Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-1 Gillingham FC

[Mick]

Except it was nowhere near 6,000. They include season-ticket holders in the figures, and I would say over 1,000 of them were absent tonight.
I have not seen so many empty seats in the West Stand for a long time.

Many, if not all, clubs seem to do this nowadays. The word attendance has become a misnomer and should better be recorded as tickets sold.

 

[Mick]

...

He went 4411 at home

...

A commendably good estimate of the number of home supporters actually in the ground.

Re-arranged matches are invariably less well attended than those on their original dates.

Doubly so when this re-arrangement results in 3 home matches in 8 days.

Trebly so when it's ****ing down with rain. Not to mention the team.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I'm impressed with the job Campbell is doing.

The team appear to be together, they are working hard and occasionally linking up with some excellent football. This is a considerable improvement on where we were back in August or September and he's doing it with kids and having slashed the wage bill and during an injury crisis. That bodes well for the future.

They faded/never got into the second half but that wasn't a surprise with Kyprianou and McLaughlin rushed back from injury and kids playing their second game in bad conditions in four days. I think he got the subs wrong but it's usually a good sign if that's what people are quibbling about. If Matt Rush had taken that golden chance at the end quite a few would have a very different perspective on things.

 

[Thorper]

Gillingham were not far better than us.

Every side in the league is not miles above us in terms of ability.

The table would suggest different.

 

[rhrussell]

Why oh why are we not having a go at Ron Martin it is his fault that has got our club in the current situation, and still he does not have the balls to explain why! When I paid for my season ticket I expected to see experienced players, not our youth team, which I could watch at FF for free?

 

[Oakley1]

have to say well done to the youngsters last night and of course the senior pros still on the pitch, we know the outcome of this season but I just feel if we can keep these players together and if possible add a few extra with some good experience we may have a good chance of doing well in league 2

however we all know that league 2 can be a division full of hard hitting players and the youngsters will certainly have a baptism of fire that's for sure

just one ,mistake cost us last night, but that will happen and they have to take it on the chin and learn from it albeit the keeper or Rush missing the chance at the end, its a collective of the squad to pick itself back up and go again this Saturday

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

Does anyone know if the two Macclesfield players were there last night ?

 

[GBJ]

Does anyone know if the two Macclesfield players were there last night ?

I’m not sure, but let’s face it they aren’t going to hang around forever.

If I were in that situation, I’d definitely be instructing my agent to put the feelers out, to give me some other options at the very least.

This is a bit off topic, but is anyone aware of the regulations regarding paying these players? I.e. we know due to the embargo we cannot register them with the EFL, but does it stop them from actually signing contracts with us?

 

[RHB]

Was anyone else as pleased as I was that Harry Kyprianou put in 75 minutes yesterday and didn't look the slightest bit rusty. He won some very decent aerial duels and tackles, and didn't look off the pace. Welcome back Harry, try not to get injured again theres a good chap.

 

[TrevorFitzpatrickHattrick]

Positives last night:

The kids are working hard and trying to maintain the defensive shape Campbell's asking them to do.

Other than that? Not a lot for me. Would love to share the optimism of some about the future the kids can give us, but I just can't see it. Some are doing a steady job, some are nowhere near ready and may never will be.

I don't apportion any blame to the youngsters currently charged with task of representing the club on the field. They're doing their level best and that is far more than what several of the 'professionals' gave us during the first half of the season.

And I would love to dish out 7s & 8s in the ratings, but they just aren't warranted. If we as fans are happy with recent performances to give out such ratings then the bar from us has been set very, very low in terms of going forwards.

From the very top to the very bottom, this club - our club - is the absolute laughing stock of the division. Jesus, Gillingham are bang bloody average, yet they're in touching distance of the play offs. All this does is reaffirm just how bad we are, how non-competitive we have been and how I despair at our imminent future. We're 33 points behind Evans' mob. In February. It's an absolute shambles.

For me, this is the best post I've read on here in some time and pretty much summarises my own stance.

