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

[Yorkshire Blue]

Can't bring myself to do a full report with ratings, but that was ****ing infuriating.

Possibly the worst and most anti-football team I've ever seen come to Roots Hall. Time wasting, kicking the ball away and rolling on the floor from the 10th minute. I get it, it happens at this level, although I would be embarrassed as a fan if my team ever did it to that extent........but we need stronger officials to deal with it (absolute ****ing incompetent wet wipe in charge again today, letting them get away with it) and we need to be stronger and front it up more too, because it's a fact of life that is never going to change in this division.

That isn't why we lost though. As eye-catching and dangerous as I thought our approach play was once again, we are simply not clinical enough in front of goal. It's not even a problem with breaking them down, I feel like we did break them down. We had more than enough chances to bury it today, and yeah we can say "it's one of those days, the ball just wouldn't go in" all we like, but it's not a luck thing. It's a huge lack of quality in the finishing department. If we can't/won't get some proper quality in up top then we can't gift away teams like that sloppy goals, especially that early in the game because you know exactly what they are going to do. Until that changes, we are mid-table at best and will continue to drop silly points at home against the utter guff that this division has to offer like that lot today.

Suggestions that we're no better than last season are harsh. We are a much better team and pose much more of a threat than we did last season. Way more chances being created. Just nobody clinical enough to finish them off consistently and it's that which puts us way off the pace of the likes of Wrexham and Notts Co.....they are putting 5 past guff, and we're losing 2-1 at home to it.

Can't help but feel like we should have bitten the bullet and paid for Alfie Rutherford's insurance premium. He was the National League South equivalent of Matty Longstaff last season and, like Longstaff, he's a natural and instinctive finisher. Put Rutherford in this Southend team and he'd be banging them in like Langstaff is for Notts Co.

I don’t know what Rutherford’s all round game is like but we have a finisher already - we just didn’t bring him on until we were 2 down.

Even when he was on the pitch though we spent too much time taking low percentage shots from outside the area. For all his effort Powell just lacks the quality and too many moves break down when the ball gets to him whereas Mooney was trying too hard to do everything. We looked a lot more dangerous when we tried to work space around the penalty area either Bridge driving or Fonguck threading passes through. Other than Wreh’s goal we had two glorious chances - one for Lomas and one for Wreh again.

The good news is this is the sort of thing that will likely improve as the season progresses: the intelligent players will learn their team mate’s game better and confidence will improve when we get on a run. We’re a good team who will get better. Today was frustrating but it’ll come together.

 

[Texas Eslan]

I’m more upset today than at any point last season (and the several seasons prior) when we were simply woeful. Today we were far and away the better side. Wave after wave of attacking football led by Mooney and Fonguck. It is brilliant to watch up to a point.

However, we create next to nothing. Sure Powell will have about 20 speculative shots a game cutting in from wide and Mooney not far behind but we simply create next to nothing for a forward to get on the end of. Once Bridge came on the impact was immediate in terms of genuine chances made.

Further to that we need to move the ball quicker. So many times…a player is clearly on then one touch, two touch, three touch…then pass. It’s a simple second time pass. I can’t even remember how often I heard for the ball to be moved quicker. It just gives defending teams time to get into shape.

I could go on…but I won’t. I have no real issues with the coaching team. They need time. But they need to recognise there is a serious deficiency when we get near the opposition penalty box.

 

[amsemp]

Plenty of Southend fans appear to be happy with abject mediocrity, and when you attempt to challenge their viewpoint they just ignore you...

Plenty of Southend fans can also see the bigger picture and look a bit deeper than the scoreline of one game, and don’t have the patience to engage with people who can’t…

 

[Yer Blues]

Wow, classy feedback.

People are allowed different opinions to you and it's a forum to discuss them.

As I said, if you were impressed with that good for you.

I wasn't.

 

[Yer Blues]

Plenty of Southend fans appear to be happy with abject mediocrity, and when you attempt to challenge their viewpoint they just ignore you...

Or reply calling you Classy.

