Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 3-2 Bristol City

[Smiffy]

Excellent performance, full of character.

Let's not get too carried away though... however, it stretches the unbeaten run since Dartford.

My comments


Morris - First goal appeared to go through his hands. No chance with second. Safe hands, but Flahavan-esque at box domination., i.e. none. Not sure Evans is any better so that area may be an issue this season.

Simpson - He looks so good on the ball. Stood in well out of position. I know he didn't apparently on Saturday but to be honest I think his vision is so far beyond his team mates. They may grasp it eventually but mark my words, this bloke is a diamond.

Barker - Solid and please get him for the season. I believe Herds days are numbered anyway. Johnny is one of only 5 players we have, so who does Sturrock bring in as moreorless his first signing? A left back. Gilbert then gets injured so who do we bring in? A left back. When the squad have all registered and are available I doubt Herd will get on the bench.

Prosser - Very impressed tonight. Maybe short on pace but commanding in the air.

Coughlan - Solid but prefer Philips. He'll be good backup though.

Soares - Good delivery at set pieces and unlucky not to core in second half but Hall is a more dangerous option IMHO.

Easton - A bit subdued tonight I thought... had little room in the middle.

Grant - Am I the only one who thought he did ok as opposed to brilliantly? He ran his socks off but so did everybody to be honest. He played well but also got booked and lost possession a few times. I think we all desperately want him to be good as he is the most senior pro left from the Tilly era.

Zaaboub - Tried lots, little came off. In the end I was just wanting him to keep it simple. Improved fitness and understanding may help that.

Paterson - Did pretty wel tonight and scored 2... that's what it's all about.

Sturrock - A pleasant surprise to be fair. I was prepared to have an open mind but you've got to have doubts when the only clubs that sign you are managed by your Dad. But he did well tonight.

Subs -

Corr - This lad is clever and if we can get a decent partner for him that can read his intelligent knock ons then we'll get lots of goals. Sadly his style of play means that if people don't rea his lay offs they'll think he is playing rubbish when in fact he isn't.

Hall - Fantastic anticipation for the 3rd goal. He was in motion whilst the ball was in the air prior to the knock on for him. That sort of gambling will enable him to be a really good player. Scannell would never have done that.

Spencer - Great cross for Corrs equaliser, still has the ability to look awesome one second and awful the next.

Agree with everything apart from the Morris comments. I thought he dominated the box very well. Read the shots, through balls and crosses (bar one?) all night.

 

[roots_maul]

Have to agree with a lot that has already been said.

It has been quite a while since I've come away from watching a Southend performance feeling very pleased. The result just added to it.
I think the elation is to do more with the potential that this team has rather than just tonight's game, I think .

Liked the look of Blair Sturrock and Barker. Granty had a couple of belting shots!

Good to see the whole team celebrating at the end with the fans. Saw Grant make his way towards the east yellows/blues then over to the greens/blacks at the end of the game to applaud the fans before being one of the last into the tunnel.

Am actually looking forward to Aldershot on saturday now.

 

[palexander]

Think most of the ratings have been covered so I'll just say a few words.

Prosser - The most aerially dominant Centre Half we have had since Efe. The lad is superb and on the early showings, Vale have made a big boo-boo (What a nice change for us to pick up an apparantly **** player, that turns into a diamond)

Morris - Missed the first but other than that had no chance with the 2nd goal. Reads the game superbly and will prove to be a great keeper I think.

Grant - I hope his amazing performances are for us and not for the plethora of scouts tracking him. The Best midfielder of his type in League Two, bar none. He goes, we will not replace him. He is Championship class.

Sturrock Jr - Well, I have been very impressed. Great touch, holds it up well and has good vision.

Pato - Starting to show the talent that he has now. Keep him fit and the supply line going, he'll get 15 this season.

Corr - Super sub, super touch, super header. One to watch.

Simpson - Playing out of position, but made some good tackles/headers and had a great run and shot first half. Back-up for Clohessy? No worries here.

Barker - Get the lad signed long term NOW! Very experienced and a super reader and professional.

Overall - One of the best performances I have seen in a couple of seasons. Hunger, desire, effort, communication, spirit, teamwork and a hint of class at times. Play like this more often than not and we will be troubling the top 3, not the bottom 3 this season... Oh and one more thing. Sturrock Snr is proving to be a tactical magician, he has now twice changed things up when losing (Stockport & Tonight) and both times they have resulted in goals.

I'll get crucified for this, but it was what I've been calling for for years - which is why I was so chuffed we got someone like Sturrock in.

That extra experience, nous and getting the best out of a squad assembled for NOTHING is what you need in the lower divisions, not just the club colours pumping through your veins - that only gets you so far.

