And you mateGood to chat to you at HT Jon.
If you looked at the career goals for that entire side would you get to 50..?Great to see other fans finally seeing the 532 bxllxcks for what it is.
It's all opinions of course, but I fundamentally believe this sits at the core of our issues. My stuck record opinion of having too many defensive players on the pitch but having players that are better than most of the teams in the division could be contributing better.
I'd love to see something like this where players are back in their right places. Might take a few games to get 532 out of the system but we have the players to execute. By freeing up one player from defense allows us that other player to get into the box.
Arnold
Gus Lomas kensdale ralph
Miley fonguck
Powell Mooney bridge
Cardwell
Subs Hobson husin wreh Murphy Benton
Or
Arnold
Gus Lomas kensdale ralph
Husin Miley fonguck
Mooney cardwell bridge
Subs Hobson Taylor wreh Powell Murphy
Even our inspiration Brentford has returned to a back 4 (playing a neat 433) and that's in the premier League.
Oh well. Even forced my son to attend as we always win when he goes. Went 1-0 up and just after a steward informed him that his occasional puff on his vape meant another puff and he would have to be thrown out. So he went. And we lost. Sitting outside, in open air we worry about a strawberry and raspberry vape. After he left those around said the rather pleasant aroma was a 1000 times better and less of a health hazard than the hot dogs and pies…this country is truly disintegrating around us.
Rant over…in truth we are moving forward but aren’t yet good enough. As said before if we managed the playoffs we wouldn’t come out on top barring a significant slice of good fortune (and we generally get the opposite).
There is nothing wrong with the formation and how we look to play. The baby shouldn’t go out with the bath water. We just don’t have the quality we need in key positions. In particular, as is our affliction, we have assembled a team where most of the team has a well proven history of not scoring regularly (particularly CMF) and hence, surprise surprise we don’t. I remember with the famed Southend nil teams listing the entire 11’s career games and goals. It screamed this lot won’t score!!! Now it’s not so dissimilar now. If a CM has played 200 games and scored 10 goals don’t expect that to change.
Mooney is not a number 10 (yet at least) but a least it indicated the management team acknowledge there is an issue. But the CM still treat the penalty area as if it’s protected by an electric fence. Imagine a Jack Payne or Wordsworth in the role and you would have 10 goals straight away. Fonguck, skilful player, works hard, can’t shoot, never gets in the box. Taylor…Husin…Miley I excuse - holding midfielder let him get on with it,
Murphy- oh only if he could stay fit. Movement excellent. Has stopped falling over. Clever play. If he and Cardwell stayed match fit I would stick with them and find another couple of quality forwards (but not made of china). Bridge worth his place absolutely- but over relying on him makes us easy to defend against.
In think the problem is we have team of very decent hard working players who play for the shirt. Most are not truly top quality at this level. But if we can add that, and the league is minus Wrexham and Notts County then competing toward the very top is not impossible.
The players who are at a level where they could risk selection for the top 2 - Arnold, Gus, Hobson, Ralph, Murphy, Cardwell. IMO
So we are ten points behind Eastleigh with 2 games in hand. I think we need to get to that 75 point mark to make the play offs. Win 7, Draw 1 and lose 1. That’s the only way I see us making play offs. Doubt it will happen now though but it’s not over just yet, Eastleigh slip up and we take advantage then it’s still on. We just need that one weekend or two where it swings in our favour before the final 3/4 games.
The system is not the issue. Neither is the way we set up and the way the coaching team want/drill the team to play.Great to see other fans finally seeing the 532 bxllxcks for what it is.
It's all opinions of course, but I fundamentally believe this sits at the core of our issues. My stuck record opinion of having too many defensive players on the pitch but having players that are better than most of the teams in the division could be contributing better.
I'd love to see something like this where players are back in their right places. Might take a few games to get 532 out of the system but we have the players to execute. By freeing up one player from defense allows us that other player to get into the box.
