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

[palexander]

James I agree with you on Sawyer, but this one :stunned:. The manager switches the defence every match to try and keep Osei out of trouble. He works hard, seems like a really nice bloke but unless he improves very soon - when he gets released in the summer he will probably struggle to find another football league club.

Could you point out what he specifically did wrong today?

And considering Franno gave away the 2nd goal and Barrett the 3rd, it should be interesting reading.

Dunno why people give Osei a bad time. He isnt the greatest player sure, but he is steady and reliable and last season was a much better option than Francis for large parts.

 

[Medway Blue]

James I agree with you on Sawyer, but this one :stunned:. The manager switches the defence every match to try and keep Osei out of trouble. He works hard, seems like a really nice bloke but unless he improves very soon - when he gets released in the summer he will probably struggle to find another football league club.

I meant it from the point of view that we seem to have a different 'worst player on the team' every week. Admittedly, Osei isn't the most technically gifted player in the team. He impressed me at Brentford the other week but seemed average tonight. But he shouldn't have automatically been expected to f-up after Sawyer's pass. He is a professional footballer for a reason.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Ok, I'll start with my ratings and then move onto my general feelings from tonight...

Mildenhall: 7, Some cracking double saves, didn't do a lot wrong at all.
Barrett: 6, At fault for their 3rd goal but didn't put another foot desperately wrong.
Francis: 4, Not a Centre Back. Can't pass.
Sankofa: 4, Not a Footballer. Can't do anything.
Friend: 7, Much, much better this evening. Great link up play with Moussa and great free kick.
Macca: 7, ran things from central midfield, tried to create but couldn't get the pass right. Much improved.
Grant: 6, Solid, but everything was backwards and no invention.
Laurent: 5.5, I'll talk about him later
Moussa: 8.5, MOM - Finally, a player who runs at defenders, quick feet, great passing, good crosses. He tried so hard to make it work, but couldn't do it on her own.
Freedman: 5, Needn't have bothered... I can get the ball and fall over a lot.
Barnard: 6, toiled and worked hard, but made nothing and got frustrated.

Subs: Sawyer, 6.5, Tried, but amounted to nothing.

It'd be unfair to rate the rest, not enough time.

Tonight, I might as well have stayed in... Especially in the second half, I've seen more expansive football played in my toilet bowl by a floater and my ****. Left deflated by a dodgy decision, the side responded well and looked like getting back into the game long before Friend whipped in the free kick. It was then that we should've capitalised on the momentum we had forged but just couldn't create anything into the box. Freedman was guilty as anybody, he was absolutely anonymous in the first half.

Special mention to Franck Moussa tonight. I can't praise the lad highly enough... In a squad where invention is little and it was falling down around him, he stayed composed, collected the ball, and constantly troubled their right back and whipped in the right type of cross for a centre forward to run onto... It's such a shame we don't have one at the moment.

The second half was a totally different story. No invention whatsoever, a tragic half of football played by a team chasing a goal with absolutely no idea how to score one. I don't think i've witnessed such a fruitless half of football in my life. Invention is a must, and only Moussa looks capable of threading a pass through a defence. The smart decision would be to give Franck a try in the centre, but Tilson hasn't the balls to do so.

On to the farce at RB/CB tonight. Just what in gods name was Tilson thinking? Francis is as much as a Centre Back as I am a f*cking millionaire. He just can't cope with the pressure there and was hugely at fault for their second goal. Crumbled under any pressure and was woeful with the ball. Sankofa... Words fail me. Whilst he was solid, I guess, he gave the ball away everytime he attempted a pass. The whole world was screaming for Tilson to swap the two, but he was far too scared of Lambert dominating the air... Which he was doing from the first whistle anyway.

People talk about these rare things that occur miraculously... Francis Laurent having a diamond display on the wing. I can only compare them to a Free Money Giveaway... As I can't actually validate their existence as they only seem to occur once in a blue moon and never when I'm around. Showed glimpses of quality, but they were few and far between and gave the ball away far too often without accomplishing anything.

In summary, Somethings not right with the team. The players we have should be performing a damn sight better than they are currently and it's quite clear the problem is at Centre Back and in Centre midfield. We're crying out for M'voto to return and a little bit of invention in midfield... Every pass tonight was backwards and Southampton just sat back and absorbed every ounce of pressure easily.

I'll just say a word about Southampton. Their midfield is everything ours wants to be. Quick, Intuitive, Inventive, Expansive and bred on a familiarity that can only be found on a consistent, starting 4 or 5 players that understand eachother. A different class to our shower.

 

[Medway Blue]

Could you point out what he specifically did wrong today?

And considering Franno gave away the 2nd goal and Barrett the 3rd, it should be interesting reading.

Dunno why people give Osei a bad time. He isnt the greatest player sure, but he is steady and reliable and last season was a much better option than Francis for large parts.

Ha! I like this bit. He's the new Lewis Hunt!