Early days yet, but very happy with the new regime!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I'll get crucified for this, but it was what I've been calling for for years - which is why I was so chuffed we got someone like Sturrock in.

That extra experience, nous and getting the best out of a squad assembled for NOTHING is what you need in the lower divisions, not just the club colours pumping through your veins - that only gets you so far.

Early days yet, but very happy with the new regime!

Well you shouldn't because you are 100% correct

 

[palexander]

Well you shouldn't because you are 100% correct

Cheers... we should never forget Tilson and the achievements he had - I dont think anyone will better them - but hopefully more performances like this will help people let go of the past and look to the future.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Cracking result tonight. Would be interesting if everyone can give /10 ratings to each player if were at the game and havent done so to help compile my Pringello Index - see http://www.shrimperzone.com/vb/showthread.php?62718-Average-Rating

What he said. The Pringello Index is a fantastic idea, but we need lots of ratings to keep it going.

Very envious of those who were there last night; thanks to EastStandBlue, Kent Shrimper and AAS for keeping me updated via the magic of Twitter.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

Wow... is this the club that I know has been through the mill all close season??

Hopefully we have turned the corner, lets get rid of the charterhouse wind up order this week , and I really think that Sturrock will bring happy times now....

Whilst I will always be grateful to Tilly, I cant beleive how far we have come from last season with sturrock

 

[Rob Noxious]

This sounds like a powerhouse of a performance in the context of the turmoil of the last few months. It really is a fantastic achievement when you think we hardly had a team only weeks ago - well played to the new lads, management and Granty, Pato and Screech. You lot who were there got a game which you deserved for all the forbearance of the grim times lately - Shrimpers are back! :clap:

 

[TTS]

Last nights game, performance and levels of spirit was like a breath of fresh air. As Coppell also said, if it wasnt for Gerkin, extra time wouldnt have been required !

As Shrimperforlife saidm, I will always be greatful to Tilly, but the change in the place is very refreshing.

To look at players like Coughlin , Prosser and Simpson, these wages prob still do not even match Barretts ! Whilst Easton's and Soares wages are most likely dwarfed by Macca's.

To fight back from a goal down twice shows a lot of character and that is what pleases me most. Whilst I am not saying that we will win the league, I think this season can give us the stability we need as a club !!

 

[East Green I 83]

Eleven hours later and I am still on a high! Been a long time since I was this pleased with a result (Man U game I guess).

The lads gave everything and I am soooooo proud.....got to go now as am getting all emotional!!

 

[CM2 Blue]

One of the best nights at the Hall in quite a while, as others have said. The team played as a team and this is something that did not seem to be the case last year when, despite having some good players (on paper), we played in a very disjointed way. Whether or not this was a result of the off the field situation is a moot point. Whilst we should guard against getting carried away last night's performance was a breath of fresh air. Well done lads, keep it up! The signs are that we will play some good football along the way this season.

 

[South Bucks Shrimper]

Morris was at fault for the first, collapsing as he did Saturday and was appalling in the air. Really want to like him but afraid Mildy would have collected both those that he flapped at. Is Evans any better, we will see but could be a problem in what looks like a very promising team building. Corr was superb in the air, Sturrock has a good touch and looks classy. Excellent performance tonight and dare i say it a breath of fresh air compared to the unadventurous stuff Tilly served up!

Lee Turner has a reputation for turning average goalkeepers into good goalkeepers. Hopefully he will be able to work his magic on our two new keepers.

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

1st time I've ever given ratings, but want to help the Pringello Index :)

Morris 7 - Didn't see the 1st goal as pillar was in the way, no chance with the 2nd.

Simpson 7 - much better at RB than midfield
Coughlan 7 - Experience showed as he didn't give theit No.9 a sniff, troubled more by their No. 16 when he came on. Did well to last 120 mins at his age.
Prosser 7.5 - Totally dominant in the air.
Barker 7.5 - Didn't really take much notice of him on Saturday as I was still trying to work out who everybody was, but defintely notcied him last night. If we can get him for the rest of the season, it would be a major plus.

Soares 6.5 - tried hard, good set piece delivery.
Easton 6.5 - not as good as King Kev, but did OK. One brilliant tackle towards the end of extra-time to stop a possible break-away.
Grant 7.5 - ran everywhere, could easily have had a couple of goals, won the penalty with a good run into the box.
Zaaboub 6 - Plainly not fit, too many tricks and flicks that didn't come off. Still worked hard though.

Paterson 8 (MotM) - 2 goals, very close to a hat-trick form his free-kick. Not sure he's a left-winger, could do well with Corr.
Sturrock 7.5 - Good target man, held the ball up well, no real chances in the box.