 

[thenobster]

Results wise maybe, but we're playing much better, and with players to come back from injury hopefully results will get better

A loss is still a loss no matter how good the juggler

 

[pottster]

This really isnt the start I envisioned for this season. Looking at the table we are mid table but only two points off the relegation zone. Some tough games coming up, this form needs to turn around.

 

[RHB]

People are allowed different opinions to you and it's a forum to discuss them.

As I said, if you were impressed with that good for you.

I wasn't.

And I offered a different opinion to you, as others have. I haven't said that I was impressed, but neither did I think it was a mediocre performance from Fonguck.

 

[Target man]

Apparently we had 25 shots today ...

Concerning that since March we have only scored more than once on one occasion which was last week.

Just a suggestion on that note ....

Half time, the forward players stay on and practice shooting through that little f###ing hole they set up in the goal!!!

If our front men can't score, what chance have the bloody fans got!!!

Today-

Notts County scored 5
Wrexham scored 5
Gateshead scored 4
Solihull scored 5

Southend = 25 shots, 1 goal!!

 

[Yer Blues]

Apparently we had 25 shots today ...

Concerning that since March we have only scored more than once on one occasion which was last week.

Just a suggestion on that note ....

Half time, the forward players stay on and practice shooting through that little f###ing hole they set up in the goal!!!

If our front men can't score, what chance have the bloody fans got!!!

Problem Is the current fit front 3, wreh is making step up from part time, Powell is a winger and cosgrave doesn't shoot.

 

[TJC]

Apparently we had 25 shots today ...

Concerning that since March we have only scored more than once on one occasion which was last week.

Just a suggestion on that note ....

Half time, the forward players stay on and practice shooting through that little f###ing hole they set up in the goal!!!

If our front men can't score, what chance have the bloody fans got!!!

No need for the hole, just anywhere in the goal region will do

 

[Medway Blue]

No need for the hole, just anywhere in the goal region will do

That's what she said.

 

[amsemp]

Apparently we had 25 shots today ...

Concerning that since March we have only scored more than once on one occasion which was last week.

Just a suggestion on that note ....

Half time, the forward players stay on and practice shooting through that little f###ing hole they set up in the goal!!!

If our front men can't score, what chance have the bloody fans got!!!

But there’s two ways of looking at it. One way is that we had 25 shots and scored one. The other way is that we had 25 shots, so imagine how many we’ll score when Hyde, Murphy and Cardwell are back.

Considering the absolute **** we’ve watched for more seasons than I care to remember, we’re now in my opinion only one really good striker away from having everything we need to challenge. And we’ve got 3 really good strikers to return shortly.

 

[Reefs]

Plenty of Southend fans can also see the bigger picture and look a bit deeper than the scoreline of one game, and don’t have the patience to engage with people who can’t…

Great. OK. Ergo you are happy to accept continually losing to rubbish sides because it is all part of some bigger picture.
At some point that bigger picture needs to materialise.

 

[JM95]

All of the above.

I like Kevs style of play he is trying to bring but at 2-0 down, surely you need a plan B.
Changing personnel and sticking with the same system doesn't often change anything.

Why are we not going two up top?

For me, Bridge was our best player which shows how poor we were for 64 minutes. We just didn't take a poor time wasting talentless side apart and we were so wasteful in possession. Bridge at least was getting the ball into dangerous areas but by then, they are parking the bus even more than they were in the 10th minute. Embarrassment of a team.

Torquay tried to bully us early on, as Boreham did, but pleasingly it was good to see us fighting back. However, that aside, we took too long to get the ball forward before Bridge came on.

A word on Colin, very concerned by his apparent lack of distribution. He's not ready for this level if he can't kick a ball or throw it beyond 5 yards. We desperately need Arnold back. Same with Ralph for Clifford and Kacper now must start.

Going forward, I don't know the answer to our strikers. Cosgrove isn't the answer and Wreh is an impact sub.

I like Mooney and Fonguck but both were extremely wasteful today, getting caught a lot in possession.

Thank God for Miley, who saved us with vital tackles in the middle.

We did deserve at least a draw, but got to take our chances.

Frustrating....

Humour me.

