Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-1 Hartlepool United

[yogi bear up the cagire]

From what I heard last night I can at least see some light at the end of the tunnel of recent form. In truth, if that game had occured during our unbeaten run, we'd of all been delighted with the performance, ruing our luck and maintaining a high degree of confidence about the rest of the season.
So, last night we reverted to 4-3-3 or was it 4-5-1??? ............anyway, it wasn't 4-2-2 which we have looked so uncomfortable with against Mansfield and Exeter. When we get O'Neill and especially Prosser back (why didn't PB get a loanee in for him?) and continue to play like last night, we can expect normal service to be continued, in terms of better results. The big question for me is, What about Barnard??? I can't believe we will revert to a system to suit him again....
..........so. Is Barnard capable of playing the loan striker to relieve Corr? Is there another role he can play? (PB seems very adept at remodelling players in different positions) He hasn't sounded particularly sharp in the games he's played and we surely can't risk playing him again, with the hope that some long distant form will be re-kindled. How will Southampton view his probable lack of use? I have nothing against Barnard but rather like Freddy, memories are not sufficient to put points on the board. I hope that we don't look back, at the end of the season and point to the games against Mansfield and Exeter, as ones that ruined our promotion prospects.

 

[CMRandall92]

More positives than negatives last night. Felt like a loss and is one of those games I will never understand how we didn't leave with 3 points. Few points just wanted to express reading this. Firstly Timlin should not be dropped it was his best game in ages however that mistake was criminal he had more than a split second as some said he could have easily played it out for a throw instead of picking out their lad with a pin point pass. Great finish mind. Secondly can we stop giving false hope that Eastwood still has anything about him. Your reminiscing on a legend who sadly isn't that good anymore, he's past it. Penultimately, would like to see Laird get a start and rest what I believe is a leggy Hurst, with Atkinson pushed wide. Finally PB said he wanted a fox in the box type on the pitch to get some of the chances that weren't dropping surely that is Barnard in a nutshell but he stayed on the bench.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

We went back to the formation that put us on a long unbeaten run and we looked much much better. We created a hell of a lot of chances and could easily have scored 5 goals. How at least 3 of those efforts in the second half didn't go in is beyond me.

I've never been Strakers fave fan but he made the difference last night. Always willing to run at defenders, always an outlet. Had a shot either half of the game and both hit the bar and could so easily have gone in

 

[Jcd]

You NEVER go across your own goal. You get taught that at U8's. Drop-able offence.

Yep, Rule 1 of defending.

 

[borientater]

Not seen any mention of Hurst's embarrassing dive in the box near the end :smile: loved the scream that went with it !

 

[RobM]

Yes - that was a bit embarrassing! No yellow card though. Maybe his rating should have been 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.9...

 

[Jay_SUFC]

By "unlucky", I meant it was the only mistake he made all night. Phillips has made mistake after mistake the last few games and got away with it often. I don't feel it's fair to blame Timlin for that last night, he should never have had to attempt that clearance because it was a clear foul on Lenny which should have been given before it!

Ok I take that back then :smile:

Agree that he did play well, but it was something that could have been avoided.

Yes it should have been a free-kick, still can't understand why the referee was claiming it was a coming together, though to be fair they should have had a penalty in the first half as Phillips, think it was him, clearly pulled their player back

 

[davewebbsbrain]

By "unlucky", I meant it was the only mistake he made all night. Phillips has made mistake after mistake the last few games and got away with it often. I don't feel it's fair to blame Timlin for that last night, he should never have had to attempt that clearance because it was a clear foul on Lenny which should have been given before it!

Totally Timlin to blame, could have put it out for a corner, could have turned and put it out for a throw. Why he played it across goal I'll never know and it cost us the win. Phillips may have made mistakes but how many of those mistakes cost us points?

 

[united we stand]

Our problem is very very simple------ Hurst. We are simply too reliant on him . We have scored 39 goals, he has scored 10 of those and has 8 assists, so he is directly involved in at least 50% of our goals. Some how we need him to find his form , or we need to change 'something' that means we are no longer so dependent on him . Unfortunately I don't know the answer and it doesn't look like Brown does either except to keep persevering, and hoping that Hurst comes good. He did one brilliant gut busting run last night in the first half, but that was to track a player back (who then went past him very easily). I felt sorry for Straker last night, it was one of his best ever games IMO and he should not have come off. When he is actually winning headers you know its going to be one of his 'good games'

 

[united we stand]

By "unlucky", I meant it was the only mistake he made all night. Phillips has made mistake after mistake the last few games and got away with it often. I don't feel it's fair to blame Timlin for that last night, he should never have had to attempt that clearance because it was a clear foul on Lenny which should have been given before it!

