Post-Match Thread and Ratings Halifax Town 0-0 Southend United

[Jai]

Agree and disagree. Formations are still important based on where a player plays. If you have a 5 at the back irrespective of whether you ask them to bring the ball out, fundamentally they are still positioned further back on the pitch and 5 are defenders.

The idea that a defender brings the ball out Reminds me of when hoddle used a sweeper in the back 5 who was a midfielder. He started this trend but that capability was rare
.
Last night it was clear. If you have 5 at the back, and 5 defenders they are naturally going to move backwards which means less focus on 1) engaging the midfield and 2) therefore getting the ball to the forwards. All of which we are struggling with. Note how strong our defensive unit is which is why brown used to send 5 out to not lose.

If we continue down this path, a new striker or the return of the injured will not be the panacea. We won't start scoring goals because you still need to get the ball to them and with space.

We won't be relegated but we won't be taking the division by storm. Expect lots of 1-0s and 0-0s in either direction.

There has to be a balance. 433 4231 ie 4 defenders not 5 have the best balance to negate the 532s 343s by taking more control of midfield ie the ability to move back or forward - but removing a striker in a pair and relying on wingers to be the second striker depending on the side of the pitch the ball is being played

a final comment on the opposition- whilst the teams we've played finished well last year that doesn't mean the same again this season in non league. Unless your Wrexham or perhaps chesterfield every season changes because of the turn over of players so not a fair judgement I think at this stage of performance either way.

Interesting that it's deemed 5 at the back yet Ralph won the penalty from open play, it appeared more like a 3-4-3 in the first half but in the second half we were pegged back, not sure why but I await the analysis from Shrimpers Stats on Twitter.

I agree about the need to bring the ball to the strikers. Unfortunately regardless of formation we will still come across teams that are better than us. While we have decent midfielders at this level, other teams will have better. So in those games we will at times have to either sacrifice defensive stability, or accept that we're not going to have the ball as much. FWIW I don't think our midfield has gelled yet, Mooney is not fully fit and I'd like to have seen more from Husin and Fonguck, but at the same time they've been up against players like Jack Payne, Joe Sbarra, Jamey Osbourne, Luke Summerfield who have all been at the very top of this level in previous years.

I guess we will have to wait and see how Halifax get on this year to see if that was truly a good result, but a point on a Tuesday night away from home with a 4hour drive and 8 players out, I'd be pretty pleased with that even if they were mid table fodder, and they certainly won't be lower than that.

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

02.51 back home ffs work at 8

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher was pleased with the spirit his side showed in their 0-0 draw at Halifax Town.

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[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United’s penalty troubles continued in Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw at Halifax Town.

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Help with Echo links

 

[stewart]

Drawing against a side who lost half their team from last season and judging their 2 previous results (admittedly it's still early) halifax look a poor side this season. 2 points dropped in my opinion.

half of our team is new also

 

[bluesfansince1952]

I'm gobsmacked that some are pleased with 2 points in 3 games at non league level. I know there's no need to panic as it's way too early in the season but you can't dress it up with context to say that is good! Every team will have injuries.

We can only be pleased with what we achieve at non-league level as that is now where we compete.

 

[bluesfansince1952]

Negative : 2 points from 3 games = relegation form.
Positive : 2 decent draws away from home against potential playoff contenders = Good recovery from disappointing home defeat.
Arguable shortsighted opinion versus arguable rose tinted one ! The debate continues

As always the answer might lie somewhere in between.

 

[BoyWonder2]

Chased but not signed..... well that's great isn't it. We were 4th lowest scores last season and we have had all summer to sign proven striker at this level and we have failed. Personally I feel that isn't good enough! Southend are still a mess of club unfortunately, this club will not move forward until the owner is gone! That's fact I'm afraid. Missing out on Kelly to sulihull showed me where Southend are in today game, A poor club who can't compete at the top end of the national league. Kev and co probably trying their best but they are handicapped by the clown at the top.

We signed a forward who is proven at this level, yet he seems to be a scapegoat already…Jake Hyde. We have another proven goal scorer here in Murphy.

“Proven goal scorers” are rare, and very expensive. Kelly was going to cost a six figure fee off the back of one good season. Who should we have brought in?

Yes it’s frustrating we only have Wreh available at the moment, but it’s not for the want of trying.

 

[Cricko]

Not to blame Powell as anybody can miss a penalty but this morning it does feel like 2 points dropped, lets hope these early chances to win games and pic up points does not effect us at the end of the season.

With 8? players out atm injured is seriously a problem that must be addressed.

 

[londonblue]

Two points from 9 isn't good enough.That's relegation form.

It is, but it's also 2 away draws against the two teams that finished 3rd and 4th last season. I would say the only disappointing result was BW.

I guess it's just luck of the draw that we have started against teams that finished high up the table last season.

 

[NZamba Legend]

We're two players short of a very decent side. That mean ******* at centre half that wins everything and bullies strikers week in, week out, and the focal-point striker that brings the team out and also has defenders worried with their movement.

