Post-Match Thread and Ratings Torquay United 1-0 Southend United

[SeaSideDoughnut]

I think he reads shrimperzone

He probably does.

Most of the time we're only using common sense though. Don't play Bridge at left wing-back, square peg in a round hole. Remember 4-4-2, that formation you won promotion with? What ever happened to that? Walsh gets good feedback near enough every time he plays, where is he? Speaking of where is he, I'd bet if it was Rush playing in Dennis towards the end of the game for the 3 on 2, and not Kargbo the pass wouldn't have been 5 yards behind him... Sorry for the rant.

 

[KiwiRob]

This has got the same feel about it as just before PB was sacked first time around. Players being named and shamed in the media by PB, fans already fed up with watching his brand of football. Saturday's just aren't fun any more....it's a chore to either go and watch or listen on the radio.
I said at the time we were taking a step back by hiring him again.
He showed no ambition to win that game today with his starting line up and its come back to bite him.
He bangs on about mentality. How about recruiting some more quality rather than three 30 year old + plodders who don't have a creative bone in their body?
He's signed two excellent strikers but has given no thought as to who is going to supply them with the chances they need.

This can't go on. We've got 2 weeks now to sort something out. I say give Craig Fagan a chance to show what he can do on his own and take things from there.

Lincoln Shrimp, if PB has to go, your suggestion is a good one. Craig Fagan should be given the manager's job to see if he can turn things around. He has clearly got managerial promise and was short-listed for the job when MM was appointed. Besides, such an option would probably cost the club a lot less money in the short-term than some of the other alternatives.

 

[flangejackrabbit]

Brown's alienation of players signed by the previous manager is starting to look so petty.

It's a strategic move to get some more time before the blame falls on him and also to get more leverage to get more of his own players in.

I was a PB supporter first time around, not so much this. Would have liked to see MM given a proper shot with a proper transfer window with a bit of backing and a proper pre-season.

 

[Moley]

I said it before the game and I’ll say it again. Pick the kids. They CANNOT do any worse and they won’t tire and they’ll battle their hearts out.

Worked so well last season didn’t it.

 

[pete boss]

It is all so sad ..i remember liverpool 79 ..spurs 89 .bury 91 etc etc ..of course lows ..harlow 79 ..ayslebury 89 etc etc ..but now every game seems a low ..can we all really just watch and accept the club we all love die due to martin and it is due to martin .not brown or any manager ..martin is a lying cancer that is ruining our club ..i dont know how we do it .bur we have to do something

agree...i remember all the above... i was in the south bank about half way up the concrete steps trying to climb on the scaffold handrail in snowing freezing conditions in 79... i lived a stone throw away and went to every match i could when i was a youngster... sad to see where we have ended up now.... i do think we will turn a corner on relegations as this team should be enough to play in the national league.. but as for anything else... long long way down the road... got some great memories tho which will stay with me forever like the above and the 100% record against man u...trips to cardiff were great days out.. play-off final win..... sad situ now to be in......up the blues!

 

[KiwiRob]

Even more baffling when you consider Ogogo was coming back from a hammy. To not have backup for the oldest and least mobile central midfield is absolutely criminal.

Brown's alienation of players signed by the previous manager is starting to look so petty.

The Chairman's got to get a grip. You cannot have a manager declaring he is not picking a player because he "is not his cup of tea" while some of the news players brought in are clearly struggling. The tragedy of the current situation is that it would not take too much to get this team scoring goals. Dalby and Murphy were excellent signings.

 

[geoffmundo]

Can't wait until we play one of the better teams, say Chesterfield, Grimsby, Daggers, Notts Co, Boreham Wood...etc

 

[Jai]

I'm disagreeing with may others on here regarding what the issue is. From what I've seen this season we aren't as bad as people make out. Many of our players would walk into other sides in this league. What's letting us down is Brown's tactics and stubbornness.

I can see why he's playing 3 at the back. If he plays a back 4 we're going to lack pace in the middle and we're also lacking proper wide players in the squad. I think he's got the right formation but the wrong players in certain positions.

If you're playing 3-5-2 your wing backs have to be good. Bridge isn't a wing back and he certainly isn't a left wing back because he's right footed. Ralph needs to go out there, which means Hobson needs to come into the back 3. Bridge is arguably our most creative player (we're short of them) so he should go into the midfield three with 2 tacklers (we've got lots of them) along side him. Equally Egbri simply isn't good enough - shouldn't be in the first team set up as far as I'm concerned - so Demetriou or Rob Howard should be at right wing back.

