Post-Match Thread and Ratings Dover Athletic 1-0 Southend United

[Jim Levenstein]

I agree that there are times he needs to make more of a challenge. Sometimes though this is as much a talent as a first touch or being able to drift past players...some players relish it and are built for it and others have to just do the best they can....I dont believe you can make players into that type and certainly can’t do it just by toughening up! It’s typical of our type of football that we expect talented players to be able to do the things less talented players can but never expect the less talented to do the things the more talented can....I mean does anyone expect Lennon to create a goal with skill or a pass? No it’s just accepted he isn’t designed for that...

I also agree that he needs to develop a nasty side.....but it’ll be in the final third that it will make a difference and he’ll kill teams off with end product...that can be learned and is part of building experience and learning better decision making.....look at Kevin DeBruyne at Chelsea compared with Man City....he just matured and developed....

What I don’t agree with is this perception that he’s knocked off the ball while in possession....he is of course sometimes off balance and loses out but actually he shows real strength in possession and is often holding players off and retaining possession....especially given the lack of options of people to pass to he has to often hold on to it far longer than he’d like. Notice how quickly his heads up and is looking....



While I agree he probably got his chance ahead of schedule due to squad nos I don’t think for one second that he wouldn’t be involved if everyone was fit. Even under Powell he was regularly involved and the one position we barely had any injuries with it was midfield. Under Bond and now Sol I think he’s in the side on merit and you’d be hard pushed to leave him out regardless of who was fit.

He was signed as a U23 18 months ago, I’d imagine the plan was always to see him at this stage in 18-24 months. He’s certainly not thought of as a 23s players chucked in because there’s no one else. I truly believe he deserves to be playing.

Trust me if he’s still in our side in two years time, unless we’ve been promoted a couple of times he will have massively under achieved his potential....I’d be shocked if he wasn’t on peoples radars already.

Did I just see Isaac Hutchinson compared with Kevin De Bruyne haha

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Exactly this. Remember a decade ago we signed the likes of Scott Spencer, Matt Paterson, Sanchez Watt, Pat Baldwin, Scott Vernon...


,

Cheers, I've just been sick

 

[Tombstone Blues]

Did I just see Isaac Hutchinson compared with Kevin De Bruyne haha

Yeah good one thats exactly what I meant.

 

[rigsby]

Why do you love Brown so much? If we still had him or kept him on we'd be in League 2 this year

Whats wrong with league 2, its where we are comfortable. Plus there are a lot more clubs we can call tin pot.

By the way the fans lost PB before he gave up. Some of the players who he signed absolutely knew trey were targeted for the crime of being a PB signing. It has now carried on with the CP signings and Bond of course.

Far to many players are just no good enough for our fans even academy players in their first game. I remember some total knob moaning about a Dru pass on his debut v Newport. Claiming he needed to be out on loan for a season in non league.

How we could do with a wise old (one last payday) pro to organise our defence and improve those around him. Anton was another one who looked up in disgust at comments from the stands.......Long before he gave up on us.

With the rise of social media we have gone from Brown out to I hope your family die of cancer, racism and families not wanting to go to RH.......Yes i'm unhappy with certain senior players at our club but people shouldn't claim its the fault everyone else........Our fans have played their part and when we fall back into L2 it will be what we deserve as a club........Whether you have paid your hard earned cash or not.

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

Every club has **** fans. Should they all be in league 2?... or is it based on how much money they have and how they play football?

 

[Sammy Shrimper]

So much doom and gloom. We lost to a non league side, no surprise there folks. Aylesbury, Doncaster, Kinstonian, Scarborough ... The list is pretty long over the past 50 years.
Highlights yesterday decent pint of Tea in the Cricketers and the bacon roll at half time. As for the match enough said already by other fellow Shrimpers.
Anyway I'll be in Cricketers before the Oxford game. I need a drink the numb the senses before taking my place in the West.
Let's get behind Sol and Hermann!

 

[Thorper]

Nobody's said it's all Powell's fault. You wanted him out too if I remember correctly. Is he immune from criticism?

How was the ref today BTW? I'm bemused that you haven't slagged him off and tried to deflect blame yet? Or have you realised that ref's aren't infallible, there's no conspiracy, and we're just ****?

To be fair, the ref was poor. Not an excuse, we were hopeless, but he bottled a few decisions and missed others. Haven't seen highlights, but thought at the time we had half a shout for a pen as well.

 

[palexander]

Whats wrong with league 2, its where we are comfortable. Plus there are a lot more clubs we can call tin pot.

By the way the fans lost PB before he gave up. Some of the players who he signed absolutely knew trey were targeted for the crime of being a PB signing. It has now carried on with the CP signings and Bond of course.

Far to many players are just no good enough for our fans even academy players in their first game. I remember some total knob moaning about a Dru pass on his debut v Newport. Claiming he needed to be out on loan for a season in non league.

How we could do with a wise old (one last payday) pro to organise our defence and improve those around him. Anton was another one who looked up in disgust at comments from the stands.......Long before he gave up on us.

With the rise of social media we have gone from Brown out to I hope your family die of cancer, racism and families not wanting to go to RH.......Yes i'm unhappy with certain senior players at our club but people shouldn't claim its the fault everyone else........Our fans have played their part and when we fall back into L2 it will be what we deserve as a club........Whether you have paid your hard earned cash or not.

Like Liam Ridgewell, who seems to be stealing a living from us at present?

 

[Tombstone Blues]

Whats wrong with league 2, its where we are comfortable. Plus there are a lot more clubs we can call tin pot.

By the way the fans lost PB before he gave up. Some of the players who he signed absolutely knew trey were targeted for the crime of being a PB signing. It has now carried on with the CP signings and Bond of course.

