|
Post by stevek192 on Dec 10, 2017 11:13:31 GMT
Let's make no mistake this was a most important game coming after the rare victory last week and for possibly the first time this season I agreed totally with the selection. The inclusion of Gaffney in the line up was twofold as far as I was concerned 1) Gaffney thoroughly deserved a start and would make us at least look like a home side 2) Ollie Clarke has been so far off the pace that even victory last week could not hide it. I can only remember one shot from Southend but in truth it should have given them an undeserved equalizer and may have changed the game but only their keeper kept them in this game with four or five stunning saves that saved them from a thrashing. This was a complete performance we have rarely seen this season and following on from the undeserved defeat at Blackburn and the victory last week hopefully the bad run is now over but in my opinion must not be forgotten and the changes in January must take place to improve the team and really push for places to keep the level of performance produced yesterday which if maintained could yet turn this season around.
Smith 6 The only reason this mark is any lower than the rest is because he really had nothing to do and in all honesty we could have had any of our previous goalkeepers in goal and it would have made no difference but that said he is an average League 1 goalkeeper possibly a bit better and the same can be said for Slocombe and they are both ours.
Leadbitter 9 Superb both defensively and as an attacking force. His pace was there for all to see and on this form is one of the best full backs in the division. If he keeps up his current form the he could be another player we will struggle to keep hold of. Lockyer 8.5 A couple of wayward passes but overall he was back to his very best and kept a good hold on talented strikers and the run and pass he did in the second half had class written all over it and IMO showed that the confidence had returned. Sweeney 9 The same as Lockyer ,he was immense yesterday and the header he won in the second half just showed that he too was back to his best doing what last season was just a run of the mill performance from him. Brown 8 Another who is back to his best defensive form and was always available as an outlet whilst attacking and rarely did his player get the better of him.
Partington 9 Superb is my only description of a player who surely will eventually captain the team. Vocally he keeps everybody on their toes,sets a great example and wins more than his fair share of tackles as well as dominating in the air and passing effectively. Yesterday he was the defensive midfielder we have been missing for so long. Sinclair 8 Covered every inch of the pitch but remained disciplined throughout. didn't give his opponents any time on the ball and rarely gave the ball away. His best performance of the season and great to see him looking forward as well as back. Sercombe 8.5 another goal and a real surging display from DC's best summer signing. I will be very surprised if he doesn't score ten goals this season and yesterday he also showed just how skilful he is and added hard work to his performance.
Bodin 8 The close skills were all there to be seen and what Billys presence does is that however he plays he has to be marked heavily and that means other players have more space. He wasn't at his very best but still managed to score a great opening goal having the skill to dink an awkward ball over the centre half and drill a low vicious shot through a keeper who was the only reason this was not a six or seven nil victory. He looked like he had opened the scoring earlier with a typical long range strike that brought an outstanding save and also did his defensive duties well. Gaffney 8 Workrate and skill on the ball were all there to be seen and was a real handful and the perfect foil to Ellis. Unlucky not to be on the score sheet but provided width often and strength through the middle as well without mentioning his long throws. Harrison 9.5 MOM What is now becoming a standard performance from Ellis but even better! Led the attack with power, speed ,strength and close ball skills and the same as Gaffney ran the Shrimpers defence ragged from beginning to end as well as scoring with a brilliantly placed shot to end a superb move for the second goal of the afternoon. ellis was my man of the match but it was great to say that I could not have disagreed if it was given to any of about five or six others. Really only Smith, through no fault of his own was not in contention!
Subs Ollie Clarke, Nicholls and Lines- Not on long enough to make either a contribution or warrant a mark.
Crowd 7 Got right behind the team and rewarded with the best home performance this season taking into account the opposition. Ref 8.5 Best of the season bar a couple of weird decisions but please can we have more like this who didn't brandish a card for nearly every offence. Southend 5 Surely a below par performance from them because they have a quality squad or was it just that we played very well. I would go more towards the latter because we had a team where everybody were near their best and some put in exceptional performances.
