Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-1 York City

[Cricko]

Last week was awful, I'll give you that.
Not today though.

Just 5 weeks ago we beat Halifax 3-0, following a very average performance in which we arguably deserved no more than a point. However SZ was full of positivity and the majority praised the performance. Results and scorelines definitely play a huge part in how fans view performances.

You don't say.

 

[Ricey]

****ing embarrassing!

I know these players have earned a certain status for staying with us and helping us through the **** times. That doesn’t let them off a shocking performance back to back.

Cardwell and Husin for 2 games on the bounce have been dreadful!

What the **** is wrong with them not having a shot! It’s so frustrating.

Maher’s post match interview was also embarrassing, we didn’t play well. We look lacklustre again and with no plan B. The times we had chances we weren’t clinical. I love Bridge but he needs to learn to get the ball in first stop and stop faffing with the step overs and trying to beat the world EVERY time.

Gus needs to do more of the long throws, it’s an asset! We do better with them than we do corners.

Not good enough and to think we all laughed that we could make the play offs! Survival is a real thing now and we need to drop this bull**** about ‘but we had 10 points taken off us’. They are gone and aren’t coming back!

 

[onceknownasrab]

He said we played well. Played well? Clearly his expectations are very low.

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

Gutless and quite frankly pathetic!! Waldron looks out of his depth and the keeper needs looking at!! Fair play to York they did a proper job on us!! I was slightly worried after last week I’m now extreamly worried !! Way off it

Agreed both these points I keep very quiet about Colin the keeper we have somehow become very comfortable with a pretty average keeper. After 20 mins of watching Waldon at Barnet I said to my mate … he’s not going to make any improvement to this team

 

[meerkat54]

Nahhhh this is better

Hope Kev takes note.

 

[Alexshrimper]

is Oli Cocker underrated?

Since Miley has been back he’s been average.

Prior to Mikey’s return we had played Hussain in the pivot with Miley on the right and Wes on the left which worked.

Today we played with two playing in the pivot and Husain playing as a LCM?

No one in the midfield was aggressive.

Morton seems a tidy player that keeps possession but is he someone that’s going to win you a game?

Gus seems a shadow of himself? No threat from the right.

now the team doesn’t pick itself and there are different options Kev doesn’t know the right balance and no one in his team is showing any leadership

hope Justin put some relegation clauses in those new contracts……

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

We should sign Finley Wilkinson and send Dackers back

Yer that kid will have the steel in him to fight a relegation battle

 

[wiggy]

He said we played well. Played well? Clearly his expectations are very low.

That does actually sum him up, played well means i must have counted over 3000 passes thinking this is like Brazil, unfortunately without the forward play and goals...better than last week but in exactly the same boring uninventive style!

 

[CM2 Blue]

A disappointing performance and result today but, sadly, both were predictable given our recent form. It was interesting to hear Paul Clarke speaking before last week’s game against Gateshead. His view was that we look good in the areas where the opposition are quite happy for us to look good but are not effective in the areas where we could hurt the opposition i.e. in the final third. I think he is right. We are comfortable on the ball but tend to swing it back and forth across the cradle of defence and defensive midfield without anyone breaking the lines to allow us to be threatening in the final third.

Today, though Cardwell is not yet match fit and Waldron has to get up to the speed and physicality of this league, both made runs behind and through the York defence most of which were ignored in favour of a square or backwards pass. There seems to be a real disconnect here which needs sorting out especially with Miley and Morton both sitting so deep. In my view we need a grafter and a ball winner like Michael Timlin was for us not so long ago to complement the ‘touch’ players like Miley.

Jack Bridge as so many have pointed out seems our only attacking outlet. A more direct route from him when he gets the ball would be good as at the moment he waits long enough to make sure there are two or three players to beat. We can’t afford to allow opposition defences to regroup and still expect to score.

We have a real challenge to ensure we are not relegated just as our off the pitch issues seem to have been sorted. I think we will be okay but I’d rather not have a nail biting end to our season.

 

[Realist]

We was playing better under an embargo

 

[meerkat54]

Think Kev sounded as if he is struggling in the interview.
Keep mentioning the 10 points is no longer valid Kev, they are long gone mate.
Hope he can motivate the players for next week. Or we will further in the smelly stuff.

 

[Cricko]

Think Kev sounded as if he is struggling in the interview.
Keep mentioning the 10 points is no longer valid Kev, they are long gone mate.
Hope he can motivate the players for next week. Or we will further in the smelly stuff.

6 weeks ago there was little mention of the 10 points as we looked at a play off spot, now it seems to be an excuse warming up incase we go down.

