Post-Match Thread and Ratings Gills 1 Southend United 2

[wiggy]

Morris didn't have much to do other than pick the ball out of the back of the net, but what he did have to do, he didn't convince with. I thought his decision-making (in deciding what balls to come out of the area) was below par, as was his kicking.

I agree Barker had his best game for weeks, but that's not saying much. He's lost a step and looks gone. Maybe that's injury and a spell resting on the sidelines will let him get that back but for now he's struggling to deal with straight forward balls in the air and over the top. That's the bread and butter defending for a centre-half. I'm grimacing every time the ball is played towards him. Even when he should comfortably win the header or take a touch and clear it's a struggle. We look a lot less exposed when he has Phillips alongside him though.

Martin did very well for the second goal (although I see the BBC credited Kalala with the assist) but overall didn't offer much.

Kalala's a poor man's Stuart Thurgood.

Mohsni might have looked good on TV, but his positional play and work-rate was very poor towards the end. It's too late to be closing someone down once they get the ball, you need to be closing them down before the ball gets to them. A lot of Gillingham's space came from Mohsni losing our shape.

I think my ratings tend to be quite different as I give a lot more weight to teamwork. That's why I rate the likes of Ferdinand and Prosser higher than most, although it's nice to see them being given some recognition.

And again......see you're as clueless as ever!

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[Mick]

Kalala's a poor man's Stuart Thurgood.

He has something in common with Thurgood at his peak (if peak is the right word). He is our best player when the opposition have the ball and our worst player when we have it. Not sure I'd play him at home very much.

 

[Angell Delight]

Hi lurking Gills fans alert.

Your boys played a very good version of league 2 hoof ball last night, and deserved to take all 3 points despite our late rally. I was surprised to see some of you criticize your keepers kicking. I thought he placed virtually every kick perfectly between our left back and left side centre half last for Moshni to attack.

Your ability to win countless flick on from long balls left us always picking up the ball deep in our own half miles from your goal. I only really remember a couple of fluffed clearances by Kalala, and he mopped up very well the rest of the time to be fair. Not sure he needed to roll over 20 times when he got kicked by Weston mind.

We on the other hand gave the ball away and missed tackles in our own half for both your goals. We have been doing this loads in recent games, and your manager employed a full court press to try and catch us out again.

I would not criticize your team too much second half. We looked a different team 2nd half because our best player Jack Payne was subbed on (who had not trained all week due to injury), and he got us passing the ball. We look a decent team when we do this, as we are hopeless at the long ball stuff, and actually have some good players going forward when we get them the ball.

Your best players for me was Ferdinand, who had very good movement in the hole until he faded 2nd half after picking up a silly yellow. Dickenson and Moshni put in a good shift for you, and Clohessy has improved into a good little player since he was with us (talented but with Arsenal sulking built in). Maybe the problem against you this season is the lack of ex Southend players we have. Is it only Richards at the minute? That must be the lowest amount in years ;-).

Sod playing pretty football in this league. We have tried to build a team to do it, and for me it is a very difficult thing to get right in league 2 . The ref last night was fair but let a lot of physical stuff go, so we got bullied out of our natural game. This can happen a lot, and let’s not even go into some of the pitches this time of year.

We got promoted from this league under Tony Pulis in 95-96 letting in 20 goals all season. Yes some of the the football was grim, but I still look back on that promotion year fondly (Dave Martin was head bounty hunter in that team).

I can't stand Crawley so make sure you go on and win the league.

Cheers mate much appreciated. A post like that from an opposition fan goes to show how many moaners we have on here.

All the best to the Gills for the rest of the season, hope you make the top 7.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

well unless it was a different game i was watching they was putting the ball into our box quite a lot in last ten and i was on edge of seat thinking they was gonna get it so i guess i felt lucky they didn't get it .......now tell me was i the only one thinking that ?

I thought that at the time, but having re-watched it this morning we held out comfortably in the end

Fair appraisals too from the two Gills both on this thread and elsewhere, whilst i don't particularly like Gillingham or their fans due to historical clashes they are at least a "proper" football club, unlike fat make up mans outfit from round Gatwick way

 

[Benfleet Blue]

Morris didn't have much to do other than pick the ball out of the back of the net, but what he did have to do, he didn't convince with. I thought his decision-making (in deciding what balls to come out of the area) was below par, as was his kicking.