DC Can't think what more he could have done yesterday. For me based on the players we have the team yesterday was the one I would select week in week out, home and away. He neither needed to use substitutes or really did use substitutes as all three substitutes were the last five minutes of the game. the biggest compliment I can pay him is that whilst fans have become angry and some even called for his head he has remained balanced although maybe a bit edgy and hopefully has pulled us through the worst period of his management career.
More importantly maybe he has become a better Manager because of this depressing run. Whilst the team have had three brilliant seasons it has been easy for him to keep making changes ;often IMO unnecessarily; under the cover of his overall results. This system has been questioned recently and only in the last three games have we seen a pretty consistent team selection with only one change yesterday being IMO the correct one to leave out the very poor Ollie Clarke and give us a more attacking team whilst still keeping a defensive framework. Personally I hope he keeps the same team and squad for next weeks game at Gillingham- a fixture which is difficult only because it is a place we rarely get a result but it is a place where, if we play anywhere remotely like we played yesterday we are capable of winning and winning well.
DC's big problem if we pick up good results between now and the New Year is that he forgets the poor run and doesn't bring in three or four new faces.This action would be a big mistake and our Manager is far from foolish but whether those above him are is more questionable and that is my big worry that a pick up in form will mean no money available. If this happens I can see only one outcome and in all honesty it does not bear thinking about. We do need to weed out the dead wood and bring in three or four players who would all be players who could start because we are well short on width, short of quality and at present restricted on how we can play and this is without the likelihood that Bodin will go and maybe even Harrison.
it is imperative that we sign two quality wingers, another central midfielder and another striker. DC has shown that he is not willing to play either Dominic Telford, Moore (recently) or Broom and therefore there is no point in having them in the squad. Another quality centre half would also benefit the side as competition for Lockyer. 2 Permanent signings and two or three loans would be ideal. I probably won't be at Gillingham next week so I apologise now for the lack of report but very much hope the lads can bring back the three points or at the very least dare I say, a rare draw.
|
|
|
Post by Kingswood Polak on Dec 10, 2017 11:21:23 GMT
Thanks stevek192. Always good to read your write up when I’ve not been there. January will be the pivotal point. I am resigned to losing around 3 but it’s who we replace them with before talk of dreamt of wingers and CM’s. As it is, I’d still rip your hand off for a mid table finish. Yes, January will prove to be interesting indeed. One thing one can say, it’s never dull being gas
|
|
|
Post by imanobody on Dec 10, 2017 11:30:44 GMT
Well written Steve 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2017 12:13:02 GMT
Good report. With regards to signings in january you make it seem as if there is about £1,000,000 for the manager! The question is will the manager have any funds over and above what he makes on any players going out in january?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2017 12:33:34 GMT
Let's make no mistake this was a most important game coming after the rare victory last week and for possibly the first time this season I agreed totally with the selection. The inclusion of Gaffney in the line up was twofold as far as I was concerned 1) Gaffney thoroughly deserved a start and would make us at least look like a home side 2) Ollie Clarke has been so far off the pace that even victory last week could not hide it. I can only remember one shot from Southend but in truth it should have given them an undeserved equalizer and may have changed the game but only their keeper kept them in this game with four or five stunning saves that saved them from a thrashing. This was a complete performance we have rarely seen this season and following on from the undeserved defeat at Blackburn and the victory last week hopefully the bad run is now over but in my opinion must not be forgotten and the changes in January must take place to improve the team and really push for places to keep the level of performance produced yesterday which if maintained could yet turn this season around. Smith 6 The only reason this mark is any lower than the rest is because he really had nothing to do and in all honesty we could have had any of our previous goalkeepers in goal and it would have made no difference but that said he is an average League 1 goalkeeper possibly a bit better and the same can be said for Slocombe and they are both ours. Leadbitter 9 Superb both defensively and as an attacking force. His pace was there for all to see and on this form is one of the best full backs in the division. If he keeps up his current form the he could be another player we will struggle to keep hold of. Lockyer 8.5 A couple of wayward passes but overall he was back to his very best and kept a good hold on talented strikers and the