Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend Utd 0-1 Bolton Wanderers

[MisterStubbs]

Fuming, absolutely fuming.

Not for the first time this season this goalkeeper has made a mistake that’s cost us a point. Up until now he has had my backing, I happen to believe he is a very good shot stopper and at times this season he has won us points but today’s the final straw for me. In a game in which we more than deserved a point (I’m also sick and tired of saying that this season) he’s mistake has cost us what could be a vital point come the end of the season. I mean what is he even trying to do? If you think the balls gone out fine, tip the ball over the crossbar and then argue about the resulting corner. You don’t do what he done, gift them a goal and hope that appealing to football league officials who don’t get much right to begin with will get the goal overturned. It’s absolute basic stuff, it really is. What I will say though is the abuse I’m seeing on Twitter and Facebook needs to stop, by all means question the mistake whatever but don’t attack the man himself.

On the game, they edged the first half.. we edged the second. A threat within the final third though was once again lacking, here’s hoping Ranger will be the saviour as many seem to think he will be. A word on the referee though, surely common sense dictates that a 6ft 7 central defender built like a brick **** house is going down far to easily when our 5ft nothing centre forward goes near him. It happened time after time.

Luckily for us Barrow lost again today, they seem to be in a real bad patch of form.. long may that continue.

 

[Stuart W]

We had a poor first half but a much stronger second half. MM's substitutions were aimed at nicking a goal and getting a win. Bolton were very poor in the second half after being very good in the first. Was the wind to blame? It was hardly mentioned by the commentators.

Having looked at the goal several times it's clear that the ball has looped down from height and hit the front of the bar to bounce back into play. Oxley and most everyone else had assumed it would land on top of the net. Realising the danger at the last second Oxley flapped at it but missed it. Only Miller was awake and scored the goal. Difficult to blame Oxley really, just a freak circumstance. The sort of thing that doesn't happen in our favour, ever.

At least Barrow lost too. If Barrow, Grimsby and ourselves lose every match for the rest of the season we will stay up......

The best thing for us to do is say hard luck, move on. No use crying over spilt milk. Get Holmes starting for RHF but otherwise stick with the same eleven at Forest Green on Wednesday.

Could be difficult. Barrow have home games against Grimsby and us to come.

 

[Derbyshire Blue]

I couldn’t watch the game today sadly. Can anyone tell me what Holmes added? How sharp and match fit he looked? Also where he settled in the formation? Really appreciate it.

 

[Shrimper]

I'm not worried, we'll stay up

 

[in the know]

We had a poor first half but a much stronger second half. MM's substitutions were aimed at nicking a goal and getting a win. Bolton were very poor in the second half after being very good in the first. Was the wind to blame? It was hardly mentioned by the commentators.

Having looked at the goal several times it's clear that the ball has looped down from height and hit the front of the bar to bounce back into play. Oxley and most everyone else had assumed it would land on top of the net. Realising the danger at the last second Oxley flapped at it but missed it. Only Miller was awake and scored the goal. Difficult to blame Oxley really, just a freak circumstance. The sort of thing that doesn't happen in our favour, ever.

At least Barrow lost too. If Barrow, Grimsby and ourselves lose every match for the rest of the season we will stay up......

The best thing for us to do is say hard luck, move on. No use crying over spilt milk. Get Holmes starting for RHF but otherwise stick with the same eleven at Forest Green on Wednesday.

I make you right about weds ....But.... doubt it's happening. It won't be the same team, or probably anything near it.

 

[Danshrimper]

Hard to comprehend what Oxley was doing there. If you think there’s a risk of it coming into play then just play it safe and tip it out for a corner. It’s clear from Oxley’s halfhearted flap at the ball that he thought it could come back in so just commit and concede the corner. However, Oxley has been very good for the past few months. He is a solid goalkeeper at this level and a moment of madness doesn’t change that. No need to abuse him and dent his confidence (which i’m sure some idiots will do on twitter) or call for him to be dropped for an inexperienced Seaden who will almost certainly not be as good.

The lack of goal threat was disappointing. It’s all well and good blaming Oxley for the dropped point but we should have been putting ourselves in a position where 3 points were on the table rather than 1. Bolton were there for the taking in the 2nd half.

 

[Stuart W]

I couldn’t watch the game today sadly. Can anyone tell me what Holmes added? How sharp and match fit he looked? Also where he settled in the formation? Really appreciate it.

I thought he looked far more dangerous in the time he was on, than Hackett-Fairchild, who has flattered to deceive since the first five minutes of his debut.

 

[Medway Blue]

2nd half we were dominating and in control looking confident and comfortable. Don't know Why MM needed to feel he had to change it. Probably promised Holmes minutes but maybe should have gone with the flow instead of messing up our rhythm. Yes it was ox's error but for me MM has unfortunately caused that loss for us.
Saw a lot of criticism for a few players during the game, but thought we looked balanced and against a massive side we were doing well.
Like ANG but he's got to give not keep. If keeps, he needs to win free kicks not lose the ball.
We deserved the draw , the players until the subs deserved the draw (not saying it was the subs fault).
Unless Clifford was injured that was unneccasary and weakened us. Holmes sub was about the only one understandable .
MM should know the teams around us were losing and got the draw for a good point not gamble losing that one.
Not usually too critical of MM. Today he lost us the game in my thinking.

