Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 2-2 Northampton Town

[Angell Delight]

With Coker injured and Hendrie's dreadful form I'd hope Brown will view Kyprianou as our first-choice LB once the likes of White and Kiernan are fit. Timlin isn't a full-back, more solid than Hendrie but we can't play him there long-term.

 

[shrimperjon]

Wont describe the game again as previous posters have done that. My observations though.

Cox needs to learn to play off Ranger. Nile won so many flick ons and there was no one was there to benefit from them.
Players need to make themselves available for the ball as they tend to run away from the player in possession.
We need to learn some set plays whilst in possession (I dont mean set pieces).
We take too many touches of the ball when one will do.
We keep stopping forward moves only to pass sideways or backwards, this needs to stop.
Players need to take a gamble now and again and get into the box and anticipate the cross.

Demetriou easily MOM in my book he hardly made a mistake all game!

cant agree with you about Ranger, their number 5 had him in his pocket. Dont remember Ranger winning a header of note, in fact we thought he was poor.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

As yet, no-one has commented on the state of the pitch, was it better today than previous games?.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

I dont usually do ratings but some are so contrasting it has to be stated.


Oxley 6 No mistakes but no great saves either.
Demetriou 8 Great performance. Easily MOM for me.
Ferdinand 6 Lacking confidence. Did he win a 50/50?
Kyprianou 6 Kept it simple. Nothing wrong with that.
Timlin 5 Worked hard but distribution was woefull
Yearwood 3 Well out of his depth at the moment. Caused us more problems than them!
Leonard 7 Typical Lenny. Good solid display. We'd be ****ed without him.
Wordsworth 6 Looked unfit but still had spells of quality.
McLaughlin 6 Caused them problems. Got tired second half.
Ranger 5 Barely won a header. Faded very early second half and gave up. Not anywhere near fit.
Cox 6 Some decent build up play but no end product. Carrying to much weight to turn sharp.


Subs
McGlashan 6 Caused problems with his pace but lacks a football brain.
Hendrie 6 Slow to get into the game but ok once he did.
Robinson 7 scared the life out of them and showed some quality, shame it wasnt in the box.

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

As yet, no-one has commented on the state of the pitch, was it better today than previous games?.

I thought it was considerably better but still a few lumps of turf needed stamping back .... especially when Demi kicked at it in frustration ... but nowhere near as bad as a few weeks ago. So, not great but hopefully a week and a bit's rest will get those roots further down.

 

[dusterman]

Looked wrong side of his man for their second goal... although apart from that did well.

Definitely at fault IMO

 

[OldBlueLady]

Ok, so this season's fall guy is firmly established as being Hendrie - I thought he did ok when he came on, certainly gave us options on the left which Macca had had to do on his own up till when he went off.

The pitch was better, but you'd kind of expect it to be after a 2 week rest. It's still a long way from being right, there were still big chunks coming up and I can see that the South West corner is going to cause us trouble when the weather turns for the worse.

There was noticeable security inside and outside the ground, which is understandable, following the very recent troubles in London.

Delighted to see our boy back in the team, showed how much he's been missing, his creativity, the passing, and, of course, being in the right place at the right time to poach a goal. Welcome back Woody.

Northampton were a team of giants, we needed to change tactics and stop just pumping the long balls - once we started running at them and putting low crosses in we had a lot more luck. There were some dirty buggers in their team - Revs continues to defy his age and gallop forever.

I've never been the biggest fan of Demetriou but today he shone head and shoulders above everyone else - a very clear and obvious MotM for me.

