Post-Match Thread and Ratings Dagenham & Redbridge 0-2 Southend United

[lreed567]

Typical Daggers, with a West Ham flag on the lamppost in the home end!

I think thats because it's West Ham ladies team plays there, not an obsession , although there probably is a bit

 

[RHB]

Even after decent victory, ShrimperZone is a bit grumpy. I dread to think how miserable we'll all be if we win on Tuesday. Obviously if we stay with three up front it will be because our head coach took his instructions from our SZ tactical geniuses.

 

[rshepp]

I took a bit of stick suggesting that goal diffence matters.
We need to be near + 15 at this moment.

 

[SUFCGoals]

How did Goodliffe look?

Deserves an appreciation thread imo

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Have a day off

Thinking about that for Tues.

 

[lreed567]

Excellent away day for the travelling Shrimpers. Best away end this season. Non stop from start to finish and proving we don’t need the drum to make noise. But crucially the team from the off gave us hope and encouragement and we responded from the stands. At last Kev took a gamble and changed the formation. The three up top didn’t give the Daggers defence a minutes rest, the combination of Coker and Morton again looked our best option. Bridge was better today but still a shadow of the player from these past few seasons. Daggers were poor but you have to play your game and get the job done and that’s what we did today. Deserved win and please Kev let’s stick with this formation moving forward as it’s proved to be successful. Should beat a poor Fylde side Tuesday and who knows maybe we are the start of one of those runs which we’ve had under Kev.

Collin-6 didn’t have much to do and then off injured
Harness 7- one dodgy punch but otherwise solid and made two good saves towards the end
Gus-7 linked up well down the right hand side and got his goal
Bridge 6- still not seeing him at his best but did ok today
Ralph 7- did his job well and got forward more second half after replacing Bridge at LWB
Golding 7- much improved after a disappointing showing last week
Taylor 7- solid as always. No idea how he got a yellow after an excellent tackle
Coker 7.5 kept the ball moving and linked up well with Morton as many of us have been saying. They are the best midfield combination
Morton 8- been calling for him to start for weeks and he didn’t disappoint. Always plays on the half turn and looking to keep the ball moving. Great long range psssing. Must be kept in the side now
Walker 7- worked hard without much coming off for him. Was surprised when Kendall got taken off as my choice would have been Walker
Kendall 8- looked quick and sharp all afternoon. Did well after his shot was well saved to compose himself and set up Bonne
Bonne 8.5 MOM- best performance in a Southend shirt and led the line like a proper number 9. Unlucky to have his header ruled out, no way he was offside. But crucially in the right place to tap home the opening goal. Let’s hope he gets the confidence to push on from here. Clearly there is a player in there

Keenan 7- came on as an extra pair of legs in midfield and looked sharp. Give Kev his due it was a good and well timed sub
Husin- 6 not on for long but did a job
Waldron 6- similar to Noor
Goodliffe 7- can see what Col utd fans see in him. Very good on the ball and in the air and was constantly communicating to the back line. Is he the leader we’ve been looking for?

Kev 8- at last tried a different formation and got the result we deserved. Same again Tuesday please. Before the game I went to shake his hand and he pulled me into the tunnel. Asked me about a tweet I’d sent during the week about the possibility of the away end potentially being toxic if we struggled today. I explained that last week was poor and there is an element of the fan base that are getting frustrated. He did say that he was disappointed after all we’ve been through and said they need us on their side which I hope today he saw. But clearly he was upset, not by me tweeting, I get on well with Kev, but clearly he feels he needs more time. He said to me that they are close to some more signings but these things take time. I saw him after the game and he gave me a big thumbs up and touched the badge on his top so he was in a better mood after the game which was understandable. We need to follow this up now with a run of results and preferably wins.

Fylde should be a win
Sittingbourne should be a win
Maidenhead (A) should be a win
Halifax defo winnable
Rochdale tough but winnable
Aldershot winnable
Tamworth(A) tough but winnable

So 4 of our next 6 league games are at home. If we can stay unbeaten over these 6 league games we will be in a decent position

Do you think his frustrations are with COSU then? And him trying to get signings in? I'm guessing it takes time as they may all have to agree? If it's with the fans after last week, then surely he must understand, we were very very poor and he made no changes to the way we was playing. He can see the fans still have his back as was shown yesterday, yes it's easier after a win and a better performance, but fans are entitled to voice frustrations.