Subs -

Corr 7.5 - took some time to get going, good header for the goal, won his headers and held the ball up well when needed.
Spencer 7 - Great cross for Corr, lucky to not get a red for tough challenge. Not sure he's a right-winger despite the cross.
Hall 7 - Like Zaaboub not match fit, good cross for Pato's 2nd.

Ref 8 - didn't really notice him which is always a good sign, bookings all looked to be deserved, tried to let the game flow. One of the better refs we've had at the hall lately.

Good to see us switch formation form 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 and back again. I think we will line up 4-4-2 most weeks, but we have options.

 

[Fish]

Have to echo those others who said last nights performance was immense.

Like many others, the standout performance for me was Grant, his work rate was astounding last night. He is playing with such freedom now, and that in my opinion is down to the steadying influence of Easton beside him. If we can get through the August window without losing him to a Championship side, we are in for a treat this Autumn, we really are.

First time I have seen Coughlan tonight. As the only player in the squad older than me I have to big him up(!), but he really did remind me of Rob Newman - even down to the way he got caught on the half way line with the ball caught between his feet. His influence out there was exactly what the tie needed last night, all the more so when we went behind at two very difficult points in the game. Like Easton bringing the best out of Grant, I think Coughlan gave Prosser the confidence to get stuck in and really shine next to him, which he did with some great interventions and some battering ram headers as the night wore on.

Simpson put in a very solid performance at right back, though was caught out of position a few times, perhaps to be understood if he was in an unfamiliar role. We probably won't get found out like that quite so much week in week out in League 2, but Brizzle's second goal came about through that.

Barker, sign him. Simple as. Superb commitment; took a nasty knock on the head and was itching to get out again. Feel so sorry for Jonny Herd, but can't get around the fact that Barker is a different class. Slight concern about his pace, especially in a back four with Coughlan, but he really is a solid player.

The one area last night where there is still places up for grabs is on the wings. Zaboub was the only real disappointment last night; perhaps a bad day at the office, perhaps he's taking longer than others to settle in (I believe he has language problems?), but he didn't seem to click with his team mates tonight, who to be fair were sympathetic to it and offered encouragement - a great sign for general team spirit. Screech put in a surprisingly good performance out wide; still has a tendency to blow hot and cold but I am sure last night's cross for Corr won't be the last flash of brilliance we'll see from him this season. Very interested in seeing more of what a fit Ryan Hall will offer. He made some great runs and won us free kicks in good positions, great cross for the winner too. Soares looked like a player playing well within himself last night - nothing special from him but he knew he wasn't having a blinder and generally played some good, sensible football.

Paterson and Sturrock worked well up front. Both worked pretty hard, with some very sensible posession-oriented football, bringing team mates into play very nicely (a great combination between Sturrock winning, holding up then chipping it up to Patterson who chested it into Soares path for a snap shot was a good illustration of this). Corr added some great hunger to the game when he came on and deserved his goal for some superb knock-downs, headers and hold-up play - saw the positive aspects of comparisons with Crouch tonight.

Morris clearly isn't as commanding as Mildy, something he must work on with the high, swirling balls aimed at bruising centre forwards he will undoubtedly have to deal with this season, but was tidy enough for the most part. Maybe at fault on the free kick, simply couldn't tell very well from East Red.

Overall, the atmosphere tonight was better and better as the team got better and better during the game. You could see them growing in self belief and it was a privilege to watch. The atmosphere was entirely about the team lifting the crowd last night. Team spirit and work rate was immense and I am now quite excited about the season. What Sturrock and Widdrington have achieved in 1 month is nothing short of a miracle. We're a long way from safe, but then I am also a long way from the sense of foreboding I had about this season as recently as 2 weeks ago.

UTB!

One last thing - on last nights evidence, this is going to be a very long hard season for Brizzle fans. They never got going despite an excellent start and to have shipped 6 goals in two games against two clubs who, putting it mildly, never really set League 1 alight last season, you have to worry for them.

 

[easton8]

Morris - 7
Simpson - 6
Prosser - 8
Coughlan - 7
Grant - 7.5
Easton - 6.5
Zaaboub - 6
Soares - 6.5
Paterson - 8
Sturrock - 7

Subs
Corr - 7.5
Spencer - 7.5
Hall - 6

 

[EastStandBlue]

It was probably best I didn't give my ratings last night as I was absolutely elated and, come 11pm, had had more than my fair share of alcohol which I am struggling with this morning.

I said in the Twitter feed that it was as good a performance as I've seen from Southend, and that's something I stand by today. The effort, commitment and desire shown just last night eclipsed the sum of that shown last season. There was no shirking of responsibility, no half-hearted challenges and nobody going through the motions. Every player used wanted to be there and they wanted to win, which is more than can be said for at least eight of the Brizzle squad... Coppell was quite rightly furious.

