bluearmy
Youth Team
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League One - The Times Online
September 05, 2005
Lawson header puts Oldham into decline
By Bill Edgar
Southend United 2 Oldham Athletic 1
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HEADED straight past Roots Hall en route to Southend seafront yesterday and Ronnie Moore could have done with a sea breeze as he suffered and sweltered in the dug-out. Managers tend to avoid criticising individual players in public but the Oldham Athletic manager was too hot and bothered to stick to convention.
“It was the most inept 45 minutes that I’ve seen us play,” Moore said, referring to a first half that left his side two goals down, but he was soon talking in specifics. Eight of his starting line-up were targeted and his mood suggested that it was only a shortage of time that prevented him running through the deficiencies of the other three.
Moore claimed James Lawson, the 18-year-old Southend striker making his first start, was allowed an easy header to score the opening goal. “I would have scored that,” he said. “I blame the centre backs. Gareth Owen was slashing at balls, Rob Scott was slashing at balls.”
The full backs were no better, he said, with Terrell Forbes castigated for allowing Mitchell Cole, the left winger, to cut inside and cross for Mark Gower to head home the second goal just before half-time. “Mitchell Cole was the matchwinner — we said he would be before the game,” Moore said. “But Forbes allowed the lad to come inside and Marc Tierney wants locking up. He’s been caught sleeping at the back post.”
Moore was not finished. “(Paul) Edwards had a great opportunity with the change to 4-4-2 and he disappointed. We’re not a team full of kids, we’ve got experienced players, but people like (Andy) Liddell and (Paul) Warne offered nothing,” he said. Warne, a striker, did have an excuse, however. “I didn’t think (Chris) Killen helped him or complemented him.”
Southend had impressed in the opening period but Moore, whose side are widely expected to challenge for promotion, was reluctant to credit them. “We should be coming to places like this and steamrollering teams. If we had been playing against a top-notch side we would have been dead and buried. Some of the players thought they just had to turn up to win.”
The verdict was harsh on Southend, who, after promotion last season, recorded a second successive victory to reinforce their position in the top half of Coca-Cola League One. “It’s been a really good start,” Gower, the right winger, said. “I do not think we could have hoped for much more.”
Lawson, who has yet to win a professional contract, showed he could compete, holding the ball up well and winning several headers aside from the one from which he scored after Cole’s chip in the eleventh minute. “I’m still in the youth team,” he said. “It’s so hard in this weather. I started to get cramp after 60 minutes.”
Southend, prompted in midfield by Maher 8, their captain, struck the crossbar from a header by Shaun Goater in the first half but they were forced to hang on after the interval as Oldham belatedly found their feet. Even so, the visiting team had barely created a second-half chance until they were revived by a double substitution with a quarter of the match left.
Oldham pulled a goal back, Killen laying the ball back for Richie Wellens to sidefoot it into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. But Liddell and Chris Porter, one of the substitutes, both fired over and Moore was left with regrets. “I was embarrassed to be the manager of Oldham Athletic,” he said.
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Telegraph
Oldham manager Ronnie Moore castigated his side yesterday for "inept" defending that allowed James Lawson to celebrate his debut for Southend by scoring one goal and creating the other.
"We couldn't have been any worse than in the first 45 minutes," said Moore, who refused to let the absences of key players or an enforced change of system (4-3-3 to 4-4-2) serve as excuses.
"We may have had a makeshift defence but I don't want to be put in that position again," he said. "No one earned their corn. I was embarrassed to be their manager. Against a top-notch side we'd have been dead and buried at half-time."
As it was, Oldham trailed by only two goals at that stage, with Mitchell Cole supplying the crosses that led to Lawson's strike after nine minutes and Mark Gower's header at the far post on the stroke of half-time - after Shaun Goater had seen one of his own headers hit the crossbar.
It might have been worse for Oldham before they struck back in the 69th minute, Richie Wellens firing in their first goal in four games from 20 yards.
Match details
Southend (4-4-2): Flahavan; Hunt, Edwards, Barrett, Wilson; Gower, Maher, Guttridge, Cole (Smith 78); Lawson (Bentley 70), Goater (Prior 89). Subs: Griemink (g), Jupp. Goals: Lawson (11), Gower (45).
Oldham (4-4-2): Day; Forbes, Scott, Owen, Tierney; Liddell, Bonner (Butcher 84), Wellens, Edwards (Ayres 67); Killen, Warne (Porter 67). Subs: Poke (g), Hughes. Goal: Bonner (69). Booked: Tierney.
Referee: N Miller (Durham).
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Sounds like Mr Moore isn't getting to grips with reality eh?
1) "We should be coming to places like this and steamrollering teams. If we had been playing against a top-notch side we would have been dead and buried." - well you were 2-0 down at half-time Ronnie. And you're actually below us in the league, so we should be "steamrollering" you shouldn't we??
2) Then actually naming and shaming almost every player - well that will do their confidence the world of good. To be honest they were useless for the opening 45 minutes, but we played some fantastic stuff and defended very well in the second period. No praise from an opposing manager stinks of sour grapes. Yeh, so Oldham were everyone's favourites to go up - if they carry on getting lambasted by their manager, expect him to go, them to be relegated or both!
3) “I was embarrassed to be the manager of Oldham Athletic,” - well get lost then!