 

[Bratislava Blue]

After the debacle of last weekend the performance yesterday was better. However, it had to be. As Keven said pre-match "Once the players cross the line line it's down to them"
Was the starting XI or the formation that brought about the performance? Despite the scoreline being what it was, I still didn't feel comfortable about the 3 points until that final whistle was blown.
At 1-0 and the opening minutes of the 2nd half, Dagenham threatened. The 2nd goal gave us the cushion that was needed. However, in the final 10 minutes we had opportunities to move forward positively but players decided to slow the move down and the emphasis was lost. Our goal difference is nowhere near the teams that are already in the playoffs and surely this is something the management team should be working to improve together with the players.
I didn't agree with Kendall being made the victim again. Walker brought nothing to the game and should have been subbed. As for the MOM, In my opinion Morton's performance was ahead of Bonne's. Many peoples hearts have been ruling their heads. The work rate that he put in is an expected work rate of a striker and goals should be part of that. Morton was one of 2 central midfielders don't forget. He defended when required and helped Coker in offensive areas when required.
Husin was not missed, Miley's on the edge performances was not missed either. Coker's delivery for the 2nd goal is what we need on a regular basis, creativity, and this is what Morton also brings. Neither Husin or Miley have it in their locker.
The ineffective output of Bridge cries out for a more creative left sided player. We need this more than another striker.

 

[TheSouthendUnitedRunner]

Excellent away day for the travelling Shrimpers. Best away end this season. Non stop from start to finish and proving we don’t need the drum to make noise. But crucially the team from the off gave us hope and encouragement and we responded from the stands. At last Kev took a gamble and changed the formation. The three up top didn’t give the Daggers defence a minutes rest, the combination of Coker and Morton again looked our best option. Bridge was better today but still a shadow of the player from these past few seasons. Daggers were poor but you have to play your game and get the job done and that’s what we did today. Deserved win and please Kev let’s stick with this formation moving forward as it’s proved to be successful. Should beat a poor Fylde side Tuesday and who knows maybe we are the start of one of those runs which we’ve had under Kev.

Collin-6 didn’t have much to do and then off injured
Harness 7- one dodgy punch but otherwise solid and made two good saves towards the end
Gus-7 linked up well down the right hand side and got his goal
Bridge 6- still not seeing him at his best but did ok today
Ralph 7- did his job well and got forward more second half after replacing Bridge at LWB
Golding 7- much improved after a disappointing showing last week
Taylor 7- solid as always. No idea how he got a yellow after an excellent tackle
Coker 7.5 kept the ball moving and linked up well with Morton as many of us have been saying. They are the best midfield combination
Morton 8- been calling for him to start for weeks and he didn’t disappoint. Always plays on the half turn and looking to keep the ball moving. Great long range psssing. Must be kept in the side now
Walker 7- worked hard without much coming off for him. Was surprised when Kendall got taken off as my choice would have been Walker
Kendall 8- looked quick and sharp all afternoon. Did well after his shot was well saved to compose himself and set up Bonne
Bonne 8.5 MOM- best performance in a Southend shirt and led the line like a proper number 9. Unlucky to have his header ruled out, no way he was offside. But crucially in the right place to tap home the opening goal. Let’s hope he gets the confidence to push on from here. Clearly there is a player in there

Keenan 7- came on as an extra pair of legs in midfield and looked sharp. Give Kev his due it was a good and well timed sub
Husin- 6 not on for long but did a job
Waldron 6- similar to Noor
Goodliffe 7- can see what Col utd fans see in him. Very good on the ball and in the air and was constantly communicating to the back line. Is he the leader we’ve been looking for?

Kev 8- at last tried a different formation and got the result we deserved. Same again Tuesday please. Before the game I went to shake his hand and he pulled me into the tunnel. Asked me about a tweet I’d sent during the week about the possibility of the away end potentially being toxic if we struggled today. I explained that last week was poor and there is an element of the fan base that are getting frustrated. He did say that he was disappointed after all we’ve been through and said they need us on their side which I hope today he saw. But clearly he was upset, not by me tweeting, I get on well with Kev, but clearly he feels he needs more time. He said to me that they are close to some more signings but these things take time. I saw him after the game and he gave me a big thumbs up and touched the badge on his top so he was in a better mood after the game which was understandable. We need to follow this up now with a run of results and preferably wins.