run and pass he did in the second half had class written all over it and IMO showed that the confidence had returned. Sweeney 9 The same as Lockyer ,he was immense yesterday and the header he won in the second half just showed that he too was back to his best doing what last season was just a run of the mill performance from him. Brown 8 Another who is back to his best defensive form and was always available as an outlet whilst attacking and rarely did his player get the better of him. Partington 9 Superb is my only description of a player who surely will eventually captain the team. Vocally he keeps everybody on their toes,sets a great example and wins more than his fair share of tackles as well as dominating in the air and passing effectively. Yesterday he was the defensive midfielder we have been missing for so long. Sinclair 8 Covered every inch of the pitch but remained disciplined throughout. didn't give his opponents any time on the ball and rarely gave the ball away. His best performance of the season and great to see him looking forward as well as back. Sercombe 8.5 another goal and a real surging display from DC's best summer signing. I will be very surprised if he doesn't score ten goals this season and yesterday he also showed just how skilful he is and added hard work to his performance. Bodin 8 The close skills were all there to be seen and what Billys presence does is that however he plays he has to be marked heavily and that means other players have more space. He wasn't at his very best but still managed to score a great opening goal having the skill to dink an awkward ball over the centre half and drill a low vicious shot through a keeper who was the only reason this was not a six or seven nil victory. He looked like he had opened the scoring earlier with a typical long range strike that brought an outstanding save and also did his defensive duties well. Gaffney 8 Workrate and skill on the ball were all there to be seen and was a real handful and the perfect foil to Ellis. Unlucky not to be on the score sheet but provided width often and strength through the middle as well without mentioning his long throws. Harrison 9.5 MOM What is now becoming a standard performance from Ellis but even better! Led the attack with power, speed ,strength and close ball skills and the same as Gaffney ran the Shrimpers defence ragged from beginning to end as well as scoring with a brilliantly placed shot to end a superb move for the second goal of the afternoon. ellis was my man of the match but it was great to say that I could not have disagreed if it was given to any of about five or six others. Really only Smith, through no fault of his own was not in contention! Subs Ollie Clarke, Nicholls and Lines- Not on long enough to make either a contribution or warrant a mark. Crowd 7 Got right behind the team and rewarded with the best home performance this season taking into account the opposition. Ref 8.5 Best of the season bar a couple of weird decisions but please can we have more like this who didn't brandish a card for nearly every offence. Southend 5 Surely a below par performance from them because they have a quality squad or was it just that we played very well. I would go more towards the latter because we had a team where everybody were near their best and some put in exceptional performances. DC Can't think what more he could have done yesterday. For me based on the players we have the team yesterday was the one I would select week in week out, home and away. He neither needed to use substitutes or really did use substitutes as all three substitutes were the last five minutes of the game. the biggest compliment I can pay him is that whilst fans have become angry and some even called for his head he has remained balanced although maybe a bit edgy and hopefully has pulled us through the worst period of his management career. More importantly maybe he has become a better Manager because of this depressing run. Whilst the team have had three brilliant seasons it has been easy for him to keep making changes ;often IMO unnecessarily; under the cover of his overall results. This system has been questioned recently and only in the last three games have we seen a pretty consistent team selection with only one change yesterday being IMO the correct one to leave out the very poor Ollie Clarke and give us a more attacking team whilst still keeping a defensive framework. Personally I hope he keeps the same team and squad for next weeks game at Gillingham- a fixture which is difficult only because it is a place we rarely get a result but it is a place where, if we play anywhere remotely like we played yesterday we are capable of winning and winning well. DC's big problem if we pick up good results between now and the New Year is that he forgets the poor run and doesn't bring in three or four new faces.This action would be a big mistake and our Manager is far from foolish but whether those above him are is more questionable and that is my big worry that a pick up in form will mean no money available. If this happens I can see only one outcome and in all honesty it does not bear thinking about. We do need to weed out the dead wood and bring in three or four players who would all be players who could start because we are well short on width, short of quality and at present restricted on how we can play and this is without the likelihood that Bodin will go and maybe even Harrison. it is imperative that we sign two quality wingers, another central midfielder and another striker. DC has shown that he is not willing to play either Dominic Telford, Moore (recently) or Broom and therefore there is no point in having them in the squad. Another quality centre half would also benefit the side as competition for Lockyer. 