Oxley - 7, growing in stature, don't think he could be blamed for the goals
Demetriou - 8.5, MOTM, some absolutely delightful play
Ferdinand - 7, an improved Ferdy, much more his normal self
Kyprianou - 7.5, thought the youngster had a great game and acquitted himself well against Revs' pressure
Timlin - 6, pains me so much to say it, we've had the best years out of Timlin and, as a squad player, he's obviously of value, but he's not a left back. His passing has been poor in the main, and, while there's no doubting the whole heartedness of his challenges, he will get in trouble with some of them
Yearwood - 7, did ok though seemed to tire
Leonard - 7.5, seemed to be a bit of a target for them, thought he had a good game and understood why he got the match sponsors' MotM
Wordsworth - 7.5, oh how we've missed someone with some vision! Just seeing the ball spread about and passed forward with accuracy was a pleasure, let alone being in the right place for his goal
McLaughlin - 7, Macca did ok, should have scored though
Cox - 7, still kept coming too deep when there wasn't really the need to, couple of decent shots, good link up play
Ranger - 7.5, thought he worked very hard, fought well against their tall defenders and was desperately unlucky with their 1st goal. Incidentally tags are on the outside of the leg and I thought that ball came off the inside of his leg. Hopefully it should be off within a few days anyway.

Subs:
McGlashan for Woody - 7, came on and ran at their defence, which made them really uncomfortable
Hendrie for Yearwood - 7, slotted back into LB allowing Tims up into midfield, ran the line well and offered option
Robinson for McLaughlin - 7, similar to Flash, came on and ran at them - and they really didn't like it

Unlike some, I didn't think the 1st half was too bad, I enjoyed the game, and hubby very much enjoyed meeting one of his heroes in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink beforehand! And I got hugs and kisses from two players so I was happy too :blush:

 

[ms brush]

As yet, no-one has commented on the state of the pitch, was it better today than previous games?.

It still looked like the moles had moved in by the end of the game! To be fair, it isn't great but it is definately better than It was. With any luck the weather will hold for 2-3 more weeks and it will continue to improve. We don't play at home again for 2 weeks, so fingers crossed!

 

[fbm]

First half - side had a much better balance. Wordsworth took about 20 mins to find his feet, understandably. Demetriou made a storming start with a couple of tremendous challenges. We huffed and puffed and passed the ball across the back, turning attack into defence on several occasions. Most players were hiding, Cox was far too deep. However, we hadn't really looked in trouble against an in form and hardworking Northampton side until a shot from a corner that was going wide deflected in off of Rangers shin, maybe even his tag. Who knows.

After that we had a spell of pressure, forcing several corners, but aerially we were getting no change out of the giant Northampton defence. Then Ranger was put through in the box but seemed to struggle to get the ball into a decent shooting position and ended up stroking it nicely to the keeper, who was made to work harder shortly afterwards when he pulled off a smart save by tipping over an absolute rocket volley from Cox.

As it looked as though we were going to turn around 1 goal behind, Demetriou made his first and probably only mistake of the afternoon. Whether he was the wrong side of his man or just unaware he was there, he was beaten far too easily and the ball made it's way across the box for Crooks - who to be fair was a pain in our side all afternoon - and he placed a superb shot into the far corner.

At 2-0 there seemed no way back with our form and lack of confidence.

As soon as the players trooped off, Robinson and McGlashan came out to perform their own half time serious warm up - you could see changes were imminent.

Brown rightly kept faith with the starting XI to give them a chance to put things right and within 2 minutes they had repaid that faith. Cox won a free kick on the left just outside the box. The ball was played square to Demetriou whose shot - which may or may not have been on target - deflected past the keeper into the net. Two minutes later and it was all square; Ranger challenged for the ball which was stupidly headed back by one of their huge centre halves into a dangerous area, the ball fell to Woody who marked his comeback by stroking the ball into the net for the equaliser.

So with 41 minutes to go, it was all square and we had the momentum.

But that was about it, really. McLaughlin headed wide when he should have done a lot better and although we absolutely bossed the possession, every ball into the box was meat and drink for their huge defence.

This seems to be a trait of this division; massive height at the back. Not us of course, we have fairly tall players but I can't help feeling this is going to cost us in the long run.

The game effectively petered out with a second red card at the Hall in successive matches, Crooks showing the more stupid side of his game by refusing to retreat 10 yards from a free kick when already on a yellow. Idiot.