Fylde should be a win
Sittingbourne should be a win
Maidenhead (A) should be a win
Halifax defo winnable
Rochdale tough but winnable
Aldershot winnable
Tamworth(A) tough but winnable

So 4 of our next 6 league games are at home. If we can stay unbeaten over these 6 league games we will be in a decent position

And people get upset with me defending Kev saying I’m too close, despite having no links to Kev…

 

[CaptainSmudger]

Yes! Right now Bonne has to start, he's the only natural no 9 we have. Neither Walker or Kendall play that role, hence as looking lost up front last week. I would still like to sign another 'focal point' striker though, we can't just rely on Bonne alone.

Tom Hopper

 

[CaptainSmudger]

I saw Macauley score !

Bonne for you,

 

[Medway Blue]

Excellent result, and a good performance from what I saw on DAZN.

One for the tacticians.

Did we go 4-3-3 because the daggers set up allowed us to?

How do Fylde set up and will it allow us to keep this formation?

Or did Kev do it because he wanted to, regardless of their set up?

It was a 3-4-3. I think you'll very, very rarely see us go 4 at the back, because our build-up play, structure and pressing patterns are all built around 3 at the back. Not sure we even have the right players for 2 at the back.

@ShrimperStats is the man to answer this properly really, but yes, I think there's an element of the Daggers shape allowing us to go 3-4-3.

Football is different in 2024, and long gone are the days when anybody other than the absolute best teams in a division can just do their own thing without worrying about what the opposition are doing.

Yesterday was a good example of this. When Daggers brought on a 3rd midfielder at the start of the second half, our midfield 2 started to be overrun by their extra man in there, and we were in danger of losing control. That's why he brought on KAF for CK, to match them up, and suddenly Daggers ascendancy was halted.

If another opponent starts with 3 in midfield, would we necessarily be able to play 3-4-3 against them without getting steamrolled through the middle? I'm not so sure.

 

[rigsby]

For those who went - did Ben Goodliffe go into the centre of the back three, or on the left to directly replace Ralph?

Got a feeling that his introduction and Ralph moving to LWB will see the starting 11 have a front three more than a front two. NR moving there will mean the midfield will be narrower and both wingbacks can/will invert into the centre so stop us being overrun and the width can still be utilised via the wide forwards.

Well, that’s my theory!!!

Goodliffe went into the middle. With Bridge going off we were at the stage of protecting the 2-0 lead. So Ralph was more left back than wing back. Which was the right thing to do at that time.

In the first half Walker was often Wes like with his positioning and link ups with JB. I would have like to have seen more end product from the left but they ddi create pressure deep in the Dagenham half. If Goodliffe starts then there is definitely the option of Ralph at LWB to make us stronger team.

Forget the claims that they weren't very good. They came out and started to turn the game more or last from the start of the second half. Morton was on yellow and had to much to do with 3 up top. Credit to Kev as he brought on KAF early when just an equaliser looked likely. Yes Kendal did well but with the game drifting it was the right decision. KAF won a few lose balls and then we won that free kick that Gus scored from.

Some fans need to realise a forward off it not always negative decision. Seeing an obvious problem and dealing with it is positive in my book.

 

[Cricko]

Even after decent victory, ShrimperZone is a bit grumpy. I dread to think how miserable we'll all be if we win on Tuesday. Obviously if we stay with three up front it will be because our head coach took his instructions from our SZ tactical geniuses.

I don't think it is just us. If you have seen the whole of social media these past few weeks, a lot of people have voiced similar opinions to those on here, no surprise really , it probably hasn't convinced Kev to change tactics but for some unknown reason he did and of course all the management team hear things one way or another. Coincidence?
Let's hope it all continues positive on Tuesday as it was a very good result yesterday.

 

[Shrimper in India]

Great win, fantastic to be at the front seeing Bonne let out a guttural roar after the goal during his moment of catharsis.

On a less pleasant note, well done to the two fellas by the tunnel at the end who managed to get into an argument with a disabled steward. One of our so called "fans" insulted him because of his disability. Delighted to see this chap got arrested at the end. We won the game, please can we show some humanity?

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Walker brought nothing to the game and should have been subbed.

I’d watch Bonne’s goal again if I were you

 

[Swiss Tony]

Doh

Even after decent victory, ShrimperZone is a bit grumpy. I dread to think how miserable we'll all be if we win on Tuesday. Obviously if we stay with three up front it will be because our head coach took his instructions from our SZ tactical geniuses.

I did shout out shoot to Bonne when he scored so I claim some knowledge of tactics.

