Post-Match Thread and Ratings Boston 3-0 Southend United

[Holy Joe]

Husin was poor all night and yet again stayed on and Morton taken off to a chorus of boos from some.

Husin was subbed first

 

[Southend Elvis]

Are we a rest home, for old strikers who can't score.
Why employ a floor sweeper who only sweeps half a floor, yet always sweeping when you look at him, or employ a floor sweeper who finishes 10 floors, yet always sitting down when you look.
We have to be ruthless when this season finishes, if they can't cut it, get rid.
I wouldn't mind betting that our strikers are the lowest scorers in the league.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Definitely need Ralph and Golding in for Saturday (subject to injury recovery ).

And 3 up front !
UTB

 

[Gremlin]

So that’s alright then we’re Southend united the fact that losing 3 nill in a pup league has become accepted is a joke it should be a sackable offence but it won’t cause there’s no real ambition to get us out this crap league

Explained, not accepted.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

A FRUSTRATED Kevin Maher felt Southend United gifted Boston United goals in their disappointing 3-0 defeat to the Pilgrims this evening.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

Frustrated - Southend United boss Kevin Maher (Image: FOCUS IMAGES)

By Chris Phillips. Chief sports reporter.

A FRUSTRATED Kevin Maher felt Southend United gifted Boston United goals in their disappointing 3-0 defeat to the Pilgrims this evening.

The Shrimpers saw their nine match unbeaten run ended by the Pilgrims who netted three times in the second half.

And Maher was frustrated by both the result and the manner of Boston’s goals.

"We're disappointed,” said Maher.

“The result is the result of course against a team fighting for their lives.

"But to lose 3-0 after the way we played first half is bitterly disappointing because we could've been a couple up with the amount of shots and chances we had.

"The frustration is we've gifted them goals from our point of view."

Blues failed to make a breakthrough at the other end of the field with Macauley Bonne heading their best chance wide of the right post early on.

And Maher was frustrated not to take the lead.

"We just needed one moment to go our way," said the Blues boss.

"We were so close to getting someone slid in off a cut-back or something around the box or one of the shots to go in.

"In the second half it was two goals which are completely avoidable from our point of view but with the performance in the first half I didn't see that coming in the second."

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

KEVIN Maher wants Southend United to go and attack their pursuit of the play-offs.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

Wanting a reaction - Southend United boss Kevin Maher (Image: FOCUS IMAGES)

By Chris Phillips. Chief sports reporter.

KEVIN Maher wants Southend United to go and attack their pursuit of the play-offs.

Blues’ hopes of a top seven finish were hit by a 3-0 defeat at Boston United on Tuesday night.

But the Shrimpers remain just a point behind seventh placed Rochdale and Maher remains determination to make the most of the situation.

"We've been on a brilliant run,” said Maher.

“We've said to the players we've got to have a reset but nothing has changed in terms of the points tally we've got to get to.

"We've had bad 45 minutes but we've got to put that to bed and we need to go again on Saturday now and the rest of the games to pick up as many points as we can.”

Ninth placed Blues host Oldham Athletic, who sit fourth, at Roots Hall this weekend.

And Maher wants a strong reaction to midweek setback which ended his side’s nine match unbeaten run.

"It's one defeat in 10 but it's frustrating,” said the Shrimpers boss.

“There are moments in the game that went against us and we've got to do better on.

"But we've got to make sure we learn from it and let’s go pick up more points now because we've got ourselves into a great position.

"Let’s go and attack these last games."

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

SOUTHEND United full-back Gus Scott-Morriss says the Shrimpers let themselves and their supporters down during Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat at Boston United.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

Hurting - Southend United full-back Gus Scott-Morriss (Image: Andy Sumner)

By Chris Phillips. Chief sports reporter.

SOUTHEND United full-back Gus Scott-Morriss says the Shrimpers let themselves and their supporters down during Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat at Boston United.

The setback saw Blues drop to ninth in the National League standings and deeply hurt Scott-Morriss.

“We're disappointed and frustrated,” said Scott-Morriss.

"We let ourselves down big time, just three sloppy goals.

"We were dominant in the first half but shot ourselves in the foot in the second.

