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

[fbm]

I think some people fail to take into account the atrocious conditions. Barcelona would have struggled to play well in that first half. Crawley looked average and we contained them easily. They may have shaded the possession but Harris had the best chance.

The wind dropped significantly at half time and it also eased off on the rain. Crawley without doubt came out all guns blazing in the second half and up to the penalty were the better team.

With 10 men, it was much more even and I felt we were the most likely team to score. After Dicko went off it was just heroics really and with 6 minutes added on we did really well to keep another clean sheet.

Ratings -

Belford - 9 - MOM - The guy doesn't look like a keeper and was lucky not to get booked for his spectacularly obvious delaying tactics. But his handling, especially in those conditions, was phenomenal and he made a couple of saves Glenda would have never got anywhere near. I was screaming at him to kick it flatter in the first half (as was Coughlan) but he won us the point last night. He is the type (because of his height and build) who will be an easy scapegoat when he does make a mistake, which he will at some point. But for now, well played mate. I expect a thread of apologies form all those slagging him off before the Burton game.

Clohessy - 5 - Not one of his better games.
Hills - 7 - Best left back we've had for some time. I hope the hamstring twinge doesn't keep him out long.
Barker - 7 - Took one for the team and I thought looked pretty safe. I don't recall these mistakes he kept making. I felt we looked ok at the back generally.
Phillips - 8.5 - Close to MOM and immense. My POTY for certain. Some brilliant tackles and headers in there, especially after nearly being concussed.

Sawyer - 6 - Good to see him start, gives us something else but it was never a game that the midfield was ever going to get too involved in.
Grant - 6 - Won a few free kicks for us and did ok.
Timlin - 6 - Short passing game was way off the beam.
Martin - 6 - We struggled to use the width because of the conditions and then the numerical disadvantage.

Harris - 7 - Missed a decent chance but his experience was invaluable last night. Ran himself into the ground for the team.
Sampson - 6 - Not his type of game at all and didn't really link up that well with Harris.

Subs -

Dickinson - 7 - Showed the difference between a promising young lad and an experienced L2 striker. Nasty injury, hope he's not out too long.
Prosser - 7 - Slotted in and some brave challenges. Prepared to die for the team.
Ferdinand - 5 - Was this the longest time on a pitch without touching the ball?

 

[Mick]

Mick, is there a distinction between "behind the goal line" in between the sticks and "behind the goal line" outside the posts, i.e. off the field of play?

No, there is not.

 

[Mick]

looking at the replay it looks like the striker is nearer to the goal than the keeper anyway when the header comes back to him so even if Barker counts as on the pitch still should be offside

Was up the other end; will try to catch a glimpse of a replay.

 

[Beefy]

A player cannot "play an attacker offside" by going behind the goal-line (If you could, the goalkeeper would spend much of the game just behind the goal-line!). For this purpose, the defender is considered to be on the goal-line. I hope that helps.

Incredible that the commentators, presenter and pundit on Sky Sports didn't seem to know this. Only football have 'experts' on TV who don't know the rules.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Just watched the game again. In 20 minutes Ferdinand did not touch the ball at all.

How are some people rating him higher than those that put in a real shift for 90 minutes!? It's baffling what some of you lot watch at times.

I would imagine it's because he had to cover two players and didn't let them get in behind him once. The way he closed down without losing our defensive shape was excellent.

Would you have rather he resembled a 7 year old in the play ground just chasing the ball and being dragged out of position like Kalala would have?

Barker has made more than a 'few mistakes' every time I've seen him this season. Also, we saw why he should never play left back, he got mugged numerous times when helping out down the left channel.

I've said it before, but Barker's legs look as if they've gone to me. He's struggling to reach balls he'd have been making with ease last year.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Was up the other end; will try to catch a glimpse of a replay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9efFCmW0lE

At 18 secs into this clip the ball is played to the Crawley player he is closer to the goal than Belford and Barker is either on the goal line or just off the pitch bit hard to tell.

I think the French guy in this clip should do the BBC Essex commentary we might not understand him but he gets more excited than the BBC Essex chaps! Belfooooooooord.

