Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 2-2 Swindon Town

[Tilson_Blues]

lets be fair movoto played to get game time because the col u lads cant play v col u my ratings though are


mildy 8
malone 7
francis 1st half 3 second half 7
barret 7
baldwin 9
movoto 4

moussa 2
grant 6
christophe 6

laurent 8
vernon 9 (motm for me)

subs:
scannell(was he playing till 89th??? 6)
spencer 7 good prospect
herd 6 didnt do anything and people were saying him instead of mouse they dont play same position????

tilly 7 rather than critesise like everyone likes to do there second goal was a good 3 yards off side movoto had to be tried as all we have for col u
if he stuck 4-4 2 all season hes to predictable well done for trying something diff and making quick change at ht when it didnt work imo

 

[ibwiajwa]

The first half was nowhere near as bad as it is being portrayed.

I think you're probably on your own with that one. However, I feel very positive this morning because the awful first half led to a change of formation that gave us a side that looked balanced, solid and threatening. The reasons IMO are:
1) Moussa coming off. He has seemed untouchable this season and yet has given little. He doesn't give us enough width when he plays on the left and hasn't managed to stake a claim as a central midfielder. It's a shame as he was so good last year but he couldn't find a blue shirt with a pass today and we looked better without him. He needs to spend some time on the bench and fight for his place.
2) Herd coming on. I watched Stoke v Arsenal the other day and watched the damage caused by Rory Delap's throw-in. At a time when we are finding goals to come by it made sense to add that attacking threat. He looked solid and is frankly a more skillful player than Malone. It allowed us to switch to a 433 at times with Malone on the left of midfield whilst Scannell went forward. I can't help thinking that we could try Malone on the left side of midfield in a 442 with Herd at LB giving us two genuine left footers on the LHS of the pitch.
3) Baldwin at the back. Top bloke. OK, he may have had a hand in the second goal against us but he made it up at the other end. The most encouraging thing for me was that he can play with Barrett. Hope we sign him. I haven't felt that comfortable with a central defender's performance since Dervitte.
4) Playing two players up front that complemented each other. Vernon and Spencer had a look of the Barney-Freedman combination that was cut short by injury last year. Vernon wins the flick-ons and Spencer is alert to the runs made by both him and the wingers. Laurent up front is not the answer and I hope that Tilson abandons that one now.
5) Christophe and Malone in the middle. You know what? They looked pretty good together. Christophe tackling well and Malone getting in there at the business end of the pitch. He did really well there and showed more creativity than we have been getting of late.
6) Scannell playing the early pass into the middle. The moment he did this he set up Spencer for a header that wasn't far off. Believe, Scannell, Believe!!
If we go for a formation closer to that one we'll get out of this yet!

 

[watchtheballboys]

They do say it is a game of two......

I have mentioned this before in that I have a lot of time for Tilly, he has done so much for this club but the formation at the start of this game was once again WRONG!

Our players are not of the standard of Prem teams and do not have the qualities to carry off what Tilly has been trying over the last few games. If we had gone 4:4:2 against Wycombe last week we would have won for sure!

The players were clearly not comfortable with it and if he intended to play Vernon and Laurent upfront then it was always going to be the case that Laurent would drift out wide and leave a lone striker.

It is little wonder there was once again derisive laughter during the first half and boos at the end of it. The defensive errors were atrocious and we deserved to be more than 2.0 down to be fair to Swindon. OK Laurent did hit the crossbar with a flash of positive skill but he did make it a little more difficult for himself by cutting inside instead of shooting first time when through on goal.

The second half was far better and it worked even without Macca and thank goodness Tilly finally decided to take off the Mousse, he was ineffectial throughout the first half as he has been for most of the season in my view. The half-time substitutions, for whatever reason, worked and we looked far more positive, the players seemed comfortable with it and the crowd reacted positively!

Mildy played reasonably well throughout, apart from one error when kicking in the first half, the back four looked far more balanced in the second after a terrible showing in the first. M'Voto had a nightmare in the first half and let's hope that is just down to lack of first team action and he will get back to where he was before injury.

