So called strikers.

[Broughton's best]

If not broken don't try to fix, just look back at last good victories Millwall and Chesterfield and replicate team and formation not rocket science !

 

[Magnum PI]

We need a creator of chances, not another forward. A Ryan Hall would be nice. The number of times Ben Coker had the ball in a wide forward position yesterday and a cross did NOT come in was alarming. Personally I think Hurst is our best bet - he needs freeing up so he can deliver crosses.

This. I'm losing patience with our fannying around and not crossing when the best opportunity arises. Coker was so frustrating on saturday! In those conditions - ball in the box please!

 

[Lord Football]

Did I just read this? Did I? Really?

Some of you really just need a reality slap in the face - preferably with something hard with something sharp and rusty sticking it out of it. You were all playing with your private parts when we got Barnard, so now Brown has to find a way to play him. If he wasn't playing him, you'd have made a thread to demand he was.

As a result, we are playing with a different set up than we were, and as a result we are getting used to it. But even so, we are a one win from automatic promotion, and many points clear of missing the play offs.

 

[Jam_Man]

Wow. We must have lost a game of football.

Weird how the team was good enough to get us in the promotion chase and until a week or so ago everyone was drooling with optimism eh...

Did I just read this? Did I? Really?

Some of you really just need a reality slap in the face - preferably with something hard with something sharp and rusty sticking it out of it. You were all playing with your private parts when we got Barnard, so now Brown has to find a way to play him. If he wasn't playing him, you'd have made a thread to demand he was.

As a result, we are playing with a different set up than we were, and as a result we are getting used to it. But even so, we are a one win from automatic promotion, and many points clear of missing the play offs.

I have no issue with the forwards, the problem seems to have been a couple of poor performances from the team as a whole, its not like we are playing teams off the park but the forwards missing hatfuls of chances.

I think at times like these people expect the forwards to win games on their own.

There was some discussion a week or two ago about playing 442 and I made the point that doing so affects that 3 in the middle thats served us so well. Im not a fan of playing one up front and hated it under Sturrock yet with the players we had it was working well and was still nice to watch. Problem with it is it doesnt allow the forwards to shine as they are either back to goal or having to defend as midfielders if one of the wide two.

Checklist for a striker:

• Must have played regularly in last few seasons
• Must have scored at hat-full in EVERY season he has played
• Must be very quick
• Must be strong and good in the air
• Can never go through a period of over a few games where their scoring ratio is poor otherwise they will be classed as "goal shy".

Now we've got that sorted I'll just email Phil Brown and- wait ..... I'm just being told that every club in the world wants that sort of striker. I'm also being told Falcao, Messi and Suarez have only 1 goal in his last 5 games, the exact same as Barry Corr? That can't be right as Corr is awful at scoring.

So it seems that finding this fictional striker is tough for top teams, but we are a 4th division club with no money so we will obviously get 1 or 2 easily.

Spot on.

We took a chance on a young premiership loanee and the same person berating our current forwards berated him for his entire stay.

I do wonder what people expect us to be able to bring in, I think they must expect every loan player to be Assombalonga. If he joined and scored 3 in 14 like his last 14 games with us he would get berated too.

If a player comes to us now its because he hasnt proved himself anywhere, the chances of finding an in form striker who can hit the ground running are highly unlikely.

 

[Blue Yonder]

Southend United have failed to score in 4 league matches this season. The fewest failed to score in the division.

 

[mrsblue]

Did I just read this? Did I? Really?

Some of you really just need a reality slap in the face - preferably with something hard with something sharp and rusty sticking it out of it. You were all playing with your private parts when we got Barnard, so now Brown has to find a way to play him. If he wasn't playing him, you'd have made a thread to demand he was.

As a result, we are playing with a different set up than we were, and as a result we are getting used to it. But even so, we are a one win from automatic promotion, and many points clear of missing the play offs.

Really, I m sorry to disappoint you but I was not one of those you eloquently mention.

Ron has a habit of signing players over the managers head,Fred being one of those so I wonder if Barnard is another?,Why would Phil want a player who even in his prime had no pace but even more worrying has not played a single game before he rejoined us.Playing a unfit player basically means the team are playing with 10 from the start,Read some of the thoughts of those who were at Mansfield.

 

[Jam_Man]

Really, I m sorry to disappoint you but I was not one of those you eloquently mention.

Ron has a habit of signing players over the managers head,Fred being one of those so I wonder if Barnard is another?,Why would Phil want a player who even in his prime had no pace but even more worrying has not played a single game before he rejoined us.Playing a unfit player basically means the team are playing with 10 from the start,Read some of the thoughts of those who were at Mansfield.

Firstly you are making a lot of assumptions.

Even if Barnard was signed over his head he didnt then have to change the team or system to suit him.

Its not like when Freddy was signed when our wheels had come off and we were in terrible form, we were flying high when Barnard was brought in, there was no need to change anything and I'm happy to make the assumption he made the changes because he wanted to.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Corr 2 in 13
Eastwood 0 in 13
Barnard 0 in 9

I don't know much about football but those ratio's are terrible.

