Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-0 Plymouth Argyle

[eastling]

You bought an away shirt???? really????????:omg:

The away shirt was chosen by PB to remind him of Hull City and help the team ** think ** they are Premier League during away games I'm sure!

 

[adambarrettismyfather]

My feedback, on a negative note, is only that Reid didn't chase down either often enough or with any real conviction; he was only on for 25 minutes and SHOULD have gone at it as Fred and (especially) BBBC had shown that their defence didn't react well when hassled constantly.

fair point, it might be down to his fitness as i dont know what kind of pre season he has had, but yeah, he didnt seem to be harrying as much as fred and bbbc were

 

[fredheim_holm]

Good team performance, clearly well drilled, always looking for the pass with Laird & Corr finding space well. Played with good width and overlapped well down the left, looked solid down the right.

Bentley 7 — Looked very assured and solid in goal, made a few smart saves when called upon with little fuss. Generally good kicking except for a few that were difficult to deal with. Be very happy with him as number 1.
White 7 — Looked solid, passed it around well, good signing.
Phillips 7 — Looked solid, always worried about his pace but played well today.
Prosser 7 — Solid and between him and Phillips hardly gave Plymouth a sniff.
Coker 8 — Linked up with Straker really well, looked decent defensively and able going forward.
Atkinson 7.5 — Did really well both going forwards and backwards, an astute signing.
Leonard 7 — Played well, a handy player both at both ends, put his foot in well, lost the ball a few times but is to be expected when we try and knock it around.
Laird 7.5 — Dominated and dictated the midfield, popped up everywhere. Could be a key player this season.
Straker 7.5 — Pleasantly surprised by Anto. Some nice touches, good combination with Coker, seems much more suited at left midfield. Will never be a world beater but played good football and ran at the right back which is what we want to see. Wrote him off last year but could play a decent role for us this year on today's evidence.
Eastwood 7 — Worked his socks off, nice touches as per usual, can tell he is a cut above this level, only negative would be not getting into any goalscoring positions today, but sure that will come again in time.
Corr 8 — Superb performance from the big man, battled well and a great touch to hold it up and lay it off. Found space well.

Sub's:
Reid 6 — Hard to rate as didn't do much, decent control but should have laid the ball off a bit quicker on a couple of occasions. Got into a good position at one point and could have been stronger when in on goal late on. Give him a few games to get up to speed and then see how he does.
Clifford n/a — Not on long enough to make any real impact, chased down well.

Overall a very enjoyable afternoon, we didn't create a lot but were clearly the better side as the better organised, fitter and more hardworking outfit. Pitch looked top notch to. A speedy striker (Forte?) and a decent defender (maybe a loan?) and I'd be quite happy with the base of the squad.

 

[Sherif H]

Straker 4. Oh dear. Will be, I fear, the pantomine villain for us. One Usain Bolt in first half which won us a corner but was too sloppy which on another day might have cost us.

You can't have been at the game today. Either that, or you are simply fishing for an argument. Best I have seen Straker play in a Blue shirt - his pace and willingness to chase a lost cause will be invaluable in that advanced position.

 

[Shrimpin]

Sorry what was the attendance

 

[Sherif H]

Sorry what was the attendance

About 7050 I believe.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

You can't have been at the game today. Either that, or you are simply fishing for an argument. Best I have seen Straker play in a Blue shirt - his pace and willingness to chase a lost cause will be invaluable in that advanced position.

I have to agree his harrassing and chasing were fab. He looks better up field. Is that because his mistakes are less costly? He had bags of energy today but his thought process and decision making really let him down. He got into so may good positions then made terrible passes

 

[North Paddock Blue]

fair point, it might be down to his fitness as i dont know what kind of pre season he has had, but yeah, he didnt seem to be harrying as much as fred and bbbc were

What he did do more than BBC and Eastwood was hold the ball up which was what he was brought on to do as Tango was cumbusting in 2nd half at the way the ball was not being held up!

 

[BenfleetDan]

Impressive start

Well done to the Blues today and what a performance with every player fighting for every ball for 90 minutes which makes a refreshing change from the last few seasons. For me the difference in the attitude and style of play was refreshing from the dross we have seen over the last few years. Finally we have a team and manager that want to play down the wings and fight for each other instead of each other! My only complaint was the lack of pace up front which I am sure PB will correct in the coming weeks. On another note the atmosphere in Block W was great and a throw back to the old days

 

[Sherif H]

I have to agree his harrassing and chasing were fab. He looks better up field. Is that because his mistakes are less costly? He had bags of energy today but his thought process and decision making really let him down. He got into so may good positions then made terrible passes

I suspect that will come - must be a real culture shock switching from full-back to left sided attacker, and consequently, more thought must go into his passing in those advanced areas of influence.

 

[Swiss Tony]

Well he clearly is a villain in your eyes, what did he do, run over your cat?

I thought that was his best game since he's been at the club, he was instrumental in the goal and several other decent moves. He linked up well with and covered for Coker when necessary and gave 100% all game.

In fact for me he ran Laird or Corr close as man of the match!

