Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-0 Bury

[davewebbsbrain]

Have been away for a couple of weeks and purposely booked the long flight home so we could make the game today ( sad I know). After an overnight flight and a quick couple of hours of nod I was looking forward to today's game - blimey I wished I had stayed asleep. Where did we go so wrong? We was flying high prior to Christmas and as sad as it is I fear we may be struck in league two for another season. Felt slightly sorry for Freddy today, he needs the ball to his feet and unfortunately never had the service. Where has Hurst lost his mojo? I personally did see the incident with Corr but from someone sitting close to me stated he was a silly lad for what he did.
I really don't know where we go from here but surely a win must be around the corner soon

He had the ball at his feet a lot, he lacked the ability to control the ball

 

[mrsblue]

He had the ball at his feel a lot, he lacked the ability to control the ball

Or feet ! Not unless he was feeling?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Or feet ! Not unless he was feeling?

Touche young lady

 

[mrsblue]

Touche young lady

Easy error,

Happens to the very best:winking:

 

[tia]

I'd take Harrold tomorrow. Better than anything we have and always scores against us so has goals in him

Decent at league 2 level Harrold . Be a very good bet for first goalscorer on Friday night

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Decent at league 2 level Harrold . Be a very good bet for first goalscorer on Friday night

That's what I'm worried about

 

[united we stand]

Centre back partnership very good, BUT I want prosser back. I don't care where he plays, he can't do worse than most of the dross we saw today. We totally lack leadership and confidence. Prosser is the only leader we have and we badly need one. A special mention for Hurst today who was truely awful and still stayed on . You could see that starker couldn't believe it when 11 came up. Freddie wad hopeless and almost every pass from him was not hard enough or went straight to one of their players. Why Payne didn't come on is beyond Mr. Totally pathetic. Oh ps our support today was just as crap as the performance. I understand why, but we expect the players to put the effort in when nothing is going right , we should be the same. Yes it's difficult I know, but we are needed more now than ever

 

[onceknownasrab]

Folly of the first order. I was not unhappy to see Freddy start but if you play him then play to him. He may not have done the best with what he had today but likely as not, if he had more service, he would have got something going. In the end he was made to look a mug because the team did not support his game style. Pointless.

I dont care if it is 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 as long as the player/players up front are up front and are found with the kind of ball that suits them. -10 for tactics today.

 

[bazzashrimper]

We played a 4-1-4-1 formation today I think. When Barnard and Corr played together, that was more of a 4-3-3, it never looked like a 4-4-2 as Barney was playing left wing. The one up top isn't working any longer. Brown - wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

I wasn't at the game today but I went to Scunny on Tuesday. The biggest difference between how we were playing earlier in the season was the fact that the two full backs have stopped getting forward as much. Once they started doing this in the second half it gave the rest of the side real boost and we attacked as a unit. It was great to watch.....just as I remembered it being at Chesterfield twice this season.

 

[jaffa1]

I'm getting tired of apologising to my boy on the train back home. That was turgid and lethargic, there is something obviously wrong behind the scenes (will address that via another thread)....FFS when will Payne be given a chance ?!? - and after today, surely the 'lost little boy' merchants will concede to that.

 

[jaffa1]

Forgot to mention, the Czech/Scouse boy was a class apart...

 

[OldBlueLady]

Yet again I think, it's the tactics that cost us today. Freddy is NOT Corr, so don't keep pumping the high balls up there. If we're supposed to be playing 4-3-3 can someone please tell Straker and Hurst what their role is as they don't seem to have a clue. I thought defensively we were very good today, the centre back pairing looked comfortable and confident and Dan seemed perfectly at ease too. Good performances from both full backs too. The three CMs seemed to be occupying the same space too much, Laird got more of the forward positions that I want to see Lenny in - why was that? We all know how good Lenny has been so why was he suddenly not being afforded the opportunity to get in those positions? Far, far too much sideways and backwards movement meaning the densely populated Bury midfield were able to smother most of what we tried.

