Who are the passengers Maher is referring to?

[EastYellowsNutter]

Maher picked the team, if any player is not good enough then drop them simple.
I would still give Maher this season to work on the team but if there is no improvement by the end of the season then sorry to say he will need to go.
Being realistic I was prepared for Southend to be stuck in this league for 5 years, its so hard to get out once in.
Well done to Chesterfield a great team at this level and they showed last season how good they were but just fell short towards the end.
As for Southend have to be looking at mid table this season.
Stick with the manager Shrimpers unless we are really struggling obviously.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Respectfully to Clifford, I like him but he isn't a LWB so if he is punished for being played out of position, I think that's unfair.

I agree with you on most things but whenever I've seen Clifford, he's not been defensive enough at LB and he's not a winger, he has the attributes for a LWB but he's clearly not at this level. It's similar with Johnny Herd, he's been forced into playing in the first team out of necessity but he's not actually a player at this level. I don't think Maher is playing him because he thinks there is a player there and he'll develop, it's more out of necessity and hoping that Ralph will be fit for most of the season.

We just haven't got a good cover for Ralph as no one good is going to sign to be second choice, and we don't have the budget necessarily to have two top choice L(W)B's. We absolutely need to bring in someone with more natural ability and talent that Clifford and he can go out on loan or be released, I don't see anything in him that suggests he'll be at NL league level in the future (or higher). His display against Stockport away last season sticks out to me, he was literally hiding on the pitch and it was shameful.

 

[wiggy]

I fear how many goals will be scored by wrexham should we not have an experienced GK come saturday . NDI confidence now must be at a very low point., Seems Wrexham of late are scoring goals for fun.

Nothing against him but I think we’d have at least another 4 points if Arnie/experienced keeper had been in goal recently. If he’s going to be out much longer then a new dominant keeper is a must!

 

[Sensei Phil]

Clifford was poor at the end of last season, he's been targeted pretty much every game he's played this. He's gone backwards since that injury he had last season and he's definitely a weak link.

I don't understand how Jack Bridge had a hugely impressive game last time out in that position - or slightly more advanced - and then gets benched again in favour of him.

Fonguck seems to be too inconsistent and I hope Noor is back soon.

There is no coincidence that Barnet were poor with Fonguck in their side last year but have started so much more impressive this season without him. He clearly has talent on the ball but goes missing in stages .... dare I say it, he reminds me of Nathan Ferguson.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Clearly referring to Tom Clifford and Iggy Pop.

 

[stewart]

Nothing against him but I think we’d have at least another 4 points if Arnie/experienced keeper had been in goal recently. If he’s going to be out much longer then a new dominant keeper is a must!

another experienced keeper is a must even if Arnold is back ,NDI has promise but hes just a young lad learning his trade and should be out on loan a couple of divisions lower ,where he can learn without to much pressure , also this is not the first time Arnold has been injured and out for a while.

 

[Sensei Phil]

another experienced keeper is a must even if Arnold is back ,NDI has promise but hes just a young lad learning his trade and should be out on loan a couple of divisions lower ,where he can learn without to much pressure , also this is not the first time Arnold has been injured and out for a while.

This baffles me.
We've re-shaped the squad and brought players in to compete for places throughout the squad .... all except for the most important position.... Goalkeeper!

If we want to push on, we don't need another keeper to be back up to Arnold but an experienced keeper to challenge him for his place. Colin is not that man ...... has potential, but nowhere near ready at this level. For one, the type of goals he has been conseeding has shown this, and with a number of young centre halfs learning their trade also, you need experience behind them to guide them. He can't do that either.

 

[MountainDrew]

Well he keeps playing them so maybe the problem is him.

The passenger and major liability

Hobson.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

Well he keeps playing them so maybe the problem is him.

The passenger and major liability

Hobson.

Problem with Hobson is he either has an amazing performance or a total shocker, so he's either a 9/10 player or a 3/10 player. Very hit and miss but that's why he's in the lower leagues.

 

[EastYellowsNutter]

Cant blame one or two players, you win as a team and you lose as a team.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think it’s pretty likely he’s referring to Clifford as he subbed him again but who else?

Maybe Fonguck, although I think he envisaged playing Fonguck when we went three in the middle but injuries to Husin and Taylor forced his hand.

Nobody has mentioned Mooney yet. I don’t know if he’s in the crossfires but he’s built the side around him and he’s not great defensively. Saturday’s team selection will be revealing.

Then there’s Powell. As much as some love him other than Clifford he’s the clear weak link in the side. He mainly offers effort. Is that enough? Maher dropped Cosgrave completely so maybe not. If his effort drops he offers very little.