Can't see how he deserves less than a 7 - give the guy a break for goodness sake and judge him on his performance today, not his overall record since we signed him.

Agree with this the bloke had a terrific match,keep it going,very impressive.

 

[Blues 'n twos]

Not a fan of Straker after some dismal performances last season, but credit where due, today he worked well with Coker and worked his socks off.
Best I've seen him play, hope he keeps improving.

Good team performance, made Plymouth look ordinary.

 

[alexg18]

I honestly thought Straker put in a decent performance, couple of loose passes but then who doesn't do that but his run set up the goal and he and Coker linked up really well. Solid performance, needed the second goal which would have killed them off although Plymouth were a poor side. Good start to the season, looking forward to Yeovil on Tuesday

 

[Always a Shrimper]

Straker for me had a very good game linking up with Coker well. Get off his back, never a 4. :thumbsup:

 

[Chaucer]

Well done to the Blues today and what a performance with every player fighting for every ball for 90 minutes which makes a refreshing change from the last few seasons. For me the difference in the attitude and style of play was refreshing from the dross we have seen over the last few years. Finally we have a team and manager that want to play down the wings and fight for each other instead of each other! My only complaint was the lack of pace up front which I am sure PB will correct in the coming weeks. On another note the atmosphere in Block W was great and a throw back to the old days

agreed on the last point - not being a north bank convert I thought that the atmosphere sounded much better from where i was in the east - the blue voice or whatever they are now were very centralised in block w and this improved the atmosphere. I swear we have done better when they have been there as opposed to the north bank. Do we really need to go back to the north? - it hardly helped us last season did it?

On a team note - all played well - whoever said straker deserved a 4 was not at the same game I was. A few wayward passes aside in the last half hour, he was twice the player he was last year!

 

[Ricky Otto]

I'm not going to get carried away after just one win but PB is doing exactly what all the fans that wanted to see the back of Sturrock wanted, playing football. It has been a long time since I've been on here and seen such positivity in the way we have played. I was one of the few that liked the Brown appointment and am happy to see he seems to have won over quite a few doubters. Not expecting great things this season but I do think we will be entertained and PB will get the best out of these players. Well done PB

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Hardworking, solid and very well organised. Looking back to last season we dominated Accrington but lost 1-0. Today was pleasantly surprising, the fitness levels were excellent and some players who struggled under Brown last season looked very good today- Straker and Laird in particular.
Both full backs very solid and I think the point Brown made post match about players moving around and being able to swap positions shows that the small squad can still work and achieve things this season.
I think maybe against the better teams (and Plymouth are certainly not in that group) we may need a bit more craft and perhaps some pace up top (Forte may provide this if he signs), and a better final ball but the signs are very encouraging.

 

[ian180]

Not really looking forward to today, and nearly did not go. season ticket problems (again) so had to sort it on the day of the game (again) However, glad I went, as one of the best performances seen at home for a long time. every player put in a good performance, with commitment in abundance throughout. No way was Straker a 4, best performance i've seen from him. Actually looking forward to the next game

 

[Neil 24]

Straker did well imo just another target thats all. Well done to him and all at the hall today wot a crowd me and my father had a few bit merry ha ha

 

[fbm]

What impressed me most was our fitness and work rate. Plymouth were a good outfit with pace, height and strength going forward and we kept a clean sheet. Morgan and Reid for them will be a potent strike force in this league and I don't reckon many teams will shut them out.

Huge positives - the crowd, the style, the performances... I'm really looking forward to next Tuesdays game with Yeovil and in fact all the upcoming games. Considering going to Chesterfield as well!

Ratings

Bentley - 6 - Made some decent saves but his distribution was very poor. If that had been Smith he would have been ripped to pieces. Aside from that, a good clean sheet for the future England keeper...

White - 6 - An ok performance, nothing special. To be honest, he doesn't really seem like a captain to me. But he was steady enough.
Coker - 8.5 - MOM - Best left back performance since Chris Powell. I really like this guy.
Phillips - 8 - Did well against two big lumps, barely put a foot wrong.
Prosser - 7.5 - Shaky start but then was as good as Phillips. A big improvement on last year.

Atkinson - 7.5 - Excellent second half in particular - took a while getting into the game. He could be a real crowd pleaser.
Laird - 7 - Steady, didn't win as much in the air as he should bearing in mind his height, but played his part and set up the goal
Leonard - 7 - The only one for me who maybe started to look a bit leggy late on. Solid performance though.
Straker - 8 - Pick of the midfield. If he had been a debutant, we would have all been raving about him. Top marks to PB in utilising his strength, which is mainly his pace.

Corr - 8 - Worked tirelessly, scored, on way to legend status.
Eastwood - 7 - You can see the difference from last year but this type of thing isn't really his game. Great touches and nearly scored from a free kick.

Subs - Reid - 6 - Obviously off the pace and needs to catch up fitness wise. Some nice touches though.
Clifford - 6 - Barely touched the ball.

Ref - 8 - I thought he played advantage superbly on a couple of occasions. One of the better ones we've had.