Post-Match Thread and Ratings Aldershot Town 1-1 Southend United

[Petejames]

Well we must of had 80% of the ball so we fully deserved at least a point. They seemed to just sit back all game looking for a quick break whilst parking the bus.

Well done to all the 450? Blues fans who made the trip.

Over to you lot.

586 blues there???

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Wow, so much has changed at our club.

1. We used to concede and then concede a load more. I know Aldershot defended for 85 mins but so did other teams and we would still somehow concede another.

2. We would go a goal down and never come back. We knew it was game over.

3. Strikers never used to score!

All of the three above are now not happening. If we go a goal down, you now feel we have it in us to come back. We are not getting smashed anymore and how amazing is it to see our strikers scoring?!

The management team have worked wonders thus far and to go five games unbeaten in the league seemed like a pipedream not so long ago.

Roll on Saturday. I'll be there with a lot of other fellow shrimpers I'm sure!

U.T.B!

 

[Taunton_Shrimper]

Highlights for me:

Great to Dominate the game with all that possession
Frustrating at times not to be more positive with all that possession but believe in the process, the players will get used to the system, the runs will adapt etc and hopefully we will create more.
Our crossing in general was shocking, got in several good positions first half and failed to deliver anything meaningful for the strikers.
Ferguson delivered pretty much our only decent ball up until that point and it resulted in a goal.
Demi made a good impact when he came on, moved the ball quicker, bit more direct.
Dalby for me, for a big lad he is lightweight and just seems to be on his heels with the ball in and around him, needs to work on his shooting.
All the new lads look to be settling in well, can only get better.

Fans, excellent, great noise before during and after.

All in all, its work in progress, the plan is there, stick to it, keep working hard and we can only improve, hopefully!

Ref awful - standard in this league.

Great to see lopata put in an old school tackle late on to truly wipe out the aldershot player by the touchline however could have been a red possibly.

All said and done, The unbeaten run goes on and we continue to build, UTB.

 

[Snowy]

You know Molesley is at Aldershot, thats 3 drawn games for them. Trying the same tactics again. Sadly that will upset the fans and ultimately be his demise.
Nice to see a Southend team now controlling games, stop the sloppy goals, find that clinical finish and we will move up the table.

 

[shrimperjon]

I thought Neal was the biggest crab I have seen in a blues shirt since Kev played.
Never once went forward and wouldn’t care if he ever played for us again. Was a magnet for the ball and constantly played it 10 yards sideways and backwards. Brunt made things happen, this bloke is a negative Atkinson type player that massively contributed to a horrible game to watch….send him back and give someone else a go!

Wow, simply wow. To even compare him to Brunt proves how clueless you are. Different players, different styles but most importantly different positions. Neal is there to break up play and move the ball which is what he does. Last night he wasn’t the only player guilty of a lot of sideway passing but it was tough against a very defensive Aldershot, sometimes you have to go left and right to move the opposition around as frustrating as that may be

 

[Blues ‘n’ twos]

Nice post match interview

So Aldershot “executed his game plan” .....boy am I glad he ain’t with us anymore!
Added bonus the Floodlights stayed on.

 

[Cricko]

So Aldershot “executed his game plan” .....boy am I glad he ain’t with us anymore!
Added bonus the Floodlights stayed on.

Agreed, to "play low risk" is his game, it's boring and their fans will become as frustrated as we all were.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

Agreed, to "play low risk" is his game, it's boring and their fans will become as frustrated as we all were.

Exactly, which is why I never rated him. Don't care whether he had his hands tied when he came here, his game plan was awful to watch. PB has got slated for less!!!

Anyway, he isn't our manager, we've moved on and fortunately now in the right direction.

 

[rigsby]

Another fun night out under lights. A mixture of frustration and tension building during the drum off. In the end it was the way fans who upped their tempo as did the away team....Finally.

Frustration because we squandered two set pieces early on. We pulled a free kick back to the edge of the box and then did the same with a corner. Just like on Friday it never worked. Tom C has a nice inswinger on his left foot, Harry C has been bought for his heading ability. Their keeper hasn't touched the ball...Only modern day coaches don't know the answer.

To make it worse win then waste a throw in the same area and they go and score from their first attack. A Molesley team 1-0 up are as much fun as long queue for a portaloo.

Tension because we played like the team 1-0 up. Lots of no end product and their keeper never tested. Our subs and the fans became the 12th and 13th man and it was surely just a matter of time. Well done Harry C on your first goal. Shame it wasn't THE first goal of the game as i had him at 6/1.

Plenty of positives. Including subs making a difference, In our favour at last. Another game away from home where we fought hard from a goal down. So fans shouldn't underestimate how important that is in the grand scheme of things.

On to Dover, a town twinned with Portaloo. Get the job done fast or it could get real messy.

 

[GBJ]

I thought Neal was the biggest crab I have seen in a blues shirt since Kev played.
Never once went forward and wouldn’t care if he ever played for us again. Was a magnet for the ball and constantly played it 10 yards sideways and backwards. Brunt made things happen, this bloke is a negative Atkinson type player that massively contributed to a horrible game to watch….send him back and give someone else a go!

Over the past four seasons, in the CM position we have been treated to:

Sam Mantom
Tim Dieng
Ricky Holmes
Luke Hyam
Rob Kiernan
Mark Milligan
Alan McCormack

Having the likes of Brunt and Neal has been a much welcome - and needed - change.