I agree Barker had his best game for weeks, but that's not saying much. He's lost a step and looks gone. Maybe that's injury and a spell resting on the sidelines will let him get that back but for now he's struggling to deal with straight forward balls in the air and over the top. That's the bread and butter defending for a centre-half. I'm grimacing every time the ball is played towards him. Even when he should comfortably win the header or take a touch and clear it's a struggle. We look a lot less exposed when he has Phillips alongside him though.

Martin did very well for the second goal (although I see the BBC credited Kalala with the assist) but overall didn't offer much.

Kalala's a poor man's Stuart Thurgood.

Mohsni might have looked good on TV, but his positional play and work-rate was very poor towards the end. It's too late to be closing someone down once they get the ball, you need to be closing them down before the ball gets to them. A lot of Gillingham's space came from Mohsni losing our shape.

I think my ratings tend to be quite different as I give a lot more weight to teamwork. That's why I rate the likes of Ferdinand and Prosser higher than most, although it's nice to see them being given some recognition.

Morris did everything he had to do well. Good handling and very good kicking and mopped up behind the back 4 really well.

Chris Barker looked back to his assured self and its easy to see the understanding between himself and Mark Phillips and with Clohessey and Prosser playing their part, I thought we looked very assured at the back, certainly better than we have done of late.

Dave Martin does everything we want Ryan Hall to do, but, at the moment, better. Not only was he prepared to run at their defense but on so many occasions he was back, helping out Luke Prosser, and he did both jobs well. I thought he had a great game.

Kalala did what was asked of him, break up their play and give the ball to the ball players. He worked tirelessly for the full 90 minutes and I can't believe you're referring to him as a poor mans Stuart Thurgood.

And as for Moshni, the guy really is becoming a legend. He's a winner and that's what gets him in so much trouble. He certainly was my MOTM last night, defending superbly, winning so many important headers and showing his skills on the ball with some superb passing. How you can say Moshni lost our shape and caused us problems is beyond me, and I'm even more astounded that you even mention his positional play and work-rate being poor towards the end. He did exactly what was asked of him, he got forward, got involved, won headers and created our second goal and almost scored himself. Defensively, he tracked back and snuffed out Richards at every set piece, in fact I can hardly remember Richards winning anything in our area. It certainly wasn't down to Bilel that we were being pressed back, it was inevitable that Gillingham had to press forward and although we defended a little deeply, you simply can't attribute that to Bilel not closing down a player or losing shape.

I can't believe anyone who watched the game live could have these opinions.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I thought that at the time, but having re-watched it this morning we held out comfortably in the end

Jesus, are you a sucker of punishment?

 

[Jam_Man]

well unless it was a different game i was watching they was putting the ball into our box quite a lot in last ten and i was on edge of seat thinking they was gonna get it so i guess i felt lucky they didn't get it .......now tell me was i the only one thinking that ?

We completely dominated the first half and they managed two shots in the second.

Your perception may be affected by the nerves that we could throw it away again more than the fact that Gillingham played far better in the second half without actually threatening much.

Overall we definitely deserved to win and werent lucky, although with recent games it was a nervy end.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

When you do player ratings state if you were at the game or if you watched on the box, maybe an idea for the Crawley game as id be interested to see the differing opinions!

Thought we just bossed the whole game!

I put in another thread how impressed I am with Kane's development, centre back to DCM to Attacking midfield! Just needs to find more consistency!

Dicko was very effective, I really like him anyway, but everything he did last night was good! And a cut on the head for good measure!

Mohsni - the lad is absolutely brilliant, and he has certainly proved you can't not have him in the side!

I was a bit disappointed with Martin at times, but he did what mattered and got us a goal, he still did okay, and I suppose we just don't get the ball to him enough!
The only criticism I have towards Sturrock (if you can call it a criticism) is that it frustrates me that we have signed Dave Martin on his attacking abilities which he has a lot, a good left foot, pace and cross, but he defends first before he plays his natural attacking game! But I guess that's why we are top!

Everyone of those players were committed to the win last night!

So much pressure when gills had the ball Barcelona esk in that respect!

Good solid display and we needed it!

Get in!

I watched on the box by the way!

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Jesus, are you a sucker of punishment?