Far to many players are just no good enough for our fans even academy players in their first game. I remember some total knob moaning about a Dru pass on his debut v Newport. Claiming he needed to be out on loan for a season in non league.

How we could do with a wise old (one last payday) pro to organise our defence and improve those around him. Anton was another one who looked up in disgust at comments from the stands.......Long before he gave up on us.

With the rise of social media we have gone from Brown out to I hope your family die of cancer, racism and families not wanting to go to RH.......Yes i'm unhappy with certain senior players at our club but people shouldn't claim its the fault everyone else........Our fans have played their part and when we fall back into L2 it will be what we deserve as a club........Whether you have paid your hard earned cash or not.

Great post of which the underlying points will go flying over the heads of many on here....

 

[rigsby]

Every club has **** fans. Should they all be in league 2?... or is it based on how much money they have and how they play football?

If you take a glance at L2 you can see that apart from the new league clubs all the others have played in L1 or higher in the last 20 years. In fact in that time there are about ten clubs who have won promotion from L2 but are now no longer league clubs.

Its just the reality of the lower leagues. If you don't jump up to the championship with a double promotion like Luton, Yeovil or as we did both times......Then you will be back in L2 quicker than most think.

Everyone is now wanting a bit more Atkinson or Timlin when at the time they used to slate these players and demand we upgraded. Far to many were demanding promotion rather than reality.......Remember comment s like "If we are not going for promotion then i'm no longer going to go".........Lets hope we are going for promotion next season.

 

[blues exile]

Watching Campbell's post match interview his self admitted bafflement at how the team played was eerily reminiscent of similar comments by Brown, Powell, Bond and Waddock over the past three years. Points to something systemically wrong at the club unless there are question marks over the commitment and/or team ethic of Cox, McLaughlin, Oxley, Demetriou and White, all of whom span the past three years.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Watching Campbell's post match interview his self admitted bafflement at how the team played was eerily reminiscent of similar comments by Brown, Powell, Bond and Waddock over the past three years. Points to something systemically wrong at the club unless there are question marks over the commitment and/or team ethic of Cox, McLaughlin, Oxley, Demetriou and White, all of whom span the past three years.

Somebody with a sharper recall will remember who did what after less than a minute. But the camera went to Sol, and he was already muttering expletives.
It looked like whatever game plan demanded was binned by the players almost from the off.

 

[North Devon Shrimper]

Today I am hurting bad as I know many shrimpers are. Our performance yesterday was shameful.
Iv'e been supporting this brilliant club for 45 years and have never felt this low. This club is in my blood and will be forever.
My large SUFC flag hanging up in my living room will NEVER be taken down. I love this club and think Sol will take this club forward with players who don't give a s***.
For another day to discuss I just don't know why we didn't/don't play 4-4-2 as we are just so woeful at the back. But who am I to say.

 

[GDM]

If you take a glance at L2 you can see that apart from the new league clubs all the others have played in L1 or higher in the last 20 years. In fact in that time there are about ten clubs who have won promotion from L2 but are now no longer league clubs.

Its just the reality of the lower leagues. If you don't jump up to the championship with a double promotion like Luton, Yeovil or as we did both times......Then you will be back in L2 quicker than most think.

Everyone is now wanting a bit more Atkinson or Timlin when at the time they used to slate these players and demand we upgraded. Far to many were demanding promotion rather than reality.......Remember comment s like "If we are not going for promotion then i'm no longer going to go".........Lets hope we are going for promotion next season.

Not getting relegated in league two next season will be my success criteria...it's going to be a long hard road back - we'd had it good for a few years, it's our time to have it not so good. I've got my eye on a new seat in the east greens - hopefully they won't renew and I can bag it (every cloud!)

 

[Firestorm]

Watching Campbell's post match interview his self admitted bafflement at how the team played was eerily reminiscent of similar comments by Brown, Powell, Bond and Waddock over the past three years. Points to something systemically wrong at the club unless there are question marks over the commitment and/or team ethic of Cox, McLaughlin, Oxley, Demetriou and White, all of whom span the past three years.

I don't think Sol has even seen White train, the broken arm was before he joined wasn't it ?

 

[blues exile]

I don't think Sol has even seen White train, the broken arm was before he joined wasn't it ?

I believe so and he would have not seen muxh of Demetriou either.

 

[EnzoBlue]

Somebody with a sharper recall will remember who did what after less than a minute. But the camera went to Sol, and he was already muttering expletives.
It looked like whatever game plan demanded was binned by the players almost from the off.

I noticed this too but it does escape me who it was aimed at but did suggest straight from the off he wasn't impressed.

 

[C V Shrimper]

Was it Bishop slow releasing the ball?

 

[Danshrimper]

With the rise of social media we have gone from Brown out to I hope your family die of cancer, racism and families not wanting to go to RH.......Yes i'm unhappy with certain senior players at our club but people shouldn't claim its the fault everyone else........Our fans have played their part and when we fall back into L2 it will be what we deserve as a club........Whether you have paid your hard earned cash or not.

This isn’t a problem exclusive to our club. This is a problem all over the country and can be seen at most clubs across the Football League, so I’m not sure how much impact the actions of a minority can be said to have on our imminent relegation. At most, it’s a minor factor. 1 win in 17 games and crashing out of all of the cups at the first hurdle (granted EFL cup was at 2nd hurdle) suggests there are much bigger problems at the club than negative elements of the fanbase, something which all clubs have.

 

[Tombstone Blues]

I’m hazarding a guess it was a collective issue whereby we had the kick off passed backwards and backwards again then sideways to Lennon who took too long on the ball got closed down and we conceded possession to a throw in in our own half 7 seconds into the game......

Even the most basic tactics from kick off mean trying to play forwards and squeeze everyone up to concede a throw on or Aron d the edge of the oppositions box