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ROCHDALE
2 SOUTHEND
UNITED 0 |
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MORE WOE FOR SHRIMPS
The Match Report To follow ... What the fan's thought ... "Difference between the two sides was a
wonder goal (Jones wouldn't score again from that position if he tried a 1,000
times) and a very dubious penalty. But that shouldn't disguise what was a truly
appalling performance. Rochdale were not a patch on Cheltenham or Lincoln and
were there for the taking with just an average performance. I will be amazed if
they stay up. Despite having the majority of possession we played with no
cohesion, little thought and virtually no movement. Same old story of being
unable to break down a packed defence sitting on the edge of their box
(especially after the sending off). Predictably we resorted to lumping lots of
long balls forward which were meat and drink to Rochdale. These tactics were
not helped by the complete absence of movement from Gray - he should be ashamed
by his afternoon's efforts (and in fact his season's efforts to date - have so
far seen him six times and am not impressed by his work rate). Edwards
was again poor and looks a bit of a liability. But then again, no one came out
of the game with any credit and I would be hard pushed to name a man of the
match (possibly Barrett was the most deserving - he tried to inject some passion
and drive into the team in the last 30 minutes). Prior limped off injured
early in the second half - doesn't look too promising. As I feared at the start
of the season, we may not get many games out fo him. A good away turnout
of about 200 away fans who backed the team well apart from a few cat calls at
the final whistle. Understandable after a 250 mile journey and the lame
performance. Of the six games I've seen this season, the only goal I've
seen is the (dubious) penalty at Lincoln and we have rarely looked like scoring.
I think this just about sums us up at the moment - completely lacking any ideas
and craft in the final third. The players seem like strangers to each
other." "We wouldn't have scored in a month of
Sundays! That team out there today was a bloody disgrace! Gray wandered around
like a lost soul! Gower must have had an op on his footballing brain not his
knee as he ran up countless blind alleys without a clue! Our midfield must have
stayed on the coach as most of the time they were absent without leave! Don't
anybody make excuses for this crap about gelling or the need for understanding,
because this side played sloppy football the same way they did last Saturday only
Rochdale was the side with ten men! "I don't think one single player actually offered anything yesterday. You could
not single one player of ours out for man-of-the-match. I'm sure if you asked the
players at the end not one of them could look you in the face and say they had
given their best. At least at Lincoln they showed some fight and the fans could
see that, but there wasn't a bean of effort yesterday! More worryingly I
feel that we again showed a distinct lack of fitness compared to the opposition.
Our players seem a few good yards slower and very sloppy at doing the basic
things right. In regards to what I have seen on other posts and topics
about people who travelled to Rochdale being bad fans for not clapping the team
off at the end and booing them! Too f******g right they were booed off! Those players were a disgrace to our football club and didn't
deserve the support that they recieved. Myself and others were more than
entitled to boo and jeer them for that pathetic display. You can't say, 'oh well,
never mind better luck next week'. If you are one of those that applauded that
shower of sh*t that called themselves professional footballers yesterday then
more fool you! It was on a worse than the displays witnessed under Wignall,
Martin and Newmans teams. Even at this early stage of the season the
division is starting to take shape and we are being left well behind, another poor
season at the bottom of the Football League beckons. My biggest worry now is when we
travel to West Ham who will have a field day and rack up a cricket score
against us if we continue to play like this!" What the manager's thought ... STEVE
TILSON (SUFC) : STEVE
PARKIN (RAFC) : |
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Eight
games without a win in the Football League! It's a run
that stretches way back to mid-April when the Shrimpers
hauled back from a 2-0 deficit to beat fellow strugglers
Darlington 3-2 at Roots Hall. Oh! for a performance
like that second-half! Southend ran out of ideas against
Rochdale at a ground where we've been the dominant side
for the last four years. An early goal conceded from
long-range, albeit in spectacular fashion, put the Shrimpers
up against it straight away. And a dubious penalty,
conceded by debutant Adam Barrett making his first appearance
for his boyhood heroes, sealed the fate as 10-man Rochdale
fought to lever themselves away from the bottom of the
table. Tilson and Brush have a lot of work to do before
Southend entertain East Anglian rivals Cambridge United
at Roots Hall next Saturday.