Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-0 Port Vale

[Evening Echo]

A STRING of fine saves from Port Vale goalkeeper Chris Neal meant Southend United had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Roots Hall this afternoon.

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[Clinton Baptiste]

Cant believe that game finished 0-0! Was a great advert for the quality that can exist at this level, both teams really going for it. Port Vale played their part and could and perhaps should have snatched the win at the end. Their wingers were very impressive and they also defended well when needed, their goalie in particular had a blinder.
First half was as good as weve played for a long time at Roots Hall, lots of lovely passing, Tomlin ran them ragged and we limited them to few chances. Second half was more even and we lost a bit of momentum a bit with the substitution. Tomlin doesnt look as comfortable out wide and I though Hurst was having a good game. Personally wouldve brought Freddy on instead of Corr but I cant argue too much as we really shouldve wrapped up 3 points. I think Port Vales style played into our hands and shows maybe why we have done better against some of the higher up teams and struggled against some of those languishing near the bottom who have a tendency to stick 10 men behind the ball and hit it long.

Ratings

Smith- 8- his best game definitely, made some great saves though kicking still a bit hit and miss.
Clohessy-8, outstanding, and amazed that no clubs higher up the league arent looking at him. Does everything a good full back should do.
Cresswell- 7- some really good challenges though occasional loose passes which sometimes creep into his game.
Phillips 8- one of his best displays for a while, kept Pope quiet.
Barker- 7, excellent first half, struggled a bit against Myrie-Williams in the second
Timlin- 6, tries too many Hollywood passes which dont work but his workrate was as always excellent.
Laird- 6, Kept the ball well but felt he needed to push up and support the strikers more than he did.
Mkandawire- 7, Impressed by his use of the ball and good tackling. Will only get better the fitter he gets.
Tomlin- 8, very unlucky not to have a goal to his name. Faded a bit second half.
Britt- 7, not quite at his best but still caused a lot of problems and worked his nuts off. Just needs a goal to get him off on another good run you feel.

Subs
Neither Corr or Freddy saw much of the ball.

 

[eastling]

Thoroughly decent game. Vale looked sharp during the first twenty mins and we rode our luck. Once we upped our game Tomlin caused Vale all sorts of problems and we were unlucky at the break not to have anything to show for it. Second half more of the same. Vale started the period better but once we got going we looked dangerous again. Fred should have come on earlier for Britt though and Barker switched off a few times leading to needless wasting of possesion. Smith overall okay apart from near the end when he should have come out of the area to chase down a loose ball. Got away with that one.

Good point though.

 

[leeblue]

Smith- brilliant today just brilliant saved our bacon at times 8
clohessey- linked up brilliantly with hurst in first half, suffered when we went 4-3-3 . 7
phillips - solid............7
cresswell- solid........7
Barker- solid..........7
Laird- great engine, played it simple 6.5
Mkandiwire- Not too much to shout about, ok 6
Timlin- busy and good passing at times today 6.5
Britt- looked bright early on but just can not stick the ball in the net- 6.5
Tomlin-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh please please work on the end product so much good work wasted- 6
Hurst- good first half 6.5

Eastwood- came on touched the ball twice and looked head and shoulders above, why he sat on the bench for so long I do not know
Corr- not so effective this time

Sturrock- thought he ruined the game by going 4 3 3 tbh, we were looking good when stretching vale, the change narrowed it all up.

The first half of this game was simply brilliant, if it hadnt been for the keepers four all would have been a fair reflection, one of the best nil nils i have seen.

 

[shrimperjon]

Really enjoyed the game, best 0-0 I have seen for years and complete contrast to the York game. Probably deserved the win but easily could have lost. Thought laird looks an excellent addition and mkandawire keeps things simple. Tomlin was excellent today and deserved a goal. The clearance of the line at the end of the first half was extraordinary and summed up our luck in front of goal. Big well done to smith who has been unfairly criticised on here. Made some excellent saves and caught well. Probably should have come off his line late on but made an excellent save. All round good solid performance that needed a bit more luck. Defo going in the right direction and 4 points from last two games is a good return.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Thought Laird was MotM. The first hour he was superb, won so much ball and always looked for a forward pass. Fed Tomlin several times.

Tomlin had a great first half, unlucky not to score by hitting the post twice.

Clohessy was brilliant, such an engine. A word for Barker who was probably out on his feet after playing Myrie-Williams for so long - but the fact JMW was subbed shows how well he did.

Unlucky not to win.

 

[CC51DAS]

Fully agree with the last two posts and endorse the comment about the positive approach taken by Vale which led to a fast-flowing, open game - even OBL's mate Gavin must take credit for that, although I thought that Pope was lucky to stay on after leading with his elbow which only resulted in a booking.

I have not witnessed much of the dross from the last two seasons but I would ask those that have - was that the best performance so far under Sturrock ?