2 Permanent signings and two or three loans would be ideal. I probably won't be at Gillingham next week so I apologise now for the lack of report but very much hope the lads can bring back the three points or at the very least dare I say, a rare draw. Thanks for your report Steve, missed my first home game this season yesterday and the consensus suggests it was the best of the season. Interestingly regarding the ref, apparently he is new to the EFL and had only been in charge of a handful of games before yesterday.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2017 12:52:19 GMT
Let's make no mistake this was a most important game coming after the rare victory last week and for possibly the first time this season I agreed totally with the selection. The inclusion of Gaffney in the line up was twofold as far as I was concerned 1) Gaffney thoroughly deserved a start and would make us at least look like a home side 2) Ollie Clarke has been so far off the pace that even victory last week could not hide it. I can only remember one shot from Southend but in truth it should have given them an undeserved equalizer and may have changed the game but only their keeper kept them in this game with four or five stunning saves that saved them from a thrashing. This was a complete performance we have rarely seen this season and following on from the undeserved defeat at Blackburn and the victory last week hopefully the bad run is now over but in my opinion must not be forgotten and the changes in January must take place to improve the team and really push for places to keep the level of performance produced yesterday which if maintained could yet turn this season around. Smith 6 The only reason this mark is any lower than the rest is because he really had nothing to do and in all honesty we could have had any of our previous goalkeepers in goal and it would have made no difference but that said he is an average League 1 goalkeeper possibly a bit better and the same can be said for Slocombe and they are both ours. Leadbitter 9 Superb both defensively and as an attacking force. His pace was there for all to see and on this form is one of the best full backs in the division. If he keeps up his current form the he could be another player we will struggle to keep hold of. Lockyer 8.5 A couple of wayward passes but overall he was back to his very best and kept a good hold on talented strikers and the run and pass he did in the second half had class written all over it and IMO showed that the confidence had returned. Sweeney 9 The same as Lockyer ,he was immense yesterday and the header he won in the second half just showed that he too was back to his best doing what last season was just a run of the mill performance from him. Brown 8 Another who is back to his best defensive form and was always available as an outlet whilst attacking and rarely did his player get the better of him. Partington 9 Superb is my only description of a player who surely will eventually captain the team. Vocally he keeps everybody on their toes,sets a great example and wins more than his fair share of tackles as well as dominating in the air and passing effectively. Yesterday he was the defensive midfielder we have been missing for so long. Sinclair 8 Covered every inch of the pitch but remained disciplined throughout. didn't give his opponents any time on the ball and rarely gave the ball away. His best performance of the season and great to see him looking forward as well as back. Sercombe 8.5 another goal and a real surging display from DC's best summer signing. I will be very surprised if he doesn't score ten goals this season and yesterday he also showed just how skilful he is and added hard work to his performance. Bodin 8 The close skills were all there to be seen and what Billys presence does is that however he plays he has to be marked heavily and that means other players have more space. He wasn't at his very best but still managed to score a great opening goal having the skill to dink an awkward ball over the centre half and drill a low vicious shot through a keeper who was the only reason this was not a six or seven nil victory. He looked like he had opened the scoring earlier with a typical long range strike that brought an outstanding save and also did his defensive duties well. Gaffney 8 Workrate and skill on the ball were all there to be seen and was a real handful and the perfect foil to Ellis. Unlucky not to be on the score sheet but provided width often and strength through the middle as well without mentioning his long throws. Harrison 9.5 MOM What is now becoming a standard performance from Ellis but even better! Led the attack with power, speed ,strength and close ball skills and the same as Gaffney ran the Shrimpers defence ragged from beginning to end as well as scoring with a brilliantly placed shot to end a superb move for the second goal of the afternoon. ellis was my man of the match but it was great to say that I could not have disagreed if it was given to