Post-Match Thread and Ratings Hartlepool United 0-0 Southend United

[blues exile]

A truly dismal first half. Second half against ten men and with the introduction of Bridge and Husin things perked up a bit but still nowhere near good enough for a realistic chance of playoffs. Tuesday against a Boston side already looking out of their depth will tell us more.

 

[Shr1mperBlue]

Two games against teams I’d expect to be at the sharp end come season end. Unbeaten, tight in defence, two points on the board. Plenty of time to find the spark.

 

[Jon h]

So? It's still not a must win, that's a ridiculous statement

Must win

 

[in the know]

I hope kev only promised gubbins 2 games to show what he can do or itl be the same tuesday. It's blatantly obvious that we are so much stronger and more solid and threatening with Ralph and bridge back in their strongest position. Husin made a real difference and linked up well with bridge just like Wes used to.
Two wierd things for me today. Starting with Gubbins and then when they went down to 10, not immediately making the attacking changes.
Wouldn't be surprised to see both Waldron and wood go out on loan at some point to facilitate bringing in an attacking midfielder. Great to see Husin back and showed he's a different class to Morton who seems unable to cope at the moment.

 

[HertfordshireBlue]

If I’m going to take only one thing away from todays game - we’re really missing a real statement of intent signing, a real creative forward thinking midfielder - everything was 2/3 passes too slow today and no one fancied driving through the middle or really stretch Hartlepool. This current side and style of football won’t get promoted regardless of ‘defence wins titles’, we need to take more risks and score as many goals as possible even at the detriment of conceding a few. That’s how every champion from this league has got promoted..

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Games like that are why we won’t be top 3 can’t score Tuesday is must win now

I was going to suggest with tongue firmly in cheek that Tuesday is a “must win” not thinking that anyone really thinks it, two games in. If a game is a “must win” then what happens if we don’t?

 

[shrimperjon]

On way home. No idea how we havnt won the game, actually we know why as we can’t hit the target. Coker twice fluffed shots first half, Walker and Cards both headed wide. GSM and Husin both had shots inches wide and quite how bridge didn’t score late on, 4 yards out and a tap in he somehow got the ball stuck between in his feet and ball got cleared. In truth we only got hold of the game after they had the player sent off and we controlled large parts of the game but our lack clinical finishing has cost us again. Hartlepool were nothing special either and 11v11 it probably would still have been 0-0.

Colin did well with the little he had to do
Defence looked a bit shaky playing out from the back but otherwise pretty solid
Midfield was too sideways, backwards with little penetration
Cardwell and Walker worked their socks off with little reward

So another frustrating performance by the Shrimpers. Tuesday now a massive game and we need to find our goal scoring boots and 3 points against a team that have conceded 7 without scoring before another tough away day at Barnet. Hopefully this week we might get a couple of players over the line and in the squad

 

[Ricey]

This whole take a point mentality is a concern. If we are happy to take a point at places we are not going to get promoted. There are some serious contenders this year again! Big spenders, good well built teams after last season we should be up there! But we are still stuck in the starting blocks whilst everyone is over the first hurdle.

It’s a marathon not a sprint, but this isn’t the best of starts. In Kev we trust but seriously he has to get some serious attacking options in to help the likes of Cards and Walker get the opportunities they’re begging for.

If things don’t pick up in the next couple of games we might as well have started on -10 again.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

People need to get it into their heads .. we will not go up automatically. Play offs is our best shot.

It’s absolutely blindingly obvious where we need reinforcements to everyone, Kev included. But the Gubbins thing is puzzling me. For ****s sake go back to Ralph LCB and Bridge LWB.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Not good enough

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Our fanbase is mental…I knew we’d turn on the team eventually but didn’t realise it would be so soon after surviving Ron. The comments on twitter and some here about this result are ridiculous!
Do we go up this year? Probably not! Have we got a club to be proud of? Yes!

Nobody has turned on anybody on here, but it's a football fans forum to discuss various things including tactics and anyone can see that it hasn't exactly been easy on the eye so far.

Did you want us to all start talking about winning the league by April with 2 draws and 1 goal from our opening two games then?.

 

[Hadleigh-shrimper]

Awful first half good second half , 2 points unbeaten southend united play off chase well and truly on

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

As I have said before the season is over 40 odd games it's a marathon not a sprint.So far our performances have been poor but we havent lost.We definitely need a creative midfielder who is prepared to support the strikers.Clearly Kev must know this but he needs to get the right player in hopefully sooner.After a good run of games we will know how the season will pan out.

 

[WestyReturns]

We’re playing Boston who lost have lost 2 and conceded 7

Best play 6 at the back just to be safe ;-)

 

[Ricey]

Our fanbase is mental…I knew we’d turn on the team eventually but didn’t realise it would be so soon after surviving Ron. The comments on twitter and some here about this result are ridiculous!
Do we go up this year? Probably not! Have we got a club to be proud of? Yes!

