Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend Utd 2-0 Maidstone Utd

[Billy Bests boot laces]

They did that today, all congregated in one corner for Colin to launch it and he switched over to GSM to attack - did work well

I must have yawned & missed that!.

 

[Barling Magna]

Anyone think we can still actually make the playoffs?

Well, it's not impossible of course but we would need a large slice of luck and would need to win our remaining five matches. That will be very difficult if we play like we did today! And Eastleigh have an easier run in than us.

So.....possible, but highly unlikely!

 

[summercamp]

IMO ... Cardwell could have done more. The headers he won were unchallenged.. I saw many he didn't bother to go for and bottom of the league centre backs had him in their pocket. I like Cardwell, big fan, just needs to offer more than that today... but wasn't the only one.

No easter eggs for me ... sadly on call.

So he did win aerial challenges then...... these players have gone above and beyond what any professional should ever have to go through, they've turned up and won a game, it wasn't great but they still did the job

 

[shrimperjon]

Got the job done! And the weather was better then the football! No one was better then a 6 apart from Colin.Can someone tell me how Dan mooney has made it pro? Can't dribble,can't pass and the worst shooter I've ever seen! He's awful and needs to be off loaded!

In the NL team of the season last season, we beat many to his signature in the summer and stand out player for Altrincham home and away. Not had a great season this year but don’t write him off just yet.

 

[Target man]

So he did win aerial challenges then...... these players have gone above and beyond what any professional should ever have to go through, they've turned up and won a game, it wasn't great but they still did the job

No ... he won unchallenged headers, not aerial challenges. There's a difference. I like him though, has to be our number one up top.

 

[nick12]

Paragraph 1, in total agreement.
Paragraph 2 you've answered with paragraph 3, as long as the club is sold this Summer. Otherwise i'm in agreement with your 'i fear this is our lot' comment.

I just hope someone comes along and buys our club and our current incumbent does one and lets us out of the stranglehold he has had us in for so many years and we can finally move forward and get back where we belong

 

[Kenny]

My first home game live since Wimbledon in 2019. This was a huge improvement despite being 2 leagues lower and still a pretty crud performance.

We didn't seem to be doing that badly until Hyde went off, and for whatever reason, that seemed to coincide with us struggling for the rest of the first half. Second half wasn't much better and then GSM killed the game to make it 2-0, after that, we finally started to play a bit more like the shackles were off.

My overarching take on the current team is that major surgery is still going to be required to mount a legitimate challenge next season. A lot of these John Still finds don't seem like they're going to live up to their potential.

 

[Kat_r]

Anyone think we can still actually make the playoffs?

Nope

 

[Magnum PI]

Woking will give us a severe hiding on Monday and effectively put an end to this fanciful playoff dream. We were abysmal today .. 21 other NL teams would have beaten us comfortably. There is a good team in there but we have hugely lost our way. Huge loss in intensity and tempo. Barely got off my seat today .. I won’t name names but some awful performances out there today. Really impressed by Collin though…

 

[bluethroughandthrough]

Awful. Sharing a post with my familiar thinking to show fans who jump on the "only negative when we're losing" bus.

One plan and change the players around to see if it makes a difference. Too many defensive players in the team which is enabled by the formation. This in turn is probably at the centre of our confidence and fluidity issues too.

Maher saved us from a slide into oblivion. Massive kudos. Football doesn't stand still however. The way he sets up the team it never looks like we want to go for a win. It's more let's keep it tight and nick a goal which worked wonders when we were sliding down the table having to pick up points against teams like Maidstone.

Appreciate the emotive side and loyalty but this game is about winning consistently and hopefully entertainment. We win against the low teams (2 wins in a row against teams in the bottom 4 - I think people need to consider that before getting excited) and consistently lose/struggle against the top half teams

Personally I believe we have the players in the squad. They're just not being used in the most effective way with the formation and setup. New players always handy to freshen up if they're better but I don't believe this is where the issue lies. New players in this way of playing - and of course it's all opinions - I don't think will add much.

I'm not a 442 person (not anymore at least). Too many teams have more bodies in midfield to control the game (same reason why the initial 343 Maher employed failed and why I think Mooney and Powell were bought in). A more supportive attacking transition possession based approach would be ideal.

A 4231 would be ideal to support this. It won't happen but my comments re the players and formation I believe goes some way to outlining the inherent issues we see.

Colin - think he's getting better and better
Gus - can still get forward on the overlap but as a full back defender (which is what he is)
Ralph - I think people forget he's a left back that likes to get forward and was one our bright spots in the team prior to this back 3/5 nonsense. Now forced to play in a back 3 because he can jump. Put him back where he belongs
Kensdale - great defender
Lomas - a better central defender in a back 4 forced to play either side of a 3 and I believe less effective as a result

Miley - a brilliant enforcer
Fonguck/husin - tackle ok and pass the ball in transition well to complement Miley. I believe with more options in front of them we will see different players

Mooney - play wide right/winger/front 3 which is what I believe he was bought in to play but ruined when 343 didn't work.
Bridge - roaming play maker - right left centre. I think the only player who can open up a defence but capable to play centre. Rather than playing a lop sided team to accommodate him use him to the best of his abilities and unleash him so he has less defensive responsibilities.
Powell - same as Mooney but has speed - not right up front but running at defence from wide/slightly deeper. Watch his goals in his previous team as examples of him at his best.