"We had a lapse of concentration and it's just a real disappointment.

"The first half to the second half was a completely different end to the scale.

"We've let one go tonight and we've let the fans down who have travelled here on a Tuesday night."

 

[Ian Benjamin]

First half we did get in good positions but were let down by the final pass. And a woeful miss by Bonne.

Too often crosses were coming in and we had 1 or 2 in the box. Their keeper wasn't great and we didn't test him enough.

Boston were better organised and the shape last night left too many big gaps at the front and in the middle.

When they attacked it was with 4 and 5.

Gubbins isn't a left back, IMO should have played Wind there.

Taylor and Goodlife was an experiment that I don't think will be repeated.

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

In order to be able to sit down at the match ( I can't stand for any length of time any more), I bought a ticket in the main stand at the other end of the ground from Southend's standing supporters, in amongst some of the regular Boston supporters, so I had a good view of Southend's attacking players in the first half. My view and the view of the Boston fans sitting near me was that Southend should have been ahead at half time. On three or four occasions, Bonne left their left back for dead when he got the ball on the right wing, Chambers-Parillon and Appiah-Forson both got us into promising positions BUT the final ball into the Boston penalty area was either missing our players completely or was fluffed by them if it did reach them. Both Hopper and Bonne had chances that they should have put away but didn't. It was clear from the very start of the second half that the Boston players had been told to push up in greater numbers on our defence. Their first goal was a stonking shot from the edge of the box from a player who had not been closed down by our midfield. I wouldn't blame Hayes for not stopping that one but he should have done better with the second, as should our defenders. Although we had a lot of possession in the second half we didn't seem to pose a threat. If we had put away the chances that we had in the first half I think that Boston's heads would have dropped, rather than them coming out pumped up for the second half.

Although Boston are in the bottom four, they had lost only one of their previous 8 league games, picking up 15 points, making them one of the division's current form teams and the only team Barnet have failed to beat since mid-January. They and their fans are full of confidence that they can avoid the drop and their tails are up. In the second half today our tails were between our legs.

Although he got a few decisions wrong, more often in our favour than Boston's, I have no complaints about the referee. He kept the game flowing well. A good word, too, for the Boston players, who did not employ thuggery and did not over-dramatise things when they were fouled.

It’s a shame that your first match in 2 years turned out like that!

Hopefully you’ll see a better one soon.

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

I think we all need to accept that we will be in this division for a couple more seasons.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

I get that maybe Hayes could have done better with the first 2 goals, but take a look at the defending in front of him for those, it was woeful and embarrassing.

The first goal, Husin left their guy completely unmarked on the edge of the box, so he was able to shoot with no pressure (though decent finish).

The second goal, what the hell was Taylor doing with that pathetic attempt at a challenge - that was worse than Sunday league.

Then GSM gives the guy about 20 minutes in the box to pick his spot - you don't back off in the penalty area.

 

[Barling Magna]

So it is the morning after the night before and I'm thinking of two things: fog, and Hartlepool United.

Had we been able to play Boston in January we might well have won so we can add Boston fog to Aldershot floodlights.

Hartlepool United? Boston had been on a great run of form before last Saturday. It led several posters on SZ to say that they feared defeat at Boston or would accept a draw. Then lower mid-table Hartlepool in poor form themselves comprehensively demolished Boston 4-1 on Saturday. Did our players and management breathe a sigh of relief? Did they think that Boston's bubble had burst? Did they think, maybe just subconciously, like some of our posters on SZ that the mighty Southend United only had to turn up last night to beat the part timers from the middle of nowhere?

Kevin Maher said "with the performance in the first half I didn't see that coming in the second." Why not Kev? We did. It's happened several times before, as recently as last Saturday. Gus Scott-Morris can see it. Why can't you?

We've blown a golden chance. We've burnt our game in hand over Gateshead and we've seen Altrincham overtake us. But amazingly we still have a fair chance of reaching the play offs BUT we have to do what Boston did - dust ourselves down after a heavy defeat ended our good run of form and beat our next opponents.

AND.... for those who think we're somehow entitled to win against Boston because we're a much bigger club our next game is against former Premiership club Oldham Athletic who are clearly entitled to beat Sarfend United.