Arnold
Gus Lomas kensdale ralph
Miley fonguck
Powell Mooney bridge
Cardwell
Subs Hobson husin wreh Murphy Benton
Or
Arnold
Gus Lomas kensdale ralph
Husin Miley fonguck
Mooney cardwell bridge
Subs Hobson Taylor wreh Powell Murphy
Even our inspiration Brentford has returned to a back 4 (playing a neat 433) and that's in the premier League.
I agree but mathematically it can be done still. Who knows stranger things have happened like Leicester winning the Prem.We've just lost 5 in a row and we looked like a shambles.
It's over.
Have to agree to disagree to most of your post.The system is not the issue. Neither is the way we set up and the way the coaching team want/drill the team to play.
We lack quality and consistent crossers, movers, passers and finishers in the final third. Switching to 442 (which I sense some posters are itching to suggest) isn't going to start making us turn territorial and possession dominance into goals.
The tactical and coaching quality is there for all with an eye for the details to see. There is absolutely no chance in hell that Maher and Co. want their players to be going backwards and sideways all the time. Yes, they want them to probe and be patient if they need to be and would far rather they retain possession, reset and go again than go for passes that aren't there and surrender possession - but that is absolutely not how the players are coached to actually approach the game.
The sort of stuff we were playing earlier in the season pre-financial issues when morale and spirit was high - away at Barnet and Maidstone, etc. - that is how the coaching team want them to play, and that football is the best I've seen a Southend team play since the high points of Tilson's reign. Technically, it might be *the* best I've seen. The performance at Barnet was the certainly the most complete Southend performance I've seen since then, and that should be the template.
Due to various circumstances, it's not clicking like that anymore but it's not an issue with the formation and tactics. Players at this level lack the mentality, football brains, etc. to consistently perform at high levels and their form is much more susceptible to outside influences. That's why they play at this level.
We don't play 532 anyway. 352 perhaps. 3412 today to start off with. Occasionally a 343. Drives me mad to see people linking how we play and set up with the negative "5 at the back!" cries of the Phil Brown days. Worlds apart.
I see where your thinking is coming from but in a 4-2-3-1 you have Ralph as a left back. No thanks. Mooney as what, a false 9? With his propensity to drift sideways can’t see that working. But I see your vision there.Agreed on the football brain element which makes an intricate 352 formation even harder to implement.
I disagree that this is not the issue. It's fundamentally flawed. Too many people in defence, expecting defenders to be both defenders and wingers. Unless you're bridge and we expect him to try defend instead (which makes the team lop sided and unbalanced). Remove bridge and play with proper defensive wing backs we are absolutely toothless (which goes some way to proving the point).
We have 2 defensive mids sat in front of 3 defenders. We play Ralph and Gus in the wing backs you have at least 7 defensive players. Doesn't matter how much you attack if you dont have the mix and balance of players to unlock a defence, making runs you can play all day and not score. How many times this season has that been the norm.
442 isn't necessarily the answer in much the same way 343 doesn't work. But one extra attacking player would make a massive difference in supporting the team forward movement and numbers in the box.
You are not allowed to vape in the ground. Simple as that. Same rules as for smoking. I certainly don't want to be shrouded in clouds of foul smelling vape fumes.Oh well. Even forced my son to attend as we always win when he goes. Went 1-0 up and just after a steward informed him that his occasional puff on his vape meant another puff and he would have to be thrown out. So he went. And we lost. Sitting outside, in open air we worry about a strawberry and raspberry vape. After he left those around said the rather pleasant aroma was a 1000 times better and less of a health hazard than the hot dogs and pies…this country is truly disintegrating around us.
You're meant to be a realist, the wheels have fallen off and there's no spare !So we are ten points behind Eastleigh with 2 games in hand. I think we need to get to that 75 point mark to make the play offs. Win 7, Draw 1 and lose 1. That’s the only way I see us making play offs. Doubt it will happen now though but it’s not over just yet, Eastleigh slip up and we take advantage then it’s still on. We just need that one weekend or two where it swings in our favour before the final 3/4 games.
Wow great turnout by Aldershot. What was the deal with them by the way, the balloons and banners etc. .. some kind of special occasion?In case it hasn't been mentioned, and for the stato's on here, yesterday's attendance was: 5,990 (420 away fans).