We must, must, must get the defence a lot stronger. A fully fit back four of Demetriou/White, Turner, Ferdinand and Coker is months away and the left back slot is a huge concern. Timlin can cover for the odd game, Hendrie is for some reason off form and Kyprianou is nowhere near ready for that position; in fact, he is a better centre back in my opinion. But without the defensive stability, the midfield and attack will not play with the attacking freedom they should. It's a mentality thing. The only reason we kept a clean sheet against Rochdale is because they didn't try to score and went down to 10 men.

The acquisition of Josh Wright (subject to medical) should enhance our forward play although the effect may just be pushing Yearwood 1 place further down the list. But he has plenty of time and has shown tons of promise in his few games so far. He will not get to the top of his career with us, but will make us a lot of money, of that I am sure (injuries permitting).

So the winless run continues and I doubt that Fleetwood next Saturday will be any easier. It's becoming a bot of a problem. I mean, how many points start do we want to give other teams before we storm past them?

Finally, the pitch was a bit better but still occasionally clumped up and badly bobbled. It's not what we're used to.

Ratings

Oxley - 7 - Can't be faulted.

Demetriou - 8 - MOM just, even allowing for his mistake for the second goal.
Kyprianou - 7 - As good as he could be, bearing in mind he's an attacking left midfield player turned left back being asked to play centre back.
Ferdinand - 7.5 - Back to normal I think. Some tremendous tackles made just by watching the ball.
Timlin - 5 - Weak link of the defence and they targeted him in the first half.

McLaughlin - 7 - Decent performance, could have done better with a free header in second half.
Wordsworth - 7 - Good to see him back, ring rusty but got our equaliser.
Leonard - 6 - Sponsors MOM but I don't know how. I have seen him play much better.
Yearwood - 6 - Got pulled inside too much but showed some decent touches and good strength.

Cox - 6 - Dropped too deep, unlucky with a thumping volley in first half.
Ranger - 6 - Battled against huge centre backs and did win the odd ball, but should have done much better with a clear chance in the first half


Subs -

McGlashan - 7 - Always a better player off the bench in my opinion
Robinson - 7 - Ditto. His pace against tiring legs is going to cause problems.

Ref - 6 - Ok, I thought, let play flow but could have got the yellow card out earlier.

 

[southendkid]

Yearwood 3 Well out of his depth at the moment. Caused us more problems than them!

I thought he was our best player in the first half! What problems was he causing?

 

[ms brush]

I thoroughly enjoyed the game today! Fantastic to see Woody back, we have really missed him. We are still definately a work in progress, and the first half performance was below par (particularly the score line at HT). Still, one or two glimpses of magic started to emerge. Northampton look a really decent side, and I was expecting us to really struggle today, glad to have been proved wrong! Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank is doing a great job there, I have long been a fan of his (apart from today if course). They looked dangerous on the break, and they are a big side, difficult to play against, so very pleased to see that we were able to cancel out a lot of the threat, even though it was at the expense of some of our creativity.

Then the the second half. Who'd have thought they would fall for the training ground free kick? Then concede again less than 3 minutes later...? 2-2 its game on, and either side could have taken the 3 points. As it is, think on balance that a draw was a fair result. It gives me hope that our season isn't the car crash some are predicting.

not going to do ratings.

Positives - I can't argue with Lenny getting the champagne today, as it was another gutsy and brave performance from Ryan but Demitriou was my MOM. Thought he looked composed, assured and his goal was taken with a confidence I don't think I have seen from him before. It is also the best I have seen Anton play this season, he looks much fitter now. McLaughlin definately wants his place in the starting line up back, young Yearwood continues to impress, and it is a pleasure to see Woody back in action for 60 minutes - hopefully he will be able to build on today and get 90 minutes in soon! Kyprianou still improving, which is good, and he will learn loads from Anton. Cox hasn't given up, he was all over the place but it somehow isn't quite coming off. Still, with Wordsworth back and hopefully Kightly as well, service will improve and he will find the shooting boots again. Robinson and Glash caused no end of trouble when they came on, so given a couple more weeks and a couple more back from injury and we are a lot more likely to be contenders for the play offs. I still think Hendrie is settling in still, that good player we saw before is still there, he will come good, getting better every game.

