Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 2-1 Blackpool

[manor15]

What an end to an entertaining game! Blackpool were better than Wimbledon and we rode our luck at times again, but Cox playing further forward was much improved and got him his goal and we never gave up. Some were flagging towards the end but that's to be expected given how recently they've come back into the fold and three games in a week.

Oxley 8 Brilliant penalty save and two other top saves, but could have reacted a little quicker for the first and a similar incident just after.
Demetriou 7 Good defensively, couldn't see the penalty incident clearly but has to be careful in those situations.
Ferdinand 5 The weak link and they clearly targeted him as Wimbledon did on Tuesday. So slow that every time he takes a few steps out of position he creates a problem. Woeful for their goal.
Kyprianou 8 Tidied up very well at the back and looked a far better player than Ferdinand.
Timlin 7 Hugely improved on midweek, he was more disciplined and better positioned.
Wright 7 Worked hard though he drifted too central at times and left Demetriou exposed.
Leonard 9 My man of the match, covered every blade of grass and won every tackle, best I've seen of him this season.
Wordsworth 7 Took his goal very well, creative but looked tired later on.
McLaughlin 7 Started very brightly but tired very quickly second half and had treatment after going off, hopefully nothing serious.
Cox 8 Didn't drop as deep and was much more threatening, creative and took his goal superbly.
Ranger 6 Exhausted and distracted by the pressure, not as imposing as usual and trying too hard to do something special.

Subs
Fortune 7 Gave everything to win his place back, overdid it on one or two occasions.
White 7 Solid and reliable.
Robinson 5 Not watching the ball, too weak and ran into dead ends.

Another game where we played well for spells but at others were fortunate to even be in the game. If we're picking points up then that's okay, but performances need to be more consistent.

Would be quite happy to see White come in for Ferdinand as he was the weakest link yet again, most concerning was that his positioning was poor which isn't physical, but a rest may do him some good.

Great win against a good side, not made any easier by the referee, and very positive that we are making a habit of grinding out results at home.

 

[Leoblue]

We rode our luck big time but a good result in the end. Blackpool deserved a point though.

 

[mattitouk]

It's about time we had a bit of luck on our side for a change.

 

[secondalibi]

What an end to an entertaining game! Blackpool were better than Wimbledon and we rode our luck at times again, but Cox playing further forward was much improved and got him his goal and we never gave up. Some were flagging towards the end but that's to be expected given how recently they've come back into the fold and three games in a week.

Oxley 8 Brilliant penalty save and two other top saves, but could have reacted a little quicker for the first and a similar incident just after.
Demetriou 7 Good defensively, couldn't see the penalty incident clearly but has to be careful in those situations.
Ferdinand 5 The weak link and they clearly targeted him as Wimbledon did on Tuesday. So slow that every time he takes a few steps out of position he creates a problem. Woeful for their goal.
Kyprianou 8 Tidied up very well at the back and looked a far better player than Ferdinand.
Timlin 7 Hugely improved on midweek, he was more disciplined and better positioned.
Wright 7 Worked hard though he drifted too central at times and left Demetriou exposed.
Leonard 9 My man of the match, covered every blade of grass and won every tackle, best I've seen of him this season.
Wordsworth 7 Took his goal very well, creative but looked tired later on.
McLaughlin 7 Started very brightly but tired very quickly second half and had treatment after going off, hopefully nothing serious.
Cox 8 Didn't drop as deep and was much more threatening, creative and took his goal superbly.
Ranger 6 Exhausted and distracted by the pressure, not as imposing as usual and trying too hard to do something special.

Subs
Fortune 7 Gave everything to win his place back, overdid it on one or two occasions.
White 7 Solid and reliable.
Robinson 5 Not watching the ball, too weak and ran into dead ends.

Another game where we played well for spells but at others were fortunate to even be in the game. If we're picking points up then that's okay, but performances need to be more consistent.

Would be quite happy to see White come in for Ferdinand as he was the weakest link yet again, most concerning was that his positioning was poor which isn't physical, but a rest may do him some good.

Great win against a good side, not made any easier by the referee, and very positive that we are making a habit of grinding out results at home.

You're very generous giving Ferdinand a 5!!

He was okay in the first half, not tested that much, but in the second half especially, he was all over the place. He's never been quick but Blackpool suddenly worked out that he couldn't turn and has zero pace. When it was still 2-0, a Blackpool player got in behind Ferdinand with no effort at all, and to be fair he's missed a sitter. Ferdinand then at fault when they did make it 2-1, his total lack of pace the issue again. I've never seen Ferdinand this bad, he was swinging at the ball and missing it completely, he's had a real shocker today. His young inexperienced partner on the other hand Kyprianou will only get better, he looks really classy at times.

Oxley MOTM for me, great save in the first half, but the save in the second half from a header was top top class. Topped it off with a decent and match winning penalty save.

