Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United win for the fourth time on the trot away from home.

[Magnum PI]

My view was that while we were professional today and defended well, it was one of our poorer efforts of recent weeks.
Views that Barnet were awful werent far from the truth in an attacking sense, however they had most of the ball and actually during periods of the game bossed it. I thought the full back Parkes looked very promising, and McLeod got round the back a few times. Whilst Barnet are right in the mire following todays results, there could be a kick in their tail. As for us... its all looking very good. Players are coming into form and confidence is up

Evans - 7 - didnt really have much to do, but he saved a few especially from Mcleod
Clohessy - 7 - Got forward well and really improved in the second half in keeping out Barnet from crossing
Gilbert - 7 - No nonsense defending at times, and looking more solid each week
Barker - 7 - Strong performance and good on the ball
Coughlan - 6 - Injury cost him today and looked a little ruffled in the first half at times
Grant - 7 - Made some great runs in the first half over the top with the finish for the goal excellent. Went missing a bit in the 2nd half
Ferdinand - 8 - Class at times today, with a real central midfield performance way beyond his years
Hall - 7 - Actually a danger man for us now, and a real outlet. We didnt really click up front today though
Easton - 7 - Decent driving performance and looking more assured each week
Sturrock - 7 - Quieter performance today and although held ball up well, never really got into game
Mohsni - 8 - Bit of a stinker up front in the first half, but was utterly majestic in the second - ridiculously good !!

Sawyer - 5 - hardly noticed him
Corr - 7 - Held ball up well, always running, and did well for the goal
Soares - 6 - did nothing wrong which is unusual ;)

Referee - 1 - Clueless as ever. Words defy me how bad he was today - quite how he remains a referee is truly remarkable
Even without his help Barnet couldnt score

 

[OldBlueLady]

Solid and gritty performance in midfield, I think Easton's role within the side is vastly under rated. Kane Ferdinand also has allowed both Easton and Grant to make more of venturing forward. Mohsni looked to be thinking too much while playing up front, resulting in mistakes being made however, the flick through for Grant's goal was brilliant, both in timing and position. He looked absolutely commanding when returning to his traditional centre back role after Coughlan's enforced retirement. Although Barnet weren't good, I didn't think they were as bad as Macclesfield or Stockport so maybe there's hope for them.

Evans - 7, looked confident, played well
Clohessy - 7, class player
Coughlan - 7, immense header of the ball
Barker - 7.5, him and both of his central defensive partners held Izzy McLeod at bay for most of the match
Gilbert - 7, lots of hoofing but looking comfortable
Sturrock - 6.5, didn't get into it much, but tried hard
Ferdinand - 8, looking more and more a full blown pro rather than a yoofie stepping up
Easton - 8.5 MOTM, the guy is just great, challenges continuously and never gives up
Grant - 8, looked much more up for it than in recent games of two halves! Well taken goal, but should've had two
Hall - 8, was being marked more closely so not as flowing as usual
Mohsni - 8, got to love the guy! So full of confidence in in natural position, cheered every time he intercepted, cleared or even touched the ball

Subs:
Corr for Coughlan - 7, enforced change, came on and did what he had to
Soares for Sturrock - 7, did ok, an excellent cross and got stuck in down the wing in defence
Sawyer for Grant - 6.5, didn't really notice him to be honest

Kettle - big fat zero, the guy is a clown of the first order. Ignored so much and then gave stupid non existent fouls

Away support - surprised there were less of us than them, great showing from the Blues support who were vocal and demonstrative (well done with the feet in the seats!). A word for Barnet's snack bar outlets though....they stayed open until 5 minutes from the end instead of closing 5 minutes after half time. People still want to buy drinks through the 2nd half, and the lads in the away snack bar were good for a laugh.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Referee - 1 - Clueless as ever. Words defy me how bad he was today - quite how he remains a referee is truly remarkable

I recall a comment in the past that apparently his father is 'high up' in either the F.A. or F.L., and we all know how the system works in all professions.

