Post-Match Thread and Ratings Altrincham 2-0 Southend United

[defender05]

Well part is the number of targets missed whilst still under embargo (covered well in the past by ITKs) and hence slim pickings when we could recruit. And sustainability = finding value ( in a market where unfairly clubs pay over the top for players people want to sign).

And the severely undernourished young talent takes time to polish if we go down that route now we can.

The last of the usual excuses , the missed targets.

Apart from one player having their buyout clause matched and one being stupid every player has either been signed or contract renewed by the current management. Who is to say any players we might have signed would be doing any better? They could even be out for the season with an injury.

We have no pace, can't seem to defend or score from set pieces but managed to raise there game for a cup tie. Most fans can take being out played by better teams or a goalkeeper making save after save against us but won't accept the safety first, no risk football, especially if like today we have one shot on target against a young keeper making his debut for a club.

 

[Shrimper4lifeCBS]

Personally i think we have a ok squad! But when you have a manager who like his playing days was very safe & defensive who also had some very good players around him!!

His management style is exactly the same, formation (defensive) sideways/backward passing slow predictable football!!

I was shocked when I found out his was appointed all the crap with “king kev” what a load of bollocks!!

 

[Tommy2holes]

No chance. And don’t forget all the people on here claiming to want sustainability and mid table this season was ok. Build sustainably. Well this is what that can look like. If we want to accelerate the process then that takes £££. Otherwise take our chances this season build for next. Note one of the issues stated for the difficulty bringing the right people in was the difficulties in getting “value”- that’s not so difficult to decode but again we want sustainability?

Yeah to a certain degree.

York, Barnet FGR have pushed budgets etc but altrincham and Gateshead play good entertaining football are are usually up there every season.

It's not budget. It's not that we dont have the spine of a good team but it's that we don't play to their strengths and use a system that isn't working and will likely never work.

Another more attack minded and inventive manager would get more of a tune out of this lot.

 

[Sherif H]

It’s still not clear that sacking Molesley WAS the right thing to do

When we are in the National South we might well regret not having Molesley

 

[Cricko]

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher slammed his side’s first half showing at Altrincham.


The Shrimpers suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against the Robins.

And Maher felt the opening 45 minutes was well below par for Blues.

“It’s really disappointing and it was nowhere near good enough in the first half,” said Maher.

“They’re a good side if you give them space and time and we started so poorly.

“The basics of the game we got wrong time after time.

“It could have been more in all honestly and Zach (Jeacock) kept us in it with some good saves.

“In terms of character it was disappointing and not something I’ve seen from many of my teams since I’ve been here. “

Altrincham scored twice in the first half to condemn the Shrimpers to a third successive defeat.

And Maher was frustrated with the on-field management of his players.

“What I didn’t see was enough people to get themselves out the situation on the pitch,” said Maher.

“We didn’t start well but there’s ways to get back into the game but we made the same mistakes and basic errors.

“We had to get to half-time at 1-0 and count ourselves lucky to have done that but we conceded poorly again and we were too easy to play through.

“I didn’t like us at all first half.”

Maher felt there was an improvement in the second half but the Shrimpers were unable to get back into the game.


"I'd have been amazed if there wasn't a reaction second half and sometimes it's easier to play when you're 2-0 down,” said Maher.

“But the body language first half wasn't good enough.

“We're a good team when things are going well but when things aren't going well we've got to better.

“We had enough balls going in but their centre-half headed everything out and we didn't test the young keeper anywhere near enough.

“It's disappointing."

However, Maher did not believe the defeat had anything to do with tactics.

"I don't think the game was won or lost on tactics,” said the Blues boss.

“The first half wasn't anything to do with tactics.

“It was losing battles all over the pitch, not winning one on one battles and not being clever enough when we get near their goal.

“We talk about sustaining attacks and we didn't do anything like that.

“We weren't organised behind the ball and that's something we do all the time. It's not tactics, it's everyone doing their jobs."

And Maher knows improvements must be made.

“We need to have a look at a few things around here because that's nowhere near good enough,” said Maher.

“There's loads around the place and loads around the club that has to change.

“We have to make sure everyone is on the same page right throughout the club but I've got to look at the playing squad and where's that’s at."

 

[kentblues]

I think Moncur and Bonne were panic signings, KAF is ok but nothing special, what i do not understand is surely there is talent in the lower leagues who would want to move up.

There were and they were signed early by others whilst we were under embargo. As we were told by ITKs.

But the idea of relying on cheap starving young talent from the lower leagues who can come straight in and make an impact is a triumph of hope over expectation. Medium term embargo free for sure.

 

[Andy_S]

I wonder if we might follow a parallel to York. Their takeover went through, everyone expected them to challenge, but they struggled with that expectation. This season they’ve progressed and done what was expected of them last year. The thing is though they did indeed part with their manager, which I don’t believe we will even if it gets worse.

 

[Ricey]

I wonder if we might follow a parallel to York. Their takeover went through, everyone expected them to challenge, but they struggled with that expectation. This season they’ve progressed and done what was expected of them last year. The thing is though they did indeed part with their manager, which I don’t believe we will even if it gets worse.

They spent a **** ton of money though and changed their manager.

 

[Tommy2holes]

“There's loads around the place and loads around the club that has to change.

“We have to make sure everyone is on the same page right throughout the club but I've got to look at the playing squad and where's that’s at"

A very odd statement. Maybe a dig at the hierarchy re funds for players?

 

[kentblues]

They spent a **** ton of money though and changed their manager.