September 05, 2005
Lawson header puts Oldham into decline
By Bill Edgar
Southend United 2 Oldham Athletic 1
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HEADED straight past Roots Hall en route to Southend seafront yesterday and Ronnie Moore could have done with a sea breeze as he suffered and sweltered in the dug-out. Managers tend to avoid criticising individual players in public but the Oldham Athletic manager was too hot and bothered to stick to convention.
“It was the most inept 45 minutes that I’ve seen us play,” Moore said, referring to a first half that left his side two goals down, but he was soon talking in specifics. Eight of his starting line-up were targeted and his mood suggested that it was only a shortage of time that prevented him running through the deficiencies of the other three.
Moore claimed James Lawson, the 18-year-old Southend striker making his first start, was allowed an easy header to score the opening goal. “I would have scored that,” he said. “I blame the centre backs. Gareth Owen was slashing at balls, Rob Scott was slashing at balls.”
The full backs were no better, he said, with Terrell Forbes castigated for allowing Mitchell Cole, the left winger, to cut inside and cross for Mark Gower to head home the second goal just before half-time. “Mitchell Cole was the matchwinner — we said he would be before the game,” Moore said. “But Forbes allowed the lad to come inside and Marc Tierney wants locking up. He’s been caught sleeping at the back post.”
Moore was not finished. “(Paul) Edwards had a great opportunity with the change to 4-4-2 and he disappointed. We’re not a team full of kids, we’ve got experienced players, but people like (Andy) Liddell and (Paul) Warne offered nothing,” he said. Warne, a striker, did have an excuse, however. “I didn’t think (Chris) Killen helped him or complemented him.”
Southend had impressed in the opening period but Moore, whose side are widely expected to challenge for promotion, was reluctant to credit them. “We should be coming to places like this and steamrollering teams. If we had been playing against a top-notch side we would have been dead and buried. Some of the players thought they just had to turn up to win.”
The verdict was harsh on Southend, who, after promotion last season, recorded a second successive victory to reinforce their position in the top half of Coca-Cola League One. “It’s been a really good start,” Gower, the right winger, said. “I do not think we could have hoped for much more.”
Lawson, who has yet to win a professional contract, showed he could compete, holding the ball up well and winning several headers aside from the one from which he scored after Cole’s chip in the eleventh minute. “I’m still in the youth team,” he said. “It’s so hard in this weather. I started to get cramp after 60 minutes.”
Southend, prompted in midfield by Maher 8, their captain, struck the crossbar from a header by Shaun Goater in the first half but they were forced to hang on after the interval as Oldham belatedly found their feet. Even so, the visiting team had barely created a second-half chance until they were revived by a double substitution with a quarter of the match left.
Oldham pulled a goal back, Killen laying the ball back for Richie Wellens to sidefoot it into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. But Liddell and Chris Porter, one of the substitutes, both fired over and Moore was left with regrets. “I was embarrassed to be the manager of Oldham Athletic,” he said.
-------------------
Telegraph
Oldham manager Ronnie Moore castigated his side yesterday for "inept" defending that allowed James Lawson to celebrate his debut for Southend by scoring one goal and creating the other.
"We couldn't have been any worse than in the first 45 minutes," said Moore, who refused to let the absences of key players or an enforced change of system (4-3-3 to 4-4-2) serve as excuses.
"We may have had a makeshift defence but I don't want to be put in that position again," he said. "No one earned their corn. I was embarrassed to be their manager. Against a top-notch side we'd have been dead and buried at half-time."
As it was, Oldham trailed by only two goals at that stage, with Mitchell Cole supplying the crosses that led to Lawson's strike after nine minutes and Mark Gower's header at the far post on the stroke of half-time - after Shaun Goater had seen one of his own headers hit the crossbar.
It might have been worse for Oldham before they struck back in the 69th minute, Richie Wellens firing in their first goal in four games from 20 yards.
Match details
Southend (4-4-2): Flahavan; Hunt, Edwards, Barrett, Wilson; Gower, Maher, Guttridge, Cole (Smith 78); Lawson (Bentley 70), Goater (Prior 89). Subs: Griemink (g), Jupp. Goals: Lawson (11), Gower (45).
Oldham (4-4-2): Day; Forbes, Scott, Owen, Tierney; Liddell, Bonner (Butcher 84), Wellens, Edwards (Ayres 67); Killen, Warne (Porter 67). Subs: Poke (g), Hughes. Goal: Bonner (69). Booked: Tierney.
Referee: N Miller (Durham).
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Sounds like Mr Moore isn't getting to grips with reality eh?
1) "We should be coming to places like this and steamrollering teams. If we had been playing against a top-notch side we would have been dead and buried." - well you were 2-0 down at half-time Ronnie. And you're actually below us in the league, so we should be "steamrollering" you shouldn't we??
2) Then actually naming and shaming almost every player - well that will do their confidence the world of good. To be honest they were useless for the opening 45 minutes, but we played some fantastic stuff and defended very well in the second period. No praise from an opposing manager stinks of sour grapes. Yeh, so Oldham were everyone's favourites to go up - if they carry on getting lambasted by their manager, expect him to go, them to be relegated or both!
3) “I was embarrassed to be the manager of Oldham Athletic,” - well get lost then!
