Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-0 AFC Wimbledon

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Tonights highlights.

http://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...eague-one/11055313/southend-1-0-afc-wimbledon

 

[southend_aussies]

We started as we finished against Fleetwood, but for some unfathomable reason we decided it would make more sense to lump the ball forward to Ranger and Cox at head height or higher and thoughts of playing the ball around on the ground were lost the longer the first half went on. Ferdinand just wasn't on his game in the first half, and although Kyprianou showed some nice touches and good interceptions, he also gave away the ball in some seriously dangerous positions and tried to play difficult passes instead of easy ones. Timlin is obviously retaining his place, but it does seem a bit strange when we had two specialist full backs on the bench that Brown decided to continue with Timlin at left back. Anyway, 0-0 at half time and for that I was grateful, especially as Woody decided to see how close he could go for an OG without actually achieving it. Thank God for the post I say.

The second half saw more determination from the Blues but Wimbledon had no intention of laying down and letting us walk all over them, in fact their No 33, Taylor, was probably the best player on the park in my view, he was everywhere. I must be honest, when Demi scored in the 60th min I was really surprised, very pleased, but surprised. We just hadn't looked like scoring up until then. After that Wimbledon gave us a severe examination and they had a goal disallowed shortly after ours. Luckily their finishing was as wayward as ours. Was it a penalty against McGlash? we all thought so, but the ref had other ideas. We were treated to another cameo from Theo but his finishing leaves a lot to be desired. Anyway, we kept a clean sheet and achieved three points so I mustn't be too critical. Blackpool next.

A couple of thoughts on Wright and Ferdinand, Wright gave us another dimension which has been missing from our game and he looked very much at home on the right hand side. So I wonder where PB will play Kighty when he is fit? And as for Anton, does our captain need a few weeks rest?

Left side, like he did when he started...

 

[wakes123]

Must have been at a different game to others. Cant see how Ranger is getting an 8 or 9. Thought he was poor tonight. After the first 15 mins he barely won anything, but granted the supply line was poor

other than that a very good three points, but not a great performance but againt a very tough physical side

thought kyprianou was very good, but would put him at left back saturday and white at CB. Think Timo
needs a break. Not his fault, but not a LB

Yeah you must have been at a different game, Ranger was good and deserved an 8..he got fouled all over the place and he kept going and worked hard.

 

[Lancashire shrimper]

It may have been deflected but well done to Demetriou for the goal.

He hit an absolute belter in the second half at Fleetwood from about 25 yards which their keeper did extremely well to tip over for a corner. That deserved to be a goal on Saturday, so at least tonight a bit of karma has been restored.

 

[Bromley Blue]

Must have been at a different game to others. Cant see how Ranger is getting an 8 or 9. Thought he was poor tonight. After the first 15 mins he barely won anything, but granted the supply line was poor

other than that a very good three points, but not a great performance but againt a very tough physical side

thought kyprianou was very good, but would put him at left back saturday and white at CB. Think Timo
needs a break. Not his fault, but not a LB

Think you were at the same game as me to be honest mate. I agree that some of the ratings for Ranger for last night are ridiculously generous. I was shocked when Cox came off as I thought he’d played pretty well last night and Ranger wasn’t winning enough of his headers. I also thought Cox and Robinson might work better as a partnership at that stage of a game. Cox was dropping deep and playing some nice balls through but Ranger hasn’t got the same pace as Theo and I would like to have seen how they got on.

One thing’s for certain, we definitely need to exploit the pace of Glash and Theo more. Play more balls inside the full backs and give those two something to chase.

 

[Tommy2holes]

A war of a game against a very hard working and physical side.

I'd be aggrieved If I were a dons fan not to have got a point.

Worryingly ferdinand looks shot to bits.

Some good solid performances and let's be honest Timlin is a league 2 midfielder and possibly a conference left back.

Not sure why the crowds have dipped so much. Is 5800 odd our lowest since returning to league 1?