Ferguson, Akinola, ANG may not be world beaters, but unless their attitude is so crap we don't want them round the place, they should be around the first team set up - our squad isn't so strong that we can afford to lock them out.

Whatever we need in terms of loans, it's not 2 centre forwards. I actually think Dalby and Murphy look as good as anyone at this level all be it starved of service. We also have Akinola and Rush - we aren't short up front. So why we've loaned in Kargbo and Dennis I don't know - and loaning in Dennis and playing him at LWB isn't fair and isn't going to be effective. We should send back the pair and think about what loans we actually need. For me that's a centre half or a LWB (depending on where you're playing Ralph) and a creative midfielder. Remember Lee Sawyer - we need a kid like him who can pick a pass.

Hate to say it, but for me everything comes back to the manager. Brown needs to swallow his pride and re-integrate the 3 he's banished. He also needs to stop putting square pegs in round holes - if he gets some service into those 2 up front they'll score goals. Egbri and Bridge at wing back simply aren't going to deliver that service.

Agree with a lot of this. What worries me is Brown can't or won't see it. We didn't sign a load of duds in the summer. We do have some decent players. But we're unbalanced, slow and lacking in ideas and still he bangs on about character.

 

[Sussexshrimper]

agree...i remember all the above... i was in the south bank about half way up the concrete steps trying to climb on the scaffold handrail in snowing freezing conditions in 79... i lived a stone throw away and went to every match i could when i was a youngster... sad to see where we have ended up now.... i do think we will turn a corner on relegations as this team should be enough to play in the national league.. but as for anything else... long long way down the road... got some great memories tho which will stay with me forever like the above and the 100% record against man u...trips to cardiff were great days out.. play-off final win..... sad situ now to be in......up the blues!

Fans like you amd me i dare to say ...are what makes SUFC so special ..and it is ..it is part of me and i just want the misery and slow death to stop ...my first game was a 4 ..2 win southport at home i think in 77 ...i was only 6 !...i just want that cancer cut out (martin )..as i dont think we will recover till he has gone

 

[shrimper_jc]

The club are lucky they haven't been sued under the Trade Descriptions Act, as I'll be damned if I've seen this 'football' club display anything on the pitch that remotely resembles football in the past 3 years

 

[flangejackrabbit]

I'm disagreeing with may others on here regarding what the issue is. From what I've seen this season we aren't as bad as people make out. Many of our players would walk into other sides in this league. What's letting us down is Brown's tactics and stubbornness.

I can see why he's playing 3 at the back. If he plays a back 4 we're going to lack pace in the middle and we're also lacking proper wide players in the squad. I think he's got the right formation but the wrong players in certain positions.

If you're playing 3-5-2 your wing backs have to be good. Bridge isn't a wing back and he certainly isn't a left wing back because he's right footed. Ralph needs to go out there, which means Hobson needs to come into the back 3. Bridge is arguably our most creative player (we're short of them) so he should go into the midfield three with 2 tacklers (we've got lots of them) along side him. Equally Egbri simply isn't good enough - shouldn't be in the first team set up as far as I'm concerned - so Demetriou or Rob Howard should be at right wing back.

Ferguson, Akinola, ANG may not be world beaters, but unless their attitude is so crap we don't want them round the place, they should be around the first team set up - our squad isn't so strong that we can afford to lock them out.

Whatever we need in terms of loans, it's not 2 centre forwards. I actually think Dalby and Murphy look as good as anyone at this level all be it starved of service. We also have Akinola and Rush - we aren't short up front. So why we've loaned in Kargbo and Dennis I don't know - and loaning in Dennis and playing him at LWB isn't fair and isn't going to be effective. We should send back the pair and think about what loans we actually need. For me that's a centre half or a LWB (depending on where you're playing Ralph) and a creative midfielder. Remember Lee Sawyer - we need a kid like him who can pick a pass.

Hate to say it, but for me everything comes back to the manager. Brown needs to swallow his pride and re-integrate the 3 he's banished. He also needs to stop putting square pegs in round holes - if he gets some service into those 2 up front they'll score goals. Egbri and Bridge at wing back simply aren't going to deliver that service.