Freddy missed one golden chance today that I felt he should have scored, the cross from Straker just needed a toe poke, which in days of old he'd have snapped up. Seems as if we're unlikely to get the Barney/Fred partnership some of us have been crying out for now.

Bentley - 7
White - 6, solid
Sokolik - 7, pleasing debut, lots of potential
Egan - 7.5, my MOTM, composed and in control of defence
Coker - 6, solid
Straker - 5, ok, some good stuff but not consistent enough
Clifford - 6, passing a bit off at times
Leonard - 7, refs need to start protecting him more cos he's getting hacked all over the place
Laird - 7, good enough
Hurst - 5, erratic, can someone else take corners please?
Eastwood - 6, tried hard but didn't get the kind of service he should have

Subs:
Corr for Eastwood - 2, poor, Barry, inexcusable
Atkinson for Straker - 5, didn't see what he brought to the table and would have preferred to see Payne
Barnard for (Clifford)? - 6, the ref didn't like him either did he? Was clearly obstructed and fouled by their defenders yet had both incidents given against him.

Officials - very poor. West lino barely saw anything, had to keep taking his lead from the ref.

 

[rlb999]

I wasn't at the game today but I went to Scunny on Tuesday. The biggest difference between how we were playing earlier in the season was the fact that the two full backs have stopped getting forward as much. Once they started doing this in the second half it gave the rest of the side real boost and we attacked as a unit. It was great to watch.....just as I remembered it being at Chesterfield twice this season.

Spot on that man.

 

[Magnum PI]

I have not criticised Phil Brown this season up until today. Got it wrong from kick off . How can you play Freddy Eastwood up top on his own and lump balls to him? Its moronic. Even in the second half when we were bang on top he broke it up by bringing on Barnard and taking off Straker. Clueless. We have a strong squad in this division and are massively underperforming now. If I was Ron I would be getting very twitchy indeed.

I have to say though that defensively that was very impressive. Sokolik and Egan can stay there all season as far as I am concerned. Just a shame we will see plenty of 0-0 draws.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I may upset a few here, but I don't think there was a motivational problem today, I thought most tried their nuts off. We are desperately short of quality. It was huff and puff but never going to blow the house down. Up front it's so slow and with very poor service coming their way. What would we give for an Assombalonga and Tomlin tearing at and through defenders, and of course beating the offside trap. All our strikers are so slow they want a yard start, so keep getting caught offside.
The other thing is we can't score without shots on target. I can't remember one.

 

[jamesmut2000]

To be honest I was bored to death today. Missed the Corr incident as we were paying no attention to the match and just talking amongst ourselves as there was absolutely nothing going on on the pitch. People keep telling me that we have a talented squad so if it's not them that's the problem then surely it's the management/coaching staff at fault. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed going to watch this lot play. Time for a change?

 

[jaffa1]

I may upset a few here, but I don't think there was a motivational problem today, I thought most tried their nuts off.

I disagree. I half-dissed a posting from 'Quitter' ? last week when he suggested that all was not good in the camp. Today I thought he may have something. I have managed teams in the past (all be it v low level) but you know from the outset (in the dressing room, during the warm up etc) if your team are on the button. Today it was immediately apparent that we were not. Half of this simple game is played off the ball, and that is where we basically did not perfom, no give and go's, no chugging runs in support, everyone (bar the Czech) on their heels, and most seemingly in 'unpaid mode' (to coin a phrase). Bury were weretched, but if you do not match teams like this off the ball ye dinna win.

 

[jaffa1]

....and, sorry, because certain people on this site take great delight in correcting people (above all else) I, of course, meant wretched - good night.

 

[Jcd]

I may upset a few here, but I don't think there was a motivational problem today, I thought most tried their nuts off. We are desperately short of quality. It was huff and puff but never going to blow the house down. Up front it's so slow and with very poor service coming their way. What would we give for an Assombalonga and Tomlin tearing at and through defenders, and of course beating the offside trap. All our strikers are so slow they want a yard start, so keep getting caught offside.
The other thing is we can't score without shots on target. I can't remember one.

Barry Corr's header...which was offside anyway.