Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-0 Plymouth Argyle

[Leoblue]

What can one say, I am a fan of PS but today was a pleasure to watch again as a Southend fan. Work rate was top class and fitness I've never seen before for a long time. It's not going to be an easy season with the Tuesday nights playing on a cold frozen pitch so we need to mix it up a bit. What I can say is we have a manager who likes to play football (got his own squad now) so hats off to the manager. Respect to the man and when he came on and applauded everyone gets my respect..... Seems like he has something here. Watch this space.

 

[kentblues]

And a first day crowd of over 7000.. When did that last happen?

 

[Leoblue]

Was it? I didn't hear the crowd. I've got to be honest I like PB. Long season so fingers crossed.

 

[Jam_Man]

What can one say, I am a fan of PS but today was a pleasure to watch again as a Southend fan. Work rate was top class and fitness I've never seen before for a long time. It's not going to be an easy season with the Tuesday nights playing on a cold frozen pitch so we need to mix it up a bit. What I can say is we have a manager who likes to play football (got his own squad now) so hats off to the manager. Respect to the man and when he came on and applauded everyone gets my respect..... Seems like he has something here. Watch this space.

It was certainly more entertaining. Lots of room for improvement with time but certainly a step forward.

And a first day crowd of over 7000.. When did that last happen?

It was a good crowd, especially as the first one is normally a bit low due to people still being on holiday.

Obviously Plymouth brining a massive amount helped, really impressive.

 

[Smiffy]

Good crowd swelled by Argyle and also lots of free tickets for local youth football clubs. Hopefully those kids were entertained and will come back.

 

[prawntobewild]

Agree with the honourable Jam_Man - Great effort all round hopefully even better to come - just a good day all round on the pitch - MOM for me Ben Coker .
Great support from Argyle.
Sadly noticed some probs with season cards -not acceptable to send elderly fans all the back to the ticket office from the east stand when the queue is already in the car park. If the chip on the card don't work fair enough but for Gawd's sake have some way of getting these folks in without requeing.
Also good to see the club shop busy before & after the game but taking 3 attempts to get a shirt printed was a bit poor (first one lost second one was printed right but was on a home top & we bought an away one).

Great stuff lads keep it up.

 

[Cricko]

Get them up people.

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/10590997.Southend_United_1__Plymouth_Argyle_0/

 

[adambarrettismyfather]

good performance, couldn't fault anyone for effort today, straker looked more comfortable than he ever did last year and it was good to see his good performance rewarded with the crown singing his name

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Bentley, 7, didn't have much to do, worse moment was from back pass.
White, 7,
Coker 7+, worked well up and down left side.
Phillips 8, master at work with tactical poise against their big strikers.
Prosser 7, solid, got told to stop back passing and sometimes lofted left lobs gave ball away in 2nd half too often.
Laird 8, great work rate, got stuck in and got forward well.
Leonard 7 played well, took some shots on, tough tackled, ran out of energy about 75 mins.
Atkinson 7 , sound play took 10 mins to get in game then worked well on debut.
Straker 7, best game in Blues shirt, almost made him a 8/10, looked happy and motivated.
Fred 7, started well, drifted then got back interested, great free kick thatwas well saved; another that looked more interested than last season, I believe he will improve etc with games.
BBBC, 8 .started slowly, got involved with defender and then bossed the line, right place for his goal.

Subs Reid 5, expected more action but didn't chase down as much as should have; is he not match fit yet?
Clifford - can't score as didn't have enough time as clock was run down.

Ref was ok, sometimes inconsistent BUT what ref isn't in this league.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Superb team performance all round but especially in the first half. Work rate was absolutely immense, ball was played on the deck, some neat little triangles being played, we did the simple things well. Yes we did lack a bit of creativity, but I think that could improve as team play for games together and get a bit more fluid. An excellent start to the season imho, El Tango, you'll win me round if you keep this up.

Bentley 7 - Didn't have alot to do but did everything he had to do well, hadn't seen him play before and was impressed.
White 7 - Solid, less attacking than Clohessy but used his experience well should be a good captain.
Coker 6.5 - Looked decent enough, looked to get forward.
Phillips 7 - Good solid performance, won most things in the air, but a harsher ref might have not liked his manhandling of the Plymouth players.
Prosser 7 - Vocal, enthusiastic, even played the ball on the deck!
Laird 7.5 - Terrier-like, gave Plymouth no time on the ball exemplified the workrate of the whole team, great burst into the box to set up Corr for the goal.
Leonard 8 MOTM - same us Laird, made some good runs, and sprayed the ball around really well, class act.
Atkinson 7 - Tricky looking winger, willing to get stuck in for a gangly wide man.
Straker 6.5 - Looks much more confident, used his pace well but his final ball was often either poor or too late, and blocked by a defender. Big improvement though.
Eastwood 7 - Willing runner, made some good runs and showed some touches of class, promising start.
Corr 8 - If there's a better Goal scoring target man at this level I'll eat my hat. Got the goal, held the ball up, great close control, he's a beast.
Subs:
Reid 6 - Didn't have much to work with as the game suffered from the heat.
Clifford N/A - Not enough time to make an impression.

 

[south247]

Bentley 7. Not too troubled but looked assured. Few crow killing kicks but otherwise fine.
White 8. Looks a good leader. Calm, keeps his eye on ball not player and tackles well. Good brain on him
Prosser 7. Calm performance
Phillips 7. Like Prosser did what he is paid for. Neither were bullied by Marvellous Marvin
Coker 8. V impressed. Good going forward. Likes a tackle too. Looks a good signing
Atkinson 9. MoM. Tackles, passes and definitely has some quality about him. Could be a huge signing for us.
Laird 7. Did the unsung stuff and nearly scored.
Leonard 6. Marked down for second half where he gave the ball away too easily.
Straker 4. Oh dear. Will be, I fear, the pantomine villain for us. One Usain Bolt in first half which won us a corner but was too sloppy which on another day might have cost us.
Eastwood 7. Did ok. Hopefully more to come.
Corr 8. Pushed for MoM. Held ball up well and deserved his goal. Also drunk the oppo's water which raised a laugh in South Stand.
Overall a good performance. One that promises a steady season.