Agree with all this - and to add it's not just at the back we need to think about but in the middle. 4-4-2 didn't work vs Aldershot cause they had a man over in midfield.

3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 are going to be the right formations for 80% plus of the teams we come up against and IMO we should be able to deploy either of these systems, though the latter at present would probably involve bringing Akinola and ANG in from the cold.

 

[KiwiRob]

Even more baffling when you consider Ogogo was coming back from a hammy. To not have backup for the oldest and least mobile central midfield is absolutely criminal.

Brown's alienation of players signed by the previous manager is starting to look so petty.

The Chairman's got to get a grip. You cannot have a manager declaring he is not picking a player because he "is not his cup of tea" while some of the new players brought in have clearly seen better days. The tragedy of the current situation is that it would not take too much to get this team scoring goals. Dalby and Murphy were excellent signings.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

it's the beginning of the Two tier split in the player camp again I fear. pb more or less encouraged it to happen last time and his comments are doing it again. Publicly naming and shaming and inferring it's all the kids faults. Nothing to do with his antiquated ways and methods of course!! hump it into the channels is his only way regardless who playing against. As per last time, a complete lack of research leading up to games and a schizo style of man management. Win and you needn't come in and he's your best ever mate. Lose and be punished, ignored, and alienated. Weekly training scheduling that changes by the hour win or lose.
A manager has to be respected by players and gain that respect. It's not happening that way for pb. Of course it's a two way thing, and some players don't help themselves

I more or less said this the first time he was here, and he started splitting the dressing room. He sucks up to his favourites, and totally blanks those he doesn't like or he thinks has let him down in the last game. So great when we are winning, but a nightmare manager when losing. Some didn't believe me, but confirmed in a podcast years later by Mark Phillips. And he wonders why he is not managing at the top. He needs to change his man management style, and change the type of player he goes for, or he will get sacked from this one, and may struggle to find a decent club. He seems to love players that have played a zillion games, but seems oblivious to them now being really slow. He seems stuck in a bygone age.

 

[Shrimper]

Can't wait until we play one of the better teams, say Chesterfield, Grimsby, Daggers, Notts Co, Boreham Wood...etc

We've got 1st, 2nd and 4th to play in Oct

Fun...

 

[Moley]

On paper we’ve had an easy run of fixtures to start the season off. And look where we are. I’m really not looking forward to seeing where we are come November. Grim.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

Brown was very vocal about what a manager should bring to a club and if I’m honest I kind of bought into it , there’s no denying he talks a good game .
alienating our two attacking options is a bizarre move and I’m not for one minute saying they will be our savior - BUT for a club on its arse we should keep all options open until we get replacements in .
I rate both Akinola and ANG to carry the ball into the opponent’s half , brown banged on about that quality Re Zamora so I’m surprised by his actions and it has come back to bite him on the bum .
min intrigued to see what he’s gonna do and say next , can’t see how many other excuses he can use

 

[flangejackrabbit]

On paper we’ve had an easy run of fixtures to start the season off. And look where we are. I’m really not looking forward to seeing where we are come November. Grim.

Can't tell if sarcasm or not. Seven in and four of those were 'we should win that' fixtures. Next seven I would say about the same tbh.

 

[Sunnyshrimper]

Now moving past the point of anger and now towards fear for the future of Southend United and sadness at what we have become, which is unrecognizable from even as recently as 2018-19 where we finished lower table League 1. Make no doubt about it, we may be a so called professional team but we are far closer in player ability and tactical nous to park football that you’d see locally in say the Essex Olympian League than Championship or League 1. Shocking running of the club on and off the pitch and like many I just don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, I’m not sure we bottom out in National League then return to the EFL in the coming seasons. I fear we are heading further into the abyss and the whole situation is one of utter helplessness.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

i watched some park football on tv .

weymouth v dover

terrible level of football..

we, brown, sufc -must rise above this -

 

[Zeuss]

I couldn't tell you exactly. He basically didn't see the sense in banishing Akinola because he 'wasn't your cup of tea' when the team you're fielding has no pace and no imagination. He made the point that Akinola is a tricky player, who scored 15 goals last time he played in this league from a wide left position, acknowledging he didn't perform well playing as a lone striker last year but he brings something to the table we don't have.

Thanks for that.
It’s what I was hoping. ....he was stating the obvious!