not quite so positive- Ranger was incredibly unlucky with their goal, wrong place at the wrong time! Still not 100% match fit and he had a tough time with the defence today. Timlin is absolutely not a left back, shame, he is a good player, but can't help but think his time is running out. Our defence is still patched up obviously, so it is a concern that we are still conceding unnecessarily. We are still giving the ball away too easily and we are still looking to walk the ball into the net (first half mainly to be fair). Also, worried about the bookings - glash was on the pitch less than 5 minutes when he got booked, and Anton should know better, annoying though it was that their player was taking an age to leave the pitch after his sending off!

 

[Medway Blue]

Is Cox continually dropping deep on purpose? Or is he being told to do it? Either way it's getting on my tits. He did it sometimes last season too but is doing it WAAYYYYY more often this season. I could KIND OF see why before Woody returned as we did seem to lack a link between midfield and strikers but even then, again, he was doing it far too often. And he really didn't need to do it today with Woody back.

Mate, you're a striker. You're supposed to score goals. You're not going to be able to do your job if your 15 yards behind the play or still stood on the centre circle when the ball goes forward. Get your arse in the box and/or stick close to Ranger and play off him. Please.....anything other than what you're doing at the moment.

 

[Jai]

Was watching Cox a lot today and his movement was very good. He's not being used well enough in my opinion but even when he's not on good goalscoring form like at the moment, he drags people out of position well and picks sensible passes. Last season the interplay between Cox, Ranger and Wordsworth was key. If we can get that back, we will score more goals.

 

[dannypav]

Strange game really , and on reflection , quite entertaining with both teams showing a lot of attacking intent.
We were clearly short of confidence in the first half , but think we were unlucky to be 2 down ( their first goal was a fortunate deflection and their keeper made a great save from Cox ).
Second half , we got a lucky deflection and a quick second , which really lifted everyone.
Thought we could have got all 3 points today , but given our recent form and being 2-0 down at half time , I'm happy with the point.
Demitriou ( who I've been very critical of ) had a very good game IMO , and I think this is partly down to the good form shown by young Elvis recently.
He now has competition and really stepped up today.
Anton looked assured.
Kyprisnou did quite well too , but Revell beat him most times in the air and roughed him up a bit.
Yearwood was a mixture - the kid will be a very good player if he continues to develop and did a few nice things with the ball , but equally dived in and got caught out of position quite a lot - a real mixed bag , but would like to see more of him.
Ranger and Cox both put a lot of effort in too and think they will click soon.
But for me , the difference today was Wordsworth- he picks out players with meaningful passes , makes runs beyond the strikers ( the goal ) and makes the team tick.
I honestly think when all our players are back we can match anyone.
Yes it may be too late ( like last season ) but let's see.
I certainly don't see teams of the calibre of Sheffield Utd and Bolton this season.

 

[rayleigh dan]

Daggers were out at half time, for once Phil's team talk got the desired result.

Oxley 6 - Not much chance with either goal. Otherwise did nothing wrong.

Demetriou 7 - Not MOM for me, looked shaky first half and his mistake was part to blame for Northampton's second. However he was brilliant in the second half, both defensively and going forward. What was that shot from the long range free kick about though? :stunned:
Ferdinand 6 - Same as Charlton, a mixture of good and bad. Signs that the old Anton is there but a few slices and poor touches when he's capable of better.
Kyrprianou MOM 7 - Very impressed by the young man. Northampton tried to bully him physically but he stood up well.
Timlin 5 - Shaky at full back and his passing was poor yet again. The difference between Tims and Wordsworth on the ball was like light and day.

