Another terrible game and a poor performance from us saved by the fact Southend are woeful. However, given that circumstance, it is a game we should be winning and under SE we are at least winning games we should be winning, drawing games we should be drawing and often doing better than we should have done. I have no doubt that last season in the last three games - tight games, where we were poor, or poor in patches, we'd have lost the lot. Even earlier in the season, when SE first came in, we were often scrapping and managing to eek out draws in close games, but the SE factor is meaning we fight for everything and never give up and are able to eek everything out, even when we're not playing well.
I thought the selection was strange last night. I know Southend are poor, but it seemed over attacking for an away game - three out and out forwards, with a very attacking midfielder in the middle three was, I thought, always likely to leave us susceptible in the midfield. Fortunately, Southend seldom exploited our midfield weaknesses and even when they did, their forwards never looked anything like scoring, bar the effort out of the blue at the death which the guy fluffed and wasn't exactly a sitter.
The switch of Mandron for Graham mad a big difference. He offered more width on the right and despite fluffing his lines on several occasions caused them all ends of problems with his running and crossing ability. Roberts looked more effective in a more advance position on the left in the second half with Mandron off. Their young keeper was clearly a huge weakness from crosses and we did well to spot this and keep testing him which lead to the goal and really should have lead too Ogilvie and Hanlan scoring easy headers - I don't think I've ever seen so many completely unchallenged headers in one half in a six yard box. There must have been 5-6 with the keeper nowhere near them and the defenders clearly not clocking that their keeper needed a bit of backing on that front.
Ogilvie was the pick for me. All of the back four was solid as we'd expect, if a but clumsy. However, Ogilvie was the one that looked to get it down and get forward or link up with those in front of him. The other three - including the usually classy Tucker - too often resorted to hoofball. On occasions that is required, but against a team like Southend, there s an opportunity for the defenders to get it down and play.
All went swimmingly for me with the journey bar the final leg. I got to he stadium in nice time from work in London to Prittlewell station next to the ground with plenty of time for sausage in batter and curry chips at the fish shop near the ground. Left bang on full time and managed to snag a taxi right outside the ground and made the 950 from Southend central to West Ham with a nice connecting DLR to Stratford international for 1045, missing the 1044 by about a minute - looking at the board, the next train to Ashford at 1116 was delayed for nearly half an hour, meaning an hour wait in Stratford in the freezing cold - even more annoyingly the Tap East had literally just served last orders. Still, in by 1230, so not a disaster and worth it for the win!