 

[Jacob Sladder]

We were bullied out of it by a team with a plan. York were no great shakes but we constantly had a huge void in central midfield which York bossed and utilised time and time again. I think the line up we had is probably our strongest with Taylor also in the pack. Waldron hustled and bustled and has a lot more fight and energy than Marcus brings, but is a work in progress, yes. We need to use more of the time that we pass the ball sideways and backwards more effectively and push on. It struck me late in the game when Colin smacked the ball into touch not far from Yorks goal line that we **** about playing it out from the back, giving opponents the chance to close us down so we have to fight to get the ball out of our own half. And yet with that one kick, the tables were turned and it was York who had to get the ball out of their half, which THEY struggled to do. A couple of casual clearances from Colin which he needs to stop. The second led indirectly to the goal, aided by no-one telling Gus he didnt need to play the ball out for a corner. A VERY frustrating game and result. And I'm starting to ask myself if Bridgey is a spent force - usually heavily marked, inclined to do too many tricks and crosses aren't up to much - change of role perhaps? Possible heresy, I know. COYB!! Let's give the Oford Onion Bags a pasting, eh?!

 

[RHB]

I witnessed some decent stuff this afternoon at times, and at times I witnessed headless chicken mode. I am now quite certain that Gus Scott-Morriss has a cloak of invisibility every time he hogs the right touchline. Out come our defenders or midfielders with the ball and their only aim is to feed the left hand side of the pitch. Now that is all well and good if dangerous stuff comes about as a result, but today it was powder puff football.

The concept of driving through the middle or sweeping wide right appears to beyond our team at the moment and I don't fully understand why. Anyway, the plusses - Adam Crowther had more than a decent first home start and he looked very comfortable, to the point where the decision to start him or Harry T (when fit) will be tricky. James Morton also impressed me, but I would like to see him do more damage further up the pitch. And lastly, Danny Waldron had moments of good, but he needs to be quicker in his reactions and also not get knocked off the ball quite so easily.

I really don't think we need to press the panic button after today, but by the same token the focus must be now on putting away chances and picking up points steadily.

 

[Fairport]

It is often said that the way a team plays mirrors the image and career of the manager/head coach.
Kevin Maher was a good footballer who passed the ball well but only scored an average of one goal a season.
Anyone else notice the similarities?

 

[Holy Joe]

A disappointing performance and result today but, sadly, both were predictable given our recent form. It was interesting to hear Paul Clarke speaking before last week’s game against Gateshead. His view was that we look good in the areas where the opposition are quite happy for us to look good but are not effective in the areas where we could hurt the opposition i.e. in the final third. I think he is right. We are comfortable on the ball but tend to swing it back and forth across the cradle of defence and defensive midfield without anyone breaking the lines to allow us to be threatening in the final third.

Today, though Cardwell is not yet match fit and Waldron has to get up to the speed and physicality of this league, both made runs behind and through the York defence most of which were ignored in favour of a square or backwards pass. There seems to be a real disconnect here which needs sorting out especially with Miley and Morton both sitting so deep. In my view we need a grafter and a ball winner like Michael Timlin was for us not so long ago to complement the ‘touch’ players like Miley.

Jack Bridge as so many have pointed out seems our only attacking outlet. A more direct route from him when he gets the ball would be good as at the moment he waits long enough to make sure there are two or three players to beat. We can’t afford to allow opposition defences to regroup and still expect to score.

We have a real challenge to ensure we are not relegated just as our off the pitch issues seem to have been sorted. I think we will be okay but I’d rather not have a nail biting end to our season.

I don't think an enforcer like Timlin would compliment someone like Miley - he'd replace him.

I said in the week if we have Morton and Miley in the starting 11 then we'd need a more attacking midfielder then Husin - I had Sandat or Wood in that role - maybe Wes could've done it as well, but it seems he's a target of the boo boys last week, so maybe it's best he didn't play. And I stand by that initial assessment after today - first 20 minutes Husin wasn't playing an attacking midfielder role - he seemed to move more forwards as the half progressed - but without much impact.

I was quite impressed by Morton, but I'm not sure if the formation suits both him and Cav starting - maybe away from home, or if we're looking to see a game out.

I don't get people getting on Collin's back - his kicking wasn't great today but other than that he was fine.

 

[Holy Joe]

It is often said that the way a team plays mirrors the image and career of the manager/head coach.
Kevin Maher was a good footballer who passed the ball well but only scored an average of one goal a season.
Anyone else notice the similarities?

Is it?

 

[wakes123]

I'd argue playing two holding midfielders in front of three centre backs is hardly positive.

Add a third midfielder who is also more comfortable playing deeper than in the final third and it's hardly a surprise we are struggling to create chances centrally.

We're over-reliant on our wing backs for attacking threat and chance creation and when both are out of form it's far to easy to prevent us from scoring.

For me, the current system is stale and we're in need of a shake up. I would welcome a switch to four at the back, but that's made difficult by the fact that we have not a single natural winger in the entire squad.

When’s Callum Powell back from injury? He will at least give us something different to what we’ve got.

 

[1966 and all that]

I knew when playing against a team with a keeper in pink it wouldn’t turn out well.

 

[Whispering Bob]

Just 5 weeks ago we beat Halifax 3-0, following a very average performance in which we arguably deserved no more than a point.

If you take that flattering win out of the equation, we have scored one goal in the last six games.