Question McCormack and Laurent

[Pubey]

The problem in a nutshell.

personally I don't see it as a problem, it provides space for Francis to push forward on the right. On the left our lack of a decent left back means we get little overlapping... however Moussa is a goal and assist threat and tracks back and covers well.

The problem is that we have three defensive midfielders who offer little support to the strikers. Barney is great and playing little layoffs to oncoming midfielders, but bar Moussa there is no one making those runs. I'd love to have a more natural winger (ideally on the left)... however I currently believe that we aren't yet making the best use of the players we already have.

 

[TheSouthendUnitedRunner]

My real problem with Macca, and I am a fan of his, is last season when the likes of Gower, Bailey and Maher had left our midfield it left Macca as the "experienced" head in the midfield and we needed him to shine, but let us all down IMHO.

Granted, he picked up a bad knee injury in pre-season, but he made his return against Orient in September, and even by January (I believe it was), he came out and said he still wasn't fit. Now, in my opinion, thats embarrasing from a professional footballer. He had numerous gym sessions, training sessions, reserve matches and behind closed door matches to build up his fitness but it didn't happen for him for one reason or another.

Some of his "performances" including a gutless display away at Stockport, where nothing short of disgraceful, last season but he did have some good performances including Scunny at home for example.

We needed the Macca that we had from his original loan spell, the League Two Macca, the Macca we had in the Championship, instead he let us all down and didn't reach those heights and couldn't get himself fit.

Now, he started off the season quite well until the Orient home game, and his first half performance was worse than anything I saw on Saturday and, as per usual with him, once he reaches 4/9 bookings he doesn't offer us anything. He tries to prevent getting bookings, and by doing that you take away the drive and determination that made Macca a hit at this Club.

The best thing that could happen to him is to get booked tomorrow night and pick up a suspension. He will then have another 5 booking before his next suspension, so maybe the old Macca will return.

As for his "disagreement" with Laurent, I didn't see it. I still had my head in my hands after the miss. Although frustation spills out from people every now and again, Macca shouldn't have had a pop at him. A few inches lower and we'd all be a lot happier then we are at the moment.

 

[mfurok]

personally I don't see it as a problem, it provides space for Francis to push forward on the right. On the left our lack of a decent left back means we get little overlapping... however Moussa is a goal and assist threat and tracks back and covers well.

Herd is a far better player than he is given credit for and overlapping is one of his strengths. He needs to learn more defensively but needs games to achieve this. Anyway, overlapping full backs should not spend the entire game overlapping - they should complement the attacking players in the team - but we don't have any in midfield.

The problem is that we have three defensive midfielders who offer little support to the strikers. Barney is great and playing little layoffs to oncoming midfielders, but bar Moussa there is no one making those runs. I'd love to have a more natural winger (ideally on the left)... however I currently believe that we aren't yet making the best use of the players we already have.

Agreed

Re Macca - passing has never been his strength but you try being a creative midfielder with our two current wide players - Hoddle would struggle.

 

[mfurok]

Some of his "performances" including a gutless display away at Stockport, where nothing short of disgraceful,

Macca is never gutless. Try telling that to his face. You're confusing his display at Stockport with Stanislas.

Second half at Stockport we showed guts and it was a good effort after such an abysmal first half, down to ten men and two goals down.

 

[Pubey]

personally I don't see it as a problem, it provides space for Francis to push forward on the right. On the left our lack of a decent left back means we get little overlapping... however Moussa is a goal and assist threat and tracks back and covers well.

Herd is a far better player than he is given credit for and overlapping is one of his strengths. He needs to learn more defensively but needs games to achieve this. Anyway, overlapping full backs should not spend the entire game overlapping - they should complement the attacking players in the team - but we don't have any in midfield.




Agreed

Re Macca - passing has never been his strength but you try being a creative midfielder with our two current wide players - Hoddle would struggle.

no I agree about Herd, he's a decent player and looks to get forward well, however he looks a little naive at times and unlike Francis doesn't time his forages forward as well. I think there is understandably come caution in Herds game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[united we stand]

It's not the first time as you say, and there have been several occasions recently where Franny has NOT passed to Macca when he's been in a great position. I have no idea what's going on, perhaps Franny ONLY looks for the strikers - or Jeff or Moussa (who he does pass to) but I think it is something they have to look at on the training ground. Macca has been getting forward a lot and been in some fantastic shooting positions but the ball rarely comes to him.

Now I know you'll all say that's cos he can't shoot for toffee, but we do know that's not quite true, and I think the little man would be a lot less volatile for sticking a few goals away - frustration and all that, I'm sure a lot of us can identify with that.

OBL- You invite neative responses when you fail to state that he was wrong to have lost the plot with Laurent, and instead try and move the thread on to ' doesn't anyyone pass to Macca' and 'why is Macca being persecuted', 'did anyone see him getting into great positions'.

If one or more team mate refuses to pass to you then there is a problem, and the players, regardless of who they are should sort this out .If Macca has the expereience that you say he does then he should be sorting out this problem.

This is not an anti Macca post , I would say the same regardless of who it was . If someone is in the wrong they are in the wrong.

 

[fbm]

Some of his "performances" including a gutless display away at Stockport, where nothing short of disgraceful,

Macca is never gutless. Try telling that to his face. You're confusing his display at Stockport with Stanislas.