 

[Taters123]

Oxley was brilliant, pushed one on to post in first half and made a couple of good saves in the second half and then a great pen save. No way was Oxley at fault for their goal, Ferdinand got done in a carbon copy of the goal at fleetwood again. Just too slow, needs dropping. Will get destroyed against better teams....

Lenny defo man of the match.

Robinson couldnt score if he ran through on goal and no one else was on the pitch, terrible control.

 

[Shrimper]

Very generous giving Timlin a 7! Wouldn't give him more than a 5

 

[turkishm]

Another win, ok, we might not have deserved it, but how many teams pick point up they dont deserve, it happens all the time. COYB.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Strewth, that sort of game can cause heart attacks!!!!
As Sir Bobby Robson might have said " a game of 3 halfs".
The starting line up for us was good, balanced and effective, lovely Woody goal from quick short corner to near post by MacL.
We looked solid all over and no probs, just couple of long range efforts (good 'uns) that an excellent Ox put onto post or over.
2nd half and Pool dithered and Coxy pounced, ought to have been game over.
They made a change and went 361 formation AND bossed midfield with their goal being a dither by Anton and Ox, well taken too!
Then the game went into "cup mode" and the ref got over exited too.
Nile was lost and PB made some effective changes to switch us to a 352 and to see the game out BUT then the pen and OX to the rescue.
2 points saved; not a classic game but certainly full value for money.
Again there was no lack of effort from any of the 14 players used BUT sometimes the lack of guile and skill showed; also some players are still not fully fit for 90+ minutes of play.
I think it is a tough call for M of M between Ox, Harry Kip or Len.
Onwards and upwards! UTB!!!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

No idea how the ref didn't give a foul against Cox when he scored. Massive push on their defender by Cox, but glad he got away with it

 

[BrettieAngell]

No idea how the ref didn't give a foul against Cox when he scored. Massive push on their defender by Cox, but glad he got away with it

because he was *****?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

because he was *****?

Yeah I'd agree with that

 

[southendkid]

Oxley 9 - Made 3 or 4 top quality saves, if it wasn't for him we could have been thrashed. Possibly could have done better with the goal, although he probably wasn't expecting to have to deal with it.

Demitriou 6 - Looks good going forward but his defending is still suspect at times.
Ferdinand 4 - Needs to be rested, he looks completely lost at the moment, yet again we conceded because of him, White should be in ahead of him.
Kyprianou 7 - Clearly been told by Brown to just boot it out after his dodgy passing on Tuesday caused us problems. Defensively he looks great though and he bailed us out a few times.
Timlin 5 - Still gets beaten too much, although he looked better than Tuesday.

Wright 6 - Only looked for the simple passes, which was a bit disappointing after his good performance Tuesday. He had a couple of chances to get a good cross in that he wasted.
Leonard 7 - A typical performance from him, very solid defensively although he didn't really create anything the other end
Wordsworth 7 - Took his goal well but faded as the match went on, I'm guessing he's not 100% fit so was suprised he wasn't taken off.
McLaughlin 6 - Was anonymous for large parts of the game.

Cox 6 - Took his goal well, even though it was put on a plate for him. He gave the ball away a number of times first half with sloppy passing when players were in good positions.
Ranger 5 - Looked slow and didn't even win much in the air like he usually does, probably isn't fit enough to play 2 games in a week yet.

Subs

Fortune 7 - Looked far brighter than the starting strikers did, probably the best I've seen him play this season.
White 6 - Looked solid and made some good tackles.
Robinson 4 - I can't think of one thing he did right when he came on, he needs to work hard in training because he is horribly out of form.

 

[Lord Football]

Three wins in three and top half of the table. But as I am sure most observers would agree, there was some luck in there. On another day that's a Blackpool win and they'll be rightly disappointed to have got nothing. They got nothing, ultimately, due to one of our unsung and rapidly improving players - Mark Oxley.

Positives were again Harry Kyp, who gets better every game and is clearly learning from Anton. It would be a tough, tough decision to drop him when (if) Turner or Kiernan get fit.

Oxley, seems to be relishing being undisputed first choice keeper, and no longer has the "not as good as Bentley" monkey on his back. Confidence breeds decent performances.

Lenny and Woody in the middle are as good as anything in this division and it shows how much better we are when both are playing together. Woody, not quite fit so he will only get better.

And then....

Ranger. Poor performance today. Didn't much in the air, didn't get many passes to their targets, looked like he was trying too hard. Maybe saying "things didn't work out at my previous club, I hope to play well" is a better line than "I hate Blackpool, hope we stuff them and I will get a hat-trick". Mind it wasn't helped by the constant whinging of certain sections of the East Stand.

Anton. I do not understand how he is keeping John White out of the team. We can all see it. Opponents can see it. Surely PB can see it. Yes, he can read a game as well as anyone we've seen in many years, but unfortunately it looks like time has caught up with him.