Quite plainly :blush:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

With the protection of Timlin and Kalala behind him, he usually finds more space, and has the ability to drift into the box late.

With the protection of Timlin and Kalala behind him, he has the licence from the manager to do this.

They didn't get the chance because we defended so well, I dont get all this negativity over the second half. Yes it would be great to keep pushing on and get another goal but as a team that had only played 3 days ago against a team fresh for about 2 weeks its always going to be difficult to keep up such a high tempo. We got 2 goals then defended that lead, we didn't rely on our keeper or ride our luck we just defended a lot better than they attacked. People need to start giving the lads a bit of credit when they do something well to say we were lucky is just not true. Hopefully this win will build our confidence and we can get another good run together and get this season back on track.

Second half we defended really well for around half an hour. Gillingham had a lot of possession but went absolutely nowhere with it as we kept our shape really well. The last twenty-five minutes or so (how much injury time did the ref play?) got ugly as we lost our shape. We sat too deep and we also let them get behind our lines.

Haven't seen Sturrock's comments, would be interested to hear his thoughts on this.

 

[Bluepen]

They didn't get the chance because we defended so well, I dont get all this negativity over the second half. Yes it would be great to keep pushing on and get another goal but as a team that had only played 3 days ago against a team fresh for about 2 weeks its always going to be difficult to keep up such a high tempo. We got 2 goals then defended that lead, we didn't rely on our keeper or ride our luck we just defended a lot better than they attacked. People need to start giving the lads a bit of credit when they do something well to say we were lucky is just not true. Hopefully this win will build our confidence and we can get another good run together and get this season back on track.

In my first initial quote the point i was making was had they got the equaliser same as at Plymouth" and i think they came close" would P/S still have said they didnt listen ...in my posts from the start of season i always pointed out who would care how we played as long as we got out of L2 ......BUT I DONT AGREE with his players are not listening remark he makes like its all there fault and i STILL would like to now what he is saying to them so i could judge for myself that they didnt listen to him .....is that wrong of me to want to know this ?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

See you're as clueless as ever!

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Happy Valentines Day Wiggy. Hope you got my card.

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Have been avoiding the Shrimpers ChitChat in recent weeks, so missed all your comments on Morris when he was at fault against Plymouth and the shocker he had v Swindon.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

If you look at everyones ratings, Dicko seems to be the popular choice for MOM, and rightly so.
I know a lot of fans are unhappy with the 2nd half, but it will do us good. We grinded out the result. They hardly had a shot until the last 20 minutes. Phillips makes a massive difference in central defense.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

One of those games where the result was more important than the performance. Fair play to anyone who stuck with it on Sky till the end as the second half was truly dreadful.

I was there and was pleased when I saw the changes that Luggy had made and they worked. Bill, Kane and Dicko worked really well in the first half, and the defence hardly gave the gills frontmen a sniff. Second half though, frustrated. The first half we played some neat football on the deck and scored 2 goals- coincedence? We then seem to get in a mindset of '2 is enough' and sit back inviting the opposition. Theres no doubt if we'd been playing a better team we would not have got 3 points last night.

Best players were Mohnsi, Dicko, Kane and Prosser. Pleased for Luke as thought he was harshly dropped earlier in the season. For me he is positionally better than Gilbert and has much more presence. The whole back 4 looked far better with Phillips back there and Morris looked back to his old self, very solid.
The one area I thought didnt work was Timlin and JPK. I dont think Timlin knew whether to charge forward or stay back and let Kane bomb on. He had a poor game and is capable of much better. JPK too broke down a number of Gills attacks but his passing (particualry forward) is very poor. Just needs to keep it simple and play it to Timlin or Hall/Martin. Thought Martin did well and think the more games he plays the better he will get. Can him and Hall play in the same team? Ryan has looked out of sorts recently so perhaps Martin will get his chance.

Gillingham was very average but impressed with Tomlin who scored a great goal. I know we had been linked with him and perhaps we shouldve gone for him rather than Benyon who didnt even make the bench last night.

A mention for the Livingstone Arms too nearby, very good beer and good staff, what an away pub should be like.

 

[Beefy]

well unless it was a different game i was watching they was putting the ball into our box quite a lot in last ten and i was on edge of seat thinking they was gonna get it so i guess i felt lucky they didn't get it .......now tell me was i the only one thinking that ?