To have the gumption to moan about Collin’s distribution baffles me, when A - it’s the least of our problems today, B we played a small front 3 today, so who’s gonna win the headers if Collin punts it? C if anything the fact that Collin plays it short every time, on a day like today, is good, as this allows us to start an attack from deeper, rather than losing it in the aerial duel? D - his short distribution is probably better than Arnold’s, as much I do want Arnold back in goal sharp. Cheers

 

[Dutch Branch]

Can't bring myself to do a full report with ratings, but that was ****ing infuriating.

Possibly the worst and most anti-football team I've ever seen come to Roots Hall. Time wasting, kicking the ball away and rolling on the floor from the 10th minute. I get it, it happens at this level, although I would be embarrassed as a fan if my team ever did it to that extent........but we need stronger officials to deal with it (absolute ****ing incompetent wet wipe in charge again today, letting them get away with it) and we need to be stronger and front it up more too, because it's a fact of life that is never going to change in this division.

That isn't why we lost though. As eye-catching and dangerous as I thought our approach play was once again, we are simply not clinical enough in front of goal. It's not even a problem with breaking them down, I feel like we did break them down. We had more than enough chances to bury it today, and yeah we can say "it's one of those days, the ball just wouldn't go in" all we like, but it's not a luck thing. It's a huge lack of quality in the finishing department. If we can't/won't get some proper quality in up top then we can't gift away teams like that sloppy goals, especially that early in the game because you know exactly what they are going to do. Until that changes, we are mid-table at best and will continue to drop silly points at home against the utter guff that this division has to offer like that lot today.

Suggestions that we're no better than last season are harsh. We are a much better team and pose much more of a threat than we did last season. Way more chances being created. Just nobody clinical enough to finish them off consistently and it's that which puts us way off the pace of the likes of Wrexham and Notts Co.....they are putting 5 past guff, and we're losing 2-1 at home to it.

Can't help but feel like we should have bitten the bullet and paid for Alfie Rutherford's insurance premium. He was the National League South equivalent of Matty Longstaff last season and, like Longstaff, he's a natural and instinctive finisher. Put Rutherford in this Southend team and he'd be banging them in like Langstaff is for Notts Co.

I don’t think Torquey were anyway near as disruptive as BorringWood and I thought they defended well overall. Mind you apparently we had 22 shots of which 11 were on target but we just conceded a tad too easy again and with us severely lacking a target man or men upfront we will just have to weather the storm.

We are a little be too predictable at the most moment and that has to change. I’m sure once our front men return we will see things turnaround.

Next game

 

[Yer Blues]

Great. OK. Ergo you are happy to accept continually losing to rubbish sides because it is all part of some bigger picture.
At some point that bigger picture needs to materialise.

Maybe the bigger picture is a bang average non league team?

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher was pleased with the performance but not the result at Roots Hall this afternoon.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Target man]

Humour me.

To have the gumption to moan about Collin’s distribution baffles me, when A - it’s the least of our problems today, B we played a small front 3 today, so who’s gonna win the headers if Collin punts it? C if anything the fact that Collin plays it short every time, on a day like today, is good, as this allows us to start an attack from deeper, rather than losing it in the aerial duel? D - his short distribution is probably better than Arnold’s, as much I do want Arnold back in goal sharp. Cheers

It is a problem and contributes to our pace of attack....

Every single time our centre backs are taking goal kicks which go 5 yards out the box. Is there a problem with his kicking?
It's a genuine question.

Arnold puts balls into the final third quickly ... with Colin, our play from goal kicks is slowed down. Gives the opposition so much time to mark our front players.

 

[amsemp]

Great. OK. Ergo you are happy to accept continually losing to rubbish sides because it is all part of some bigger picture.
At some point that bigger picture needs to materialise.

We’re not continually losing to rubbish sides and no I’m not happy when we lose. But at least one of their goals today was incredibly fortunate. If we had our injured strikers back, we’d have absolutely destroyed them today.

Find me another side in this league that could lose 3 first choice strikers and still challenge for promotion. There’s the bigger picture you’re missing.