 

[Rob1920]

Very good all round team performance. No one had a bad game, played some football of the kind not seen since we were climbing the leagues under Tilson. Early days, & Plymouth were nothing special, but all things considered I'd say a 7 1/2 out of 10 overall team performance.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Agree with the honourable Jam_Man - Great effort all round hopefully even better to come - just a good day all round on the pitch - MOM for me Ben Coker .
Great support from Argyle.
Sadly noticed some probs with season cards -not acceptable to send elderly fans all the back to the ticket office from the east stand when the queue is already in the car park. If the chip on the card don't work fair enough but for Gawd's sake have some way of getting these folks in without requeing.
Also good to see the club shop busy before & after the game but taking 3 attempts to get a shirt printed was a bit poor (first one lost second one was printed right but was on a home top & we bought an away one).

Great stuff lads keep it up.

You bought an away shirt???? really????????:omg:

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

good performance, couldn't fault anyone for effort today, straker looked more comfortable than he ever did last year and it was good to see his good performance rewarded with the crown singing his name

My feedback, on a negative note, is only that Reid didn't chase down either often enough or with any real conviction; he was only on for 25 minutes and SHOULD have gone at it as Fred and (especially) BBBC had shown that their defence didn't react well when hassled constantly.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

Straker 4. Oh dear. Will be, I fear, the pantomine villain for us. One Usain Bolt in first half which won us a corner but was too sloppy which on another day might have cost us.

Well he clearly is a villain in your eyes, what did he do, run over your cat?

I thought that was his best game since he's been at the club, he was instrumental in the goal and several other decent moves. He linked up well with and covered for Coker when necessary and gave 100% all game.

In fact for me he ran Laird or Corr close as man of the match!

Can't see how he deserves less than a 7 - give the guy a break for goodness sake and judge him on his performance today, not his overall record since we signed him.

 

[leeblue]

Bentley 6.5 done what was needed, kicking was off.
White 7 read the game well and defended stoutly, decent with the ball to
Prosser 6.5 done ok
Phillips 7.5 mom.......dominant cb display
Coker 7 very composed in all areas
Straker 7 best performance in a blues shirt looked confident
Laird 7 all round action man display
Leonard 6.5 good all round display tiredness led to sloppiness
Atkinson 6.5 took time to settle
Freddy 6 worked hard today, a few classy moments
Corr 7 got his goal held ball up well at times

First half was a pleasure to see, real good pressure on the ball, great work rate backed up by simple football played at a high tempo. Straker was confident and full of running with some decent play. Good solid shape all round.

A mention for the crowd and atmosphere today......good stuff, nice to feel a lot of support for the lads today and I think it showed out there today. TBV led the way and roots hall followed (sometimes)

 

[palexander]

Bentley 7. Not too troubled but looked assured. Few crow killing kicks but otherwise fine.
White 8. Looks a good leader. Calm, keeps his eye on ball not player and tackles well. Good brain on him
Prosser 7. Calm performance
Phillips 7. Like Prosser did what he is paid for. Neither were bullied by Marvellous Marvin
Coker 8. V impressed. Good going forward. Likes a tackle too. Looks a good signing
Atkinson 9. MoM. Tackles, passes and definitely has some quality about him. Could be a huge signing for us.
Laird 7. Did the unsung stuff and nearly scored.
Leonard 6. Marked down for second half where he gave the ball away too easily.
Straker 4. Oh dear. Will be, I fear, the pantomine villain for us. One Usain Bolt in first half which won us a corner but was too sloppy which on another day might have cost us.
Eastwood 7. Did ok. Hopefully more to come.
Corr 8. Pushed for MoM. Held ball up well and deserved his goal. Also drunk the oppo's water which raised a laugh in South Stand.
Overall a good performance. One that promises a steady season.

Nice try! :net:

 

[Welly7]

Work rate really impressed and you can see why the players & staff have been talking about their fitness levels. Every man put in a shift today and that was the most pleasing aspect of the performance (result aside, of course.) Some of the football was easy on the eye too and hopefully there'll be more to come in terms of chances created, etc but it is an encouraging start.

 

[eastling]

I haven't enjoyed a game at RH as much as this for a long while. Commitment and effort was first class for most of the game. Midfield waned a bit midway during the 2nd half but we stood firm.
Atkinson, Coker and White were excellent. Atkinson got stuck in and all three weren't bothered by any mistake and just got stuck in and made up for any errors.

Eastwood looked more motivated and Corr got better as the first half went on. Great goal. Patient build up and no-one panicked to ensure we scored.

Straker had his best game for me in a Blues shirt. Seemed a bit more composed in midfield. Clearly he is still finding his feet in that position but way better than an LB!

Prosser and Phillips had solid games. Leonard also good in midfield with Laird but both looked a bit tired by fulltime no doubt due to their efforts in the game.

Bentley was okay. Not really asked to do much. A couple of dodgy kicks and a horrible slice from a strong backpass aside he looked solid.

Plymouth were lucky they had McCormick in goal. He made two great stops in the second half to prevent us make the game comfortable. However, I still think they have the makings of a good side that will be trouble the top half. They missed Branston and the fact Wooton went off injured. Probably was a good time for us to play them.

 

[Neil 24]

Congratulations everyone good start well done to all.