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

[OldBlueLady]

Barker - Good presence at the back. I liked him better at left back but he seems competent whereever. Heard him on the radio on Friday and he seemed quite articulate for a football and for those who have labelled our current players as 'mercenaries' it was refreshing to hear that he just wants to play football even if it means dropping down a level. -7.5

:unsure: hmmmm.........

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Didnt go yesterday but saw the highlights on tv, what a goal from Granty! Technically he is streets ahead of most players in this division (and possibly the division above).
Very impressed with the tactics of Luggy and Widdy, the changes they make in the games, the little shuffling around of players, and the rotation of the forward line. I feel they are also scouting the opposition far better than we did last season (maybe we couldnt afford to??). Just feel we could do with a Theo Robinson up front or someone with that pace to get in behind defenders as Grant and Simpson are certainly capable of providing some creative forward passing.
Definitely 2 winnable games coming up, Northampton been a very good ground for us in recent years, in fact ive been there 5 times and never seen us lose.

 

[ibwiajwa]

Wasn't it great to see so much more movement at throw-ins? It drove me mad last year that the players just stood there and, more often than not, we gave the ball away. So much better on Saturday.

 

[TrueBlue]

Wasn't it great to see so much more movement at throw-ins? It drove me mad last year that the players just stood there and, more often than not, we gave the ball away. So much better on Saturday.

In all the years I been watching Southend I have always thought we were crap at throwins

 

[nbafan89]

and not many of the press gave us much hope but I always believed we could do it and we did so, yeah well pleased

 

[twobob]

I've only been to the home league games so far this season & this was easily our best performance, well for the first 70 mins. Torquay's tactical change in the second half had us defending deeper & we also seemed to running out of steam. So introducing Coughlan was a good move, as was bringing on Paterson though I think I would have changed him for Sturrock as I thought he was looking tired towards the end, having had to work alone up front for most of the game.

2 excellent goals as well - so timely good performance and result at home.

Morris 6
Clohessy 7
Mohsni 7
Barker 8
Gilbert 6
Hall 6
Easton 7
Grant 8
Simpson 8
Soares 6
Sturrock 7

Subs:

Paterson 6
Coughlan 7

 

[Uncle Leo]

Good write-up in The Times today. I'll not link as it's behind their paywall, but nothing stopping me from a copy and paste job :)

Southend United 2 Torquay United 1

Anthony Grant may prove to be one of those players whose debut was also his peak. His start in professional football came as a 17-year-old in May 2005, when he came on as a last-minute substitute for Joe Cole in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It was his only appearance for Chelsea. After loan spells with Oldham Athletic, Luton Town and Southend United, he moved permanently to the Essex club in 2008.

Watching Grant on Saturday it was possible to detect faint echoes of his top-flight upbringing — the self-assured body language, his comfort and skill in possession and not least a terrific goal, his second in a week.

“Because I was so young I look back on [my first game] and I don’t think I really took it in,” he said. “But when I look back at it now, playing in front of 67,000 people, it doesn’t really get any better than Old Trafford as a 17-year-old making your debut. It was a very nice feeling and something I’ll never forget.

“There’s a few guys from Chelsea I text and from when I played for England when I was younger. They’re all good lads. You’re always trying to get back up to where they are and try to prove yourself. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. [So] you’ve got to try somewhere else and try and bounce back up.”

On the evidence of their excellent first half, Southend can have realistic ambitions of an immediate return to League One.

It was “Camouflage Day” at Roots Hall in honour of the Armed Forces and Torquay United did a superb job of hiding their status as the only Football League team with a 100 per cent record.

Anthony Griffith’s goal in the previous week’s win over Port Vale was the first Torquay had conceded in the league since April 3, ending their clean-sheet run at 998 minutes. But they were two down by the interval on Saturday after terrific long-range strikes from Grant and Josh Simpson. The visiting team improved after the break and Chris Zebroski pulled a goal back in the 78th minute to set up an exciting climax, but Southend merited their victory.

The late drama reached its height in injury time when the Southend club photographer unsportingly helped a ball that had gone out for a Torquay goal kick find its way into the stands, provoking a delay and an entertaining conflict with Guy Branston, of Torquay, who continued to rant and gesticulate after the final whistle.

Branston is a wonderfully old-fashioned, archetypal lower-league defender; a man-playing centre half, who makes Vinnie Jones look like Dame Vera Lynn. Not so much bite-yer-legs as take a chainsaw to them.

“You’ve seen me at my worst here, I don’t like getting angry like that any more,” the 31-year-old said. “If it had kicked on and spilled over then I think the referee would have said something to me. The fourth official congratulated me for a good game and I got on with it. A few years ago I would probably have spat my dummy out even more but there was no need.”

 

[EastStandBlue]

"A few years ago I would probably have spat my dummy out even more but there was no need.”

Jesus Christ, If that wasn't him at his worst the lad needs therapy... It's a brave man who flips TW the bird...

 

[southend4ever]

Im just of the belief that a striker should atleast have some goal threat, that's all, sorry..

That's a very shallow statement when it stands alone. Without being in the dressing room and knowing the tactics that PS is passing onto the team we have to look at the play and decide how players fit into the role. Would you give Roy Keane a 6every week because he won every tackle but never posed an attacking threat in the middle of the park and didn't dribble the ball round 3 players? Of course not! You need to pair performance with how the individual's role has helped the team to perform. I wasn't at the game but reading the positive review's on BS performance I would suggest that his play enabled to bring his team mates into the game, set a pace and allow the midfield to link with the attack. In my mind that has the potential to create many more opportunities for the team in the game. It sounds like BS was quality. Fair play to him, when you are the manager's son everyone is going to be far too quick to suggest that the manager is bottling dropping his own son. It used to happen with Harry Redknapp and his nephew Frank Lampard Jnr. But then again this is what forums are for and the debates make forums what they are. Everyone has an opinion, some people have more knowledge of the game than others and generally only hindsight shows who is right and who is wrong providing they made their opinion before they had the ability to be swayed with hindsight.

Regards,

 

[SARF]

b.Sturrock did more than enough to ensire a place in the starting line up on saturday.. some of his link up play and flicks where most enjoyable to watch as well as being effective.. More of the same please.. What would have been ideal is a pacey striker we coul dhav ebought on for the last twenty to pump balls over the top to.. yes Theo would have been ideal

 

[sufcnum1]

it does make my laugh in the diffrance of opinon in how they rate the players, ie in what they enjoy or what they like, their is so much of a diffrance in opinion, i'm personaly well plsed so far, we haven't let ourselfs down at all, when you consider everything the trobles last yr how long their've been together its pretty amazing, and it wasn't that long ago the mr b sturrock was being cained on here, without even kicking a ball seams to be doing a good job so far, touch wood it will continue