 

[jtsouthend]

It's a good sign when you don't play at your best but still win away. Barnet dropped off badly second half and it was petty comfortable in the end. Moshi's clearing headers were incredible to say the least second half (hoofs maybe not so).

Great effort by the supporters today and it's great to see the bond building between us and the players...even PS is getting in on the action with a few waves :) Let's hope we can keep it up both on and off the pitch..there is definitely a good vibe building...very important week ahead now...lets hope we turning up in numbers Tuesday.

 

[Andy_S]

Away support - surprised there were less of us than them, great showing from the Blues support who were vocal and demonstrative (well done with the feet in the seats!).

To be honest OBL, a lot of that was to do with the fact that the aluminium floor made our feet absolutely freezing! :hilarious: Whoever designed that little stand has a lot to answer for. By the time the second half came round, the general feeling was a bit of stamping would add a little warmth, as well add a bit of noise.


I thought, to be honest, it was a poor game and we put in a very 'away' performance. We looked to be solid first and foremost, shut them out and then see what we could get when a chance came our way. McLeod ripped Coughlan to bits for the first 25-30 minutes and after that today and the way he's played for Barnet so far, I can't help but feel we really missed a trick by not signing him in August. He's got everything out front line lacks and if his head is in order he's too good for League Two. As others have said, their left back, Parkes was excellent. Perhaps a summer raid would be a good idea. :winking:

Finally, did anyone else notice in the warm up today when our keepers were doing some kicking; the ball went towards halfway from Evans to Bentley, Mark Marshall sprinted in front of him, controlled the ball, picked it up in his hands and drop kicked it out of the ground. Completely out of nowhere. Completely unexplained. Completely pointless. What's his problem? Complete p***k. What the hell was that about? Evans looked totally and utterly baffled, but managed to restrain himself from completely losing it with him. The jumped up little git deserved a slap though.


Ratings:

Evans 7: Again, like Tuesday, he didn't put a foot wrong and once again proved that he's not the God awful keeper that so many on here had decided he was, based solely on the Cheltenham game. He was quick off his line, saved us from going behind in the first minute and was very assured all match.

Clohessy 7: A solid, energetic display. Has his hands full with the pacey Marshall, but he stuck to it well.

Coughlan 6: Dominant in the air, but he struggled for the first half an hour with McLeod and got turned inside and out. It looked as if his hamstring went, so surely this means he'll be concentrating solely on his Assistant duties for the near future.

Barker 7.5: A class above, he made things look very easy at times. If McLeod had of been on his side during the first half then I'm sure he wouldn't have had so much his own way.

Gilbert 7: Probably the best defensive display I've seen him give for us. He still gave the ball away needlessly time and time again, but away from home, his defensive performance is more important. Never once looked to venture over halfway though.

Ferdinand 7: I thought he struggled to assert himself at times, simply because Barnet were pretty physical in the middle of the park, but he still showed some clear class. Plays the simple ball and makes it look even more simple than it actually is.

Easton 7: Got stuck in, too much for that prat Kettle's liking, but he spread the play well when it was getting too crowded. He's certainly improving as the season is going on. I liked the fist pumping at full time, he's definitely taking on the Captain's role.

Grant 7: Should've scored before he actually did, but his goal was brilliantly taken. It was his responsibility to get beyond the front line and he did it well, before running out of puff.

Hall 6: I suppose he'll get another assist for Corr's goal, but he wasn't as influential today. When the ball did come near him, he tended to get crowded and or kicked out of it.

Mohsni 7: He struggled up front, but in the second half when he was in his true position, he was exemplary. He's come an awful, awful long way since August.

Sturrock 5.5: I thought he had a bit of a shocker if truth be told. He looked knackered from early on and by the time he was taken off, he was just booting the ball anywhere simply so he didn't have to run. When central on Tuesday he could affect the game and use his attributes to the full, but when he's wider like he was generally today, he struggles. As tired as he looked today, I do hope we can get a striker in before Tuesday to enable Blair to have a rest up.