 

[blues exile]

Once again the pitch cut up badly. Almost impossible to play on and must be why the ball is in the air so much of the time at home. We played some football at Fleetwood, but tonight was awful by comparison. A much needed clean sheet and three points of course, but a poor game to watch.

 

[TTS]

Some varied opinions here. For what's it's worth , Lenny, Wright and JD were our better players.

Yes Harry K is good , but his performance was Jekyll and Hyde last night. He reads the game well , which is good for a youngster , but he dived in a few times in dangerous positions giving away a couple of free kicks and some of his short passing last night was awful, which put us back under pressure again. NOW, I'm not criticising , like I said, I like him , a lot, but he's very far from the finished article and he needs to be helped regarding his decision making.

Last night , it was evidently clear that we seem equally capable of scoring as we do conceding.

I'm also not sure that's Theo is deserving of his critics in this thread, his introduction changed the game. Prior to that the game was too congested. Cox coming short into an already busy midfield area , meant invariably our attacks become slow. Then , when we went long, I'm sorry , Ranger was beaten in the air 9 times out of 10 by their Centre Backs. What we had to do was get in behind them and you can only do that by injecting pace and I'm sorry but Theo scared the bejesus out of them when we did just that.

A good start, followed by a strong 50 mins from a well drilled organised AFC Wimbledon, but for me, I don't think we can be denied our win. The players were shattered last night at the end, you can't ask for more than that. Hard work and desire are key to any team sport.

I'm not jumping on the Timlin is rubbish bandwagon. Our loss of Coker is a massive problem for Phil , people bemoaning why Hendrie isn't playing, probably because his confidence is shot to bits because atbtwh start of the season he was targeted by some of our so called fans !

Another win, we go on to Saturday and hopefully we end a week with points , which changes not only your league position but also your dressing room and also hopefully the terraces !

 

[shrimperjon]

Yeah you must have been at a different game, Ranger was good and deserved an 8..he got fouled all over the place and he kept going and worked hard.

Well it's all about opinions. Sat where I was we were all very frustrated with Ranger, not just me. Agree he was well marshalled but he is a 6 foot 2 centre forward, he did well, but got to expect the rough stuff as well. He won plenty of headers defensively but rarely in our attacking half. Looked tired to me and as someone else said Cox coming off was more of a surprise than Ranger, think MAF would have served us better in the last 20. For me Ranger was a 6 at best.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

One thing’s for certain, we definitely need to exploit the pace of Glash and Theo more. Play more balls inside the full backs and give those two something to chase.

Problem is that Theo's conversion rate is very poor , he gets in good positions but has little or no end product ...

 

[AndyT]

FWIW, I thought the substitutions were right. We have another game on Saturday and though I personally thought Cox was playing well, Wimbledon were clearly told to get tight on him and it would cut-off our supply line on the deck. The introduction of the option to turn their defence and hit over the top a bit more, stretched the play and worked to our advantage. Also, Cox may have mentioned a niggle at half-time, as it was very early second-half when the switch was made.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Winning ugly, it's these kind of wins that will make a difference at the end of the season. A good result against a side which came to spoil and ruin. Dirty tactics, their defender should have waited for the end to swap shirts with Ranger!

Late for work now so will do ratings and better report later - Lenny was my MOTM, ran everything. Though will add a word for McGlashan while I remember for an exemplary tackle back late on.

 

[AndyT]

I actually enjoyed the match. A proper hard fought battle with no quarter given. Wimbledon played well, after a jittery start and overall, I think we showed the desire and steel which has been our biggest asset over the last few years. When we contest every second ball, we tend to get the results we need.

RATINGS :

Oxley 7 - No issues at all. Looks pretty solid now and definitely our first choice keeper.

Demetriou 8 MOM - I actually thought he had a terrific game. The odd blemish, but is such a threat going forward.

Timlin 6 - Actually thought he had a better game than some on here. Granted, gave a few needless free-kicks away, but with that comes some great tackles. A lot of people felt Lyle Taylor was their best player, yet Tims didn't do a bad job on him from my viewpoint.

