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

[Maidstone Shrimper]

Went to the game with a Luton supporter friend so had to sit at the Kenilworth Rd end worrying about spending 90+ minutes sitting with my hands under my knees. No problem today. Nothing to get excited about apart from the first 5 minutes of the second half when we looked as though we might turn the game around. White had a steady game at full back and centre back and I thought Leonard was good. Too many just couldn't cope with Luton's in yer face approach ... panicked, looked nervous. Hurst's normally good touch and control wasn't there. Weston clearly doesn't relish a physical challenge and bottled it time and time again. What has Worrall got to do to get a start ahead of him?

I think it's time to accept that what is supposed to be 4-3-3 but in fact involves some poor soul running around on his own up front with no support has earned us some points but is now being seen through by our opponents. We need two strikers playing closer together ... one has to be Corr when fit otherwise the ball doesn't stick. Maybe boring old 4-4-2.

I still think we have a decent squad ... maybe not as much depth in central defenders as we first thought. But I think we all know we need another striker. I don't think we'll get one until January which may be too late.

 

[buffalowolf]

Hate to say it , but if PB has lost the dressing room as been said here , maybe its because the players themselves dont believe in the system PB is playing,if thats the case theres only 2 solutions ,either PB changes the system or parks his car elsewhere.Ones things for sure reading the threads , there are a lot of disgruntled supporters .And Jam man do you still believe SUFC dont need a striker.

 

[Sam Jackson]

A point that some were making on the coach home was that the medical team should have something to answer for imo sending Bolger back on when he clearly should have been subbed off with a head injury like that. There's been a lot of discussion lately in football about head injuries and concussions, and this reinforces those points even more... He shouldn't have been allowed to continue after that tbh

 

[Eddy Melito]

while the decision is still in the hands of clubs officials, things like this will always happen. not only does the decision need to be taken away from people put under pressure for a player to continue (ie an impartial doctor), but if necessary also to allow an extra substitution to relieve the temptation to keep a clearly injured player on the pitch and not use a valuable change.

 

[OldBlueLady]

while the decision is still in the hands of clubs officials, things like this will always happen. not only does the decision need to be taken away from people put under pressure for a player to continue (ie an impartial doctor), but if necessary also to allow an extra substitution to relieve the temptation to keep a clearly injured player on the pitch and not use a valuable change.

I do believe that if we had had a fit defender on the bench then Bolger wouldn't have gone back on. As it turned out Lenny slotted in quite comfortably at RB, and White just slid over into the central position and we actually looked a lot better.

I also thought it was off that Bolger was made to walk off round the pitch to the tunnel on his own, someone should have escorted him - even if it was Prosser who wasn't featuring!

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

We have one tactic which is to go 1-0 up and try and hold it, as was proved against Shrewsbury when Brown wanted us to stifle the game after 90 seconds!

We're too predictable and there is no plan B after going behind. How many points have we picked up this season after conceding first? One at Carlisle and that's not enough for a team serious about mounting a promotion challenge.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Think this could be a long one, so apologies in advance!

Terribly bad day at the office. Wrong team selection, have said time and time again, if Corr doesn't start then let's at least give Barnard a go from the start. We keep putting in good crosses (and we did today) but there's no-one in the middle to get a nod on one. I'm not going to have this "make Bolger a scapegoat" thing, it was very bizarre him going off and taking his shorts off and standing on the touchline for ages in his pants - but none of us realised that he had a head injury at that point. It wasn't till the head strapping came on...again...that it became clear. And he wasn't right, the blood was soon pouring down his face again, even before he played that terrible "pass".

Strangely, I thought those I've been most critical of recently actually did ok...Hurst had his best game for some time, and even Weston looked to be improved. I didn't understand why Will started, I like Will, but if Lenny was anywhere near fit, with the lack of height up top then he should have always been in there. As it was, he came in back in his old position at RB and looked completely at home. He and John White (our best player by far) were putting in some excellent crosses. I thought Tommo did ok generally, and Binyon-Williams was good going forward in the 2nd half.

