Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-2 Torquay United

[Yer Blues]

Awful performance.

Stating the obvious, but we need something different up front. Respect to cosgrave he's a professional footballer and i am not, but I've seen him have one deflected shot in 2 and a bit games doesn't ever look like shooting.

Jack Bridge has to play.

I still don't think we have a plan b.

I'd love to see us try a different formation.

Oh and why is no-one else allowed to take corners?

 

[pete boss]

plenty of time to get us up the table... look at the run last year..we were all saying thats it we are going down and then went on the run and wow!safe....we will get the strikers back and things will go for us 100% and i do feel we will be the team flying at the buisness end of the season... keep the faith..up the blues!

 

[tallboyblue]

We lost because we don’t have a big strong centre forward,

 

[Medway Blue]

I'm surprised no one has asked the question why Lopata didn't start!!!! He's head and shoulders above what we've got, had a pre season with one of the top 25 clubs in England, yet he didn't start. Why not!!!!!

The way they had been playing, you couldn't really have dropped any of the back 3.

 

[hlane17]

My two cents:

We surely knew how Torquay were going to come and set up? Low block, 2 banks of 4 and sometimes even a striker dropping back too. We really didn’t need 5 at the back (clearly didn’t help considering we let in 2) and desperately needed more numbers further up the pitch to overload their defence.

I find we tap the ball around too much sometimes and it allows the opposition to reorganise and shift side to side with the play. Teams cannot deal with us when we play with intensity on the front foot but so often we nullify ourselves with ponderous football.

We cannot rely on the referee to coddle and defend us during games. Yes they’re dreadful more often than not. Yes they miss blatant GBH. But we need to determine our own results. If we have to dish out some of our own, so be it.

Cosgrave is not good enough IMO and I’ve heard Wimbledon have requested a set amount of game time as part of the loan deal. Whether that’s true or not can be verified by those actually ITK. Wreh MUST start against Barnet.

Until we get our big CFs back teams can play like Torquay, get in our face and make us lump it long to nobody.

 

[tallboyblue]

We lost because we don’t have a big strong centre forward, The top four teams are already in double figures with goal difference. We are at 0.

 

[Medway Blue]

My two cents:

We surely knew how Torquay were going to come and set up? Low block, 2 banks of 4 and sometimes even a striker dropping back too. We really didn’t need 5 at the back (clearly didn’t help considering we let in 2) and desperately needed more numbers further up the pitch to overload their defence.

I find we tap the ball around too much sometimes and it allows the opposition to reorganise and shift side to side with the play. Teams cannot deal with us when we play with intensity on the front foot but so often we nullify ourselves with ponderous football.

We cannot rely on the referee to coddle and defend us during games. Yes they’re dreadful more often than not. Yes they miss blatant GBH. But we need to determine our own results. If we have to dish out some of our own, so be it.

Cosgrave is not good enough IMO and I’ve heard Wimbledon have requested a set amount of game time as part of the loan deal. Whether that’s true or not can be verified by those actually ITK. Wreh MUST start against Barnet.

Until we get our big CFs back teams can play like Torquay, get in our face and make us lump it long to nobody.

But we didn't have 5 at the back. And we did have numbers up the pitch. And we did overload their defence. We just couldn't finish our ****ing dinner!

GSM/Demi and Clifford/Bridge played very high up the pitch, and kept getting encouraged forward from the touchline.

We also barely "lumped it long to nobody".

How we play and set up is not the problem.

Our lack of finishing ability is.

 

[henry18]

Collin - 6 don’t think he touched the ball other than out the net

Hobson - 6 pick of the back 3z

Kensdale - 6 average

Lomas - 5 struggled today

GSM - 7 was one of the better players today

Clifford - 4 weak link in this squad caught on the ball too many times and out of position as usual

Miley - 7 man of the match again

Fonguck - 5 not good enough with the ball today

Mooney - 5 man needs to learn to hit the target

Powell - 5 too many touches every time he gets into threatening positions and finishing is woeful.

Cosgrave - 4 no threat at all, people can go on about his work rate but his not good enough on the ball

Subs

Bridge - 7 threatening all the time and should start next game.

Wreh - 6 much better than Cosgrave should be starting.

Demetriou- 6 waste of a sub better off chucking Kacper up front final 5/10 mins.

I have seen us accumulate a grand total of 1 point this season so I will be staying well away for the next few. I have been to boreham wood, Solihull, Eastleigh, Torquay.

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

Disappointing afternoon. Switched off for the 1st goal. Played some nice passing from the back, and mixed it up at bit. But the final ball and attaching in the box was pretty woeful.

Bridge was great when he came on. He should be starting IMO. Demi has had his day, although wasn’t overly impressed with number 2 either. His poor cross lead to their second goal.

Need to start hitting the target, otherwise it’s going to be a long season. UTB

 

[RHB]

We're about as good as we were last season, no real progress really.......

We're better than we were last season and when our strikers are finally fit we will score goals to match the rest of the play.

 

[henry18]

We're better than we were last season and when our strikers are finally fit we will score goals to match the rest of the play.

By the sounds of it playoff push will be well and truly over by then though

 

[Scamps]

Think maher missed a trick in not bringing lopata on, the crowd was dead he would of lifted the atmosphere and could of stuck him up top.
Also Demi needs to go, he is so bad.! Might as well play with 10 men.
And would start bridge for Clifford and Wreh for cosgrave.