QED

 

[RHB]

Trying to understand what you’re getting at here?

Not difficult @Ricey, when we get beaten I look for reasoned discussion as to why in the after match comments. The majority of what I read was anything but reasoned and just hysterical shouting. Fair enough, that is what this board is for as well as reasoned discussion, it just doesn't work for me. Love ya mate x

 

[Cricko]

Not difficult @Ricey, when we get beaten I look for reasoned discussion as to why in the after match comments. The majority of what I read was anything but reasoned and just hysterical shouting. Fair enough, that is what this board is for as well as reasoned discussion, it just doesn't work for me. Love ya mate x

It's emotion people feel and we are the conduit for all of that. If anything it hows people care where our club are atm. It will never be positive after yet another defeat.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

A really disappointing afternoon. The most frustrating and concerning aspects from my perspective were the foundations of what has been built at the club over the past three seasons being surrendered in the selection and tactics employed during the first half.

During that opening period we were far too direct. I know possession-based football in the National League has its detractors, but that is what we have recruited towards and it’s how we’ve set up tactically, and had success doing so. Today, we went long from the goalkeeper, invariably lost either the first or second ball and - with our attacking wing-backs both over-committing - got hit devastatingly on the counter-attack.

This played right into Altrincham’s hands, because with the pace they have sweeping forwards, they could expose our back three. I was particularly impressed with the directness of their running, and the confusion they created with underlaps and overlaps either side of the ball-carrier. With slightly better decision-making from the hosts, we could easily have conceded four or five.

In respect of the selection - and the kicking long from the goalkeeper - I’m still yet to see evidence that Jeacock is an upgrade on Collin. He made a couple of decent saves at 0-1, but - with the caveat that the defending in front of him wasn’t superb - I felt his decision-making was poor for the first goal and the second appeared to go straight through him. Unfortunately, having gone with Jeacock - initially with Collin carrying a niggle - we’re now in a difficult situation as we have two goalkeepers potentially lacking confidence.

Then there’s the midfield. I can only assume Oli Coker has an injury, because him dropping to the bench removed a player that does a lot of unnoticed work, but increasingly is becoming a fulcrum of our attacking play in and around the penalty area. No issue with Moncur’s selection, had it been at Husin’s expense. Morton can count himself unfortunate, too; Miley looked off the pace today, but it’s the modern way to get back to fitness in the first-team.

Pepple, again, was a huge bright spark. He could’ve put us in front inside the opening few minutes with a curling strike narrowly wide, and then he cracked the crossbar later in the first half.

In the second half, we did see more of the ball, we kept hold of it and we looked better for it. Pepple drew the only save of the game from an Altrincham goalkeeper who looked shaky under pressure, and we managed to get some crosses into the penalty area, predominantly from the right. However, they were generally misdirected or over-hit, and Altrincham could deal with them easily, repeatedly.

I read with interest that Maher doesn’t change anything because the only constant today from previous matches was the formation. There were changes in personnel and tactics, and today they didn’t work. We came up against a good attacking team, and we were outplayed. When we did begin to get things together, by that stage we were devoid of confidence and lacked the belief to have a shot of the edge of the penalty area; the damage had already been done before half-time.

 

[RHB]

It's emotion people feel and we are the conduit for all of that. If anything it hows people care where our club are atm. It will never be positive after yet another defeat.

Yep, get that entirely John, but the fact that I don't get emotional to the point of exploding doesn't mean that I don't care. There are many sides to that argument and you know mine.

 

[Texas Eslan]

This place should be renamed Goldfishzone for those with short term memories. Sack Maher indeed…how about we use that money to back him and bring in some better players?

This group were patched together and anyone who thinks otherwise must he watching a different side. We are at least 5 players short of where we need to be. Not one would get in a NL XI and would probably struggle to even make the bench.

 

[Cricko]

This place should be renamed Goldfishzone for those with short term memories. Sack Maher indeed…how about we use that money to back him and bring in some better players?

This group were patched together and anyone who thinks otherwise must he watching a different side. We are at least 5 players short of where we need to be. Not one would get in a NL XI and would probably struggle to even make the bench.

I would suggest it is not just about the players but the management style of playing them.

 

[Cricko]

Yep, get that entirely John, but the fact that I don't get emotional to the point of exploding doesn't mean that I don't care. There are many sides to that argument and you know mine.

I know you care mate, different horses for different courses. Be a boring world if we were all the same.

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher was clearly unhappy with his side’s first half showing at Altrincham this afternoon.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Texas Eslan]

I would suggest it is not just about the players but the management style of playing them.

I would suggest that Kevin Maher has been in charge through possibly the worst time in our history, including an embargo before this season started and he has still therefore not been able to fully put together the squad he wants. He is an incredibly loyal servant to the club and earned NL manager of the year last year for his unbelievable efforts. And how do fans repay him? By suggesting we should sack him when the going gets a little tough. Ridiculous and short sighted thinking in my opinion.

 

[GBJ]

Can they afford to see us relegated - as the way it's going, they could be the only 2 options!!!

I’m not deluded enough to think we’re too big to go down, but in reality there are definitely four worse teams than us in this division, so the probability of relegation would be relatively low… IMO of course.

Fact is, as @kentblues says, this may be the cost of our club becoming sustainable. Mediocre football with mediocre players in a mediocre league.

One thing is for certain, we simply cannot afford to go back to the way things were. Anyone who thinks we should gamble for success, has a very short memory IMO.