Barling Magna
President⭐🦐
He's an Aussie, Tommy. That's what they do mate.
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Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0-2 Maidenhead United
- Thread starter Cricko
- Start date
Richard Hearn
Coach⭐
He probably thought that we had the "six o'clock swill" here.
Last edited:
Medway Blue
Trust chairman/glutton for punishment ⭐🦐
That was utterly appalling.
Collin has lost his head. The unsettled defence, exarcerbated by the loss of Kensdale and Dave Martin, has exposed the weaknesses that I think were already in his game.
Crowther is not doing anything to suggest that he can step into Kendale's shoes.
Bridge is being completely crowded out of games.
Moncur looked like a luxury player, unable to get things going when the chips are down and everyone around him is playing ****.
Husin looks lost.
Even KAF has looked scared to do anything forward-thinking.
Bonne was unbelievably poor.
Walker probably the only bright spark.
That togetherness and cohesiveness is gone. It's disjointed, devoid of any leadership on the pitch, confidence is shot to pieces, body language isn't good, and our triangles and patterns of play have disappeared.
Maher wants us to keep possession of the ball, but I don't believe that he wants it to be ponderous sideways and backwards unless an intelligent forward pass genuinely isn't on, and we have to resort to going sideways/backwards to quickly recycle and pull the opposition about a bit.
The problem you then have with that style of play, is that a lack of confidence breeds risk aversion, and rather than risk losing the ball by attempting a forward pass, safe passes are being played instead. Like I said on the match thread, it's a form of hiding.
That's not to say that all the blame is on the ball carrier, though, because there also wasn't really enough good movement off the ball ahead of play for the ball carrier to pick out.
We did well against Solihull and Eastleigh because they gave us time and space. Maidenhead today, despite their league position, had a game plan. They pressed us high up the pitch and disrupted our build-up from the off, and were still sprinting to do so in the 80th minute. The way to mitigate that is to play through the press, and last season we had the personnel, structure and the confidence to do it. Kensdale and Miley were pivotal to us breaking the opposition press. Without them, we just can't seem to do it. Crowther is so far not proving to be a good replacement for Kensdale - he's not as vocal, and he's not as comfortable passing or bringing the ball out of defence.
Chuck in what also appeared to be a lack of effort/work ethic from one or two yesterday, and it's a recipe for disaster.
'Plan B' is a huge buzzword at the moment, but it's a distraction. The professional footballers that we have just need to get the basics right (which they didn't yesterday), and the club needs to recruit the right players to fit the ethos and identity. Changing systems, much like changing manager in October, is the antithesis of the stability that we need.
No manager is immovable, or immune to criticism, and Maher hasn't got every decision bang-on. Make no mistake, that was a worrying performance yesterday, and if it continues and plunges us into a dogfight then he will have very few excuses by that point.
But I think he has done more than enough to deserve the time to try to turn this around, and certainly deserves a proper run at things without a hand tied behind his back. Barely into October, 16th in the division and 5 or 6 points off a playoff challenge isn't the time to panic and wield the axe. If we're in a relegation battle in March, then questions will need to be asked, but even then, it's not going to be the magic wand that some on here seem to have convinced themselves that it will be.
I am also very much pro-what they are trying to do. There is an identity and a culture that they are trying to instil, and I'm glad for it. I don't want us lurching from one style of football, or type of manager, or type of player to another. What we need here is stability and continuity, foundations put in place, and for the club to be afforded the time and trust to get it right, even if it means no promotion challenge this season.
A late takeover, another transfer embargo, a disrupted pre-season are definitely a few contributing reasons (not "excuses") for our current predicament. Perhaps scouting did get a bit complacent and not enough work was done on adequate succession planning, but hopefully that will all get back on track.
Again, though - there will need to be patience. It's all well and good saying the club must support Maher to get signings in, but the right targets need to be available and at the right price. People are already picking up that some of the signings made so far have been a deviation from the type of player we've tried to sign in the past, and perhaps don't look like they are 100% fits - well, that's what happens when there is pressure from all quarters to "get bodies in".
I know there are some targets at the moment, but a slightly longer game is being played. Maher knows exactly what he wants, and maybe he's been given hope that one or two of them might become attainable in the near future. Perhaps conversations have already been had with agents. He's acknowledged time and time again that we're in transition and a degree of rebuilding is needed, and if he knows exactly who he wants and has reason to believe that he can attain them at some point soon, who are any of us to tell him he should sack them off and settle for someone who he sees as a less optimal fit? We've got the less optimal fits in now in Bonne, Moncur, etc. as short-term placeholders so that we had some more bodies, and people aren't happy about that.
Collin has lost his head. The unsettled defence, exarcerbated by the loss of Kensdale and Dave Martin, has exposed the weaknesses that I think were already in his game.
Crowther is not doing anything to suggest that he can step into Kendale's shoes.