 

[RHB]

By the sounds of it playoff push will be well and truly over by then though

We couldn't score today, predominantly because Mooney and Powell tried too hard to score. We need consistency and that will come, so it's too early to write off a promotion push.

 

[amsemp]

I actually thought we played really well and were incredibly unlucky there. Would love to see the xG for that game as I reckon it’ll show that we absolutely played them off the park. We’d have won that game very comfortably on another day. The score line flatters them enormously as I thought they were a really poor side.

Powell and Mooney ran them ragged and I thought Fonguck had a really good game. He didn’t stop driving forward with the ball and making things happen. Cosgrave looks useful but I don’t understand why he’s starting over Wreh at the moment. I think Wreh offers far more. Bridge made things happen when he came on too.

I can’t help but think though that Kev got the third sub wrong. I really wanted him to bring Lopata on. Even though Kensdale didn’t deserve to come off, I think it would’ve lifted the crowd to another level which might have paid dividends.

But all in all, a really frustrating afternoon and a game we could’ve easily won. Think it highlights how much were missing a bit more up front. Murphy is a goalscorer and a poacher about as good as they get at this level. I reckon he’d have had a hattrick today. No need to hit the panic button though. I thought it was a really solid performance and if the performance is right, the results will come. Don’t think comments of us showing no progress are remotely fair.

Lastly, most of the Torquay squad were pricks. Absolutely classless. Goading and winding up the east stand at the final whistle was embarrassing considering how ****e they were. Their number 10 with the big arse especially.

 

[hlane17]

But we didn't have 5 at the back. And we did have numbers up the pitch. And we did overload their defence. We just couldn't finish our ****ing dinner!

GSM/Demi and Clifford/Bridge played very high up the pitch, and kept getting encouraged forward from the touchline.

We also barely "lumped it long to nobody".

How we play and set up is not the problem.

Our lack of finishing ability is.

I agree with the finishing being an issue but would like to kindly disagree on the rest.

GSM,Hobson, Kensdale, Lomas, Clifford makes 5 at the back IMO as they’re wing backs rather than out and out wingers.

We only got up the pitch regularly once Torquay let us after going 2-0 up.

I counted a less than satisfactory amount of long kicks under pressure which were tidied up by Torquay CBs and CMs at the other end.

 

[Shrimper Brownie]

I actually thought we played really well and were incredibly unlucky there. Would love to see the xG for that game as I reckon it’ll show that we absolutely played them off the park. We’d have won that game very comfortably on another day. The score line flatters them enormously as I thought they were a really poor side.

Powell and Mooney ran them ragged and I thought Fonguck had a really good game. He didn’t stop driving forward with the ball and making things happen. Cosgrave looks useful but I don’t understand why he’s starting over Wreh at the moment. I think Wreh offers far more. Bridge made things happen when he came on too.

I can’t help but think though that Kev got the third sub wrong. I really wanted him to bring Lopata on. Even though Kensdale didn’t deserve to come off, I think it would’ve lifted the crowd to another level which might have paid dividends.

But all in all, a really frustrating afternoon and a game we could’ve easily won. Think it highlights how much were missing a bit more up front. Murphy is a goalscorer and a poacher about as good as they get at this level. I reckon he’d have had a hattrick today. No need to hit the panic button though. I thought it was a really solid performance and if the performance is right, the results will come. Don’t think comments of us showing no progress are remotely fair.

Lastly, most of the Torquay squad were pricks. Absolutely classless. Goading and winding up the east stand at the final whistle was embarrassing considering how ****e they were. Their number 10 with the big arse especially.

I’m sorry but Fonguck was dire

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I’m sorry but Fonguck was dire

He doesn't talk much of a game that's for sure.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

What a ******* of a result that is.

We didn’t play bad, but we didn’t play well either. Full of huff and puff but zero composure in the right areas. We can’t keep going on about injuries but we probably win that with Hyde instead of Cosgrave, who unfortunately doesn’t look like ever scoring. I actually don’t mind what he brings, but it should be as a sub when we’re winning games.

Lomas was very shaky at times today and it probably makes it easy now to chuck Lopata in next game.

I get we play with 3 CBs but I was disappointed we didn’t take one off when they went 2-0 up. You can change shape without changing principles of play. Okay we changed shape eventually but it was too late IMO. Not having a go but I do feel a more experienced manager would have been a bit more ballsy there.

Bridge was superb when he came on. Has to start.

Whilst I’m incredibly frustrated I’m not gonna be too critical. It did feel like “one of them games” but we can’t keep letting that happen. When it’s going well we look a real force. When it’s going against us we look a bit clueless at times.

Ultimately our finishing let us down big time today. We can’t knock their effort, and it’s still a refreshing change from what’s mainly been on offer for the last 4 years.

Let’s hope one of our injured trio of strikers is back soon

 

[pottster]

Cant believe we lost that, thought we dominated possession and controlled the midfield. I hate to say it though this team wont get us promoted. We have some good players but not good enough to get us out of this league.

 

[amsemp]

I’m sorry but Fonguck was dire

Respect your opinion but I thought he had a good game. We wouldn’t have got as close to their box as we did on as many occasions as we did if it wasn’t for him. He carried the ball forward every opportunity he got.