Cardwell - holds the ball up well has some pace and strength. Crosses come in he has Mooney bridge powell options as strike partners.

 

[Barling Magna]

Woking will give us a severe hiding on Monday and effectively put an end to this fanciful playoff dream. We were abysmal today .. 21 other NL teams would have beaten us comfortably. There is a good team in there but we have hugely lost our way. Huge loss in intensity and tempo. Barely got off my seat today .. I won’t name names but some awful performances out there today. Really impressed by Collin though…

I agree that if we lose to Woking that's it.

 

[stewart]

well i gave my thoughts earlier, i know football has changed over the years , but i say this now ( laugh if you may ) but when i first began watching SUFC way back when we had players like Sam McCrory, Roy Hollis, Jimmy Mc Guigan, Errol Crossan etc , playing for s , they would have given this team a 2 goal start and still kick there backsides big time. Some oldies like me on here will remember them, most of you i suspect werent born in their time .

 

[Jai]

Anyone think we can still actually make the playoffs?

Playing like that, absolutely not.

I think we're done, sadly. Playing with no cohesion whatsoever, players lacking any kind of spark. Has been a brilliant effort against all the odds. But we're going to lose to Woking and probably finish about 10th.

In context, 10th was my pre-season prediction without considering all the off-field **** we've had to deal with. So on the whole, I salute these lads, and hope for better next year.

Not going to go into individuals but the slagging of Mooney that I have seen on a few posts is harsh. The one he slashed at and missed (a classic sign of no confidence) was the best move of the match that he started by winning the ball. He gave us a spark when absolutely nothing was happening. Not necessarily by stuff he did on the ball, but his movement off it gave Maidstone areas to think about covering they never had to before.

I saw someone gave Powell a 3 despite him creating two of his own chances (before admittedly missing them) and setting up the second goal.

We were poor today but have a think.

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United fans have their say on the 2-0 win against Maidstone United.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Kat_r]

When will the embargo be lifted?

 

[RHB]

When will the embargo be lifted?

None of us know @Kat_r, but it has nothing to do with the Post match thread.

 

[greyerfox]

well i gave my thoughts earlier, i know football has changed over the years , but i say this now ( laugh if you may ) but when i first began watching SUFC way back when we had players like Sam McCrory, Roy Hollis, Jimmy Mc Guigan, Errol Crossan etc , playing for s , they would have given this team a 2 goal start and still kick there backsides big time. Some oldies like me on here will remember them, most of you i suspect werent born in their time .

Add in Kevin Baron and you have the essence of the creative part of the team from that era. I think he was John McGuigan, later transferred to Newcastle United. But remember that in those days we were a reasonable league outfit. Non-league was something we hardly considered. Yes, the team from the 50s would win but it is different gravy these days.

 

[brigg blue]

Add in Kevin Baron and you have the essence of the creative part of the team from that era. I think he was John McGuigan, later transferred to Newcastle United. But remember that in those days we were a reasonable league outfit. Non-league was something we hardly considered. Yes, the team from the 50s would win but it is different gravy these days.

Just to counter that statement and drag this off topic, I'm not sure players from the 50s would win, the modern player is much fitter, (not you Hyde), faster, stronger and has much better stamina.

Modern players would simply outwork and outrun the olden days players regardless of skill levels

 

[* ORM *]

It’s always a pleasure to have a rare visit to Roots Hall, numbed by the West Stand ticket fiasco (on reflection I should have probably just waited for it to have been fixed rather than queue for close to 50 minutes and miss the first 5 mins of the game, just in time for goal). The pain of watching what unfolded was also numbed by catching up with Cricko (several years) and then Leeboy for most of the second half (at least eleven years).

As to my feedback. Most of it was stated on OMT and PMT. Our midfield defensively were fine, attacking wise were non existent until Mooney came on. Irrespective of whether he is good enough he offered us something different and the tempo moved up.

Football is full of fine margins. We are an embargo short of having a team in the play offs. Would we win the play offs? Probably not but the extra finances would have done nicely. If we can get the embargo lifted next season then inevitably a few players will go and the injury prone can be outed go but the prospect of playing in front of 5-6000 every week even if wages are delayed is still an attractive one. It’s not all doom and gloom…….yet.

Oh and in Colin and Sandat we have two players with massive potential.

 

[Texas Eslan]

Some thoughts:

- I’ve said it before so apologies but these players are shot. Their season is done. We are beating poor opposition badly and as soon as a hungrier team are out in front of us we will lose again. Can’t blame the players or management for this though.

- Again a repeat but STOP PLAYING BRIDGE AND RALPH TOGETHER! It’s so obvious if you watch that they negatively impact each others game. I’d go further and say stop playing Ralph at centre half when he spends most of the game as a wing back.

- Midfield was just not dynamic enough yet again. I had hoped Benton would be the answer but he was second best to the ball and tackle pretty much all afternoon. We need someone in there driving the game forwards which we just don’t have right now.

- A real shame to see Hyde break down again. We look much better with a player like him up top than without. Powell is build like a brick outhouse but is always second best in any physical confrontation and is only dangerous when he receives in space and with space to run into.

- Finally, Cardwell is not a target man. Someone get that guy on the training ground playing off the last man on the half turn. He did it once yesterday and it resulted in the first goal.