Subs:

Corr 6: A cracking finish for the goal, he didn't get too much service and therefore didn't pull up many trees. 12 goals already though, which proves an awful lot.

Soares 6.5: He used his fresh legs and pace to good effect and helped Gilbert out time and time again in the latter stages, whilst also carrying the ball forwards to release the pressure.

Sawyer /: Saw very, very little of the ball in his seven or eight minutes on the pitch.

 

[Blue_Wes]

Another enjoyable away game, despite Trevor Kettle's attempts to sabotage our day. Why he constantly seems to have it in for us.

Was a good result, but not a good match. They dominated earlyt on and looked like we would struggle, but credit to the boys, they turned the game in their favour and got a good result without anyone really shining. A good team effort.

Evans: 7 - Did well, no mistakes
Clohessy: 7 - Usual solid performance, defended well and gor forwarded when he could
Gilbert: 7 - Better performance, seems to have settled into the side and cut out the long balls
Coughlin: 5.5 - Really struggled with McLeod early on until he was saved by an injury. Looked like his hamstring, hopefully not
Barker: 7 - Composed and led well from the back
Mohsni: 7 - Didn 't look comfortable up front and struggled to start with, but was very solid when placed back into his natural centre back berth
Ferdinand: 7 - Composed and assured, it's a testament to his ability that Grant and Easton are comfotablet enough in his ability that they leave him to cover the back fore whilst supporting the lone striker
Easton: 7 - Better perforamce and his ditribution was much improved
Grant: 8 MOM - Fabulous energy, supported the lone striker in a very advanced role, could of had two, but finished well for his goal
Hall: 7 - Doesn't seem as effective on the right, although still posed a good threat and worked hard to set up the second goal.
Sturrock: 6 - Tried hard as usual, but nothing seemed to work for him today, a shame he couldn't build on the good midweek performance.

Corr: 6.5 - Looked unfit but took his goal well.
Sawyer: 5.5 - Didn't get involved, but only on the pitch a short time
Soares: 6 - Tried hard which was good to see, but not much ouput, again short time on pitch

 

[Norwichshrimper]

For various reasons today was my first game of season, so this is what i thought with a clean slate and no pre bias!

Evans 8 - Not hard pressed, but sound and came up with good stops when we were under pressure at the start of each half. did nought wrong
Clohessy 7 - Did OK, looks decent
Gilbert 7 - Looked ok, but little to do as Barker looked after his side well and Barnet offered nothing down the right side
Coughlan 7 - exposed a little at start, but very very good in air and won everything after McLeod finished for the day 15 mins in.
Barker 10 - Not a foot wrong and looked far too good for this level
Grant 8 - Very composed and committed good goal
Ferdinand - 7 Solid. didn't set world alight, but clearly knows the game
Easton 8 - very good front and back - showed a touch of class
Hall 7 - A threat which is what you want from your winger - better in 2nd half
Sturrock 7 - Played his role well, not everything came off, but I like what he does
Mohsni 8 - based on a 6 for an OK first half up front and a 10 for being ridiculously unbeatable in the second in defence. Ensured we held on for win by ensuring his clearances stayed in the air for as long as possible.
SUBS
Corr 7 - Yeah, looked good - nice finish too
Soares 7 - did well, carried ball well, nice touches - admittedly came on after Barnet had conceded.
Sawyer 6 - not enough involvement to judge

REF 0: I don't normally slate refs, they have a tough job and as long as they are shyte for both teams I don't mind. But this guy was clearly cheating. That's different to being bad or clueless. contrary to many chants I think he did "know what he was doing"

 

[Jay_Shrimper]

Delete.....