 

[stickyboy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9efFCmW0lE

At 18 secs into this clip the ball is played to the Crawley player he is closer to the goal than Belford and Barker is either on the goal line or just off the pitch bit hard to tell.

from the angle they showed after the game which was more square on and the still shot the attacker looked behind keeper nearer the goal when the header came back

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Would you have rather he resembled a 7 year old in the play ground just chasing the ball and being dragged out of position like Kalala would have?

I'd rather we sold him.

 

[londonblue]

Did Turdinand touch the ball?

He wasn't playing. But his cousin Kane came on as a 2nd half sub.

 

[fbm]

No, there is not.

Has this rule changed? I'm sure there have been instances in the past when players have been behind the goal line and therefore deemed to be off the pitch, thereby not counting towards the offside rule. Under the old rules, I seem to recall an attacking player stepping off the pitch so as NOT to be caught offside and although the goal stood he was booked for leaving the field of play without permission.

 

[Frankie the half breed]

Loved the North Bank! Better for atmosphere, more united feeling and got some of the west stand, east stand and south upper to make noise here and there.
Thought Prosser was good when he came on, won headers, important clearances. Was so nervous throughout I loved the whole game, that is how we should sing every match! Makes us look good ;)

 

[Mick]

Has this rule changed? I'm sure there have been instances in the past when players have been behind the goal line and therefore deemed to be off the pitch, thereby not counting towards the offside rule. Under the old rules, I seem to recall an attacking player stepping off the pitch so as NOT to be caught offside and although the goal stood he was booked for leaving the field of play without permission.

Now, the attacker would be deemed offside.

 

[Beefy]

Mick, is there a point at which a player is considered out of the game? For example if a defender is injured and is receiving treatment off of the pitch surely he can't be playing forwards onside?

 

[londonblue]

My random thoughts.

1. Sky Go meant I could watch the game live whilst sitting in my seat watching the game live!

2. Apologies to the lino for booing him for not booking Batt for his elbow on Philips in the 1st half. There was no elbow, just two players going for the ball. No foul.

3. Apologies to the Crawley left back for the West stand booing him for taking Dickinson out. It wasn't a foul, just two players going for the same ball.

4. At the end of the first half we had only had 34% possession (according to the BBC). At the end of the game we had had 38% possession. This means that we had more possession in the 2nd half than in the first. Which means that we did better with 10 and 9 men than we did with 11 in the 1st half. So, well done to the players who worked their socks off 2nd half, and I think we can deduce from this that the main issue with possession was the wind. If we managed to have more possession in the 2nd half than the first with less players it can't really be down to much else.

5. Well done to Steve Evans for saying they battered us 11v11, 11v10 and 11v9. If they couldn't batter a team with 9 men they should be concerned. However, as mentioned above we had more possession with less players, so actually we got better and they got worse.

6. Even with 10 men I thought we were more likely to score. It seemed to galvanise us. Even with 9 I thought we had a chance to go on and nick it...I never really felt threatened by them.

7. Did anyone else hear the interview on BBC Essex with Belford? He was asked what went through his mind when Barker handled on the line. His answer was, "Great save!". Had me in hysterics. Not only did he have a blinder on the pitch, he played a blinder in the interview aswell.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

"Any defending player leaving the field of play for any reason without the referee's permission shall be considered to be on his own goal line or touch line for the purposes of offside until the next stoppage in play. If the player leaves the field of play deliberately, he must be cautioned when the ball is next out of play."

 

[The General]

Just watched it again and Clarke was certainly offside as there was only Barker there and Clarke was between Belford and Barker.

Another rule is if that someone goes off the pitch and is recieving treament, they are actually playing everyone onside (if lets say a defender has gone off to recieve treatment by his own goal), which is why players/physio always tend to go off onto the side of the pitch and normally head towards the half-way line.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

“It is not an offence in itself for a player who is in an offside position to step off the field of play to show the referee that he is not involved in active play. However, if the referee considers that he has left the field of play for tactical reasons and has gained an unfair advantage by re-entering the field of play, the player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. The player needs to ask the referee's permission to re-enter the field of play."

 

[Beefy]

We should have a thread where Mick teaches us all the rules of football. it would be very helpful.

 

[Evening Echo]

Sturrock: Draw felt more like a win

PAUL Sturrock insisted last night’s 0-0 draw with Crawley Town felt more like a victory for his Southend United side.

More...

 

[MK Shrimper]

Did for all of us I'm sure!