Deegan looked bewildered at times today, maybe the honeymoon is over. Clifford was solid as usual and tried a few shots from distance. Coulthirst tried but there was just no option up top in the first half. Indeed, it wasn't until the enforced and early 2nd half substitutions that Blues came alive on the pitch. Jack Payne very quickly showed the kind of form that ended up giving him a L2 POTM nomination. Corr battled hard but the ref clearly had an opinion on him and gave almost everything against. We were the architects of our own downfall though today.

Bentley - 5
White - 8
Bolger - 5
Thompson - 6
Binyon-Williams - 6
Hurst - 7
Deegan - 5
Clifford - 7
Atkinson - 6
Weston - 6
Coulthirst - 5

Subs:
Lenny for Bolger - 7
Payne for Atkinson - 7
Corr for Coulthirst - 6

Officials:
Lino to our left missed loads...handballs, fouls. I found the ref weak, he didn't handle things well at all.

A final word on Luton. Personally I found the stewards ok, we were sitting over near that box with the 8 blokes in, one of whom clearly fancied himself. A number of them - and him in particular - were goading the Southend supporters, one of whom threw (or attempted to throw!) a pie at them. He and another fairly well known supporter were both spoken to by the police, yet the police did not speak to these individuals. Luton officials warned them on at least three occasions both the stewards and a club official from inside their box. Their behaviour was a disgrace and shouldn't have been tolerated. There were a lot of very angry Southend supporters at the final whistle until finally, someone from Luton made them go inside their box. Utter disgrace. Can't imagine how they will cope when Portsmouth go...they'll be over the wall and in the box before the stewards have time to react if they are treated to that kind of incitement!

I think it was because no player was there to show for him when he had the ball. Made some very good tackles again and a couple of pinpoint cross field passes again

 

[wakes123]

1st half - wrong team selection and wrong tactics. We played it wide to White and he'd send a long diagonal ball forward, but there was no height and Luton would mop it up every time.

2nd half - much better performance when Corr and Payne come on. We actually looked a bit threatening.

I can see Brown's thinking with putting Payne on the bench (make midfield a bit more solid with Atkinson), but WHY didn't Worrall play? Am I missing something here is he injured? He completely deserves his chance to start. The manager blindly sticks with Shaq and Weston and they're not doing enough at the moment for me.

 

[Amwell Blue]

I have read lots of comments in this and other threads about Bolger. I think people are being too hasty in making their minds up about him.. just think back to Thompson last season and Prosser the season before that, they were the same, inconsistent. He is still young, and if a forward passes the ball straight to the other team there is little harm done, do it at the back and well we saw the result.

I thought the booing of Bolger after the goal was appalling, how is that going to help him perform. He certainly doesn't need you numpties to tell him he made a mistake. I think he guessed.

 

[Jam_Man]

I have read lots of comments in this and other threads about Bolger. I think people are being too hasty in making their minds up about him.. just think back to Thompson last season and Prosser the season before that, they were the same, inconsistent. He is still young, and if a forward passes the ball straight to the other team there is little harm done, do it at the back and well we saw the result.

I thought the booing of Bolger after the goal was appalling, how is that going to help him perform. He certainly doesn't need you numpties to tell him he made a mistake. I think he guessed.

Well said.

Prosser was terrible and he has grown into a good player for us.

Guess with Bolger he came with a fee so expectations a little higher.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Well said.

Prosser was terrible and he has grown into a good player for us.

Guess with Bolger he came with a fee so expectations a little higher.

Really only quite a small fee though, feel really sorry for the bloke.

 

[Sherif H]

Was there with my 12 year old son today and was embarrassed by the chanting by what sounded by a large number our so called fans! I wonder how many of our "non English" supporters enjoyed that???