Bridge is being completely crowded out of games.
Moncur looked like a luxury player, unable to get things going when the chips are down and everyone around him is playing ****.
Husin looks lost.
Even KAF has looked scared to do anything forward-thinking.
Bonne was unbelievably poor.
Walker probably the only bright spark.
That togetherness and cohesiveness is gone. It's disjointed, devoid of any leadership on the pitch, confidence is shot to pieces, body language isn't good, and our triangles and patterns of play have disappeared.
Maher wants us to keep possession of the ball, but I don't believe that he wants it to be ponderous sideways and backwards unless an intelligent forward pass genuinely isn't on, and we have to resort to going sideways/backwards to quickly recycle and pull the opposition about a bit.
The problem you then have with that style of play, is that a lack of confidence breeds risk aversion, and rather than risk losing the ball by attempting a forward pass, safe passes are being played instead. Like I said on the match thread, it's a form of hiding.
That's not to say that all the blame is on the ball carrier, though, because there also wasn't really enough good movement off the ball ahead of play for the ball carrier to pick out.
We did well against Solihull and Eastleigh because they gave us time and space. Maidenhead today, despite their league position, had a game plan. They pressed us high up the pitch and disrupted our build-up from the off, and were still sprinting to do so in the 80th minute. The way to mitigate that is to play through the press, and last season we had the personnel, structure and the confidence to do it. Kensdale and Miley were pivotal to us breaking the opposition press. Without them, we just can't seem to do it. Crowther is so far not proving to be a good replacement for Kensdale - he's not as vocal, and he's not as comfortable passing or bringing the ball out of defence.
Chuck in what also appeared to be a lack of effort/work ethic from one or two yesterday, and it's a recipe for disaster.
'Plan B' is a huge buzzword at the moment, but it's a distraction. The professional footballers that we have just need to get the basics right (which they didn't yesterday), and the club needs to recruit the right players to fit the ethos and identity. Changing systems, much like changing manager in October, is the antithesis of the stability that we need.
No manager is immovable, or immune to criticism, and Maher hasn't got every decision bang-on. Make no mistake, that was a worrying performance yesterday, and if it continues and plunges us into a dogfight then he will have very few excuses by that point.
But I think he has done more than enough to deserve the time to try to turn this around, and certainly deserves a proper run at things without a hand tied behind his back. Barely into October, 16th in the division and 5 or 6 points off a playoff challenge isn't the time to panic and wield the axe. If we're in a relegation battle in March, then questions will need to be asked, but even then, it's not going to be the magic wand that some on here seem to have convinced themselves that it will be.
I am also very much pro-what they are trying to do. There is an identity and a culture that they are trying to instil, and I'm glad for it. I don't want us lurching from one style of football, or type of manager, or type of player to another. What we need here is stability and continuity, foundations put in place, and for the club to be afforded the time and trust to get it right, even if it means no promotion challenge this season.
A late takeover, another transfer embargo, a disrupted pre-season are definitely a few contributing reasons (not "excuses") for our current predicament. Perhaps scouting did get a bit complacent and not enough work was done on adequate succession planning, but hopefully that will all get back on track.
Again, though - there will need to be patience. It's all well and good saying the club must support Maher to get signings in, but the right targets need to be available and at the right price. People are already picking up that some of the signings made so far have been a deviation from the type of player we've tried to sign in the past, and perhaps don't look like they are 100% fits - well, that's what happens when there is pressure from all quarters to "get bodies in".
I know there are some targets at the moment, but a slightly longer game is being played. Maher knows exactly what he wants, and maybe he's been given hope that one or two of them might become attainable in the near future. Perhaps conversations have already been had with agents. He's acknowledged time and time again that we're in transition and a degree of rebuilding is needed, and if he knows exactly who he wants and has reason to believe that he can attain them at some point soon, who are any of us to tell him he should sack them off and settle for someone who he sees as a less optimal fit? We've got the less optimal fits in now in Bonne, Moncur, etc. as short-term placeholders so that we had some more bodies, and people aren't happy about that.
Medway Blue
Trust chairman/glutton for punishment ⭐🦐
Yer Blues
Not Always Sarcastic ⭐🦐
Sigh. I genuinely don't know what point you are trying to make? Quoting 2 posts weeks apart without context.
I've never once said anything is a fact. Do you agree that Southend shouldn't have a problem attracting applicants, if the job was to come up?
I thought it obvious that I'm saying despite our current predicament, we are still an attractive prospect to some! At least I'd hope we were.
What's the point of the other post you have quoted from a couple of weeks back? I can't see me saying anything is a fact there?
Come on Mr chairman, don't be coy. You highlighting bits of my posts and then stuff from weeks ago last looks a little weird.
Entirely possible that the point is obvious and if it is apologies. Incredibly tired today and don't have the cognitive ability to see it this afternoon.
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