any of about five or six others. Really only Smith, through no fault of his own was not in contention! Subs Ollie Clarke, Nicholls and Lines- Not on long enough to make either a contribution or warrant a mark. Crowd 7 Got right behind the team and rewarded with the best home performance this season taking into account the opposition. Ref 8.5 Best of the season bar a couple of weird decisions but please can we have more like this who didn't brandish a card for nearly every offence. Southend 5 Surely a below par performance from them because they have a quality squad or was it just that we played very well. I would go more towards the latter because we had a team where everybody were near their best and some put in exceptional performances. DC Can't think what more he could have done yesterday. For me based on the players we have the team yesterday was the one I would select week in week out, home and away. He neither needed to use substitutes or really did use substitutes as all three substitutes were the last five minutes of the game. the biggest compliment I can pay him is that whilst fans have become angry and some even called for his head he has remained balanced although maybe a bit edgy and hopefully has pulled us through the worst period of his management career. More importantly maybe he has become a better Manager because of this depressing run. Whilst the team have had three brilliant seasons it has been easy for him to keep making changes ;often IMO unnecessarily; under the cover of his overall results. This system has been questioned recently and only in the last three games have we seen a pretty consistent team selection with only one change yesterday being IMO the correct one to leave out the very poor Ollie Clarke and give us a more attacking team whilst still keeping a defensive framework. Personally I hope he keeps the same team and squad for next weeks game at Gillingham- a fixture which is difficult only because it is a place we rarely get a result but it is a place where, if we play anywhere remotely like we played yesterday we are capable of winning and winning well. DC's big problem if we pick up good results between now and the New Year is that he forgets the poor run and doesn't bring in three or four new faces.This action would be a big mistake and our Manager is far from foolish but whether those above him are is more questionable and that is my big worry that a pick up in form will mean no money available. If this happens I can see only one outcome and in all honesty it does not bear thinking about. We do need to weed out the dead wood and bring in three or four players who would all be players who could start because we are well short on width, short of quality and at present restricted on how we can play and this is without the likelihood that Bodin will go and maybe even Harrison. it is imperative that we sign two quality wingers, another central midfielder and another striker. DC has shown that he is not willing to play either Dominic Telford, Moore (recently) or Broom and therefore there is no point in having them in the squad. Another quality centre half would also benefit the side as competition for Lockyer. 2 Permanent signings and two or three loans would be ideal. I probably won't be at Gillingham next week so I apologise now for the lack of report but very much hope the lads can bring back the three points or at the very least dare I say, a rare draw. Thanks for your report Steve, missed my first home game this season yesterday and the consensus suggests it was the best of the season. Interestingly regarding the ref, apparently he is new to the EFL and had only been in charge of a handful of games before yesterday. Please stay away then. We don't need you any more.
|
|
|
Post by madgas on Dec 10, 2017 13:04:41 GMT
We were bloody marvellous.
|
|
|
Post by tommym9 on Dec 10, 2017 13:40:14 GMT
Thanks for the write up Steve.
I can t see us splashing the cash in January. Maybe 2/3 loans to fill out the squad a bit and give us a bit more flexibility with formations will be what we'll get.
|
|
|
Post by knowall on Dec 10, 2017 14:54:09 GMT
Thanks for the write up Steve. I can t see us splashing the cash in January. Maybe 2/3 loans to fill out the squad a bit and give us a bit more flexibility with formations will be what we'll get. Excellent summary by Steve and one I think we all might have written - but I disagree about the need to buy in January which is not the best time because it is overly expensive, Instead, I would go with tommym9 and go for loans provided that does not break the wages cap but by offloading the ones Steve mentions should help in that respect.
|
|
|
Post by paulpirate on Dec 10, 2017 15:06:39 GMT
Thanks for the write up Steve. I can t see us splashing the cash in January. Maybe 2/3 loans to fill out the squad a bit and give us a bit more flexibility with formations will be what we'll get. Excellent summary by Steve and one I think we all might have written - but I disagree about the need to buy in January which is not the best time because it is overly expensive, Instead, I would go with tommym9 and go for loans provided that does not break the wages cap but by offloading the ones Steve mentions should help in that respect. there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though
|
|
|
Post by miamigas on Dec 10, 2017 15:07:15 GMT
Great job Steve, Cheers. UTG!