 

[onceknownasrab]

Hate to be critical but the cold weather brings out the worst in me. The performance smacked of doing enough to win. It seems such a wasted opportunity because if the team had produced a performance that mirrored the effort of the fans then we could have won even more comfortably and who knows how important goal difference may become this season? Barnet were there for the taking big time. None of our players had a shocker but none really shone either. Steady, unattractive performance. Job done, points in the bag, opportunity gone begging. The Southend support was fantastic. It got a bit 'cosy' with so many fans rammed in together. I hope that guy behind me had a large set of keys in his pocket or I will feel violated. lol. One downer for me was the minority and I mean minority that still wanted to act like idiots. One case in point was the fan standing directly in front of a steward and despite numerous requests for him to step behind the line he refused and stepped into the stewards face in an attempt to intimidate. Not hard, not clever and a very poor example to the children behind him. The stewards were polite, welcoming and unobtrusive. Indeed the stewards get my highest mark of the day, a 9.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Weren't particularly pretty, but full marks to Sturrock today. He'd clearly done his homework (again) and knew exactly what needed to be done to beat a Barnet side that were probably the most improved team I've seen this season (ie they went from arguably the worst ever team I've seen to just a poor team). Grant's goal was 100% down to the manager as that was a tactic we'd clearly spotted and worked on. That was about the 4th time we'd nearly gone straight through the middle and finally we beat the offside trap and it was then game over.

After McLeod had given Coughlan a tough opening few minutes, Barnet basically didn't threaten.

The improvement in Hall and Mohsni since the start of the season is testament to Sturrock's coaching ability. We may not produce the free-flowing football we did in the earlier years (but not later) of Tilly, but I am in awe of Sturrock's managerial ability. His tactical nous, his coaching are the best I've seen in decades of following Southend. His ability to pick up players out of nowhere I haven't seen since Webb. My man of the match is Paul Sturrock.

 

[ibwiajwa]

It was good to see our two main scorers getting a goal and should build confidence if we have to keep Mohsni at the back. Our tactic of having Grant run past the strikers was clearly causing them major problems in the first half. Blair had a mare today but it didn't really matter in the end. I was very impressed with Evan's distribution which is better than Morris's although his positioning isn't as good. Mohsni was very wayward up front (great pass for the goal though). I do wonder whether he is starting to feel the pressure of expectation on him now. However, he was immense at the back with a 'Thou shalt not pass' mentality although he must watch that he doesn't leave too big a space between himself and Barker. The official was yet another who hadn't heard of the advantage rule (or the rules of football in general for that matter). McLeod did extract the urine out of Coughlan but faded badly and couldn't capitalise - he gets a nose bleed when he gets near the goal. Excellent captain's performance from Easton. Ferdinand looks really good defensively but gives the ball away too much. UTB!

 

[Angell Delight]

McLeod ripped Coughlan to bits for the first 25-30 minutes and after that today and the way he's played for Barnet so far, I can't help but feel we really missed a trick by not signing him in August. He's got everything out front line lacks and if his head is in order he's too good for League Two.

Exactly what I said before the game and I saw nothing to change my mind. I wish PS had maybe given him another couple of weeks trial before making a judgement as I really feel that getting him up to full fitness might have led to a different outcome.

Not having a go at Sturrock at all though, maybe McLeod just didn't do himself justice during his short spell with the club.

 

[Pubey]

Evans - 7
Clohessy - 6.5
Barker - 7
Coughlan - 5
Gilbert - 6
Hall - 7
Ferdinand - 7.5
Easton - 7
Grant - 7
Sturrock - 7
Mohsni - 8 (7 1st half, 9 2nd half) MOTM

Subs:
Corr - 7.5
Sawyer - 6
Soares - 6.5

Fans - 8

Kettle - 6 although he didn't seem to do much massively wrong, he is still a game ruining ref IMO, doesn't let it flow at all). Liked how the loud chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' got wry grins from both sets
of players!

 

[Uncle Leo]

Barnet aren't very good are they? Great to be back on a terrace though and a fine enough performance from Southend.