 

[dusterman]

I’m not angry, I’m disappointed.

 

[Avl1983]

Wanting a reaction - Southend United boss Kevin Maher (Image: FOCUS IMAGES)

By Chris Phillips. Chief sports reporter.

KEVIN Maher wants Southend United to go and attack their pursuit of the play-offs.

Blues’ hopes of a top seven finish were hit by a 3-0 defeat at Boston United on Tuesday night.

But the Shrimpers remain just a point behind seventh placed Rochdale and Maher remains determination to make the most of the situation.

"We've been on a brilliant run,” said Maher.

“We've said to the players we've got to have a reset but nothing has changed in terms of the points tally we've got to get to.

"We've had bad 45 minutes but we've got to put that to bed and we need to go again on Saturday now and the rest of the games to pick up as many points as we can.”

Ninth placed Blues host Oldham Athletic, who sit fourth, at Roots Hall this weekend.

And Maher wants a strong reaction to midweek setback which ended his side’s nine match unbeaten run.

"It's one defeat in 10 but it's frustrating,” said the Shrimpers boss.

“There are moments in the game that went against us and we've got to do better on.

"But we've got to make sure we learn from it and let’s go pick up more points now because we've got ourselves into a great position.

"Let’s go and attack these last games."

We’ve been on an ok run, certainly not ‘brilliant’ as Maher puts it. Been very fortunate to get draws in some of them and more draws than wins.

 

[Ricey]

I think we all need to accept that we will be in this division for a couple more seasons.

I laughed at my friend when he said we would be in there for 10 seasons.

 

[rlb999]

Embarrassing!

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Kev will never get us promoted.

You're 100% right my friend.
Yes - we need to push on for Saturday because we still might make the play offs this season, but I'm not sure I really believe we're going to have the nuts to take on those play offs, even if we to make it.
The problem is that we're going to forfeit next season too, by retaining this current management team - we'll be also-rans again, because a) we don't go for 3 points when we're drawing games and b) when a game is going against us (see last night) we're slow to make changes and tactically short when we do.
Complete respect to them for the excellent job they did for us in difficult times, but they need to go.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I didn't watch, but that was just such a Southend thing to do. Unbeaten in what was it, 8 or 9 matches, some of us starting to believe that the Play Offs were a legitimately real possibility and then go and lose, and not just lose, but get thumped, 3-0 by a team in the relegation places!

A dose of reality I think. Boston are in amazing form for such a lowly league position, and thankfully, other teams around us had major wobbles last night too.

Hopefully a kick up the bum for us and on to Saturday with more intent.

 

[Fairport]

Sorry, can't understand the criticism of Hayes after one below par performance.

I tend to disagree with you. When I saw him play for Solihull last season he made errors and Barnet decided that he wasn't the answer. I was disappointed when we signed him. I hope he improves of course but I feel that Collin is a much better keeper than him.

 

[blues exile]

You're 100% right my friend.
Yes - we need to push on for Saturday because we still might make the play offs this season, but I'm not sure I really believe we're going to have the nuts to take on those play offs, even if we to make it.
The problem is that we're going to forfeit next season too, by retaining this current management team - we'll be also-rans again, because a) we don't go for 3 points when we're drawing games and b) when a game is going against us (see last night) we're slow to make changes and tactically short when we do.
Complete respect to them for the excellent job they did for us in difficult times, but they need to go.

It should be obvious by now that the same pattern keeps repeating itself, season after season. Decent unbeaten run, although comprising too many draws, but as a result flirting with a chance of the play offs, then a reality check just on the brink of really getting into the mix. It will be the same next season. The current coaching staff have repeatedly shown their limitations. How much more evidence is needed? COSU need to take a long hard look at the situation and act promptly.

 

[Barry.C]

Dont know whats happened to Husin. Seems a shell of the man we have seen in the past who could control and dominate a midfield

Mostly anonymous in games these days but Kevs still a big fan. Its like watching Brown playing some of his old mat
Wheres all that flare and energy gone that I so admired in Husin seems far less fire in the belly? Perhaps it will turn up more when facing the need for a contract in a years time