Baldwin looked jittery but what to expect when players come in at the last minute, he was much better in the second and scored a good goal.

Spencer and Vernon worked upfront and Malone moving forward into a more midfield role also gave us better balance.

Scannell did better in the second half with a good cross for the goal although I thought it had just gone out before he played it across. Laurent continues to be very frustrating, never seems to look up and for every good run there seems to be 3 or 4 'what the hell is he doing moments'....he needs to learn when to release the ball.
Christophe also needs to realise he can pass to other players not just Laurent!

I did not expect us to get back into the game so well done the Blues.......

Baldwin and Vernon will be missed against Colchester but please Tilly be brave, give it a go and set it up with the same players or certainly the same formation in the next few games.

We might then have a chance.......

 

[OldBlueLady]

2) Herd coming on. I watched Stoke v Arsenal the other day and watched the damage caused by Rory Delap's throw-in. At a time when we are finding goals to come by it made sense to add that attacking threat. He looked solid and is frankly a more skillful player than Malone. It allowed us to switch to a 433 at times with Malone on the left of midfield whilst Scannell went forward. I can't help thinking that we could try Malone on the left side of midfield in a 442 with Herd at LB giving us two genuine left footers on the LHS of the pitch.
3)Baldwin at the back. Top bloke. OK, he may have had a hand in the second goal against us but he made it up at the other end. The most encouraging thing for me was that he can play with Barrett. Hope we sign him. I haven't felt that comfortable with a central defender's performance since Dervitte.
4) Playing two players up front that complemented each other. Vernon and Spencer had a look of the Barney-Freedman combination that was cut short by injury last year. Vernon wins the flick-ons and Spencer is alert to the runs made by both him and the wingers. Laurent up front is not the answer and I hope that Tilson abandons that one now.
5) Christophe and Malone in the middle. You know what? They looked pretty good together. Christophe tackling well and Malone getting in there at the business end of the pitch. He did really well there and showed more creativity than we have been getting of late.

These were key points for me yesterday too. Johnny Herd looked great when he came on, and he and Malone could very easily work something down that left. I also thought our midfield was at its best yesterday with Malone and Jeff and am actually quite surprised by some of the criticism being levelled at Jeff who I thought had a reasonable game. Pat Baldwin was quite simply awesome, especially once M'voto went off. Vernon and Spencer is an exciting prospect, it wouldn't have worked with Barney but these two or even Freedman and Spencer could be the answer to our goal scoring issues.

Mildy - 5, looked lacking in confidence 1st half, poor kicking - including straight at Moussa running away from him (and then shouting at Moussa as if it was his fault!) but some great saves in the 2nd half
Franno - 6.5, welcome back to the creative position
M'voto - 3, way off match fit, needs a lot of work before next Monday
Baldwin - 8 MOTM, looked and played like a captain, bossed things completely
Barrett - 6, some decisive heading but paled into insignificance alongside Baldwin
Malone - 7, thought he did ok, was always an outlet for Mildenhall and was pretty damn good when switched to midfield
Christophe - 7, another who seems under rated on here to me, pick of the original midfield trio and linked and got in the box after the shake up
Moussa - 3, simply shocking
Grant - 6, looked pretty good the odd times he went forward, a side of Grant we don't often see, but still error prone and his errors have cost us a lot of goals recently
Vernon - 6.5, took a while to settle but once he did, proved his worth
Lauren - 7, better when moved wide, taking on two and three players at a time, unlucky with the lob early on

Spencer - 7, please start him
Scannell - 6.5, keep at it Damien, it's improving
Herd - 6.5, good to see him back on the pitch

Ref was ok 6, but west lino was **** poor

 

[Eddy Melito]

Sorry but the "hes only young" argument doesnt really cut it with Moussa. Hes played every game this season and most of last season. Theres a great player somewhere in there but he has not scored since the first day of the season and is taking his place for granted. Maybe being dropped will be the kick up the backside he needs. I agree the formation perhaps didnt suit him but he has had games in the middle this season and has looked not much better there than out wide.

i think the point is that as he is young, he will need to be in and out of the team to an extent as he wont be consistent. with a bigger squad im sure he wouldnt have played every game when hes been off form.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think you're probably on your own with that one.

