and more importantly physically.

 

[sealion]

Just back

How many points do you need to stay up?

Absolutely terrible, a gutless performance and one to miss. Could have played until next xmas and not scored, woeful

 

[Smiffy]

Disgusting showing. Not acceptable at all. If anyone even attempts to defend that shower of **** we just sat through. You need more help than a certain player. 90 mins of hoofball, when they have a giant centre half. Words fail me. No effort, no quality, no clue. They should be ashamed with that. We need 3 or 4 players in the window, or we'll end up in the play offs at best. ****ing livid with what I've seen tonight. Merry ****ing Xmas.

 

[Beardoblue]

How the hell do some of those players keep their place in the team. Ferdinand has been pants for weeks now and Gilbert is dire he makes Che Wilson look like a world beater. What have Sawyer and Grant got to do to get a start the only time the match came to life was when we got a bit of creativity on the pitch. Teams have sussed Hall now mark him out of the game and we have no other outlet at all too many defensive players on the pitch we were playing a team at the bottom of the league and we gave them far too much respect. :angry:

 

[jerseyshrimper]

I would have Moshni on the pitch any day of the week rather than that shower of s--t, at least he shows some desire to win a match. A total disgrace tonight and i can only see it getting worse. Before you go on about our 17 match unbeaten run, please do not forget on the whole we played some crap matches and won when we shouldn't have.

 

[sufcfed]

Our midfield that ended the game shouldv been the starting midfield! give sawyer a go for god sake Sturrock! wonder if he was actually sturrocks signing or Mr. Martin!?

P.S. How on earth gilbert can moan about Mohsni, we he is in fact himself utter dog......... i do not know! HOOF ,,,,,, HOOF,,,,,,HOOF!!!!!!!!!

 

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

No point in giving any marks/MOTM/player analysis,

It was just complete utter bollox

 

[jack the shrimper]

Daniels 5
Clohessy 4
Gilbert 2 - struggle to remember seeing a worse performance from anyone. Glad he's banned for Boxing Day (5 bookings)
Phillips 5 - looked to be struggling with the groin a few times, went down more than once. Why wasn't be brought off? Poor for their goal.
Prosser 4
Ferdinand 5
Timlin 5.5
Leonard 4.5
Hall 5 - had intent when on the ball but didn't pull much off.
Dickinson 4
Harris 4 - gets a mark for trying to encourage other players, small sign of passion there. Also made a good tackle back at one point. Very poor apart from that.

Subs
Grant 6 - gave some fight that we needed.
Sawyer 6 - did well when he came on, should've been given a chance to start IMO.


They looked clueless out there tonight. The Bradford CB was winning everything in the air but we kept playing long balls. Gilbert was abysmal - seriously. Nothing there at all. Really needed some passion in the team. I won't be captain obvious and say where that usually comes from, but some of the players out there need to look at themselves after that performance. It was non-league football at times.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I'm off to the US next week for a little while so that was the last game I will probably see this season, and my oh my, what a performance to go out on. Bradford were very poor indeed but they were still marginally better than us. Gilbert, who I have defended on occasion as a limited but functional lower league full back was especially poor, but Clohessy wasn't much better. Harris was his usual self, a couple of neat touches couldn't disguise the complete lack of pace and physical presence, whilst Dickinson struggled manfully to play a game that obviously doesn't suit him. Other sides have obviously worked out that you need to mark Hall out of the game to stop Southend and our other ten players haven't worked out a system where they can benefit from Ryan being covered by two players. Sawyer and Grant provided some impetus late on but it was obviously of little benefit because they were on the field when we conceded the goal. We desperately need to change something in midfield and upfront because we look woefully bereft of ideas and guile.

 

[Cricko]

Disgusting showing. Not acceptable at all. If anyone even attempts to defend that shower of **** we just sat through. You need more help than a certain player. 90 mins of hoofball, when they have a giant centre half. Words fail me. No effort, no quality, no clue. They should be ashamed with that. We need 3 or 4 players in the window, or we'll end up in the play offs at best. ****ing livid with what I've seen tonight. Merry ****ing Xmas.

I don't think we have played well all season but have got results (which is a good thing) because on that showing we will finish nowhere.. I have often walked away from a game this season thinking ok we won but how I don't know. Tonight was just about the worst feeling of all this season, we were abject,clueless and devoid of any idea whatsoever..I am fed up to the back teeth of this ****ing longball/hoofball style of play even if PS says this is the way to get out of this league...I have seen Creepy,Swindon,Oxford, and a few of the other topside teams this year and they don't seem to think that is the ONLY way to play to win games.

