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Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-1 Mansfield

GBJ

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Staff member
Joined
Nov 2, 2008
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14,471
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Urgh. Disappointing and sadly predictable.

Today sums up just how badly we need to strengthen this squad. We’re still light in pretty much every area, especially up front.

It’s the same old problems, we handed Cambridge the incentive on Tuesday night, and didn’t punish Mansfield when the chances arose, today. That’s why we’ve not taken anything from those two games.

Unfortunately I think the recent run of good form has papered over the cracks & given us a false sense of security. Is this squad good enough to keep us up? Maybe, but we’d need an enormous amount of luck to go with it.

Of course, If the Conference is abandoned, then the assumption is that we’ll stay up anyway, so Ron may well be gambling on that occurring, which would actually be the smart thing to do.

I believe that not signing anyone new will likely cement our fate, but in the weirdest of twists, we’ll still have every chance of playing in the Football League next year, if we don’t.
 
Pure, unadulterated dog ****.

Only positive is defensive improvements. Would probably have shipped 7 or 8 goals combined against Cambridge and Mansfield a few months back.

But going forward we are woeful. Constantly running into curl-de-sacs, players making poor decisions with ball at feet, and others not finishing chances.

The final week of this window will decide our fate, I feel.
 
Just a bad day all round. Three good chances (two for Akinola and one for Dieng), that could have seen us snatch points easy, weren't put away. Dieng's goal line block kept us in it for the first half and for most of the second half it looked like we might muddle through with a draw.
Kyle Taylor looked rusty and made several awful passes, Hart was getting overrun on the left again and we still don't have the finishers we need to convert the chances we were creating. Hobson, White and Hackett-Fairchild come out with the most credit and I make it Hobson the best of a bad bunch. We move on and look to more favourable fixtures, starting with Tuesday.
 
Against Cambridge we were unlucky to lose by a goal, against Mansfield we were lucky to only lose by a goal. That was awful.

We looked extremely sluggish, much like we did in the match against Orient, any pressing just caused us to panic and give the ball away, for all of Mansfield's nice passing most of their chances came from us giving the ball away cheaply. I'm hoping this is down to tired legs because of our lack of depth (although that doesn't bode well for the next couple of matches) rather than us starting to be found out.

I'm sure there will be hyperbole about how this was as bad as the start of the season but it really wasn't, we're much better defensively and we had a few opportunities today that we wouldn't have created at the start of the season. Having said that anyone who thinks this team should be challenging for the top half hopefully has had a massive reality check today, this is a mediocre side that's been dragged into a relegation battle because of the awful start we had. Reinforcements are urgently needed especially at RB if MM doesn't think Howard is ready, Halford might have been a full back earlier in his career but he certainly isn't one anymore.
 
I like MM and stuff he does , but he likes tinkering too much with too small a squad of usable players. Hopefully Will get it right tuesday.
Macca - can't see him available for a few weeks now.
Dieng - experienced enough to know not to take risks of on a yellow
AnG - needs to learn to have discipline with positioning and when to go on a run
Halford- stop kidding everyone you can play anywhere! Just about managed to be a target man with a good throw
K Taylor - numerous clearance kicks to nowhere instead of contro!long and picking someone out.
Hart - reckless today but at least passionate. Seems to turn off mentally at times
Elvis- did ok until injured
JW - needs to be spokesperson to the ref and step up more verbally. They got away with loads while he watched and said nothing . More noticeable when Macca went off.
Hobson- our best player today I felt - again!
Ox - did ok and kept it to 1 which I settled for
H-F bit of a headless chicken today, just chasing around and cancelled out of the game.
Aquah- didn't notice anything to say about him.
Clifford - did ok
MM - stop tinkering and play to our strengths. Let them worry about us not the other way round. Halford at RB ffs! Anyone can see He's not agile enough. Not normally too critical of MM but felt we could have earnt a draw with a solid back line to see it out.
 
Pathetic Mark M.

If that's how you play....HOOF BALL, when you need the points, have some half decent players available and are at home then bye bye!