I think that the effort and application from the youth is commendable and there clearly are some bright sparks in the ranks, but the mere fact that we've been reduced to fielding these lads is utterly shambolic. If a 100% workrate is worthy of a 7/8/9 out of 10, for me, that just shows how depressing and desperate things are.

I'd love to try and let the positives outweigh the negatives, but a few promising performances from the youth team whilst consistently getting beaten by mediocre opposition doesn't paper over the cracks of the worst season I've seen in over 30 years of supporting the club.

 

[The Dirty One]

There seems to be a pattern of certain posters wanting to suggest some culpability to Sol Campbell for somehow "strange selections" or not wanting to win games. Don't get it at all TBH.

Given who he had available the selections were sensible even if you want to pretend they were not.

He went 4411 at home

Goalkeeper he had no choice- he made the one mistake that was unfortunate - but presumably Sol can't be criticised for picking him however hard we might try.

Back 4. Elvis RB- best and correct position. Dieng again as much as we might call him a MF he is probably our best CB. Miles M-N is a CB, logical to play him there rather than both he and Elvis out of position. Did well. LB - HK did a decent job on his return, is a LB and clearly Sol wanted to move Clifford forward into a 4 man MF see below,

If you play 4 across the midfield with a midfield 2 you need all 4 working their socks off. He had Mantom and Milligan in the middle (Demi injured). No realistic alternative to these two- Hutch would have left us wide open in a two.

Egbri is picked because his discipline and work rate is excellent. He covers back, doubles up with full back, does what you need from a RM in a 4 (Goodship and Hutch do not). Similarly Clifford- who actually had a good game and clearly in the future could be an option further forward (something specifically picked out by Paul Clark). The alternative to Clifford who can be relied on defensively would have been McL but see below.

He could have up front gone for Kelman with: 1. Rush. However, both a very similar and dont even offer competition aerially and holding the ball up is not a strength. 2. could have played Goodship but he is just not on it currently. 3. He went McL. Good decision IMHO- not least because he is our best available option in the air and actually he won more of his fair share in the air notably from goal kicks. He could have put Hutch in there at 10 instead but then we would have one nothing in the air- it would have just kept coming back and you lose again all the workrate.

He has taken very limited resources and half the team from U23 and academy got them organised and disciplined and they are competing. "Trying to win" I guess is code for playing more attacking selections and pushing forward. Well thats a fast track to getting hammered every week.

So whilst every selection can be disagreed with to continually call it strange or bizarre when its clearly not goes more to the desire to criticise for criticism's sake, than an acknowledgement of the situation we are in player wise.

If you want to believe next season we will continue with half the u23s and academy in the team week after week then I guess you can also expect a tough season. I think most will suspect that won't be the reality. But what is very good out of all this is that a number of the U23s/academy players are showing the can contribute a squad players if not starters. And if we can recruit in the right additional senior pros then we can and should be competitive.

We will not be able to judge Sol until next year. What we can see is that he can get a team organised and make the team more than the sum of its parts (rather than with previous managers the other way around).

Great post but a lot of people will disagree round these parts.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

That’s a different issue than the point I made. I don’t think Mantom had a good game but also didn’t think he was a disaster. People’s views on performances will depend on a range of factors such as where they sat, whether they were paying close attention at different times, how much they understand about football. E.g One man’s raving about last gasp sliding tackles are another man’s poor reading of the game and positioning. Those differences in opinion make football forums interesting. Judging games based on hearing someone else’s commentary doesn’t.

I get the point.
But if you're knocking Mantom because you don't hear his name mentioned - it does suggest he wasn't in the game, and, consequently, was poor.
You're surely poor if you don't tackle, shoot, pass head or tackle, and therefore contribute little or nothing, no?

 

[Stuart W]

I’m not sure, but let’s face it they aren’t going to hang around forever.

If I were in that situation, I’d definitely be instructing my agent to put the feelers out, to give me some other options at the very least.

This is a bit off topic, but is anyone aware of the regulations regarding paying these players? I.e. we know due to the embargo we cannot register them with the EFL, but does it stop them from actually signing contracts with us?