 

[bazzashrimper]

To be fair, a cursory glance at the back of the programme shows the massive difference between the size of Southampton's squad and out own.

Good point, I was chatting with someone about that at half time - they have 5 goalkeepers, we have 5 fit defenders. They sign Lambert for £1m and a guy from Fiorentina on loan, we have to loan out 3 players to get O'Donovon and Friend in for a month. Massive gap -and probably why 3 of Dirty Leeds, Charlton, Norwich and Saints will be promoted this season during the recession

 

[palexander]

Ha! I like this bit. He's the new Lewis Hunt!

Was going to put it in the post, but I thought it was unfair on Hunt - no matter how much I praise Osei, he'll never reach Lewis' level ;)

 

[Medway Blue]

Was going to put it in the post, but I thought it was unfair on Hunt - no matter how much I praise Osei, he'll never reach Lewis' level ;)

I love Lewis Hunt. I like Osei, but I do think Hunt was better. What was the point of ditching Hunt and getting Osei in!? Bet Osei's on higher wages than Lewis was.

 

[palexander]

I love Lewis Hunt. I like Osei, but I do think Hunt was better. What was the point of ditching Hunt and getting Osei in!? Bet Osei's on higher wages than Lewis was.

Exactly - and Hunt could play in midfield.

I'd take Hunt, Bentley and Gray back at the moment! :D

 

[Medway Blue]

Exactly - and Hunt could play in midfield.

I'd take Hunt, Bentley and Gray back at the moment! :D

Definitely! Jokes aside, with Bentley, he might not have been the most technically gifted footballer in the world, but he was a physical presence in there and we didn't get bullied in midfield half as much as we do now compared to when he played.

 

[EastStandBlue]

We don't get bullied in midfield, we just get complete outclassed...

 

[TBV_Dan]

For me today, Mildenhall had a supurb game, despite three goals going past him, without him it would have easily been more. His double save in the first half was beyond class, it was spectacular, top, top draw save - (Milds - 9 - MOTM)

Defence: Very poor and was the main reason why we let in three goals imo. Friend's free-kick was pure class, he had a decent game today, sankofa put in the efforts tonight, but the sooner mvoto is fit and back in the squad and francis is back at right back, the better imo - (Defence - 5.5 - 6)

Midfield: Midfield had a very lively game, Laurent had a lively game on the right wing, hope he stays out there tbh, Mousse had a decent game on the left as well, and macca was lively until he was taken off - (Midfield rating - 8)

Strikers: Strikers had a few chances to shine, but were kept reasonably quiet tbh. Sawyer injected some speed and pace into the front line when he was brought on, and he troubled the southampton defence and created more chances - (Strikers - 6.5)

Referee & Officials: What the hell was he thinking with that first goal, what went on? Couldnt see properly what happened, but he was poor all night imo - (Officials - 3.5)

TBV: Was absalutely fantastic tonight as always, the "we'll be coming" chant sounds really fantastic, and it is slowly catching on with supporters. Support was unbelieveable, especially in the last 20 mins, where we sung our hearts out until the final whistle, and beyond! Supurb support - (TBV - 9)


Couple of moments that stood out to me in the match:

Southampton's controversial first goal - just what happened there?

Friend's Free Kick - What a strike, thought francis was going to hit it, was suprised when Friend took it, but seconds later, I was jumping about the stand for joy! Supurb!

The referee booking one of the Southampton players for diving inside the southend box to try and win a penalty - isnt it nice when decisions go our way! :)


Lets bounce back from this defeat, and get back on track against Bristle Rovers this weekend, UTB!

 

[Andy_S]

Another thing that probably isn't helping us, looking through the records, is the fact that in our 15 games this season we have had 5 different strike partnerships. In fact the longest pairing we've had was the 3 games in which O'Donovan was alongside Barnard. Can we reach double figures in strike partnerships by the end of the season?

 

[bazzashrimper]

Could you point out what he specifically did wrong today?

And considering Franno gave away the 2nd goal and Barrett the 3rd, it should be interesting reading.

Dunno why people give Osei a bad time. He isnt the greatest player sure, but he is steady and reliable and last season was a much better option than Francis for large parts.

I said in my ratings that I didn't think he did do too badly today PB - certainly ratings of 3 on here are just finding a scapegoat. IMHO Osei is not tall enough to be a centre back when playing against 2 big forwards. Tonight (Edit: Due to two big forwards) Tilly switched the defence to put Francis at CB - where an out of position Francis made a mistake for the 2nd goal and didn't help Barrett out on the 3rd. From right back Osei adds very little going forward (although defensively he is certainly decent enough when the ball is on the floor) - hence vs Brentford & Stockport against weaker attacking units he was CB. He is a utility defender - but even the management team seem to feel he is limited.