Sim, Fairchild, Taylor, ANG, Macca, etc. etc, are all far better than you set them up to play......No better than Kevin Bond and no hope if your gonna play like that.....remind me, hoew many shots on goal.....and he still brings the tree on to contribute sod all......negative rubbish!
 
We’ve been so much improved in recent times, but I’m really annoyed with that - it was a truly awful performance today. Second best all over the pitch and devoid of ideas in the final third.
I can handle losing provided we’ve at least put the opposition under some immense pressure throughout the game. We didn’t do that today and it’s a wasted opportunity, as Mansfield - bar a few moments of quality - look a bang average side.
I like Akinola, but he has had three guilt edged chances in the last two games. I appreciate he scored the other day and that’s great, but it’s time for him to start taking that responsibility on and contributing the goals we need for survival. It’s a big ask to put the load on his shoulders, but ultimately whether that’s reasonable or not, that is the reality of what we need from our front players.

For me we look most threatening with a front 3 of ANG, Akinola and Hackett-Fairchild. MM has done ab excellent job of organising the back four and setting us up generally defensively, but it’s clear to me you’ve got to start with those three in attack or otherwise we’re simply not going to score enough to win games and survive.

I believe this group have enough to stay up, but I hope they realise the recent resurgence is merely a building block and we need those spirited performances on a consistent basis.

As experienced players, Halford, Dieng and Hart need to take a look back at their performances today and make sure they don’t happen again, as we all know they have the quality to provide the team with a whole lot more than what we saw today.

On another note, for all this talk about Mansfield being a fantastic side at this level with excellent players, absolute nonsense for me. They were awful today too and should count themselves very lucky to have won the game. If they continue like that I expect to see them dragged back into the more too.

Neither side deserved to win the game frankly and it certainly didn’t justify the £10 entrance fee! Let’s hope the boys take stock and come back with a more positive display against Bradford on Tuesday.
 
Thought Mansfield were one of the better sides we’ve played this season. They pressed and got in our faces and we couldn’t handle it. Thought Bowery was excellent for them. We were poor and just didn’t look ‘up for it’ today.

Things really need to improve and 5 at the back just doesn’t work. Back to the drawing board for MM. Ron also needs to get his cheque book out again.

Hard watch today. Beer time!
 
We have stopped playing or attempting to play any type of football and just hoof at every given opportunity.

We have literally nothing to aim at up top.

Both Akinola and and dieng missed very good chances today.

Dieng has embarrassed himself and should be fined. Given that macca, and Demetriou may also be missing, it could be very costly.

We absolutely should not play Halford at right back of up top ever again. Sub player at best.

ANG was also very naive. We placed and he tried to take on a whole back four. Gives it away and they go down the other end and score.

We now look again like the team that started the season with perhaps a bit more steel at the back. Midfield non existent and up top its just weak and aimless.

Bradford must be licking their lips.
 
Probably the most disappointing performance of late. Did not compete all over the pitch and our better players did not get into areas to hurt Mansfield. Good chance for Dieng at 0-0 which would have given us an undeserved lead and he most likely would have been on the pitch until the end as that miss clearly got into his head.
Credit to Mansfield though, they were solid at the back and looked lively going forward. Could be a good outside bet for promotion
 
I can't think of a positive - not one.
White, Hobson and Taylor did OK, the rest? Akinola desperately needs support. No, sit down, Emile!
We've got to have a better game plan than that, or even the weaker sides are going to send the ball straight back at us.
Would have to see the game again to be sure, but think there were 12 occasions when we just hoofed it into space down the pitch.
They did it once, right at the end.
 
December is beginning to look like a false dawn. I said a couple of games back that the second part of the season would be a slog, any talk of mid table is fantasy. We need to dust our selves down and focus on getting a few more points than Grimsby and Stevenage. I still hope we have the quality to make 22nd, but I don't have much hope beyond that.
 
I think collectively the departments within the team were simply outdone by Mansfield's. Their defence coped comfortably with our attack. Their attack caused lots of problems for our defence, but it was the midfield that showed up the biggest gap between the two sides for me.