 

[fbm]

REF 0: I don't normally slate refs, they have a tough job and as long as they are shyte for both teams I don't mind. But this guy was clearly cheating. That's different to being bad or clueless. contrary to many chants I think he did "know what he was doing"

I couldn't get there yesterday, but listened on the radio and in the first half there were apparently two handballs from Grant and Mohsni that weren't picked up by Mr Kettle, so I think the "cheating" remark is a bit wide of the mark to be fair. I think he's just generally not very good.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Barnet confirmed my suspicions of being utterly fruitless going forward, and it certainly helped us as we looked to build attacks quite quickly, aiming long balls at Mohsni's head. I actually didn't think we were that great at all yesterday... There was next to no cohesion between Mohsni and Clohessy which resulted in an awful lot of wasted possession, while Sturrock struggled with the mantle of leading the attack through the centre.

This did, however, leave large swathes of space open for Grant to charge through as Sturrock drew his marker out of the equation, and the ball Mohsni hooked through for Grant's winner for perfect in its execution. Hall seemed to be crowded out, primarily because we always looked for Mohsni, and struggled to have any impact, whereas Easton and Ferdinand kept the midfield ticking over. For me at least, Mohsni's first half performance showed why he's not a centre forward as he got into needless rows with the opposing defenders, his link up play wasn't great at all and he dropped far too deep on a number of occasions looking for the ball. Barnet, on the other hand, had clearly done their homework (coupled with what they already knew of him) and let him operate on the flanks and refused to be drawn out of position by him, as well as winding him up.

Wise move to bring Corr on instead of Phillips, putting Mohsni back into defence where he was excellent.

Barnet aren't terrible defensively, they just have absolutely nothing in midfield or attack. Their tricky right midfielder and right back (Kamdjo), look decent enough, but that's about it. They lose possession far too easily and it causes a lot of pressure to mount on their defence... Izale McLeod was poor beyond belief, hugely disinterested and ineffectual.

Ratings:

Evans - 6 - Nothing to do at all, but his kicking wasn't great.
Clohessy - 6 - Good enough defensively against a tricky(ish) opponent in the first half who tired in the second. Not great going forward and no cohesion with the Tunisian Monster.
Barker - 8 - Classy.
Coughlan - 7 - Looked decent enough. Unfortunately for us, if it's his hamstring that went (looked like it from where I was stood) then he could be out for a while.
Gilbert - 7.5 - Thought he had his best game for us for a while. Good in the air, didn't allow his marker much space and kept possession.
Easton - 7 - Another solid performance.
Ferdinand - 7 - As above
Grant - 7.5 - Driving force going forward, took his goal well. Don't know what the chants from us are all about... Granty didn't seem too impressed.
Hall - 6 - We focused a lot of our play on Mohsni and that saw him remain anonymous. Great vision to close down the short goal kick.
Sturrock - 6 - Hit and miss from Sturrock after a thoroughly great game on Tuesday. Didn't get much support from Mohsni and was left to battle against two physically imposing centre-halfs. Good play creating the space for the first goal, though.
Mohsni - 7 - Poor first in attack, tremendous second in attack.

Subs

Corr - 7 - Took his goal well and won a few decent headers.
Soares/Sawyer not on long enough, really.


Kettle's horrendous.

Fans were largely great.

Poor form for shutting the Red Lion after the game, but the other pub by the BP garage was decent enough for a few extra beers afterwards.

 

[MC BLUES]

Weren't particularly pretty, but full marks to Sturrock today. He'd clearly done his homework (again) and knew exactly what needed to be done to beat a Barnet side that were probably the most improved team I've seen this season (ie they went from arguably the worst ever team I've seen to just a poor team). Grant's goal was 100% down to the manager as that was a tactic we'd clearly spotted and worked on. That was about the 4th time we'd nearly gone straight through the middle and finally we beat the offside trap and it was then game over.

After McLeod had given Coughlan a tough opening few minutes, Barnet basically didn't threaten.