****ed off big time.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Words cannot describe the anger I'm in at the moment. From the off looked like we didn't care. Football was dire and so was the passion. We've been found out now by most teams and something needs to change. Long ball into the box when their defenders were 6"3 plus, you must be joking me? Hall receives the ball and has 2 people marking him. Where are out goals going to come from now? When Sawyer came on caused them problems and looked lively. How anyone can say Mohsni has to leave is clearly clueless as he's the only 1 that always looks like he wants to win. Now gonna mention some players that I feel need mentioning

Phillips= thought he played well tonight but was poor defending for the goal. Needs to stay fit for us without a doubt

Timlin= not the best he's played but thought he was the only other game to come out with much credit.

Ferdinand= been non existent in recent weeks. Has to be benched IMO

Gilbert= how he's made it as a professional footballer is beyond me. He angers me when he hoofs it. Wouldn't care less if he was out for the season with an injury. Would benefit the team probably

Sawyer= has to start next game. Brings energy and creativity to the side

Still annoyed at this performance and I think Tara Brady needs to hear about it. Onwards and upwards, or at the moment, downwards

UTB

 

[Cricko]

I think Tara Brady needs to hear about it. Onwards and upwards, or at the moment, downwards

UTB

I txted TB to say it was complete dogs*** tonight..his reply was .."It wasn't that good".

 

[palexander]

ALways the same when players say they "owe the fans a performance"... normally ends up being a shocker :(

 

[bigmolt]

Total compleat pooh.couldn't put 2 passes together untill Grant and Sawer came on.Daniels was never given an outlet to throw the ball out so he was having to lump it upfield every time. It was then either sent straight back towards him or went out for a goal kick to bradford.Gilbert was not guilty of passing to a blue shirt all night ! Big hoof up field and their big center half gobbled up everything.I cant rember Dickinson winning a single ball in the air. As for Harris he had no chance at 5'10" with all the hoofs. Our midfield was compleatly bypassed. Time after time Gilbert had time to pick a pass but just booted the ball anywhere. Even his throw in's couldn't find a blue shirt. Prosser, well he was not a lot better, and he has got the turning ability of a chieftan tank. Only Phillips and Clohessy came out with the ball and tried to play a pass. Leonard was never in the game, amd the only time Ferdinand looked good was running into space very quickly from their corner's, but was never found with a ball to his feet or to run onto. Hall had 2 players on him and just couldn't get passed, and was it me or were his corners rubbish all game? Timlin for me was never in the game, not his fault , the ball just kept going over his head. All game it was just lumped up field from our defence onto the head of their big defenders and Bradford won all the second balls. I could see that the tactics had to be changed after fifteen min's. When did Sturrock change it ? Well, with about 15 mins left he brought on Grant. Five mins later Sawyer arrived and we started to look a bit better. Ball kept on floor, taking the ball thro the midfield not hoofing it over. But IMHO these changes should have been made at half time.
We need Sturock to give Grant and Sawyer a good run of games in center mid. Try Leonard at left back which if i recall correctly is his fav possition. Because we will never get promotion with Gilbert in the team. Find another winger in the window or a loanee.I would even like to see Asantie given a go on the wing, watching him in the youths, and at the end of last season in the ressies, he has pace to burn, not frightened to take on a full back and looked like he had a football brain.
Then last but by no mean's least lets get Moshie back in central defence and also get him treated by a shrink who can speak French. Most great players have a black side. Take Sir Stan, Cantona, Gazza, Roonie, Ronaldo, Best, and even that cheating, dirty, short, Handballing Argie scum bag, they all have or had a dark side to their personality.
Daniels 6: Clohessy 4, Prosser 2, Phillips 6, Gilbert 1: Hall 5, Timlin 4, Ferdinand 4, Leonard 4: Harris 5, Dickinson 4:Subs Not on long enough !! Grant 7 Sawyer 7. UTB

 

[Medway Blue]

So glad I chose my work Christmas do over that shower of ****. We must be utter toilet to lose to that mob of ***** at home. Jesus. This might be alcohol-fuelled, but this is the beginning of the end of our season to me, unless changes are made in personel and tactics.

And before anyone says anything, I have said this in the hope that I AM proven wrong! I would take no joy from saying such a thing. I actually genuinely want to be shown to be a **** by this team.

Prove me wrong, ****ers. I'm begging you!

 

[southchurch]

I couldn't make it tonight but I struggle to identify with that statement. As a Southend fan I never want any team to score against us and find it hard to believe how anyone could think differently.

Well like you said. you wasn't there.

 

[southchurch]

Those long throws are really getting on my nerves. It was only moshni who ever seems to nod them on. 2 minutes wiping the ball with a towel then throw it straight to the first defender over and over again.

 

[TrueBlue]

I txted TB to say it was complete dogs*** tonight..his reply was .."It wasn't that good".

Stop texting me