Maris just sat and allowed Quinn & Lapslie to advance high and support the forwards from central areas. Our flat midfield thee couldn't match that. At times Mansfield looked like a forward 5 with 5 behind them closing off any avenues for a possible counter attack. That was the key difference. Mansfield played 433 very well, we couldn't get a foothold in the game and, from there, influence things going the other way.

The one time of note we made the most of the space either side of Maris was when Dieng should have scored on 52 mins. Quinn didn't match his run and Dieng had yards on him as the he entered the penalty area. Should have scored. Didn't make this situation happen nowhere enough.

Speaking of Dieng...silly, silly boy for the red card.

Frustrating and disappointing, but as Clarky said, got to forget this and focus on Bradford Tuesday night.
 
A result I was expecting, so not too disappointed by that. One loss against an in form side won’t decide whether we stay up or not. It was the lacklustre performance, and lack of ability to finish that was frustrating. Our passing accuracy in the final third was awful, and when we did manage to create a chance it was just wasted.

But the fact that Akinola keeps getting himself into these positions where he should be scoring encourages me, despite the frustration of the missed chances. He clearly has the ability to finish judging by his record last season (albeit in the NL). If he can keep getting himself into those goalscoring positions I’m confident the goals will start flowing. Although we do need to try and sign a partner for him up top.

If we don’t sign a midfielder by Tuesday (which we probably won’t) all I can see is another defeat, and a heavy one at that. If we don’t sign a striker, a midfielder, and maybe a defender by the end of the window we will be relegated. Unless we are saved by NL being cancelled. Also, Halford isn’t good enough to play RB. So if Elvis is out for a long time and we don’t/can’t replace him that’s another nail in our coffin.
 
Mansfield deserved the win, the two centre backs and the two up top were key. From the start we appeared slow to react, didn’t shift our feet in time, and were obviously playing people carrying injuries. I think Dieng did tread on the guys ankle, not a violent stamp as such, but a foolish act when you are on a yellow (not sure the ref saw it mind).

Oxley – Surprisingly didn’t have a lot to do, was positive off his line and spread himself magnificently to block in the first half.

Elvis – Suffering with a back injury, bizarrely stood to attention and raised his hand in appeal when the ball was in front of him, ten yards from our goal. Withdrawn HT
*sub Clifford - ok, but poor crossing.

White – Great positioning first half but shaky second, including a ‘tackle’ he made while turning his back (poss pen?).

Hobson – Defended well.

Hart – Torrid first 20 mins, recovered a bit, but not much.

Reeco – Great run and pull back for good chance first half (and superb cross at the death) but barring that, did not affect the game.

Taylor – fleeting nice touches but no impact.

Macca – Enjoyed a good battle with their blondie, a battle he did not win.

Dieng – Won some tackles, good block on the line but took off too early for a free header he could have buried, and was dismissed.

Akinola – my MOM – some good hold up play (when the ball did find him) showed great feet, but should have taken one of his two chances.

Halford – I get playing him up front (but I think he won only one header) I get playing him a right back - 15 years ago – but that collapse tackle he made for their goal was embarrassing.
 
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Mansfield played some neat football in the first half at a standard we can only dream of. The scrappy second half showed how hard work and non stop endeavour can pay off. We never matched their level of intensity. Very disappointing from the senior pros. McCormack was never in the game and offers little except aggression and chirping at the ref. Halford ineffective wherever he plays, Dieng guilty of stupidity. Hit and hope pasing from Taylor, reckless lunging in by Hart. Naivety ftom ANG and HF. Sorry for Akinola who ploughed a lone furrow with no support. Can't fault White and Hobson, who averted a heavier defeat. Complete loss of shape long before the end with so many changes of formation. Best hope of avoiding relegation: voiding of the National League season.
 
Back to their old ways! To many sloppy missed passes and hopeful long balls which lead to nothing. Oxley, hobson and white were the only real positive today. What a fantastic chance to get out the bottom 2 in which the players didnt take. Mansfield were 1 better sides this year and can see them getting play off place. If no new signings come through the door then relegation is certainty.
 
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