Also - I think PS gave Britt a bit longer than usual as I think PS was hoping BA might get another break and bury one - seems he is starting to get a bit nervous in front of goal - not unusual for a striker on a lean run - but something which will soon disappear when he bags another.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Best match I've seen at Roots Hall in ages. Two committed sides and two goalkeepers on excellent form. Full credit to everyone for their part in today, although I did get rather frustrated in the time wasting. Felt Mr Ward could have taken a bit of a firm hand there.

8s all round, except Phillips, who was wrestling with his man all game (how is that not a foul?!), Laird, who I thought was a bit quiet, Assombalonga who is het up on this getting the 10th goal thing and Hurst who seems to have Ryan Hall's affliction for taking corners. MOTM for me was Tamika, great player, huge influence and what we have been missing.

I hadn't realised PV were 2nd (would have expected better attendance from their supporters really!) but that game was really a great advert for L2 football.

Even Gavin Ward was on form today!

 

[ian180]

One of the best 0-0 draws I've seen. Deserved to win, but unfortunately for us the Port Vale keeper probably had the best game of his season . I like the look of the new midfield today and thought Timlin Laird and Mkandiwire looked balanced and showed what we have been missing. Special mention to Phillips who had an excellent game and kept Pope quiet. As already mentioned thought Eastwood and Corr should have come on earlier, but overall moving in the right direction.

 

[McNasty]

Really enjoyed the game, best 0-0 I have seen for years and complete contrast to the York game. Probably deserved the win but easily could have lost. Thought laird looks an excellent addition and mkandawire keeps things simple. Tomlin was excellent today and deserved a goal. The clearance of the line at the end of the first half was extraordinary and summed up our luck in front of goal. Big well done to smith who has been unfairly criticised on here. Made some excellent saves and caught well. Probably should have come off his line late on but made an excellent save. All round good solid performance that needed a bit more luck. Defo going in the right direction and 4 points from last two games is a good return.

Best match I've seen at Roots Hall in ages. Two committed sides and two goalkeepers on excellent form. Full credit to everyone for their part in today, although I did get rather frustrated in the time wasting. Felt Mr Ward could have taken a bit of a firm hand there.

8s all round, except Phillips, who was wrestling with his man all game (how is that not a foul?!), Laird, who I thought was a bit quiet, Assombalonga who is het up on this getting the 10th goal thing and Hurst who seems to have Ryan Hall's affliction for taking corners. MOTM for me was Tamika, great player, huge influence and what we have been missing.

I hadn't realised PV were 2nd (would have expected better attendance from their supporters really!) but that game was really a great advert for L2 football.

Even Gavin Ward was on form today!

One of the best 0-0 draws I've seen. Deserved to win, but unfortunately for us the Port Vale keeper probably had the best game of his season . I like the look of the new midfield today and thought Timlin Laird and Mkandiwire looked balanced and showed what we have been missing. Special mention to Phillips who had an excellent game and kept Pope quiet. As already mentioned thought Eastwood and Corr should have come on earlier, but overall moving in the right direction.

..... and still people will moan.

 

[North Banker]

How that game stayed 0-0, i'll never know. We look so much better when we play against teams that want to play football, rather than hoof. End to end stuff. A fantastic advert for League 2 football.

Smith 8...Made some big saves to keep us in the game
Clohessey 7.5...Constantly overlapped and was a real threat
Phillips 7.5...Got tight to Pope and put in some huge tackles
Cresswell 7...Solid
Barker 7...Nice and tidy
Laird 7.5 First time have seen him, and was very impressed
Mkandiwire 7...Keeps things simple
Timlin 7...Works so hard.
Hurst 7...Linking well with Sean. Needs to improve set pieces.
Britt 7...Looked lively and unlucky not to be on the scoresheet
Tomlin 8...Twisted and turned their defence all over the place. Had some good shots and was also unlucky not to score. Got a bit greedy at times, but it was nice to see him playing with such confidence.

Subs
Corr 7..Showed some nice touches and hold up play.
Eastwood 7..Wasn't given long enough. 2 lovely layoffs

 

[The Blue Stig]

Brilliant game today

 

[Pubey]

Fantastic game! Excellent performance but perhaps slightly disappointed that we couldn't convert a chance to take all 3 points

Smith - 7 - good handling but poor kicking
Clohessy - 8 - MOTM excellent in both defence and attack
Cresswell - 7 - solid
Phillips - 7 - solid
Barker - 8 - an excellent shift, linked up well
Hurst - 7 - excellent understanding with Clohessy in first half, but faded
Mkindawire - 7 - obviously a high quality player, excellent defensive work and good positioning, slightly rusty on the ball but will surely improve. Great to have him here
Laird - 8 - fantastic engine and looked to make things happen, linked with Tomlin well
Timlin - 7 - quiet at times but some excellent forward passes for the strikers
Tomlin - 8 - brilliant until he got into the box.
Britt - 8 - worked really hard and some quality bits of play to spread the ball wide or to make a chance.