And we defended those balls perfectly. Unless defending is no longer part of the game I don't see how that can count as lucky.

Had they carved out a couple of chances or hit the woodwork then I'd see your point. Making the opposition resort to hitting loads of high balls into the box for one of the four centre-halfs we had on the field to easily clear isn't us being lucky.

EDIT - to be fair, no you weren't the only one to feel it. I'm sure we were all expecting the worst. But that's part of being a football supporter. They scored a great goal and had a load of possession but couldn't carve out a single good opportunity because we on the whole defended very well.

 

[Beefy]

Second half we defended really well for around half an hour. Gillingham had a lot of possession but went absolutely nowhere with it as we kept our shape really well. The last twenty-five minutes or so (how much injury time did the ref play?) got ugly as we lost our shape. We sat too deep and we also let them get behind our lines.

Haven't seen Sturrock's comments, would be interested to hear his thoughts on this.

Sturrock said pretty much the same thing on his interview with Sky and seemed very unhappy that we'd dropped 15 yards deeper than he wanted us to defend. I think it was inevitable in the cicumstances though.

I think you're being very harsh on Bilel who dropped in alongside Phillips & Barker in the closing minutes because Gillingham were launching so many balls into our box and he's by far our most capable player to deal with them. Ferdinand had dropped into the midfield so we had a spare man in there anyway.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Sturrock said pretty much the same thing on his interview with Sky and seemed very unhappy that we'd dropped 15 yards deeper than he wanted us to defend. I think it was inevitable in the cictumstances though.

I think you're being very harsh on Bilel who dropped in alongside Phillips & Barker in the closing minutes because Gillingham were launching so many balls into our box and he's by far our most capable player to deal with them. Ferdinand had dropped into the midfield so we had a spare man in there anyway.

That's reassuring if Sturrock was thinking along the same lines. For a time I thought I was in a minority of one. Do Sky make their interviews available for non Sky subscribers?

Re Bilel, it's not so much the last few minutes when he was dropping in alongside Phillips and Barker, but the 20 minutes preceeding that when he was on the right. He made it too easy for Gillingham.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Mohsni might have looked good on TV, but his positional play and work-rate was very poor towards the end. It's too late to be closing someone down once they get the ball, you need to be closing them down before the ball gets to them.

Thats physically impossible to do unless he man marked their player and still marked him when we had the ball.

As Sturrock correctly pointed out that we lost it a bit towards the end through tiredness after the midfield and Dickinson put in an incredible shift closing down everything so quickly.

 

[Maroon Blue]

A very good away win at an out of sorts Gillingham, this was my fourth visit to Priestfield and first time I have seen us score their. Once again we sat back though and it was heart in mouths time again after their goal. I feel we do need three to be comfortable and any opposing manager watching will know how to beat us, with slick passing and good movement.

Morris 7 - Claimed the ball well when needed and no chance with the goal
Clohessy 7 - Good game, great cross for our first goal
Phillips 7.5 - Clearly not 100% mobile but was not stretched by Gills
Barker 6.5 - Better with Phillips but still seems a bit leaden
Prosser 7 - Only mistake was their goal, otherwise impressive and good in the air
Mohsni 7.5 - MOTM - Just edged man of the match, touches of class on the ball and won every duel in the air
Kalala 6.5 - Got stuck in, needs to keep it simple and lay it off, got caught when tried to run with ball or pick a longer pass
Timlin 6.5 - A little bit subdued with Kane just in front of him, but always mopped up well when needed
Martin 7 - Excellent left foot, may not be on the ball as much as others but when is looks threatening, great cross for goal
Ferdinand 7 - Worked really hard, much more involved in that position, similar to the 45 mins at Aldershot
Dickinson 7.5 - Fitted 90 mins work into first 70 mins, much better, needed replacing earlier

Hall 6 - Seemed strangely off the pace when came on as if confidence gone after being benched
Sampson 6 - No time to have any impact, struggled with control of the ball

Next objective is home form, perhaps we should set up the side like last night as if it is an away game?

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

One thing I forgot to mention earlie was on Ryan Hall.

He is totally out of sorts. Doesn't look interested at all.

So frustrating as if we could get him and Martin performing on either side we'd look very good out wide.

Did we recieve a bid in January and he's got the ache we turned it down?