 

[bluethroughandthrough]

Excellent result, and a good performance from what I saw on DAZN.


It was a 3-4-3. I think you'll very, very rarely see us go 4 at the back, because our build-up play, structure and pressing patterns are all built around 3 at the back. Not sure we even have the right players for 2 at the back.

@ShrimperStats is the man to answer this properly really, but yes, I think there's an element of the Daggers shape allowing us to go 3-4-3.

Football is different in 2024, and long gone are the days when anybody other than the absolute best teams in a division can just do their own thing without worrying about what the opposition are doing.

Yesterday was a good example of this. When Daggers brought on a 3rd midfielder at the start of the second half, our midfield 2 started to be overrun by their extra man in there, and we were in danger of losing control. That's why he brought on KAF for CK, to match them up, and suddenly Daggers ascendancy was halted.

If another opponent starts with 3 in midfield, would we necessarily be able to play 3-4-3 against them without getting steamrolled through the middle? I'm not so sure.

Maher started with 343 when he first came in
We bought players like Mooney to play wide in the 3 up front.
Teams started working this out so we played 532 to ensure we still played 3 at the back and had 3 in midfield
Don't need to outline what's happened since
The excitement around 433 is that we press well upfront, have width, less defensive players, 3 in midfield and still can play defensively solid at the back with 4 defensive players.
Regardless a great result with a much improved formation - albeit an approach that D&R eventually worked out
Let's hope we continue with a front foot approach - however we've been here before.
Maher is still the same person with the same mentality.
One game does not mean change - we were really excited about FGR for example.... Then look what happened.

Yours,
Carefully optimistic

 

[Swiss Tony]

Great win, fantastic to be at the front seeing Bonne let out a guttural roar after the goal during his moment of catharsis.

On a less pleasant note, well done to the two fellas by the tunnel at the end who managed to get into an argument with a disabled steward. One of our so called "fans" insulted him because of his disability. Delighted to see this chap got arrested at the end. We won the game, please can we show some humanity?

I agree mate,I found the stewards most welcoming and spot on at their job just a good bunch.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Excellent result, and a good performance from what I saw on DAZN.


It was a 3-4-3. I think you'll very, very rarely see us go 4 at the back, because our build-up play, structure and pressing patterns are all built around 3 at the back. Not sure we even have the right players for 2 at the back.

@ShrimperStats is the man to answer this properly really, but yes, I think there's an element of the Daggers shape allowing us to go 3-4-3.

Football is different in 2024, and long gone are the days when anybody other than the absolute best teams in a division can just do their own thing without worrying about what the opposition are doing.

Yesterday was a good example of this. When Daggers brought on a 3rd midfielder at the start of the second half, our midfield 2 started to be overrun by their extra man in there, and we were in danger of losing control. That's why he brought on KAF for CK, to match them up, and suddenly Daggers ascendancy was halted.

If another opponent starts with 3 in midfield, would we necessarily be able to play 3-4-3 against them without getting steamrolled through the middle? I'm not so sure.

For me, this is the problem in a nutshell though MB. If another team play with one up top, we still have 3 at the back. If we are adapting to keep with the opposition we can’t always do it at the expense of out attack. In that case, why not say to Golding to make the number in midfield?

 

[Ipswhrimp]

The idea that Maher changed the players/formation because fans have been telling him to do so is frankly ridiculous. Kev, Benno, Daz and JS have lived and breathed football all their lives and have many decades of experience between them at a professional level. Does anyone here really believe their own decisions would be wiser than the collective football wisdom SUFC is fortunate enough to benefit from? Perhaps we've had a little glimpse of how that would pan out from those thinking we played 4-3-3 yesterday.

If some people had their way, we'd be playing four at the back, which @Medway Blue and others have pointed out we probably don't have the players to carry out, with Wood and Waldron up front. I wonder how well that would go...

It's also a bit worrying to read @shrimperjon's story about his meeting with Maher. Kev has repeatedly stated the importance of management, team and fans sticking together. If the players are underperforming, getting on their backs is absolutely the last thing the team needs. Bonne's interview yesterday clearly shows the critical role confidence plays in football. Could the hard core support away from home partly explain why performances are better than at Roots Hall?

I do hope Maher doesn't get fed up with the short memories/ingratitude for the management's and team's loyalty and efforts. His walking away would be a disaster. Where else will we find someone with his experience and loyalty to the club? The only comparable figure this century was Tilly. And that went pretty well, if memory serves.