Ref was frankly shocking. For both teams.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Some ratings;-
Oxley 8 Two top saves, then the PEN!!! I noticed that after their goal he shouted more for when he was coming to get the ball.
Demetriou 7 saved certain goal with header on the line, gave pen away with tug when ref was very close to see it.
Ferdinand 7 Not as weak as some would state, good partnership with Harry. Read game well. At fault for their goal.
Kyprianou 8 Very good and growing in confidence, looked fine on left as part of a 3 man back line.
Timlin 7 Usual Tims, hard work. lots of running, a few fouls and a few loose passes.
Wright 7 Good first hour and then faded away, tired and ought to have been subbed but so could others too.
Leonard 8 Hard working, lots of drive and FAST.
Wordsworth 7 Took his goal very well, creative but looked tired later on.
McLaughlin 7 Started very brightly but tired very quickly second half and had treatment after going off, hopefully nothing serious.
Cox 8 Didn't drop as deep and was much more threatening, creative and took his goal superbly. He seemed to be trying TOO hard to set Nile up when he could have taken the ball on himself on a few occasions.
Ranger 6 Exhausted and distracted by the pressure, not as imposing as usual and trying too hard to do something special.

Subs
Fortune 7 Gave everything to win his place back, overdid it on one or two occasions.
White 7 Solid and reliable.
Robinson 7 Short on confidence and luck. He needs to start Tuesday and have a good game as I feel he has goals in him BUT is stressed and that is making him a tad off tune.
Finally
PB, Cocko (and Bowyer) were amusing to watch when the pen came, and went, all three showed real emotion and passion for the game.
Cracking entertainment, not for great skill but for honest.proper football, overall game score and rating 8.5/10

 

[Evening Echo]

Match report: Southend United 2, Blackpool 1

A LAST-GASP penalty save from Mark Oxley secured Southend United a dramatic 2-1 win against Blackpool at Roots Hall.

More...

 

[Bratislava Blue]

My MOM was Leonard.

Oxley was in superb form. The save in the second half when he pushed it past the far post was as good as the penalty save. I remember reading all the anti-Ox posts last season and thinking all he needs is a good long run that would install confidence in him. His perforfmances this season have proved just this.

UTB:happy

 

[Shrimperforlife]

Oxley!!!!!get in you beauty......

 

[RHB]

Most of my match thoughts have been covered extremely thoroughly and well by other posters, so this report won't be too long. MoM for me?..................From Oxley, Lenny & Kyprianou I will opt for Kyp, predominantly because in previous games I thought he was a work in progress. Today he was the business in defence. No fancy stuff, timely interceptions and some great covering for our Captain. Everyone worked their socks off, several looked really knackered, Wright, Woody and Nile especially. Others have already voiced an opinion on Anton and I think we will have to wait an see what Phil choses to do for the next league game. Fabulous save by Oxley at the death, It will stick in my recent memory along with Cox's free kick against Walsall last season. Blackpool supporters must have been seriously ****ed off by that miss so near the final whistle. The journey home to Lancashire will be pretty miserable I think.

So we have taken 9 points from the last three games, I just hope we haven't exhausted our lady luck allocation too early in the season.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I have just seen the goals on tv and they looked, all, better than I first thought. Especially Woody's.
Not much wrong with Cox's little bit of strength to get to the ball, it would have been a soft foul if the goal had been ruled out IMO.
Anton misjudged it.full stop.....but Vassell took his only sniff of the game well.
And Sky didn't Show the Ox pen save.

#skykillingfootballleague

 

[TCR]

Oxley 9 Excellentsaves kept us in the match and penalty save gave us the 3 points
Demetriou 6 Mixedbag
Ferdinand 4 Legsgone – concentration too as shown in his first touch from the kick off.
Kyprianou 8Managed to cover for Ferdinand in the first half .
Timlin 5 Some verygood work countered by bad challenges and mis-passing
Wright 6 Workedhard with little effect, particularly when near their box..
Leonard 8 Coveredeverywhere and was generally in the thick of it, but tired in the last 15minutes.
Wordsworth 7 Goodgoal and worked harder than usual and so looked shattered in latter stages.
McLaughlin 6.5 Anotherwith some very good work spoilt by terrible passing and crossing (other thancorners) poor.
Cox 8 Got involvedin chasing and looking for the ball which enabled him to score. Still missed afairly easy chance when one on one.
Ranger 5 Won theoccasional header, a few nice touches but not at the races. Less talking to thepress and more on the pitch.
Subs
Fortune 7 Managedto keep the ball and opened up their defence but could not maake it count.
White 7 Showed up Ferdinand,winning headers and able to stay with attackers.
Robinson 4 Cluelessdoes not seem to watch what is going on or where to run to receive the ball.