Southend United (H) Nov 26th, 3pm

[Welsh_Saddler]

Oxford Utd have had the nerve to equalise at Scunthorpe.... 1-1 now

Chesterfield 3 Bristol Rovers 1

Gillingham 1 Rochdale 0 (53 min)

Bury 2 Millwall 1 (72 min) but Bury down to 10 men.....

Preston replaces Toner.... 45 min :D (injury, apparently :( )

Bakayoko on for Makris (58 min)

[Welsh_Saddler]

In the 69th minute, we've just had our 2nd shot on target :shock: :shock:

[Ancient Moaner]

Note to those lot playing in red...................Chesterfield, in the relegation zone, have learnt............you have to score goals to stay out of the 4th Division, so we are after your spot kid's, and so Accrington Stanley here we come!!

[Welsh_Saddler]

From the stats it looks as if it is getting a little one sided, so won't be long before we concede methinks. Bolton & the Blades beginning to climb towards the top two places as predicted by many (including me!)

Would be interested to see the crowd figure today.

More like a mauling than one sided!! The goals will just have to come eventually.

Attendance 4,342


Coventry City down to 10 men at home to MK Dongs

AFC Wimbledon 2 Fleetwood Town 1

[Ancient Moaner]

From the stats it looks as if it is getting a little one sided, so won't be long before we concede methinks. Bolton & the Blades beginning to climb towards the top two places as predicted by many (including me!)

Would be interested to see the crowd figure today.

More like a mauling than one sided!! The goals will just have to come eventually.

Attendance 4,342

Methinks that figure will begin to dwindle as we nosedive towards the relegation zone.

[Welsh_Saddler]

Coventry City 1 MK Dongs 2 (81 min)

Walsall substitution on 82 minutes.......Jackson on for Oztumer (we're playing 8 minutes of 2 up front!!!!!) :shock: :shock: :shock:

Full time, 0-0. At least we kept a clean sheet.

If I wanted to see goals, I should have gone to Swansea this afternoon!!

[hullsaddler]

Listening to Sadworld it sounded an entertaining 0-0. Interested whether those there agree?

[Ancient Moaner]

All over, VERY good point to have scraped considering how bad we are currently.

[IHTC.]

If plan A does not work try Plan A with different players, we need a proper manager before the damage is irreparable.

[moaning saddler]

Livened up considerably once Bakayoko came on.
Nice bit of "passion" at the end.

[SaddlerSteve]

Livened up considerably once Bakayoko came on.
Nice bit of "passion" at the end.

Apart from Preston and Bakayoko the rest of the team need to "have a damn good look at theirselves" then come back next game ..... and be equally cack.

[chunkster]

More pleased about the clean sheet to be honest after shipping goals for fun lately :|

[Soton Saddler]

If plan A does not work try Plan A with different players, we need a proper manager before the damage is irreparable.

Plan A with different players constitutes as a different plan.... utilising different players in the same roles will have an effect on a game.

[IHTC.]

If plan A does not work try Plan A with different players, we need a proper manager before the damage is irreparable.

Plan A with different players constitutes as a different plan.... utilising different players in the same roles will have an effect on a game.

No you can sill have Plan A with different players but sticking to the Plan A rules.

I have a feeling this is the type of conversation they have in his office every week and they get that confussed they just stick to ...........yes you guessed it, Plan A :lol:

[coop63]

Summary of how I saw it:

Useful clean sheet (positive!)

Persisted with one up front (frustrating)

I honestly can't work out what JWs plan is and I really don't think the players know either - we risk becoming very easy to beat as has been seen in recent weeks

Ginnelly seemed all over the place and largely inneffective for much of the game

Toner really isn't good enough at this level and looks especially vulnerable in a poor defence as ours largely is... he very nearly cost us a couple today only poor finishing and lack of shooting options from the Seasiders keeping them out!

Bako made a difference and seemed to inject some much needed urgency going forward but that apart I don't think there was much to be pleased about today..

2 points from the last 12 available and it's looking increasingly like we are heading for a battle to keep out of the gutter of this division.

I wasn't at Spotland last Tuesday but after seeing us cave in at the dons and scrape a point today - sandwiched between 2 awful defeats and particularly in a season where frankly we have been 2nd best in most games then I'm personally not convinced JW has what it takes..

[leics_saddler]

I went today to see if it was as bad as I feared.
Whilst it isn't as bad as I feared, the signs are there that things are on a knife edge.
The individual players are not bad players, so at least that's positive.
However, this must mean that the problems lie elsewhere and I'm afraid it looks like our novice manager.

This formation clearly isn't working out.
We have nine players in defence and midfield yet we still manage to have little width.
Whoever, is unfortunate enough to be stuck up top is made to look a bad player.
Until we at least look at a 442, we're going nowhere.

The main problem is recent weeks has clearly been the spineless team selections.
I'm glad that he at least made some changes today and got a point for it.
However, it was often men against boys for the first hour.

The change in the game was when Edwards suddenly appeared to start taking charge in midfield.
Unfortunately this was about 2mn before Bakayoko replaced Makris, so the casual observer will think this was it.
Makris played well and was unfortunate again; we must have someone with him to help.
He will get a goal - one day - and I was really pleased to see he got a good ovation when he came off.

At the back, we look so much better with O'Connor playing.
Had he been absent today, we'd have been well beaten.
It frankly doesn't matter who plays alongside him - even Preston looks good with him.
I know everyone will go on about his back pass, but at least that was caused by him attempting to intercept an attack.
He certainly does try hard to compensate, there were a couple of outstanding plays which saved goals.