Ferdinand 6 - Did OK but I'm not sure he is mentally right and isn't anything like as commanding as he was last season. That said, we can't tell from the stands how much he is marshaling and helping Kyps.

Kyprianou 8 - Played really well. Was a toss up between him and Demi for MOM.

Wright 7.5 - Impressed. Think he'll score goals for us, as well. Kept it simple, but was strong and competitive when we didn't have the ball.

Leonard 7 - Usual no nonsense performance from Lenny.

Wordsworth 7 - Does make a difference having him on the park. A touch of calm in a battling team performance.

McLaughlin 6.5 - Just below his usual standard. Definitely the right guy on corners. Some great deliveries.

Cox 7.5 - Had an excellent first half. Dropped deep and moved the ball around superbly in the first 20 minutes. Think he might have got a knock towards the end of the first half.

Ranger 7 - Battled hard. Had a tough match against their centre-halves, but gave as good as he got.

SUBS :

Robinson 6.5 - Did OK. A bit short of confidence on the ball.

McGlashan 6.5 - Just wish he would look up more when on those breaks. Missed a couple of chances to play someone in early.

White 7 - Not on long enough to get a rating either way.

OVERALL :

Impressed with the work-rate. Never an easy game to win, but we deserved it, in my view.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

You know the saying, 'a game of two halves', well that was it. First half they looked the more likely to score, especially from crosses, some of which were superb. They were well up for it as they smelt blood as we wasn't good enough. I thought Wimbledon deserved to be a goal up at half time. Second half we were much the better team. We were winning the first and second ball more. We weren't giving so many silly free kicks out wide. We defended as a team and were much more solid. They only had one real chance, right at the end, whereas we had lots of chances, but just couldn't get that second goal to make things easier. Well done Phil Brown/Graham Coughlan, and well done to all the players for turning it around in the second half.

 

[Lord Football]

That was a tough old game. Wimbledon were very difficult to play against and on another night would have got something. Maybe Lady Luck is hanging around a bit more (helped with our goal too).

Josh Wright, some ask why he is in that formation. It's the same formation we had last year with Atkinson. Forget all this symmetry stuff. You don't need two wide men when your midfield and full back work like Wright and Dimi did last night. The selection headache comes when Kightly comes back.

Similarly, whilst many of us scratched our heads at the Theo / Cox sub, in hindsight it was a very astute managerial decision. It stretched the play and changed the dynamics. All of a sudden Wimbledon defenders were running back rather than defending what was in front of them. Theo did his job (as did McG later on). Well done all concerned there.

Rangers is a strange on. Some of you seem to think he is going to be a 20 goal a season player. He isn't. His role is to get the ball, hold it and give to those around him. Because he is Nile Ranger, defenders concentrate more on him than anyone else. This allows others to play, and its why a team with him and Wordsworth (who is likely to benefit most from his presence) is way, way much better than a team without them.

Timlin, mentioned elsewhere, at the limit of his powers and out of position. When Coker is back, you struggle to see how he starts. He probably knows this. But dya know, I didn't think he was anywhere near as bad as some made out and made a few good tackles second half.

Kyprianou. The main benefactor of the injury crisis. Still needs to learn (and Anton helps here). Defends very well, needs to improve distribution. A work in progress. He will be our break through player this season.

Anton. Needs a rest. Looks unfit. Dunno if its a permanent thing or if he is playing because there is no other option.

 

[AndyT]

Spot on 'Lordster'.

Exactly how I saw it.

The point on Ranger is a really good one. When you have someone who has that strength and presence, it allows others to play.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Was Wright offside for his goal? Didn't look it from the south upper but you would have had a better view on ifollow. Also, that was a penalty all day long on McGlashan. Right in front of us it was and blatant penalty. Ref put his whistle to his mouth, looked at the assistant and took it away. Assistant wasn't in a position to see it properly so the ref should have given it

Ha! Popped upstairs for a beer,so missed that one.:dunce:

Still there's always the extended match highlights later today.

 

[Lord Football]

Ha! Popped upstairs for a beer,so missed that one.:dunce:

Still there's always the extended match highlights later today.