Second half at Stockport we showed guts and it was a good effort after such an abysmal first half, down to ten men and two goals down.

Didn't he get a groin injury at Stockport?

The one thing Macca does give is 100%. Not everything he does comes off and sometimes is passing goes awry but he is box to box and never shirks anything.

 

[Pubey]

Some of his "performances" including a gutless display away at Stockport, where nothing short of disgraceful,

Macca is never gutless. Try telling that to his face. You're confusing his display at Stockport with Stanislas.

Second half at Stockport we showed guts and it was a good effort after such an abysmal first half, down to ten men and two goals down.

Stanislas was awful, Macca wasn't too much better though. He was completely unable to get anywhere near the ball, the pitch didn't help but I could count his successful passes over 5m on one hand.

 

[united we stand]

my take is this,

Macca is my mate and my favourite southend player, he knows when hes **** he knows when hes good, regardless of my high regards for him, I dont hink he has been effective this year as he previously has been. The reason why your all so upset with him is that he actually is a damned good player and by not perforing to this level leaves us all frustrated. Personally speaking our midfield is a meer shadow of that of 2-3 seasons ago, and you lot that think im wrong will be in the cucckooo house long before me. I still rate macca and I know hes as frustrated as many of you about his performances he is a player that will always wear his heart on his sleave and I do know FACT that he was absolutely made up when he was made vise captain last year, footballs all about playing your strongest 11 hes a pro he knows hes playing for his position, personnally I dont feel we are in a strong enough position squad wise to be playing sawyer, as we are such a fragile unit and there needs to be some sort of strong head, but I strongly believe we should be looking to field our strongest 11 and if thats not with what we have got then we should go and get someone who can make the difference, anyway even if he had his legs cut off on a saturday night and still played on the tuesday I now he would be giving his all and as long as he is giving his all then we cant ask for anymore,it falls in the managers eyes to pick the team

very very good post . I don't agree with the Sawyer bit but thats an opinion . Your first had knowledge is very interesting. Bottom line as you have said is we should look to play the strongest 11 whoever they may be

 

[Pubey]

Didn't Macca get knocked out by Scannell last year? hence why his nickname is Tyson around the club. I'm sure this was in the Echo with an interview with Macca. I agree with the above comment about Macca 2 years ago was sublime. Driving forward making darting runs, now he wants to play like Maher but just with an ounce of the ability that Maher had. It is time for a rest me thinks, give someone who has some positivity a go!

Cheers, I've ammended Maccas boxing history.

I also agree about how he's changed. I can understand in part the arguments that his injuries haven't helped, but there seems to be a fitness issue as well. Macca isn't box to box like he used to be. I can also understand to some extent that he's not playing alongside quality players like Gower and Bailey. They drew players away and gave him space to attack through the middle. However these excuses don't extend to why his passing is still awful, why his shooting ability has worsened and why he's now started to row with teammates.

I love Macca and he has shown he's a great player, but personally he's not shown enough either last season or this season to say that he should be in the team, with Grant looking like a new version of Macca, but with more about him... and JFC a better holding player. Both Sawyer and Moussa offer a lot more going forward.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I'm skipper of my side and i know that i can call certain players a **** and it will spur then on , i also know if i use the same tactics on say 4 of the other players it will crumble their confidence ,he should by now of learnt that .

To be fair, I have only seen him do this to a couple of people so maybe he thinks the same and believes these will react in the same way? I don't know, I just know I've not seen him do it to 7 of his team mates on Saturday, I know I saw him encouraging others.

Didn't he get a groin injury at Stockport?

The one thing Macca does give is 100%. Not everything he does comes off and sometimes his passing goes awry but he is box to box and never shirks anything.

Yep, he did, I remember the comment he'd lost it (his groin) somewhere on the pitch! He also tweaked something Saturday as it goes, not sure which but after one particular challenge, he took a while to get up and was limping for a bit and then trying to sort out whatever it was (upper leg somewhere I thought).

And btw, despite the habitual rep, I thought Pubey's boxing post was very funny :D All Capricorns together eh?!

 

[TheSouthendUnitedRunner]

Didn't he get a groin injury at Stockport?

The one thing Macca does give is 100%. Not everything he does comes off and sometimes is passing goes awry but he is box to box and never shirks anything.

Yes, Stanislas did play bad, very bad infact, but Macca's performance was worse in my opinion.

We played a lot better with 10 men after Clarkey got sent off and Macca went off. On their second goal, he moved out of the way of the ball, something you'd never see Adam "Throw my body on the line" Barrett do.

 

[GBJ]

To be fair, I have only seen him do this to a couple of people so maybe he thinks the same and believes these will react in the same way?

Don't think it worked with Laurent on Saturday, as he offered McCormack a "take your Discussing, and cram it up your chad you little ****" genture.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I understand that Sky have picked up the event and are putting it on Box Office... They can't believe they hadn't come up with the idea of having a Frenchman and an Irishman batter the living the daylights out of eachother live on Pay Per View before...

 

[Pubey]

I understand that Sky have picked up the event and are putting it on Box Office... They can't believe they hadn't come up with the idea of having a Frenchman and an Irishman batter the living the daylights out of eachother live on Pay Per View before...

hahaha love it!!!