Match Thread: Southend United v Lincoln City | Page 26 | Vital Football

Match Thread: Southend United v Lincoln City

Got home about half an hour ago and haven't looked at what anyone else has said yet.

I thought we started well against a poor side who were struggling and should have had something to show for it, but with only Jorge Grant's free kick the nearest to a goal.

Don't know what was said in the respective dressing rooms at half time but Southend came out revitalised whereas we were the opposite, and they took control of the game with us lucky to only be 1-0 down before we began to take the game to them.

Once again, John-Jules put a chance he ought to have scored from over the bar.

About the only thing I can remember Anderson doing right was when he scored with his free header. We then looked the more likely to win the game, except that once again:

1. We couldn't defend a set-piece.
2. We conceded a late goal.

What was disappointing was that we couldn't do better against a poor side in the first half and then after the break allowed them to take control of the game for so long.

I haven't looked at the thread about Michael Appleton yet, but I can see how last Tuesday's game (which I watched on iFollow) and this one could start to turn people against him.
 
Ok. Probably as depressed as most of us after yesterday’s abject performance and result, but having slept on it a few observations, for what they are worth.
1. Southend are a team with low confidence and the worst home record in the league, while we are a team with one of the worst away records and probably down on confidence away from home and a team of youngsters who have limited game time together and little physical presence who want to play the beautiful game properly. Fair enough, but the one thing we shouldn’t do is give them any encouragement from the off and hopefully score, at least one, in the first half. We didn’t so you can imagine what Sol’s HT talk would be like. They could smell blood if they fought hard enough and got a couple of set piece chances. They did.
2. We may have had an inexperienced team, but we have an experienced defence that SHOULD have played their part in holding the team together and leading them. I hate saying this as they have been brilliant previously, but I also have to say the performances of Shackell & Eardley have a been a little inconsistent lately. I’m sure there are many reasons and it’s not straightforward, but I do wonder if they are starting to go through the motions because they maybe feel their time is limited at the club to the end of this season and their perception is that they came to a club on the ‘up‘ capable of winning things whereas that whole situation has reversed, for the time being. Might be wrong but that’s just my take on them.
3. The change in the whole make-up of the team has clearly been dictated to by the financial sustainability of the club and MA is a great ’fit’ for the club and the Board with what they feel it needs going forward. I don’t have any argument with that. However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that to be ‘sustainable’ AS A TEAM in League 1 you need the right blend of players, which means a good mix of youth and experience. At the moment the team is unbalanced and inexperienced. Looking at the fixture list in December my thought was that if we could get through the transfer window relatively unscathed, February’s fixtures gave us a really good chance of banking enough points (particularly at home) to secure a mid-table position and use the close season to really build. That hasn’t happened and MA and the players have their work cut out to pick up points in February. They really need to gel quickly and up their game.
4. Roatation is clearly the order of the day but some of the youngsters need rotating with the experienced players to avoid any repeat of the Tilson scenario. I would hate for MA to be dragged into that situation and I think he’s better than that. Hopefully Bridcutt and the other ‘mystery’ player waiting in the wings have the necessary experience.
5. Patience and loyalty are needed and an acceptance that the next few weeks are going to be rough and we need to stick by the team to get them through, particularly the youngsters. UTI.
 
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Appleton will get it right, pleased we have him. We've been here before pre Cowley, perhaps those fans may now melt away and clap elsewhere !

Not even pre-Cowley. Let's not forget his teams performances away at the likes of Borehamwood, Colchester and this season Wycombe away. They were no better than the poor performance yesterday. We just have to get through this season staying in the league then all the money saved can be reinvested for a completely changed side in the summer. Appelton needs a few weeks on the training ground and then these guys will be OK. Tough with the busy schedule recently he's hardly been able to coach them.
 
Just reading a few posts I feel the mood is quite fractious tonight!
Todays performance was poor but was pretty typical of most of our away games this season so why the extreme melt down tonight.
Away games we are slow, negative and pretty abysmal even before the mass clear out and today was much of the same.
Of course the armchair fans expect us to destroy a team of youngsters at the bottom of the league but any fan who travels away knew there was very little chance of that happening judging by our away form.
Our destiny this year lies with our home form.
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.
 
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.
Pretty much every L1 win under Cowley was lucky. There were periods in all of them where we could well have been, and were, undone by our propensity to overplay, and do so too slowly.
I think we are occasionally suffering because of our intent, since August to play "the right way" against better sides with a group of players that cannot do so consistently, and without error.
We will stay up and with another transfer window be ok again next season.
 
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.

In the first half of Tuesday's game Portsmouth were also pathetic, despite being on a terrific winning run. It was an absolutely terrible 45 minutes in general, then they got the goal on the stroke of half time and it conditioned the turgid second half in which they were the better team - though only because they had enough about them to protect their lead.

As for "now affecting the home form" it was one match. However admittedly poor that was, the home games leading up to that game following the Oxford debacle finished: 2-0, 0-0, 1-0, 5-3, 2-1, 5-1, 1-0.
 
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.