Just a word about Southend too.
Phil Brown was absolutely the star of their team - 'woof, bark.'
Ranger looks such a good player, but flatters to deceive so much.
It's all there, but it never happens.

However, the man who gets is own paragraph is Ferdinand Minor.
This man is clearly a bell end who happens to be able to play a race card.
If he had as much talent as he thinks he does, he wouldn't be at Southend.

Individuals:

Etheridge - Clean sheet, played well, mandatory Grobelaar interlude.

McCatrthy - looks good on the right, offered some welcome width.
Laird - MoTM, well deserved. Squaring up to Ferdinand only enhanced this.
Toner - I can see he's out of form currently. Seems to have lost his way a little.
O'Connor - just great, the only one who could handle Ranger in the first half.

Edwards - quiet first half, much better second.
Chambers - steady as ever.

Oztumer - trying to do a little too much at times, which tells me he isn't confident in the people around him.
Morris - some good periods, has added some forward urgency compared to recent weeks.
Ginelly - some nice moments, but too often lightweight and ineffectual. Makes poor choices at times.
However, he's only a teenager and will improve - Moussa clearly won't and is being kept out of the side, which says it all.

Makris - worked hard and again showed he's a good player. It just isn't working out for him, which is a great shame.
Needs to pay attention to avoid being caught offside, but I think that's the first time he's been played up front properly.

Subs:

Preston - all action display. Calamity and brilliance in equal measure.
Bakayoko - makes such an impact when he comes on, it's unfortunate he is left footed and can put a ball in.
What a thing to say though, that this attribute may end up counting against him.
Jackson - got to see how everyone feels being given 10 minutes to make an impact.
Despite this catty remark, he looked good when he came on. Much better for having a front partner.

JW - glad to see he made changes at last. If we finish 18th this year it will be worth it, if he learns from his mistakes.
The jury is still out on that one though!

[coop63]

I was shown a comment on twitter at HT that Moussa had stormed away from the ground before the game - can anyone substantiate that?

I just wish he'd do something storming when he's in the ground! :shock:

[Walsallone]

A very tough game for us against an in-form team. After Tuesday the effort was there and in the last 20 minutes we could easily have scored. AM ..you will be pleased to know that we battled hard and improved late in the game. However if we continue to play this system with the players we currently have goals are going to be difficult to find. We are persisting with a formation we played last year but it won't bring success I regret to say. Somehow or other we have to get more players in attacking areas. I would play 2 up front and also play only Chambers or Edwards in midfield. We clearly need more creativity there.UTS

[Andy_Petterson]

Oh dear. After thinking we were unlucky against Mk Dons and Gillingham, I thought we were very poor today and lucky to get a point. No coherent plan. Never looked like scoring.

Sort it out Jon. Concentrate on the performance and the results will come as SMITH proved.

Thought Southend were mostly excellent albeit with poor finishing. A bit like how Walsall were under SMITH.

[SoccerHQ]

Really needed a win today although didn't seem the performance merited it although Sarfend are in pretty good form let's not forget.

3 points was needed though when you look at the next three:

Sheffield (A)
Fletwood (A)
Bradford (H)

Can only see 1 point from that lot. Mind you this is Walsall so probably 7 as it's usual against the better teams in this league.

[ChopperWFC]

Better performance today. Onwards !!
Loved how Laird told Ferdinand "see you in the tunnel " at fracas at the end. Good boy :lol:

[TWM1962]

After Rochdale, that was better. If one man who should not been taken off this afternoon I think was Makris. This lad needs time?? He just needs to score. We ain't got time. First half was MOM. Joking apart there was a sexy foreign women whose husband wore an FC APOEL shirt in the directors suite.... That's funny that!! I hope Jon is learning from Ian whooooo is non existent !!

Still Sheffs on Tuesday To meet old and future acquaintances !!!

[moaning saddler]

After Rochdale, that was better. If one man who should not been taken off this afternoon I think was Makris. This lad needs time?? He just needs to score. We ain't got time. First half was MOM. Joking apart there was a sexy foreign women whose husband wore an FC APOEL shirt in the directors suite.... That's funny that!! I hope Jon is learning from Ian whooooo is non existent !!

Still Sheffs on Tuesday To meet old and future acquaintances !!!

Did someone spike the balti pies in the OAP stand?

[Exile]

After Rochdale, that was better. If one man who should not been taken off this afternoon I think was Makris. This lad needs time?? He just needs to score. We ain't got time. First half was MOM. Joking apart there was a sexy foreign women whose husband wore an FC APOEL shirt in the directors suite.... That's funny that!! I hope Jon is learning from Ian whooooo is non existent !!

Still Sheffs on Tuesday To meet old and future acquaintances !!!

Did someone spike the balti pies in the OAP stand?

Translator please, or a nurse to TWM's place. He might have had a minor stroke!

[TWM1962]

When you can afford to sit in the OAP stand us directors are just having a laugh at you too!

[moaning saddler]

When you can afford to sit in the OAP stand us directors are just having a laugh at you too!

You are Peter Gilman and I claim my £5.

[TWM1962]

That we we deal in euros !!!!

[Guest]

https://youtu.be/awWcOShO0Ow

[Guest]

JW: 'Good players and a strong bench'.

https://youtu.be/0ziD_EFll1s

[pumajaguar]

I was shown a comment on twitter at HT that Moussa had stormed away from the ground before the game - can anyone substantiate that?

I just wish he'd do something storming when he's in the ground! :shock:

Can't imagine that. Storming away from the ground would require some modicum of effort!