I probably am alone with that, but but I still maintain that most on here are too fickle. Every bad performance is "the worst under Tilson" and then anyone who does well is a great signing, the best thing since sliced bread, should start next week and build a team around them etc. People were judging that first half on the disastrous scoreline, not the performance (not particularly good, but not disastrous). Football is an emotional game and most post from the heart, not the head. That's understandable, but every so often it's worth trying to take a step back and look at things dispassionately.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I probably am alone with that, but but I still maintain that most on here are too fickle. Every bad performance is "the worst under Tilson" and then anyone who does well is a great signing, the best thing since sliced bread, should start next week and build a team around them etc. People were judging that first half on the disastrous scoreline, not the performance (not particularly good, but not disastrous). Football is an emotional game and most post from the heart, not the head. That's understandable, but every so often it's worth trying to take a step back and look at things dispassionately.

That is true I was really ****ed off at half-time couldn't see where a goal was going to come from, couldn't understand the formation and some of the selections. Going 2 down so soon obviously knocked the stuffing out of us, but fair play to Tilly he changed it half-time and although we were playing better we still didn't look like scoring but hey thats football. Swindon must be kicking themselves!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

That is true I was really ****ed off at half-time couldn't see where a goal was going to come from, couldn't understand the formation and some of the selections. Going 2 down so soon obviously knocked the stuffing out of us, but fair play to Tilly he changed it half-time and although we were playing better we still didn't look like scoring but hey thats football. Swindon must be kicking themselves!

I thought at half-time we were far more in yesterday's game than we were at Millwall. As I said earlier, we hit the woodwork twice in the first half, whereas I'm struggling to recall a decent shot at Millwall. The actual team performance wasn't that bad, the goals conceded weren't down to the team or the formation, they were down to an individual mistake and a lucky break which might have been off-side (rather similar to the first at Millwall). If we go in level at half-time people have a completely different perspective on the game.

 

[Rob Noxious]

... I feel very positive this morning because the awful first half led to a change of formation that gave us a side that looked balanced, solid and threatening. The reasons IMO are:
1) Moussa coming off. He has seemed untouchable this season and yet has given little. He doesn't give us enough width when he plays on the left and hasn't managed to stake a claim as a central midfielder. It's a shame as he was so good last year but he couldn't find a blue shirt with a pass today and we looked better without him. He needs to spend some time on the bench and fight for his place.
2) Herd coming on. I watched Stoke v Arsenal the other day and watched the damage caused by Rory Delap's throw-in. At a time when we are finding goals to come by it made sense to add that attacking threat. He looked solid and is frankly a more skillful player than Malone. It allowed us to switch to a 433 at times with Malone on the left of midfield whilst Scannell went forward. I can't help thinking that we could try Malone on the left side of midfield in a 442 with Herd at LB giving us two genuine left footers on the LHS of the pitch.
3) Baldwin at the back ... The most encouraging thing for me was that he can play with Barrett. Hope we sign him. I haven't felt that comfortable with a central defender's performance since Dervitte.
4) Playing two players up front that complemented each other. Vernon and Spencer had a look of the Barney-Freedman combination that was cut short by injury last year. Vernon wins the flick-ons and Spencer is alert to the runs made by both him and the wingers. Laurent up front is not the answer and I hope that Tilson abandons that one now.
5) Christophe and Malone in the middle. You know what? They looked pretty good together. Christophe tackling well and Malone getting in there at the business end of the pitch. He did really well there and showed more creativity than we have been getting of late.
6) Scannell playing the early pass into the middle. The moment he did this he set up Spencer for a header that wasn't far off. Believe, Scannell, Believe!!
If we go for a formation closer to that one we'll get out of this yet!