OBL, you are digging a hole . Its a fact that he made a mistake , its a fact that the mistake cost us 2 points.

The foul, if it was one is irrelevant- you play to the whistle . Yes Philips probably made more mistakes last night, but (fortuantely) we were not punished by them . I like Timlin and I think he knows more than anyone what a bad mistake it was (his reaction said everything) . I would still rather have him in the team than on the bench, but I can't find any excuses for him, it was a bad error when there were other options open to him

 

[davewebbsbrain]

OBL, you are digging a hole . Its a fact that he made a mistake , its a fact that the mistake cost us 2 points.

The foul, if it was one is irrelevant- you play to the whistle . Yes Philips probably made more mistakes last night, but (fortuantely) we were not punished by them . I like Timlin and I think he knows more than anyone what a bad mistake it was (his reaction said everything) . I would still rather have him in the team than on the bench, but I can't find any excuses for him, it was a bad error when there were other options open to him

Agree totally. The problem with mistakes that cost us is every good thing a player does up until the mistake is forgotten

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Unlucky; are you serious!!!

There was nothing unlucky about it, it was a shocking mistake and a schoolboy error to clear the ball across your own goal, especially when the touchline was about 5 yards to his left.

Sorry, but he cost us 2 points last night.

Uhhhh... that and five near things that on another night would have been goals. Oh yeah, and fantastic Pool defending, and another pudding of a pitch that sapped energy, and the lack of Luke Prosser. Shall I go on?
Timlin cost us two points? Pay attention at the back.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Totally Timlin to blame, could have put it out for a corner, could have turned and put it out for a throw. Why he played it across goal I'll never know and it cost us the win. Phillips may have made mistakes but how many of those mistakes cost us points?

Totallly Timlin to blame for the situation in Ukraine, world hunger, and the lack of free tartare sauce at The Fish House as well the humorless steward who wouldn't let me through the gate with my fish and chips even though wrapped up and in my pocket.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Uhhhh... that and five near things that on another night would have been goals. Oh yeah, and fantastic Pool defending, and another pudding of a pitch that sapped energy, and the lack of Luke Prosser. Shall I go on?
Timlin cost us two points? Pay attention at the back.

So, had Timlin not made that schoolboy error and everything stayed consistent after that last night, what would the score have been? I know things would have been totally different had that not happened, Hartlepool would have pushed on more etc etc but the facts speak for themselves. That mistake cost us the goal, irrelevant of how many times we hit the bar, the ball stopped on the line etc etc conceding that goal meant 14 point and not 3 points

 

[tia]

Timlin did indeed make a mistake but to drop him just for that would be very harsh.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Timlin did indeed make a mistake but to drop him just for that would be very harsh.

I agree. As I said before, everything else gets forgotten. He played really well up until that point then after tried a bit too hard which pretty much took him out of the game

 

[tia]

I agree. As I said before, everything else gets forgotten. He played really well up until that point then after tried a bit too hard which pretty much took him out of the game

Your certainly right when you say that one mistake and all the good things a player does in a game get completely forgotten,i always think goalkeepers suffer very badly from this,as their mistakes very often lead to a goal being conceded.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Phil, Phillips gave away a penalty that Bentley saved recently and actually should have been penalised for another last night! I don't hear calls for him being dropped yet he's been a real liability!

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Phil, Phillips gave away a penalty that Bentley saved recently and actually should have been penalised for another last night! I don't hear calls for him being dropped yet he's been a real liability!

The player missed the penalty...

And when should Phillips have been penalised last night?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Phil, Phillips gave away a penalty that Bentley saved recently and actually should have been penalised for another last night! I don't hear calls for him being dropped yet he's been a real liability!

The player missed the penalty...

And when should Phillips have been penalised last night?

As Farmdog said for the first point regarding the penalty, it was saved so no conversation to be had. If the shot from Timlins's mistake had gone wide, we wouldn't be having this conversation either. If Bentley hadn't saved the penalty we would be having a different conversation about Phillips.

That said, I think Phillips is woeful and I would have dropped him a long time ago, we badly miss Prosser. I also think Timlin had a good game up until his mistake and shouldn't be dropped. The point is that mistake cost us 2 points due to what happened from the mistake and there's no getting past it