Can’t see it being Dackers, Lopata, Hyde. They’re new and barely played. It would be too early to throw them under the bus. Can’t see it being the keeper. Unlikely to be a centre half (I suppose it could be Kensdale). Unlikely to be Miley as he made him captain a game ago and to the extent he was pulling out of tackles he was a booking last night. GSM has only just come into the side and doesn’t seem a likely candidate.

So Clifford, Fonguck and one of Powell/Mooney?

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I suggest the word passenger is a correct quote and open to interpretation.
Lots of players are”on board” the bus for a long long journey BUT some, although keen are not taking their turn at driving or navigating, to keep with the analogy

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Well he keeps playing them so maybe the problem is him.

The passenger and major liability

Hobson.

Absolute rubbish. Hobson is one of the last to go missing. The times he has blocked shots by putting his body on the line. He's underrated and meant to be a very good professional at the club. You can never fault him for effort. So Kev Maher is definitely not talking about Hobson.

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

I think it’s pretty likely he’s referring to Clifford as he subbed him again but who else?

Maybe Fonguck, although I think he envisaged playing Fonguck when we went three in the middle but injuries to Husin and Taylor forced his hand.

Nobody has mentioned Mooney yet. I don’t know if he’s in the crossfires but he’s built the side around him and he’s not great defensively. Saturday’s team selection will be revealing.

Then there’s Powell. As much as some love him other than Clifford he’s the clear weak link in the side. He mainly offers effort. Is that enough? Maher dropped Cosgrave completely so maybe not. If his effort drops he offers very little.

Can’t see it being Dackers, Lopata, Hyde. They’re new and barely played. It would be too early to throw them under the bus. Can’t see it being the keeper. Unlikely to be a centre half (I suppose it could be Kensdale). Unlikely to be Miley as he made him captain a game ago and to the extent he was pulling out of tackles he was a booking last night. GSM has only just come into the side and doesn’t seem a likely candidate.

So Clifford, Fonguck and one of Powell/Mooney?

Mooney is highly probable. As good as he is on the ball, he is the polar opposite off of the ball. He will unlock teams like Maidenhead easily, when defending isn't asked of him. However, he has to step up against the better teams and he doesn't. It's why he was hauled off at Eastleigh, he wasn't closing down at all.

Fonguck always looks completely spent after ten minutes. So asking him and Miley to be competitive against 3 in midfield is always going to be an uphill task.

I wasn't there last night so I have no insight who the 3 players were that Quigley barged through. It would be out of character if it was Hobson as he always throws his body into everything. Kensdale maybe?

Either way, the back line were probably exposed due to the lack of unity and stability in midfield. I mentioned this before, but Taylor was definitely brought in to play in games like last night and would probably play in a 3 man midfield away from home. Unfortunately, we don't have many midfielders available. Maher needs to address this asap because it's starting to seem like the old days, blaming defenders but it's actually the lack of midfield protecting them.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Needs to also take a look at himself I’m afraid, his tactics have cost us a few points this season and Clifford should be no where near the first team, complete liability

Yes, and no. Tactics would make no difference to the individual mindset, but agree: someone else but Clifford, please.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Respectfully to Clifford, I like him but he isn't a LWB so if he is punished for being played out of position, I think that's unfair.

At the moment, he isn't doing much right, and I'm not sure he would do so anywhere on the pitch.

 

[Yer Blues]

At the moment, he isn't doing much right, and I'm not sure he would do so anywhere on the pitch.

We'll agree to disagree. If, in your day job, you were asked to work in a different department, not your area of expertise, to cover a need, I don't imagine you'd be much good at it. Nor would I.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

There is no coincidence that Barnet were poor with Fonguck in their side last year but have started so much more impressive this season without him. He clearly has talent on the ball but goes missing in stages .... dare I say it, he reminds me of Nathan Ferguson.

Yeah, kind of.
He seems wooden. He was wrong-footed for their first, and lacks the skill/mobility to adjust in the instant.
Contributed very little last night, but there were at least three who contributed less.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

We'll agree to disagree. If, in your day job, you were asked to work in a different department to cover a need, I don't imagine you'd be much good at it. Nor would I.

If my skill set was related to the change - why not?
Yes, if I was a footballer and you asked me to play rugby league, there would be a problem.
But if I was an office manager and you asked me to run a different office, it's much the same demand.

 

[amsemp]

I’m glad he made those comments. Unlike Brown though, he (quite rightly) didn’t throw any specific players under the bus. I think comments like this are often a good psychological tool to deploy as the squad should hopefully now be wondering and hoping that they weren’t one of the ones he was referring to. If they think they might be, it’s a rocket up the arse.

But I think we need to get a bit tougher and a bit nastier. That will help now Kasper is back, but I think we could do with a ****house in the middle of the park.