... Johnny Herd looked great when he came on, and he and Malone could very easily work something down that left. I also thought our midfield was at its best yesterday with Malone and Jeff ... Pat Baldwin was quite simply awesome, especially once M'voto went off. Vernon and Spencer is an exciting prospect, it wouldn't have worked with Barney but these two or even Freedman and Spencer could be the answer to our goal scoring issues...

This is encouraging. For an exile like me, these posts and the earlier analysis of 'Revell Is A Hero' provide interesting insights into a game I could only follow to some extent via the Match Thread. Thank you good people ... it all felt pretty despondent around 3.15 yesterday, but to have gained a point yesterday says something about the spirit of our players. It's going to be a difficult month, but this feels like the little bit of hope that's needed from our 'Pandora's Box' of a season ...

 

[Hooly]

Football is an emotional game and most post from the heart, not the head. That's understandable, but every so often it's worth trying to take a step back and look at things dispassionately.

I've stood back, considered things rationally & dispassionately as you've suggested YB.

My view has now changed. It's obvious to me that I should be supporting ManUre, Chelski, Inter or Barca. Well isn't that what the head should say? (and probably many poster on here! :angel:)

I believe we've had far worse players at this club both individually & as a group, but I've seldom seen a more disorganised team as we currently have. There was one moment in the 1st half when a ball got played into the corner by the SW. Malone lumped it against the bloke in front of him & it rebounded towards our byline. Mildenhall went running to the edge of the area, realised he was nowhere & stopped. All the rest of the back 5 went running left towards it, including Franno. Moose & Granty scampered that way, so did almost everyone & really it was only a cr@p cross that gave a couple of them time to get within 5 yards of their left mid, who made a hash of it anyway.

But truthfully it was like watching a Keystone Cops League U8 game, where all the kids run after the ball in a circle of about 5 yards. It's been like that game after game this season & my concern is that we don't seem to have a style or a strategy. Ok we've had an unsettled team, but it must be easier for a player to come into a team playing the same each week, even if they are a square peg in a round hole & I just don't see that.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I thought at half-time we were far more in yesterday's game than we were at Millwall. As I said earlier, we hit the woodwork twice in the first half, whereas I'm struggling to recall a decent shot at Millwall. The actual team performance wasn't that bad, the goals conceded weren't down to the team or the formation, they were down to an individual mistake and a lucky break which might have been off-side (rather similar to the first at Millwall). If we go in level at half-time people have a completely different perspective on the game.

Agreed, they were two sloppy, sloppy goals that were conceded through slips and, as such, it caught everyone unaware and all of a sudden we were 2-0 down with no avenue back into the game.

I do think, though, that the first half was pretty much abysmal. M'voto was 5 yards off the pace and the three centre backs kept getting in eachothers way, Malone and Franno were struggling with their roles not really knowing when to get forward or when to attack, Moussa was in the middle of a shocker and Laurent was doing his level best to convince Tilson not to play him up top ever again. It wasn't so much the players, it was the formation that confused not only the fans, but the players themselves.

Miraculously, Tilson went back to the more familiar 4-4-2 and we stopped complimenting Swindon, fought for the ball and more importantly we tested their back line.

One funny moment in the game though came when Paynter came over to the dugout for a bottle and somebody in the East Red's was having a ding dong with him, saying "£150,000 down the drain, thanks Billy". Billy just grinned and shouted "Was more than that, mate" and trotted off.

I was a bit of an advocate of Paynter's when he was here, I think he was very unlucky with the injury he recieved and wasn't given the time of day after his audacious lob attempt in his first 10 minutes. Yesterday showed why, I thought he was excellent and would be the perfect foil for Spencer.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I thought at half-time we were far more in yesterday's game than we were at Millwall. As I said earlier, we hit the woodwork twice in the first half, whereas I'm struggling to recall a decent shot at Millwall. The actual team performance wasn't that bad, the goals conceded weren't down to the team or the formation, they were down to an individual mistake and a lucky break which might have been off-side (rather similar to the first at Millwall). If we go in level at half-time people have a completely different perspective on the game.