How long can we hang onto this attitude? It’s not turning on the team. It’s about a lacklustre display in two games, poor starting line up and not being clinical.

Football is a results driven game, win games you put yourself in promotion positions, lose games you can get relegated. At the end of the day none of us want to be in the National League. As much as I love Kev and the team of players who stuck by us, if they couldn’t get us out of the National League I would want players and a manager who could. That should be our ultimate goal!

And as a side point, I want Kev and this team of players (plus some new signings) to be the ones to get us out of the National League. They are not exempt from criticism just because the takeover has just happened and everything in the past. If we lose our next 5 games are we not allowed to say anything?

As Paulie says this is a discussion forum, no one is turning on the team. They are just displaying their disappointment and annoyance at two lacklustre performances.

 

[superblue24]

Another season in non league next season then?

 

[wiggy]

I hope kev only promised gubbins 2 games to show what he can do or itl be the same tuesday. It's blatantly obvious that we are so much stronger and more solid and threatening with Ralph and bridge back in their strongest position. Husin made a real difference and linked up well with bridge just like Wes used to.
Two wierd things for me today. Starting with Gubbins and then when they went down to 10, not immediately making the attacking changes.
Wouldn't be surprised to see both Waldron and wood go out on loan at some point to facilitate bringing in an attacking midfielder. Great to see Husin back and showed he's a different class to Morton who seems unable to cope at the momen

People need to get it into their heads .. we will not go up automatically. Play offs is our best shot.

It’s absolutely blindingly obvious where we need reinforcements to everyone, Kev included. But the Gubbins thing is puzzling me. For ****s sake go back to Ralph LCB and Bridge LWB.

He won’t, very stubborn and very tactically naive I’m afraid. Loads of goals in our division today and guess what we do, bench for our most attacking winger Bridge and we get nil against 10 average players. Great scouting to bring in Morton, Gubbins,Waldron, Crowther, not a decent one amongst them. Add to that the negative way the manager wants to play then it’s going to be a long season without 5 new attacking players and we all know how that’s shaping up. Excellent to be out of the rats clutches but this boring mess on the pitch needs sorting soonest because even though the League has got no big names in it (except us lol) the rest are scoring for fun!

He won’t, very stubborn and very tactically naive I’m afraid. Loads of goals in our division today and guess what we do, bench for our most attacking winger Bridge and we get nil against 10 average players. Great scouting to bring in Morton, Gubbins,Waldron, Crowther, not a decent one amongst them. Add to that the negative way the manager wants to play then it’s going to be a long season without 5 new attacking players and we all know how that’s shaping up. Excellent to be out of the rats clutches but this boring mess on the pitch needs sorting soonest because even though the League has got no big names in it (except us lol) the rest are scoring for fun!

 

[WestyReturns]

For ****s sake go back to Ralph LCB and Bridge LWB.

I have no idea why he has deviated away from what was so effective last season. It's totally bizarre and poor judgement. Almost everyone can see it. Everyone makes mistakes so hoping Kev has seen his errors and corrects it. After all it was him who created Bridge in that wing back with Ralph doing well in that left center role.

 

[ColinMorrisWalksOnWater]

So frustrating. Our lack of potency in the last third perfectly demonstrated.

Wonderful free kick hit our woodwork. Then Waterfall gave us the biggest gift of the afternoon. After gobbing off at the ref disputing a throw in and picking up a yellow, he pulls back Coker, I think, quite deliberately on one rare driving run, right in front of the ref and he issues him with the second yellow.

We huffed and puffed, but couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo at the moment. Our best efforts, a Husin attempt that just missed the right hand post from the left edge of the box, Bridge firing just over and a goal mouth scramble with the ball begging to be rammed home from inside the 6 yard box, before getting the order of the boot from the Pools defence.

Overall a frustrating afternoon for both teams that remain unbeaten. Hopefully new arrival(s) for Tuesday before the Boston game, which we really need to win, to get our season off the starting grid.

 

[nick12]

Maybe Kev did have a plan to tire them out before bringing on Husin and Bridge and i guess it nearly worked when they went down to 10 men. Nevertheless we were shocking first half with that team set up and the only player that had any spark was Walker.

In the end we should of won the game but for the same old story of missed chances. I guess a point is a point but we have to do much better. I am not sure what Morton is all about and Gubbins is an accident waiting to happen. Stop trying to put square pegs in round holes please Kev.

MOTM for me was Walker with Husin a close second.

I only listened on the radio but you have summed it up perfectly. Why on earth was Bridge in midfield last week and on the bench this week? We all know he can't tackle and barely head a ball but he is by far our most creative player.

I love Kev to bits as we all do but for me that's 4 points lost from 2 games through tinkering with a team that last season performed miracles.

Please start Tuesday with everyone playing in the right positions especially Bridge

UTB