Subs:
Freddy - 7 - couple of good touches but spent most of the time stretching. Isn't that what a warm up is for?
Corr - 7 - looked good, can't wait to see him start alongside Britt


Ref - 6 - on or two decisions were questionable but fine on the whole. Game got a bit stop start in 2nd half

As people have mentioned, a really good Remembrance Day tribute.

 

[McNasty]

It is a shame some of our stay-away fans didn't see yesterday's game as the fare on offer was a joy to witness. Let's hope some people return to watch matches soon, especially if the quality is the same.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Port Vale's kit was shocking, looked even worse than our one from last season!

 

[Lady Vale]

Port Vale's kit was shocking, looked even worse than our one from last season!

Its our 'emergency' kit, the only one we could get in time for the season....probably the final cuts from your number last year!

Not sure why we couldn't wear our yellow away kit though?

 

[philtalkin]

Smith- brilliant today just brilliant saved our bacon at times 8
clohessey- linked up brilliantly with hurst in first half, suffered when we went 4-3-3 . 7
phillips - solid............7
cresswell- solid........7
Barker- solid..........7
Laird- great engine, played it simple 6.5
Mkandiwire- Not too much to shout about, ok 6
Timlin- busy and good passing at times today 6.5
Britt- looked bright early on but just can not stick the ball in the net- 6.5
Tomlin-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh please please work on the end product so much good work wasted- 6
Hurst- good first half 6.5

Eastwood- came on touched the ball twice and looked head and shoulders above, why he sat on the bench for so long I do not know
Corr- not so effective this time

Sturrock- thought he ruined the game by going 4 3 3 tbh, we were looking good when stretching vale, the change narrowed it all up.

The first half of this game was simply brilliant, if it hadnt been for the keepers four all would have been a fair reflection, one of the best nil nils i have seen.

Sorry but are you marking Tomlin and Britt for this game or other games?

Neither scored, but surely you can admit Tomlin was much better than Britt yesterday? If you can't admit that, then you are letting past performances and bias cloud your judgement!

 

[leeblue]

Sorry but are you marking Tomlin and Britt for this game or other games?

Neither scored, but surely you can admit Tomlin was much better than Britt yesterday? If you can't admit that, then you are letting past performances and bias cloud your judgement!

ooops my bad meant the other way round for those two, as i said tomlin does so much right but the theme is pretty consistent.......nothing comes of it (bristol apart) harsh criticism maybe but factual none the less, he doesnt score enough for someone who gets into such great scoring positions

 

[fbm]

Couldn't really fault anyone today, we played more like a "team" than we have done for some time. Credit to Port Vale for making it a cracking game, it could have been 4-4.

Both keepers did well although theirs had slightly more to do and I think we shaded it, especially with Tomlin twice hitting the woodwork, although probably the most clear cut chances went to them.

However, Mkandawire's presence (despite a few silly errors and fading in the last 20, obviously as a result of no games for a year then 2 in 5 days) enabled the full backs to get forward and we looked a very good side. I think we are going to have a very good 2nd half of the season.

Ratings

Smith - 8.5 - MOM - One punch and a couple of kicks aside it was difficult to fault him.

Clohessy - 7.5 - Lost his man embarrassingly early on but recovered and put in his usual good performance.
Barker - 8 - Best form him for ages.
Phillips - 8 - Solid and dependable, made some excellent challenges.
Cresswell - 8 - Usual solid performance

Hurst - 7.5 - Delivery variable, good wide outlet though
Mkandawire - 7.5 - I like this guy, understated but effective. Looking forward to him getting match fit.
Timlin - 7.5 - Great engine, it's a shame his passing lets him down
Laird - 8 - Has made a huge difference. Good player.

Assombalonga - 7 - Didn't quite happen for him today
Tomlin - 8 - A goal would have seen him get MOM. Great contribution and performance.

Subs

Corr - 7 - Good aerial presence but could have done better with a couple of chances that came his way
Eastwood - 7 - Classy touches but didn't get long enough really

 

[CM2 Blue]

Positive post after positive post- and well deserved, too. An entertaining game between two teams that contested hard throughout the 90 minutes. It was brilliant to see every Blues player playing hard and building their moves together rather than resorting to the early long ball and it is to be hoped that this confidence buoys us up in our forthcoming matches. We are a resilient team, as shown by coming from behind on a number of occasions this season, and if we can continue playing as we did yesterday but with a few goals thrown in, then I think we could be in for a strong showing as the season progresses.

For me, amongst many good performances, Sean Clohessy was absolutely outstanding- again!