I am not intending on sounding in any way condescending here, but what's with this obsession with signing two players from the 89th placed club in the league?
Having set our stall out by playing a shed load of youngsters, and with relegation to be confirmed probably at the end of next month, what difference to the dynamic will these two make?
It is similar with the goalkeeper situation. On BBC Essex last night Victoria Polley sounded as though there was a death in the family, when Sol said it looked like Oxley would be out for a "long" time. Can we/will we/shall we get a loan keeper in?
There is no point, the League 1 safety boat sailed weeks ago and we are still standing on the quayside.
We just need to hurry through these 12 games and THEN the real work starts in May.

 

[RHB]

I get the point.
But if you're knocking Mantom because you don't hear his name mentioned - it does suggest he wasn't in the game, and, consequently, was poor.
You're surely poor if you don't tackle, shoot, pass head or tackle, and therefore contribute little or nothing, no?

Mantom did all those things last night all game(not sure about the shooting), I know that because I watched him do it.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Mantom did all those things last night all game(not sure about the shooting), I know that because I watched him do it.

I was at the same game, I saw him mi**** passes; one in particular in the first half on the left side of the box that looked a promising attack for a second.
You're right: shoot, he didn't!
Head? OK, maybe I forgot a couple. Tackles, as in successful tackles? Ditto.
*I love the way the censor thinks mis-hit is something else!

The censor is automatic, just goes to show how important a hyphon can.

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

Was watching the game, and thought Milligan did OK.
But Mantom?
Please tell me any telling contribution he made. He didn't get his name mentioned because he didn't do anything. It's not rocket science.

I thought Mantom had a pretty effective game … positioned himself well and cut out some Gills passes. Some neat short passes. I didn't appreciate it at the time but having watched the youtube highlights Mantom flicked the ball on for Rush's late chance. That could have been a really telling contribution. Brief highlights here if you haven't seen them:

 

[Boreham Blue]

I thought Mantom had a pretty effective game … positioned himself well and cut out some Gills passes. Some neat short passes. I didn't appreciate it at the time but having watched the youtube highlights Mantom flicked the ball on for Rush's late chance. That could have been a really telling contribution. Brief highlights here if you haven't seen them:

Beat me to it. He would have been given the assist if Rush had scored and yet Shaughnessy is the name mentioned for the set up. In the earlier chance for Kyp he was the one charging into the 6 yard box to pick up pieces. Does it mean he played a blinder - no, but does the fact that the commentary team don’t mention everything he does mean he was rubbish - equally no.

 

[GBJ]

I am not intending on sounding in any way condescending here, but what's with this obsession with signing two players from the 89th placed club in the league?
Having set our stall out by playing a shed load of youngsters, and with relegation to be confirmed probably at the end of next month, what difference to the dynamic will these two make?
It is similar with the goalkeeper situation. On BBC Essex last night Victoria Polley sounded as though there was a death in the family, when Sol said it looked like Oxley would be out for a "long" time. Can we/will we/shall we get a loan keeper in?
There is no point, the League 1 safety boat sailed weeks ago and we are still standing on the quayside.
We just need to hurry through these 12 games and THEN the real work starts in May.

Hey, you’re preaching to the choir my friend. I started a thread back in December, questioning the idea of spending money now, I’m even more convinced that it is a bad idea, today.

But in fairness, a lot of good points were made, especially the idea that it’s better for us to get some players in who can settle in, and hit the ground running in August.

I don’t think these two players will suddenly change our fortunes for the rest of the campaign, but it will give the existing players & fans a boost, at least. Although, this whole saga has dragged on for so long, it’s Sod’s law they’ll both turn out to be pony anyway.

 

[norman the baker]

Why oh why are we not having a go at Ron Martin it is his fault that has got our club in the current situation, and still he does not have the balls to explain why! When I paid for my season ticket I expected to see experienced players, not our youth team, which I could watch at FF for free?

 

[norman the baker]

this is all down to ron martin no manager would be any different and has you say young players are doing there best didn't buy a season ticket to watch the under 23 and I fear for the future