Yearwood 6 - Not a natural wide man by any means but showed some moments of quality. Rightly subbed, one yellow for mouthing off should be a warning but he continued shouting at the ref. Surely one of the senior pro's should have had a word?!
Leonard 7 - Largely good bar a period late in the first half when he seemed to get dragged down to our general ***** level.
Wordsworth 7 - Understanably a little rusty but played some good forward passes and grabbed a goal too.
McLaughlin 6 - Still below his best and should have scored with that header on the second half. I think we should stick with him from the start though, he's got a decent cross and isn't afraid to take a shot too. If it's a choice between McL and McG to start I'd pick McL every time.

Ranger 6 - Re the OG, Why was he guarding the post anyway? He's our tallest player, surely he should be in the box marking somebody? :unsure: If PB made that decision it was a poor one IMO. Anyway Nile was pretty poor first half, but improved massively for a spell after the break before tiring.
Cox 6 - Can't fault him for effort, if that well struck shot in the first half wasn't straight at the keeper it would have been a cracker. Desperately needs a goal to kick start his season.

Subs

McGlashan 5 - Made no impact and infuriated me with a needless offside late on.
Hendrie 5 - Looks devoid of confidence. I have to question Phil's decision to sub him at Charlton; IMO whilst he wasn't fantastic, he was showing some signs of improvement.
Robinson 7 - Easily his best performance of the season, perhaps should be given a chance from the start in a wide midfield role.

 

[united we stand]

You can't blame Ranger for their goal, it came off his tag.

I wasn't there as taking son to uni, but why on Earth was he on the post? i have never seen him on the post before and you don't normally have one of your best men in the air on the post. I think thus is important as it shows a lack of organisation, or am I missing something?Also Ferdinand gets another unnecessary yellow, I hope these don't add up and result in a ban. Lastly I keep saying watching goal rush etc and see how many goals come from deflections. Good to see that we have got one ( as did they to prove the point)

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

As yet, no-one has commented on the state of the pitch, was it better today than previous games?.

I thought it was considerably better but still a few lumps of turf needed stamping back .... especially when Demi kicked at it in frustration ... but nowhere near as bad as a few weeks ago. So, not great but hopefully a week and a bit's rest will get those roots further down.

This was exactly the point that BBC Essex's commentators made and exactly what I saw watching on ifollow.Doesn't look good for Winter games though. :sad:

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

We often have a guy on the front post who's job is to win the ball if they can and head it away, but if they can't they drop back and guard the post. Leonard has done it plenty, Ranger was doing that job today. Usually does it well

 

[Brett Angle]

Think some of you were watching a different game to me. Whilst I too thought that JD was our MoM the next best for me was Cox. Yes he often dropped into midfield to pick up the ball / link the play (No 10) but he had obviously been instructed to in order that we didn't get overrun in midfield. Few teams play with two out and out forwards these days. His passing, work-rate and hold up play was first class and I though he was back to his best. Sure he needs a goal but so does Ranger, Robinson et al. However the way we are set up to play I suspect it is the likes of Wordsworth, Macca, Kightly and now hopefully Wright who are often going to be on the end of things form set pieces, knock downs and arriving late into the box. Wouldn't mind betting that one of those four ends up being our top scorer this season. Cox won't be far behind though. For the record I agree that Kyprianou looks a better prospect at CB - and I know he was up against Revell at times yesterday - but I can't remember Harry winning a header. That is an area he needs to work in rather than being congratulated for it. He is much more comfortable with the ball at his feet and will probably be better suited for the moment to playing alongside Turner when fit who CAN win more than his fair share of aerial challenges. Saying that Anton was much better yesterday.

 

[blues exile]

Cox's goal famine should not be a surprise. Apart from his purple patch at Swindon, back in 2007-2009, he has never been a heavy goalscorer, his return of last season being an exception when you look at his record over the years. Our other forwards also have poor goals to games ratios. The stats do not lie. Unless Wordsworth and Wright weigh in with double figures we are in for a season of struggle, quite apart from our obvious defensive frailties which will still exist even when the walking wounded return. A midtable side at best, on the evidence so far.