They were positive substitutions made to try to win it late, exactly what we should be doing as the home team. And when he made those changes, we looked more threatening. Bolton's goal was freak and they never looked like scoring otherwise. If the substitutions had been negative, invited sustained pressure and then led to a goal then I'd agree with you, but it was far from that.

 

[Evening Echo]

A CALAMATIOUS mistake from Southend United goalkeeper Mark Oxley handed Bolton Wanderers a 1-0 win at Roots Hall this afternoon.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

12,000 seats to choose from, but watching Southend United reminds me of watching Dr Who as a kid, best viewed from behind a sofa stanchion

 

[Holy Joe]

I couldn’t watch the game today sadly. Can anyone tell me what Holmes added? How sharp and match fit he looked? Also where he settled in the formation? Really appreciate it.

Thought he looked lively. Seemed to play on the left. Looked better than RHF (who played on the right)

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

There's seems to be some confusion over Oxley's howler, people are claiming he pushed it back into play. He didn't. The ball hit the bar.

He put his hands up to tip the ball out but lost track of his position and ended up standing directly below the crossbar. As a result instead of it hitting his fingertips when he jumped to tip it over the ball hit the bar and bounced back into play.

I'd like to see it again, but there didn't seem to be much jumping. How he lost track bearing in mind the ball was in the air for an age was equally culpable.

 

[Barling Magna]

Just seen the goal, how amateur is that of the OX, should be fined for that, any other keeper would of jumped with one arm at full stretch and tapped that out for a corner b4 it hits the bar.

He'd have to be eight feet tall to manage that.

 

[rhrussell]

The fact is we just dont look like scoring end off, blame Oxley but point the finger at our forwards, and the manager

 

[Shrimpet steve]

O

It doesn't matter what the **** our strongest side is, none of them can stay fit for long enough. I e got no problem with having a big squad and doing some intelligent rotation to keep players fresh. I'm sure he'd love to be able to trust players to stay fit.

Or maybe he should just select our best players

 

[Barling Magna]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1363168329624670208

A Latin American twitter user shows the goal...

 

[euroshrimper]

Feeling very despondent, what a season my fear is that the games are running out and we just cannot seem to get it right. I dont understand why MM keeps tinkering with the team both leading up to a game or during. As fans we seem to have a consensus on generally who should play but MM does not seem to be on the same wavelength. Will keep the faith but we have got to get it right soon........

 

[Whispering Bob]

What a disappointing way to lose, via a comical/Sunday morning goal, after bossing the second half. It was difficult to play proper football on such a difficult pitch but that said I think we strung more passes together than the oppo. They were ok (and maybe had a shot that went over the line just before the interval?) but fielded two ponderous looking centre backs that we needed to play on more. Too many times we were in and around their box with no end product and I’m not sure that the subs improved us at all.
Oxley – spilled a tame shot in the first half and his feet didn’t even leave the ground for that awful goal.
Elvis – Some good tackles and signs of athleticism but touch let him down on occasions.
Hobson – Didn’t give Doyle a kick all afternoon.
White – Ditto – very sharp to react to any through ball – my MOM, the other two contenders having been withdrawn (?!?).
Clifford – Great feet, good passing, dangerous deliveries (until he overhit one free-kick and one corner just before he went off).
Reeco – bar two wicked crosses it was a quiet and disappointing display.
Demi – I though it was possibly his best game of the season, lively and continually chasing seemingly lost causes.
Dieng – Anonymous first half, saw more of him second period, but it was a mixed bag.
Ferguson – Solid, composed on ball, well-timed headers.
ANG – Decision making again a feature but showed a couple of glimpses (tracked back well)
Akinola – Showed great skill when killing a high ball and putting it through a defender’s leg. Went on one fantastic run and went down in the box (where his arm was pulled back twice). Didn’t have one chance though.

 

[in the know]

How did MM's substitutions cost us the game? They were positive substitutions made to try to win it late. I back that approach. And when he made those changes, we looked more threatening. If one of our increased number of chances went in, we'd be praising him. Bolton's goal was a freak one and they were never going to score at that point in the game without a mistake like that. If MM's substitutions had been negative, invited sustained pressure and then led to a goal then I'd agree with you, but it was far from that.

I saw it diffetently. I felt we were comfortable and not looking like losing and creating more than them. After the first change it seemed to change for me. Understand your point though.
I'm normally quite a supporter of MM so it's unusual for me to criticise his substitutions. Of course had we gone on to win I guess if be praising them. Fickle heh! But knowing narrow were losing I think id have taken a point at 82 mins in

 

[Medway Blue]

O
Or maybe he should just select our best players

That's subjective. He might have a different opinion to you. And you don't see what he sees on the training pitch....or in the treatment room.