The improvement in Hall and Mohsni since the start of the season is testament to Sturrock's coaching ability. We may not produce the free-flowing football we did in the earlier years (but not later) of Tilly, but I am in awe of Sturrock's managerial ability. His tactical nous, his coaching are the best I've seen in decades of following Southend. His ability to pick up players out of nowhere I haven't seen since Webb. My man of the match is Paul Sturrock.

Top post! Totally agree with all of this, Paul Sturrock's knowledge and experience will at the very least keep us in this league. That in itself is no mean feat considering all the circumstances.

 

[McNasty]

Barnet confirmed my suspicions of being utterly fruitless going forward, and it certainly helped us as we looked to build attacks quite quickly, aiming long balls at Mohsni's head. I actually didn't think we were that great at all yesterday... There was next to no cohesion between Mohsni and Clohessy which resulted in an awful lot of wasted possession, while Sturrock struggled with the mantle of leading the attack through the centre.

This did, however, leave large swathes of space open for Grant to charge through as Sturrock drew his marker out of the equation, and the ball Mohsni hooked through for Grant's winner for perfect in its execution. Hall seemed to be crowded out, primarily because we always looked for Mohsni, and struggled to have any impact, whereas Easton and Ferdinand kept the midfield ticking over. For me at least, Mohsni's first half performance showed why he's not a centre forward as he got into needless rows with the opposing defenders, his link up play wasn't great at all and he dropped far too deep on a number of occasions looking for the ball. Barnet, on the other hand, had clearly done their homework (coupled with what they already knew of him) and let him operate on the flanks and refused to be drawn out of position by him, as well as winding him up.

Wise move to bring Corr on instead of Phillips, putting Mohsni back into defence where he was excellent.

Barnet aren't terrible defensively, they just have absolutely nothing in midfield or attack. Their tricky right midfielder and right back (Kamdjo), look decent enough, but that's about it. They lose possession far too easily and it causes a lot of pressure to mount on their defence... Izale McLeod was poor beyond belief, hugely disinterested and ineffectual.

Ratings:

Evans - 6 - Nothing to do at all, but his kicking wasn't great.
Clohessy - 6 - Good enough defensively against a tricky(ish) opponent in the first half who tired in the second. Not great going forward and no cohesion with the Tunisian Monster.
Barker - 8 - Classy.
Coughlan - 7 - Looked decent enough. Unfortunately for us, if it's his hamstring that went (looked like it from where I was stood) then he could be out for a while.
Gilbert - 7.5 - Thought he had his best game for us for a while. Good in the air, didn't allow his marker much space and kept possession.
Easton - 7 - Another solid performance.
Ferdinand - 7 - As above
Grant - 7.5 - Driving force going forward, took his goal well. Don't know what the chants from us are all about... Granty didn't seem too impressed.
Hall - 6 - We focused a lot of our play on Mohsni and that saw him remain anonymous. Great vision to close down the short goal kick.
Sturrock - 6 - Hit and miss from Sturrock after a thoroughly great game on Tuesday. Didn't get much support from Mohsni and was left to battle against two physically imposing centre-halfs. Good play creating the space for the first goal, though.
Mohsni - 7 - Poor first in attack, tremendous second in attack.

Subs

Corr - 7 - Took his goal well and won a few decent headers.
Soares/Sawyer not on long enough, really.


Kettle's horrendous.

Fans were largely great.

Poor form for shutting the Red Lion after the game, but the other pub by the BP garage was decent enough for a few extra beers afterwards.

Are you saying that Kettle has gone off the boil ? :smile:

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Are you saying that Kettle has gone off the boil ? :smile:

Even by your standards Ken, that is woeful.

 

[MR BLUE]

A win job done! Not the best performance,but these 2 home games coming up if we win both of those,a play off place is a real possibility Great away support but hearing the foul dreadful language sometimes makes me ashamed to be a Southend United supporter