Yes. He was some distance offside.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I actually enjoyed the match. A proper hard fought battle with no quarter given. Wimbledon played well, after a jittery start and overall, I think we showed the desire and steel which has been our biggest asset over the last few years. When we contest every second ball, we tend to get the results we need.

RATINGS :

Oxley 7 - No issues at all. Looks pretty solid now and definitely our first choice keeper.

Demetriou 8 MOM - I actually thought he had a terrific game. The odd blemish, but is such a threat going forward.

Timlin 6 - Actually thought he had a better game than some on here. Granted, gave a few needless free-kicks away, but with that comes some great tackles. A lot of people felt Lyle Taylor was their best player, yet Tims didn't do a bad job on him from my viewpoint.

Ferdinand 6 - Did OK but I'm not sure he is mentally right and isn't anything like as commanding as he was last season. That said, we can't tell from the stands how much he is marshaling and helping Kyps.

Kyprianou 8 - Played really well. Was a toss up between him and Demi for MOM.

Wright 7.5 - Impressed. Think he'll score goals for us, as well. Kept it simple, but was strong and competitive when we didn't have the ball.

Leonard 7 - Usual no nonsense performance from Lenny.

Wordsworth 7 - Does make a difference having him on the park. A touch of calm in a battling team performance.

McLaughlin 6.5 - Just below his usual standard. Definitely the right guy on corners. Some great deliveries.

Cox 7.5 - Had an excellent first half. Dropped deep and moved the ball around superbly in the first 20 minutes. Think he might have got a knock towards the end of the first half.

Ranger 7 - Battled hard. Had a tough match against their centre-halves, but gave as good as he got.

SUBS :

Robinson 6.5 - Did OK. A bit short of confidence on the ball.

McGlashan 6.5 - Just wish he would look up more when on those breaks. Missed a couple of chances to play someone in early.

White 7 - Not on long enough to get a rating either way.

OVERALL :

Impressed with the work-rate. Never an easy game to win, but we deserved it, in my view.

He had a better game than me :winking:

 

[Jai]

A war of a game against a very hard working and physical side.

I'd be aggrieved If I were a dons fan not to have got a point.

Worryingly ferdinand looks shot to bits.

Some good solid performances and let's be honest Timlin is a league 2 midfielder and possibly a conference left back.

Not sure why the crowds have dipped so much. Is 5800 odd our lowest since returning to league 1?

The crowd was some 300 more then exactly the same time last year, a Tuesday night in late September vs Oxford. Champions League on the telly, people not able to go because of travelling back from work etc, people not wanting to keep their kids up late, all adds up. Tuesday night crowds have always been significantly lower.

Should be back to nearer 6,500 to 7,000 on Saturday I would have thought.

As for the game agree we played very well in the first 15 minutes without hurting them but then we got very shaky at the back and I think that affected the rest of the team. They didn't want to take chances with short passes and just wanted to keep the ball away from the back four.

Kyprianou did very well, Timlin is not a left back so I'm not sure with John White and Stephen Hendrie on the bench he is still playing there - Phil Brown's maddening trait of refusing to change a winning team despite the obvious faults from Saturday strikes again. However, I was delighted that Tims hit back at his critics with a much better second half and set up the goal with a very good pass to Demetriou.

Demetriou was good again, Leonard is a cut above the rest and is so quick to snuff out danger. Wright was tidy without influencing the game and Oxley did well when called upon. Ranger battled well in the air and defended set-pieces superbly but was criminally underused on the ground, Cox showed good movement but was rarely found.

Ferdinand, not Kyprianou, looked like the nervous youngster. He was poor and Wordsworth did not have his usual influence. McLaughlin suffered from Timlin's lack of confidence during the first half as the latter tended to favour the hoof up to the forwards rather than try and link up with Macca.

Overall, we got lucky last night and we will play better and lose. Wimbledon could easily have had three goals in the first half and we struggled to create clear cut chances. Second half was better but Robinson, although a nuisance, should really have finished them off. Looks like he needs a goal.