|
|
|
Post by knowall on Dec 10, 2017 15:13:13 GMT
Excellent summary by Steve and one I think we all might have written - but I disagree about the need to buy in January which is not the best time because it is overly expensive, Instead, I would go with tommym9 and go for loans provided that does not break the wages cap but by offloading the ones Steve mentions should help in that respect. there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though Yes, and some are good reasons, BUT it must depend on whether DC identifies a player/players who are real value - remember the excellent loan business he did last January.
|
|
|
Post by paulpirate on Dec 10, 2017 16:52:21 GMT
there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though Yes, and some are good reasons, BUT it must depend on whether DC identifies a player/players who are real value - remember the excellent loan business he did last January. be nice to get players we can keep and make money on other clubs manage to do it Loan players are great for cover
|
|
|
Post by socrates on Dec 10, 2017 17:28:23 GMT
there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though Yes, and some are good reasons, BUT it must depend on whether DC identifies a player/players who are real value - remember the excellent loan business he did last January. Yeah I actually think DC has definitely done some of his best business in January in the past. Lines , Easter Lumley Sweeney for example. If we’re around mid table come January and he can do some more of the same I can see us pushing for top six. We’ve got a better squad than last season already imo and we finished 10th last season.
|
|
|
Post by chilly1883 on Dec 10, 2017 19:54:59 GMT
Agree with pretty much everything, great team performance, back to the team we've been used to, for the last 3 years. Anybody who's asked for DC's head might as well f**k off to Ashton. UTG
|
|
|
Post by whoblue on Dec 11, 2017 9:40:04 GMT
great write up as always... for me, Smith could have got MOM.... for not freezing to death with so little to do!!
|
|
|
Post by peterparker on Dec 11, 2017 9:55:13 GMT
Excellent summary by Steve and one I think we all might have written - but I disagree about the need to buy in January which is not the best time because it is overly expensive, Instead, I would go with tommym9 and go for loans provided that does not break the wages cap but by offloading the ones Steve mentions should help in that respect. there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though what in January or at all.
We seemed to buy in the Summer and got the one player on loan everybody wanted
|
|
|
Post by 2nd May 1990 on Dec 11, 2017 16:35:42 GMT
there is always a excuse why we can’t buy though what in January or at all.
We seemed to buy in the Summer and got the one player on loan everybody wanted
Last January we got in Partington, Sweeney, Lumley and Burn. Pretty decent business apart from Burn, obviously. This summer we got in Sweeney again, Sercombe, two competent keepers and Nichols. The latter has disappointed so far but I wouldn't be writing him off yet. We also got in Broadbent and Menayese who both look very promising, along with building up our development squad. That's not bad business in my book. Partington and Sercombe look like stellar signings.
|
|
|
Post by socrates on Dec 11, 2017 16:53:06 GMT
what in January or at all.
We seemed to buy in the Summer and got the one player on loan everybody wanted
Last January we got in Partington, Sweeney, Lumley and Burn. Pretty decent business apart from Burn, obviously. This summer we got in Sweeney again, Sercombe, two competent keepers and Nichols. The latter has disappointed so far but I wouldn't be writing him off yet. We also got in Broadbent and Menayese who both look very promising, along with building up our development squad. That's not bad business in my book. Partington and Sercombe look like stellar signings. Yeah all good business again DC knows what he’s doing. Holding on to our best players is the hardest thing but it always has been and unless we win promotion this season ( not going to happen) we’ll lose more this year.
|
|
|
Post by e4bandrobinstubbs on Dec 11, 2017 17:04:24 GMT
Can't agree about Partington. Once again the game revolved around him too much. Doesn't win enough ball (air or ground) for my liking. Always looks to me as if he's going to make a big cock-up & cost us dear as he never seems to have the ball under full control, and his passes therefore are a bit rushed. Seemed to be a better player on the right rather than in the centre. However, I will be happy to be proved wrong in time.
|
|