Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-3 Gateshead

[AlfaShrimper]

We currently play a back three. Why do you want four defenders? One of the main criticisms is that we’re not attacking enough

2 center half's.. full backs like gus and Ralph bombing on? Please tell me your not being serious?

 

[BEERMONSTER]

All the debate about playing a back 4 I find it interesting that Paul Clark expressed an opinion that he wasn't confident that we currently had any CB's in the Club that really know how to effectively play as a central two anyway! So if there was to be a change in tactics, with the current squad available in the Club his view is a back 4 doesn't fit

 

[NZamba Legend]

2 center half's.. full backs like gus and Ralph bombing on? Please tell me your not being serious?

Gus is playing very well in his current position. Are you being serious about moving our top scorer to full back?

 

[wiggy]

I think it was KM thy didn’t like Wes. Not just some of the supporters.

He didn't like Wes, he doesn't like Morton, does not like shooting, hates Jack Wood, loves Husin and Miley

 

[ms brush]

Yesterday was an all round poor show.
I cant criticise any one player, when the majority of the team had an all round bad, bad day. The team line up set us up for failure from the start. I think I could see what Kev was trying to do - knowing the defence is weaker than usual with no Ralph and no Taylor, playing 5 across the back and 1 upfront might seem a good idea on paper. However, unless you have players making runs down the channels consistently to pick up the flick on's, this tactic is doomed to failure. We are in a transition, as many of the players in last year's team have moved on or are injured, and whilst their replacements have the potential, and too many are in poor form, which means we are no longer a cohesive team. This is going to take time, as a rebuild is ongoing. Then, with some dodgy officialling, which you have to expect at this level, we were outfoxed, outplayed and we lost horribly. It was a difficult watch yesterday!

 

[NZamba Legend]

He didn't like Wes, he doesn't like Morton, does not like shooting, hates Jack Wood, loves Husin and Miley

If KM had built our team around Wood, Morton and Wes we would already be in NLS.

 

[barton west]

Gus is playing very well in his current position. Are you being serious about moving our top scorer to full back?

No to the right wing, with a full back behind him. And why should we play 4 at the back? Because we’re shipping goals like there’s no tomorrow.

 

[AlfaShrimper]

Gus is playing very well in his current position. Are you being serious about moving our top scorer to full back?

What did I literally say about full backs bombing on?? Great for Gus and he is doing amazing but he should not be who we rely on for goals realistically should he?

 

[AlfaShrimper]

He didn't like Wes, he doesn't like Morton, does not like shooting, hates Jack Wood, loves Husin and Miley

I can see why he hates Jack wood.

 

[IloveShrimp]

The reason we played so well last year, over performed perhaps, and with the Dunkirk spirit aside, was that we had the best defence in the league. Ralph, Kensdale, Taylor, with Miley forming a protective screen, and a confident goalkeeper behind them. Only one of those five played today, Collin, and it seems his confidence may be shot.
Didn’t see the game today, listened on the wireless. Those who say that it was a nonsense to start with only one up front are completely correct. And why Bonne, not Pepple?
I posted at length a few weeks ago that the departures of Cardwell and Kensdale, together with Miley’s injury, followed by poor recruitment, had turned us from an upper mid-table side into one that would flirt with relegation.
Where are we in the league right now?
A poster has asked what are the reasons why Gateshead are so much better than us. They have better players than us brought about by better recruitment, they play attacking football, and are miles ahead tactically.
For those who will point out that I wasn’t at the match today, I saw Gateshead twice last season,

All this talk about crowds dropping off. Let them. Like we should be held to ransom by people who stop going at the first sign of it not being as good as they like.

The atmosphere was far better in the siege days when these people didn't bother coming.

We had fewer people making panicky noises every time Collin does anything, or every time we recycle the ball to restart an attack, or every time a player slides for the ball. The nervous atmosphere now does this team no favours. This is the East Stand so I can't speak for South and West but it is noticeably different in the East now.

Collin didn't come for long balls that entered his penalty box twice in 3 minutes today. The second time was the first goal. He used to go for it even if high risk before. Now he has stopped. His confidence seems shot. We are a worse team for it.

Different GK coach could be having a negative effect on Collin?

 

[Strykr]

Correct, as they should, but I am still not going to care if the bandwagoners get upset. The core 5,000 who stuck with the club know who they are. We are the ones that deserve success.

Every time I read someone complain 'the fans will stop coming', I see it as a thinly veiled 'I will stop coming'.

i dont see it that way, i hate the floaters as much as the next man, could never get our normal seats when the team is doing well lol, but we need their cash to push forward.

 

[The General]

18 pages!? I know it was bad but jeez!

Now I have been lucky so far that I’d seen 2 2-0 wins and both we should have won by more and we were pretty decent both times. However, i appreciate that hasn’t been the whole story. Yesterday was pretty worrying. There is definetely something not right within the team. Now the clearest problem is we have no leader. Now I was never the best player (well actually ) but I would always class myself as a leader and would dish out “advice / encouragement / a moan / whatever I thought it would take” and there is absolutely NONE of that in this side. Now we are without 5 of our best players in Kensdale, Taylor, Ralph, Miley and Cards. And that leaves a huge hole. So im hoping once these guys are back (not Kens or Cards obv) it will massively help.

If this becomes a trend then there is defo cause for concern but im hoping we can chalk this as a one-off performance wise. It didn’t help the new guy at the back was pony and Bonne literally did sweet FA upfront.

Still a few drinks at the Hamlet and then a curry at the Shagor helped ease the worries away.