Lucky in what sense that they missed a couple of chances? Didn’t we miss a penalty in the same game? Arguably unlucky not to win by a bigger margin.

Lets be honest Billy you are desperate to see the Imps fail, so you can be a smug ‘I told you so’ git. Still awaiting on your alternative managerial option? Not a person to offer solutions?
 
Some, well quite a lot of, fans seem unable to keep any sense of proportion. Everything is either conditioned by one result or falls prey to natural pessimism or unfounded optimism.

There are times when we've had somewhat fortunate wins (I'll use FGR and MK Dons at home last season as an example) and the forum is alive with people hailing the tactical brilliance of it all. The Cowleys themselves never fell into that trap as they rightly believe if you pay attention to "the process" the results will follow.

The transfer window has seen a revolution not an evolution which speeds up where the club wants to be but it's coming at the cost of results in the short term. There have been some decisions taken though which can only have been for the benefit of previous players because from a team building point of view they don't make much sense.

Toffolo, Andrade and Akinde were natural departures. Walker was something the club couldn't do much about though I guess if we were challenging at the top or struggling at the bottom it might not have been so clear cut.

Unless it's for the player's benefit though I don't see the point in replacing O'Connor with a short term move for Bridcutt.

It's difficult to see how the on loan Coventry is for the moment much better than Chapman who we're trying to develop ourselves. But maybe we'll see more from Coventry in the rest of the season.

Replacing our 2nd keeper with a lad whose experience this season has been with Bradford PA and Alfreton also seems bizarre, as does bringing in left back cover in a lad who was also at Bradford PA - the Southend United of the NLN this season.

Who knows, these may be inspired signings, as might Elbouzedi who I've yet to see why there was all the fuss about. But in 12 months time he might be hot property.

I think the club is on the right path, but there are some very impatient fans and there are some decisions amongst last week's chaos that look, well, odd.

And finally, in the words of Mike Bassett, but for the opposite reason, Four Four ******* Two
 
Elbouzeady is a strange one indeed. He was like a little boy lost yesterday. He has pace but sadly that is all he has shown so far, he hasn’t shown a trick to beat a full back or to gain a yard of space to cross the ball. He must have something about him but at the moment he looks miles away from a first team player at this level.
He has a very unusual running style, very upright straight and chest pushed out and for a winger hoping to withstand a strong challenge that is very strange and not ideal. Best of luck to him but turning him into a League One player is one hell of a challenge for our management team.
 
In the first half of Tuesday's game Portsmouth were also pathetic, despite being on a terrific winning run. It was an absolutely terrible 45 minutes in general, then they got the goal on the stroke of half time and it conditioned the turgid second half in which they were the better team - though only because they had enough about them to protect their lead.

As for "now affecting the home form" it was one match. However admittedly poor that was, the home games leading up to that game following the Oxford debacle finished: 2-0, 0-0, 1-0, 5-3, 2-1, 5-1, 1-0.
But since then a wholesale change of personnel.
 
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.
Luck plays a big part. How lucky were Southend that JJ didn't bury his first half chance yesterday?
A totally different outcome possible then.
 
Football and giving time don't go together for some do they?
Yes it was poor yesterday but we have to see the bigger picture as BB said the majority of this side beat Blackpool two weeks ago to take us into the top half.
Sadly some are desperate for the club to fail and say I told you so and the lack ambition and are happy in the fourth tier.
2000/1 to go down, wonder if any of the moaners have had a pound?
 
Good point, but the problem is the away form is now affecting the home form. In the defeat against Pompey we were pathetic and the win against Blackpool we were lucky.
Pompey both sides were pathetic but that actually seemed to be Pompeys game plan, strangle the life out of the game and look to nick it, they succeeded and maintained their winning run, continued yesterday against Sunderland, does that now make the Mackems relegation candidates?

Blackpool was two evenly matched sides who both created chances, they hit the post but we missed a penalty and won it with a nicely taken goal. Didn't seem lucky to me but I like to be a realist rather than pursue an agenda.
 
But since then a wholesale change of personnel.
You'd call three (four at a push) in the starting XI 'wholesale' changes (Melbourne, midfield partner for Morrell and one of the strikers - two if we go 4-4-2)?

Sorry mate, but your posts on this thread have shown you up to be totally and utterly clueless. And whilst a few things have been said on these posts about us hoping ST holders renew, if you're one, I genuinely hope you don't. Suggest you go watch Liverpool as at least they are winning every week.
 
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Fortunately I had immediate redemption from yesterday as my other side were at home at 9pm and put in a terrific footballing performance - despite having sold two key players in the last three days of the transfer window :yes:
 
To give a good example of how up and down it's been this season, we've only been 'doubled' twice thus far - Portsmouth and Oxford. We can only be 'doubled' 5 more times (Gills, Coventry, Doncaster, Bristol Rovers, Wycombe - and 4 of those games were away first).

We've generally picked up points through the division this season rather than in isolated parts i.e. bottom half, bottom third etc.

For every Southend away, there was a Southend at home. For every Gillingham away, there was a Sunderland at home. What's doing us some good as well is not drawing games, which we're the lowest in the division (4).