Which, if any, of those would you prefer to see BACK in CM, in place of Neal?

 

[danbowen]

We played some lovely possession football and must have had 80% of the possession during the whole game. Our players at times need to have some confidence to know the ball past the opposition and try to get on it though as too often we turned back and made a 5-10 yard pass which kept allowing aldershot to get their shape back and all their players back behind the ball.

Fans were unreal as always.

Aldershot fans must hate watching football like that week in week out as it’s so depressing. I don’t actually recall them putting 3 or 4 passes together all night. Feel sorry for their 2 strikers as they look like they could cause a few issues if they were given the chance.

Ref had a shocker especially in the first half when Hobson got past the defender in the penalty box and then the ref stopped play for their player having a leg injury. Hobson had tons of space to run in to.

 

[hlane17]

I'm so so glad we didn't lose to that s*** borefest football that we were treated to by MM in his time here.

My greatest regret about yesterday is conceding a poor goal so early. It so easily could have been all 3 points, it was all SUFC on the commentary.

Dictating the game against a team will do us good as we will be expected to do this if we really want to stake a claim to get back in the EFL.

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

Over the past four seasons, in the CM position we have been treated to:

Sam Mantom
Tim Dieng
Ricky Holmes
Luke Hyam
Rob Kiernan
Mark Milligan
Alan McCormack

Having the likes of Brunt and Neal has been a much welcome - and needed - change.

Which, if any, of those would you prefer to see BACK in CM, in place of Neal?

The on-loan version of Sam Mantom ... and a fit Luke Hyam

 

[southendkid]

Over the past four seasons, in the CM position we have been treated to:

Sam Mantom
Tim Dieng
Ricky Holmes
Luke Hyam
Rob Kiernan
Mark Milligan
Alan McCormack

Having the likes of Brunt and Neal has been a much welcome - and needed - change.

Which, if any, of those would you prefer to see BACK in CM, in place of Neal?

Dieng is playing very well at Exeter, I think he's a good player that was just stuck in some awful sides.

 

[hlane17]

Dieng is playing very well at Exeter, I think he's a good player that was just stuck in some awful sides.

A bit of a luxury player though. He might do alright with Atkinson and Neal either side of him.

 

[LennySUFC]

I thought Neal was the biggest crab I have seen in a blues shirt since Kev played.
Never once went forward and wouldn’t care if he ever played for us again. Was a magnet for the ball and constantly played it 10 yards sideways and backwards. Brunt made things happen, this bloke is a negative Atkinson type player that massively contributed to a horrible game to watch….send him back and give someone else a go!

Football Manager description of a "Ball Winning Midfielder"



Sounds like Neal plays the role to perfection. He wins the ball and plays the ball to someone more creative I.e. the Wing Backs who are instructed to drive down the wings.

 

[hlane17]

Football Manager description of a "Ball Winning Midfielder"

View attachment 18581

Sounds like Neal plays the role to perfection. He wins the ball and plays the ball to someone more creative I.e. the Wing Backs who are instructed to drive down the wings.

BWM describes the exact role Michael Timlin used to play and it's a role we never properly replaced when we lost him.

 

[wiggy]

Over the past four seasons, in the CM position we have been treated to:

Sam Mantom
Tim Dieng
Ricky Holmes
Luke Hyam
Rob Kiernan
Mark Milligan
Alan McCormack

Having the likes of Brunt and Neal has been a much welcome - and needed - change.

Which, if any, of those would you prefer to see BACK in CM, in place of Neal?

Did you go last night?
We sat with a perfect view of Neal and the people in front, behind and to the left and right groaned every time Neal got the ball. Not once did he do anything positive with it.
Any of those from your list could have played his game but slightly more forward thinking. If Maher insists on playing Atkinson then he needs to find an attacking midfielder to create something…..Neal is not the answer going by last nights very negative contribution!

 

[IamJack]

Was great to see us control a game so well, yeah Aldershot sat back after scoring but a draw was the minimum we deserved in my eyes.

Neal controls the park so well. Always looking for a pass, but MUST start looking forward or having a shot and seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Hobson is a new man in this new system. Seems to be energised played alongside a quicker more agile defence.

The Afghan Messi showed some shine and I think could be an absolute gem, always wants to create an attacking opportunity, glides past people like there’s no one there.

Ralph was poor for their goal, that’s for sure.

Our crossing, across the park really lets us down. Clifford rarely doesn’t hit the first man or straight to the keeper.

Most importantly, we miss Dennis, his runs are what have been opening teams up the past weeks and last night we looked toothless, no real ability to turn sides around and get them running back to their own goal defending.

All in all 7/10 performance and onto Dover which will be massive, huge crowd, tonnes of noise and hopefully 3 points for an unbeaten January!

 

[hlane17]

Did you go last night?
We sat with a perfect view of Neal and the people in front, behind and trp the left and right groaned every time Neal got the ball. Not once did he do anything positive with it.
Any of those from your list could have played his game but slightly more forward thinking. If Maher insists on playing Atkinson then he needs to find an attacking midfielder to create something…..Neal is not the answer going by last nights very negative contribution!

It's not Neal's job to do anything special with it, same goes with Atkinson.

Husin should have dropped deeper on the odd occasion to pick up the ball and drive through the lines like we know he can. That will come as he gels with the squad.