Nobody is going to argue about that....:winking:

 

[* ORM *]

Some of you really just need a reality slap in the face - preferably with something hard with something sharp and rusty sticking it out of it. You were all playing with your private parts when we got Barnard,

I'll admit to having a semi but honestly that's as far as it went. Never since the days of Maher have I had a full on boner relating to a player.

 

[mrsblue]

Firstly you are making a lot of assumptions.

Even if Barnard was signed over his head he didnt then have to change the team or system to suit him.

Its not like when Freddy was signed when our wheels had come off and we were in terrible form, we were flying high when Barnard was brought in, there was no need to change anything and I'm happy to make the assumption he made the changes because he wanted to.

Bums on seats maybe?,The only thing I know is in the 3 games LB has featured the team have dropped 7 points and he hasn't looked like scoring!.I like everyone else wants Lee to succeed and recapture his form.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Bums on seats maybe?,The only thing I know is in the 3 games LB has featured the team have dropped 7 points and he hasn't looked like scoring!.I like everyone else wants Lee to succeed and recapture his form.

Not going to do that by sitting on the bench whilst some unknown 18yr old loanee gets game time now is he?

 

[danburyshrimper]

IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT !

We were playing awesome football only a couple of weeks ago, our midfield were bossing games + we were creating chances a plenty using the 4-5-1 away from home and a sort of 4-3-3 at home. Then we go + sign Barney
( great player but very rusty ) + all of a sudden our successful formation goes out the window + we look bereft of ideas.

Whether we can blame the FA cup intervening is debatable but what is blatantly obvious is that we need to get back to our solid 3 midfield of Leonard,Atkinson + Timlin with width either side slightly behind a lone striker. If Straker is still out of form then surely Payne or Freddy can do the job , or even Put Laird in the middle + give Timlin or Atkinson the space out left.

The most important thing is to get back to our winning formation!

 

[Jam_Man]

Bums on seats maybe?,The only thing I know is in the 3 games LB has featured the team have dropped 7 points and he hasn't looked like scoring!.I like everyone else wants Lee to succeed and recapture his form.

Our attendances are up and we are in decent financial position, Barnard isnt going to get crowds flocking back.

3 games isnt enough to write any striker off, let alone one who hasnt been playing.

Im far more concerned about the actual team performance which is far more worrying.

 

[Southend Pier]

Our attendances are up and we are in decent financial position, Barnard isnt going to get crowds flocking back.

3 games isnt enough to write any striker off, let alone one who hasnt been playing.

Im far more concerned about the actual team performance which is far more worrying.

I'd go along with this. only downside is if he has a persistent injury he may be similar to freddy since he came back.

 

[Jam_Man]

I'd go along with this. only downside is if he has a persistent injury he may be similar to freddy since he came back.

Im not aware of any injury, he just wasnt getting games at Southampton.

 

[Southend Pier]

I said if , if that was why he wasn't playing. thought he had a troublesome niggle when he was last here which I thought blighted him on a regular basis.maybe not then.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Think it is just a question of getting the formation right, like the idea of Barney & Freddy with Jack Payne playing behind and feeding these two. Neither is blessed with pace, but both have excellent football brains and both know where the back of the net is given the right service.

I think that formation would be too narrow. You could just tuck in the full-backs and crowd them out. There's no width to stretch them horizontally and no pace to stretch them vertically (or even height which can allows you to isolate the defence with a quick ball before the midfield can retreat). I think we'd have real difficulties breaking teams down, particularly at home with that formation.

 

[Barry.C]

Barnardo is a proven goalscorer and will come good, may need that first strike to go in we know how important confidence is. Lets not forget in his first season when he joined in Jan 08 he scored 9 times. He had an unfortunate injuries spell in 08-09, but still ended up as our top scorer and only player in double figures. During 09-10 he smacked in 17 goals !. In his first season with the Saints ( from only Jan onwards) another 16 goals. With Bournemouth from Aug 2012 , 4 goals in 15 appearances and Oldham on loan 2013 3 goals in 14 appearances. His goal ratio with us is close to 37 goals in 85 appearances. This is a proven goalscorers record and when match fit I think he will prove a match winner.

 

[Jam_Man]

I think that formation would be too narrow. You could just tuck in the full-backs and crowd them out. There's no width to stretch them horizontally and no pace to stretch them vertically (or even height which can allows you to isolate the defence with a quick ball before the midfield can retreat). I think we'd have real difficulties breaking teams down, particularly at home with that formation.

Definitely need width, any formation that sacrifices that wont work..

In the past Id always say just stick to 442 to keep it straightforward, but I have grown to like the 451/433 under Brown. I dont see the need to vary from those two systems.

 

[Pubey]

Team for next Sat:

Bentley

Whatever defence we have available

Leonard Timlin Atkinson

Straker Corr Hurst

Back to basics. This was the formula that did well for us. Straker is fast and direct so provides width and give the midfield some space and an outlet. Hurst has had a dip but some rest should refresh him. Barney hasn't done enough to deserve a start and although I'd like to see Laird back in the team, I'm loathed to make a major change and would give Timlin and Atkinson another game to prove their value alongside Leonard.