 

[Firestorm]

I am not going to do numbers but I thought Mildy did well. From my position in the SU he had both hands on top of a stationary ball when it was kicked.
Freedman did very well in conning the ref to get the freekick which Friend scored , which, imho, was up there with Whelan vs bristol city.
Francis should never have been moved inside, we lost our way a bit when he was not wide, and as for their 2nd, I feel that as he moved towards the ball to clear it it was all set up for his right foot, but as he got there the ref stepped across in front of him so any rightfooted clearance would have struck him, he made an adjustment and cleared with his left which was never going far given the conditions underfoot and his position.
Moussa was head and Shoulders above every other player in a blue shirt.
Laurents crap twin brother got to the boots first this week..
Barney was not 100% and was picked out as the real dangerman and taken care of
Sankofa scares me in a way I have not experienced since Mark Hone.

I would like to have seen O'Donovan brought on instead of the strange piece of garden furniture the groundsman decided might look nice towards the end

 

[Medway Blue]

We don't get bullied in midfield, we just get complete outclassed...

We get outclassed AND bullied. All of our central midfielders are bundled off the ball easily and don't break-up attacks robustly enough.

Four years ago, you could often tell that many opposition midfields, Maher apart, were more technically gifted than ours. But the gap in quality was nullified most of the time by Bentley's muscle. We did the bullying, which leveled the playing field. We don't see that anymore.

 

[Andy_S]

Something which I forgot to post, but will sign out with. Can I just say that the double save Mildenhall produced from Lallana in the first half was top, top drawer. Fantastic keeping.

That is all.

 

[Medway Blue]

Something which I forgot to post, but will sign out with. Can I just say that the double save Mildenhall produced from Lallana in the first half was top, top drawer. Fantastic keeping.

That is all.

Boy was it. That was excellence exemplified. Someone near to me complained that he spilled the first one, but how hard must it be to hold a shot like that in those conditions!?

 

[bazzashrimper]

The second save was absolute quality ;)

 

[Jai]

Hmm, what a grim evening. Individually, given the conditions, none of them stood out as being particularly poor. As a team unit, it was awful. Defence went wandering, keeper spilling things, no cutting edge up front and totally bossed out of midfield for most of the game. Saints were no great shakes either, but did what they needed to do by stopping us playing and giving us no space at all. The really annoying thing was that technically we played some good stuff, but the basics, the simple stuff, we just couldn't do it.

Ratings

Mildenhall 6 - Spilled the original chance that lead to the first goal. Regardless of what happened next, keepers are paid to hold them.

Sankofa 7 - Apart from when the entire defensive unit went on walkabouts for the third goal, he did alright after an alarmingly poor start.

Francis 6 - Hmmm. Distribution today was awful. Can do so much better.

Barrett 7 - Pick of the defence tonight.

Friend 7 - Good free kick. Got forward and then... well... ran out of ideas.

Grant 6 - Spent too much time in the first half sliding around. Gave very basic passes away.

McCormack 8 - MOTM. The only player who really seemed to get grips with the conditions and the situations we found ourselves in. Much better than in previous games.

Laurent 7 -Dangerous in the first half, his star faded in the second half once Saints had sussed out he was our danger man.

Moussa 8 - Best player in the second half, at least was prepared to run at players and take the odd offensive risk.

Freedman 7 - Felt a bit sorry for him really. Put a load of workrate in, but nothing worked for him.

Barnard 6 -Scuffed a simple looking chance early on. But marked out of the game.

subs.

Sawyer 7 - Injected a bit of lie, but no one, nowhere seemed to want the ball.

O'Donovan 7 - Tried to find space and make runs. I think it was he who put a late chance wide.

Christophe 6 - Too late to make an impace.

Management team. What do they do? Limited resources, limited squad. Really disappointed to hear a few "Tilson Out" comments from the East Greens towards the end. I think they picked the right team and gave Sawyer enough time to make an impact. But today highlighted just how difficult it is competing in this league with such a limited pool of talent. What changes can they make for next week. Well, none really. And that's the problem.

An excellent post. I agree individually apart from one or two we were decent but the defending for the second and third goals was criminal - you can't afford to be that poor at the back when you're as bad as we are going forward.

But it all harks back to what you said at the end. The game-killing third would never have gone in with two natural centre halves playing. Our tiny squad size is starting to bite, and we've not even hit winter yet.

 

[turkishm]

Good point, I was chatting with someone about that at half time - they have 5 goalkeepers, we have 5 fit defenders. They sign Lambert for £1m and a guy from Fiorentina on loan, we have to loan out 3 players to get O'Donovon and Friend in for a month. Massive gap -and probably why 3 of Dirty Leeds, Charlton, Norwich and Saints will be promoted this season during the recession

Hit the nail on the head there. As bad as some players were last night most will get a game next week, because Tilson has no option but to just play them again, and hope for the best. That i dont think is going change, for the forseable future,lets get to 53 or 54 points and stay up, for me thats the target.