One factor in my decision to move back to the South Upper - as much as I enjoy the raucous atmosphere, I'm embarrassed of standing amidst a bunch of identikit teen chavs sporting fake Stone Island clobber pretending to be hard, goading defenceless individuals in the North Bank, when we all know they'd create an almighty mess in their pants at the first sight of genuine aggression. Yesterday was embarrassing hearing - especially to somebody mixed race like myself.

 

[wakes123]

Really only quite a small fee though, feel really sorry for the bloke.

In relative terms, it was the largest fee for a player in 4 years so I do think there is some expectation there. I'm not condemning him, he has had a bad start and I'd be willing to show a bit more faith in him as I haven't seen too much of him...but that pass for the second goal was very baffling, he passed it straight to him.

 

[Jam_Man]

Hate to say it , but if PB has lost the dressing room as been said here , maybe its because the players themselves dont believe in the system PB is playing,if thats the case theres only 2 solutions ,either PB changes the system or parks his car elsewhere.Ones things for sure reading the threads , there are a lot of disgruntled supporters .And Jam man do you still believe SUFC dont need a striker.

I have never said that we wouldnt benefit from a new striker, what I have said is that it not the simple solution people think it is.

You would have had to had a stiker capable of getting a hat trick yesterday to win us that game.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

[/B]

I have never said that we wouldnt benefit from a new striker, what I have said constantly is that its not just down to the strikers and its not that simple.

You would have had to had a stiker capable of getting a hat trick yesterday to win us that game.

Not really. Having a decent striker in a recognized formation may have meant a totally different game and although the 1st goal was quality, it may not have got to that point with a different formation/striker.

 

[YoungWestcliffShrimper]

Bolger should have been taken if. He had a cut and had no idea where he was, no suprise he made the mistake. I thought there where rules that the doctor decides if the player continues?

 

[YoungWestcliffShrimper]

Also, well done to that absolute clown behind the goal, who was shouting brown out etc. You are an embarrassment. Was going to tell you to shut up myself but some other lads did.

 

[Zeuss]

Bolger should have been taken if. He had a cut and had no idea where he was, no suprise he made the mistake. I thought there where rules that the doctor decides if the player continues?

Doctor,yes maybe-but our pathetic management should have made the decision, as poor Bolger was stood there motionless in his underpants for a good couple of minutes before they started trying to bandage his head wounds.Even when he passed straight to their striker ,they did'nt withdraw him immediately and he very nearly did the same thing again.And if you weren't there or are "I have no brain", I can assure you he was playing well before he got injured.
Ludicrous also not to start with Corr and Payne,preferring Weston who seems to have forgotten how to attack and Atkinson who never learnt in the first place.

 

[wiggy]

Doctor,yes maybe-but our pathetic management should have made the decision, as poor Bolger was stood there motionless in his underpants for a good couple of minutes before they started trying to bandage his head wounds.Even when he passed straight to their striker ,they did'nt withdraw him immediately and he very nearly did the same thing again.And if you weren't there or are "I have no brain", I can assure you he was playing well before he got injured.
Ludicrous also not to start with Corr and Payne,preferring Weston who seems to have forgotten how to attack and Atkinson who never learnt in the first place.

.....Exactly, very worrying that he leaves out our best/only source of creating and scoring goals in Jack Payne. AFC Wimbledon have got prolific scorers Akinfenwa and Tubbs and we have got a mixture of nobody's. Decent position in the league still but have little confidence in Brown maintaining it with his weird decisions!

 

[flapjack]

whilst everyone is digging at Bolger for the second goal, the first one was just as annoying for me, Hurst just standing in the centre of the midfield allowing two players to plunder an open pitch on the right hand side again, it was a class finish.....but the right midfielder should have covered and helped White out a lot more, Poor performance, poor tactics, poor team selection.........we have to change it around and get back on track, as for the chants of the supporters......words just fail me on that front, and also behind ne at the back was our own supporters almost coming to blows over differences of opinions at half time, looking at his face not sure Brown was expecting to get booed like that at the end when he walked past the supporters but the buck stops with him