As for the team itself, we looked incredibly fluid last night as soon as they settled down from an early shock. With Sturrock dropping deep and Paterson and Soares running through, the Brizzle defence struggled, and this is something Luggy capitalised on later, but I'll get to that in a second. At times, we lacked a little in the centre of the park, probably due to the absence of Simpson in the centre and Zaaboub's poor possessional play, but we knocked the ball around well for large parts of the game.

Defensively, we were solid as a rock. Coughlan led by example, which helped my MotM; Luke Prosser, no end. Prosser epitomised the performance last night... he put his head where others wouldn't put their enemies to get the ball clear, covered his ground perfectly and did all in his power to clear his, and others', lines. Barker showed why we simply have to bring him in permanently and Morris looked perfectly capable, left with no chance for the first and the second about the only bright piece of play Brizzle produced.

Make no mistake about this, though... Luggy's substitutions changed the game in our favour. Sturrock ran his heart out but lacked the aerial presence of Corr, who was subsequently brought on. He dropped deeper than he did at the weekend intentionally to drop his flick ons into the paths of Hall/Paterson/Soares/Spencer with aplomb. He pulled the CB out of positional continuously, and it opened up acres of space for those to run onto. Spencer came on, turned the full-back inside out with his first touch and delivered a peach of a cross that Corr simply prodded home with ease.

I spent most of the game trying to pin down our formation and, by the looks of things, so did Coppell and the Brizzle squad. It's something of an interchangeable 4-5-1 4-4-2 that finds its strength in its fluidity and it appears to be working a treat. Last season our squad struggled with anything other than a standard 4-4-2, much like England, but Sturrock has to take credit for getting the player settled into this tactic.

Onto the ratings:

Morris - 7/10 - Covered his box well and collected what he could. No chance for the free kick.
Simpson - 6.5/10 - Adomah troubled him and, defensively, he spent spells all at sea. That said, his strengths as a midfielder allowed him to get the ball away quickly and, usually, to one of our own.
Coughlan - 8/10 - All round class. Positional sense was supreme, he assisted Prosser all night and was combatant through out. Might get done for pace but, like Prior, his reading of the game is such that he makes up for it.
Prosser - 8.5/10 - Jeez, if Vale have let this one go willingly then we'll be happy to oblige. Not enough superlatives for him last night. Solid.
Barker - 7.5/10 - Another classy performance. Not in Reid's plans, seems to be enjoying it here, Sign him up. Bye Johnny.
Easton - 7 - My only criticism is he was a passenger at times, much like Maher, but can certainly pass the ball, much like Maher. Tackled hard to win the ball back.
Grant - 8.5 - Only just edged out by Prosser for MotM. Extraordinary engine and drove the team forward. Didn't stop running.
Soares - 7 - Not quite sure about him yet. Set piece delivery is very intermittent and he's prone to running into a blind alley like JCR... Offered us an outlet though.
Zaaboub - 6 - The worst of a very good bunch, I'm afraid. Clearly not fit yet and gave the ball away a lot.
Paterson - 8 - Excellent performance. Must start Saturday. Showed tremendous ability to lay the ball off (one particular cross he chested down for Corr in the first half was exquisite) and a good leap for the winner.
Sturrock - 7.5 - Not the most technically gifted player, no, but he knows the system we're playing inside out, has all the touches to bring others into play and was a constant thorn in Fontaine's side, winning free kicks continuously.

Subs:

Corr - 8 - Really like him. Wins the ball brilliantly in the air and lays it off simply.
Hall - 7.5 - The better version of Soares last night. Has pace to burn and got past his man a few times... A quite brilliant cross for our winner that, had it have been in the Premier League, would have had Shearer salivating on MotD.
Spencer - 7.5 - Like Hall, he improved the side with his more direct style and weaved around defenders.

Sturrock/Widdrington - 9 - Quite how they have the side playing that quality of football, baring in mind they didn't know eachother 3 weeks ago, is astounding.

 

[BrettieAngell]

didnt see the game, but just reading some of your match reports feels gooood :)

Yeah same here!

Bit worried about getting a good draw away in the 2nd round and I'm stuck on late shift again.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Brilliant reading everyone's reports. Totally skint at the moment so haven't been able to get to watch the Blues yet this season, butI'll be saving hard so I can get to a game as I'm itching to watch the new team play. Sturrock must be some kind of wizard to get the team playing well this quickly after meeting each other just a few weeks ago!

Was listening on BBC Essex, and for such a small attendance everyone who went did a great job creating a good atmosphere.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

I wonder how the Bristol City fan is after he predicted 60-0!!

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Probably not worth starting a new thread but certainly worth a mention. Don't think that anyone else has commented on, what I thought to be, a really excellent series of photos on the OS gallery. Congratulations Mr Scriven, if it was you that took them!