I remember Laurent clipping top of the bar who else hit the woodwork?

As you said earlier it is an emotive game, and in the cold light of day maybe it wasn't as bad as it felt at the time! I wasn't at Millwall so I can't compare performances.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I remember Laurent clipping top of the bar who else hit the woodwork?

As you said earlier it is an emotive game, and in the cold light of day maybe it wasn't as bad as it felt at the time! I wasn't at Millwall so I can't compare performances.

Vernon did, but he was offside anyway.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Vernon did, but he was offside anyway.

Don't remember that must have been when I was standing out the back!

 

[fbm]

I'm with Yorkshire Blue.

In the first 25 minutes we looked like a team whereas recently we looked just like a bunch of players. We were unfortunate to be 2 down I felt; Mvoto made an error of judgement after less than a minute and with the ball coming out of the sun. Not making excuses, but you can't legislate for mistakes. They don't make them on purpose. What you can legislate for is that the players wear appropriate footwear and some of our players really need longer studs as they keep falling over, no matter what game we play. Francis is one of those and had a shocking first quarter of the game, and if he hadn't slipped over when he had an easy clearance, then the throw in that led to the move for their first goal wouldn't have happened.

I don't feel their second goal was offside. To me, Barrett was slow coming out and played everyone on by a good few yards. He was constantly 2 or 3 yards behind Baldwin who spent most of the half bringing him into line. In the first half, we had a back L.

As the half went on, we got worse and it truly was appalling for the last 20. But we had hit the woodwork and could have been level. I thought it was a better team shape than against Wycombe the week before!

Let's look at the team for a minute;

Mildy
Francis
Mvoto - first game back after long lay off, needed some practice before next Mondays TV match and Tilly said afterwards that he involved him for part of the match. He was tentative, certainly, but he'll get better.
Barrett
Baldwin - just what we need - a steady, reliable organiser. MOM for me. But it was his first match.
Malone
Moussa
Grant - not 100% fit
JFC - not 100% fit
Laurent - not 100% fit
Vernon - first game for us and also first match after a 10 week lay off

Now that has 2 debutants and 4 players not fully fit. That's more than half the side! Tilly tried something different in the first half but it didn't work so we changed it. Remember, Swindon were 2 up so didn't have to come at us very much and when teams play close and tight ANY side has difficulty in breaking them down. Ask Chelsea.

So, given the far from ideal scenario we're in, I think we did as well as we could yesterday.

The performance in the second half got better and better. OK, it wasn't scintillating, but for me it showed we were starting to gel. The 2 late goals I thought we scrapped for, and when goals like that go in then that's a sign that things are about to turn. They are the sort of goals scored by teams at the top... teams with players who have the desire and confidence to throw themselves into danger areas to win the ball.

So all in all I'm a bit surprised at some of the comment on this board. Oh, hang on, no I'm not... after all, it is Shrimpermoan. Anyway, for me it definitely felt like a win and that will boost confidence from here.

Oh, and we missed the midfield engine of Macca in a big way.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Didn't honestly expect anything from yesterday, even before the match had started. So, for me, that point is a bonus and anything from Colchester will be considered the same. By the time Tranmere arrive the team will, hopefully, be a bit more settled and solid and it's from that time I expect to see us move towards the safety zone in the middle of League One.

 

[Col.U. Mad]

Nice to see Col. Ewe reserves gaining a late draw for their parent club:finger:

 

[McNasty]

When their second went in several players went to the ref, presumably appealing for off-side, only for the ref to hold up 4 fingers. I can only assume he meant we had 4 players playing their man on-side, but as I am not a mind-reader the ref could have been signalling anything.

 

[RobB11]

Spencer did very well, looked extremely keen when he came on. Lads gotta start against Col U.

 

[TrueBlue]

Nice to see Col. Ewe reserves gaining a late draw for their parent club:finger:

You wait till I bust in your house and have a slash in your shower