Very true and realistically we are not going to get both. That’s why Kev keeps saying there is a lot more work to do. He knows we are a way off being serious competitors. That’s also why most of us are not tipping us to go up either. Top 8 would be good progress for us.

 

[londonblue]

Two away games against the teams who finished 3rd and 4th last season so to come away still unbeaten away is a result most of us would have taken a week ago.

The lack of firepower (or more likely creativity, as we don’t seem to be missing lots of chances) is a worry but we’re currently missing Cardwell, Murphy and Hyde; Husin missed this one, Mooney and Bridge appear to be playing through injury/on the bench so it’s still early days.

Indeed. When we start creating chances we'll see how good/bad we are up front.

 

[londonblue]

Chased but not signed..... well that's great isn't it. We were 4th lowest scores last season and we have had all summer to sign proven striker at this level and we have failed. Personally I feel that isn't good enough! Southend are still a mess of club unfortunately, this club will not move forward until the owner is gone! That's fact I'm afraid. Missing out on Kelly to sulihull showed me where Southend are in today game, A poor club who can't compete at the top end of the national league. Kev and co probably trying their best but they are handicapped by the clown at the top.

That's the only bit of this I agree with. However, with Stan around and RM effectively side-lined I would argue that we're less of a mess of a club than we were about 10 months ago.

 

[Blue43]

View attachment 21583

People need to forget about Hyde, the guy won’t play more than 10 full games this season if we’re lucky. Will be a complete waste of money on wages. For years we have signed over the hill injury prone players and I really hoped we had finally learnt our lesson but it appears not with this signing.

I presume Murphy and Caldwell are still miles away from being ready considering Cards was still on crutches during pre season and Murphy hasn’t returned to full training yet and hasn’t played a game since January.

Defensively we are looking a lot more solid and harder to beat and you certainly would have taken the last 2 results before hand but I’m afraid if we don’t sign a decent forward urgently then we just won’t be no where near enough good enough to make the play offs, as by the time Cardwell and Murphy are fit we will be too far behind. Plus both of them don’t have a great injury record anyway so even when they are fit the likely hood of them making it through the rest of the season without any further injuries is highly unlikely.

People can moan and groan at this post and say I’m being far too negative blah blah blah but I’m just being realistic. The majority of the teams promoted have a 15-20 goal scorer in their teams, we simply don’t have that.

Simply put, we have an owner that has made our club so unattractive that we simply can’t attract the type of forwards we need to get in the mix. The management, Stan, Tom and John can only do their best, they need to be supported by Ron and that’s clearly not happening now!!

 

[shrimperjon]

A game of two halves. First half we weee the better side and should have taken the lead from the spot but our curse returned to haunt us again. Powell struck it well but at a good height for the keeper. Arnold made a good save from his own error

Second half Halifax dominated and Arnold had to be at his best. We stood firm though and should have had a second penalty when bridge was hauled down and somehow the ref waved on

Points to consider
Another penalty miss and in the stands few had confidence that Powell would score
Lack of goals needs to be addressed, as much as we played well we never really looked like scoring
Injuries are killling us. Husin and Clifford the latest two to miss out with Fonguck and Mooney both limping when they came off
On a positive note we’ve played three teams fancied to do well, drawing two away and narrowly losing at home in the other. We easily could have been on 4 or 5 points by now
The team work very hard for each other and if we can resolve the striker situation it won’t be long before we start climbing the league

So all in all a decent away point that could and should have been 3 but second half we easily could have lost. The back 5 last night looked solid and we just need to sort out the forward play

Home at 2/30 and now up for work knackered but not too down. There are positive signs.

MOM for me Miley

 

[RHB]

Simply put, we have an owner that has made our club so unattractive that we simply can’t attract the type of forwards we need to get in the mix. The management, Stan, Tom and John can only do their best, they need to be supported by Ron and that’s clearly not happening now!!

And there's the rub! I would imagine Ron still puts money into the club, but obviously not enough to cover replacements that we need urgently. Alternatively, the players we want are just not available to us at this moment, for whatever reason. Ron will not be disappearing any time soon unless he gets the Jackpot offer to part with his FF pension fund. As for the other options, we just have to suck it up for the moment, painful though that is to all of us.

What I do know is that my team now is far better than my team of this time last year was, and I can't do anything to influence any further changes, much as I would like to. Which kind of points towards a play-off flirt and a serious push next season.

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

A gritty, hardworking display last night from all involved but the second half was a frustrating watch as we struggled to retain the ball and consequently had to defend for our lives.

First half, we pinned them back for long periods with controlled possession and were the better side. Powell and Mooney were both looking dangerous, but Wreh struggled tonight against a very good centre back (number 5) and just couldn't keep hold of the ball up top.
As he tired in the second half we were forced to defend deep and withstand a lot of pressure. We resorted to hopeful chipped balls forward which were easily dealt with as we surrended possession far too easily. Our midfield was often overrun and large gaps began to appear. Fonguck who I thought was pretty poor, began to look like he was running in treacle was replaced at the right time. Mooney's foot injury forced him to come off too and our race was run.

Arnold - one horrible moment in the first half when he passed the ball straight to their striker, but otherwise looked safe and dominant as always pulling of a good few saves.

Crowhurst - a slightly shaky first half but improved in the second and grew in confidence.

Ralph - Love him being back on the left and he won our penalty with a great surge into the box.

Lomas/Kensdale/Hobson - aside from being guilty of overplaying a little in the first half, they all produced a dominant second half performance, putting their bodies on the line. They worked very well as a unit.

Miley - Excellent performance, particularly in the first half. I hadn't appreciated how mobile he is. Twisting and turning to get himself out of a tight spot.

Fonguck - Disappointing night for Wes. I thought he was caught on his heels far too much in the first half and gave the ball away.
Second half he looked dead on his feet and was correctly replaced as we were being overrun.

Mooney - Good first half performance in which he carried the ball well, probing....looking to slide Wreh in. His foot injury saw him hobbling half way through the second half. Replaced

Powell - Buzzed around as always and gave 100%. Put in one great cross in the first half but there were other occasions where a simple pass would have been the better option.
He was up against a speedy full back so he was never able to make his pace count.
Missed the pen but I'll give the keeper the credit as he guessed the right way.

Wreh - A tough outing tonight. He struggled to keep hold of the ball up front against a very good centre back. In the second half his task was made even harder as the gap between the midfield and front line increased as we were penned back for large periods.
In fairness, Wreh wasn't helped by our instance to go long in the second half.

I think we would have lost this game last season but credit to the lads they stuck at it and defended really well in the second half.

We still have a big problem creating chances and therefore scoring goals.
Hopefully this will be rectified by the signing of a strong front runner in the coming days who can hold the ball up and bring the likes of Mooney and Powell into play.

One thing I would say is that the Halifax striker Mani Dieseruvwe was a real handful last night. About 6ft 4, fast, strong and mobile. Just what we need currently.

Nice to catch up with the Billericay Shrimpers for the first time (Shrimper Jon)

 

[rigsby]

Not sure what some of you expect. We don’t have the money to fully replace injured number 9’s with like for like as squad players. Nor would we be better off when Dalby left and Kelly hadn’t signed.

By half time against Boreham Wood a good bet would have been 0 points at this stage. Even with increased injuries we have looked better in defence With great starts for Lomas and especially Crowhurst.

As Brian Clough once said “All good sides are built on a good defence. Never mind football, you can’t achieve anything on life without good foundations”

Our defence have shown title wining form. By the way Rose tinted glasses are worn looking at the past. I see a good back 5 with a couple of good back up defenders…. I see a good season ahead.

 

[Petejames]

02.51 back home ffs work at 8

You got a lay in… I started at 05:30

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

Chased but not signed..... well that's great isn't it. We were 4th lowest scores last season and we have had all summer to sign proven striker at this level and we have failed. Personally I feel that isn't good enough! Southend are still a mess of club unfortunately, this club will not move forward until the owner is gone! That's fact I'm afraid. Missing out on Kelly to sulihull showed me where Southend are in today game, A poor club who can't compete at the top end of the national league. Kev and co probably trying their best but they are handicapped by the clown at the top.

couldn't agree more, you can silver coat it with all this nonsense about we 'chased him' or we chased 'her' for all you soppy liberals, but someone somewhere has let us down as a club badly in the close season and transfer market, we needed a striker to partner Dolby the white board was full of names, and the comments on this board were ' we haven't missed out on any of our targets yet' we then sell our one recognised fit striker a week before the season started, and we start our league campaign now two strikers down ( I don't include Hyde as this was always a pantomime signing and the resulting 'his swelling is to big to take a scan nonsense' yet still we cant find someone to bring in, but don't worry 'we are working on it' well that shouldn't have be the case, the strategy should have been very clear 'Mr Dolby you can leave with our blessing, as soon as we bring the second striker into the club'

So something is again very very clearly wrong behind the scenes.


BoyWonder, I no longer want to turn this into a post where I berate you, its not you I'm berating, and I know you mean well and mean alot to many many on here, infact much more than my posts mean to people, but I simply don't believe the information you are being fed and I certainly dont agree with the rose tinted slant you are asked by the club to put on your posts.

. . Callum Powell just reminds me off my Jack Russell , love him (or her) to bits, love the attitude, but never in a million years will be anywhere near the answer to our goal scoring problems or good enough for this league (sorry Bert for using you in this analogy)

tired/grumpy/very happy with a point the commitment and endeavour on lasts nights match , pleased to hear we are still looking for an experienced centre half too, as the halifax centre forward had Kensdale on a plate all last night, just lucky he was as **** and out of hid depth when it came to being in the 18 yard box and finishing as our forward line too

Well done lads on a point, but as someone else suggested, we should have won.. simple as that