Bloody hell Ive enjoyed these first 2 league games
more than most starts over the last 10 years. Tranmere
was all about the occasion we didnt deserve to win
that game but who cares ? Yesterday was all about us
against the world and you could feel it in the
atmosphere and you could see it in the attitude of the
players. Im going to be pragmatic about this
performance though in terms of whether there really is
any chance of us making our mark on this division
despite being 15 points.
Well, I thought for the first 75 minutes we were
pretty poor. Southend played all the decent football
but hardly created anything and we actually created
the best chances. We were given the perfect start with
a trademark Thompson free kick quality. Our best
chance fell to Beckford who didnt even manage to get
it on target despite it being teed up perfectly for
him. Poor finish. Most of our work was long balls to
Kandol who , to his credit, won a lot in the air but
to no avail. Southend forced corner after corner and
we defended desperately. Then Southend hit the post
with an unbelievable shot which left Casper for dead.
We did a lot of huffing and puffing but I felt the
front two were lacking and in midfield we had no
cohesion at all. Thompson is a good footballer but he
plays the game now at a standstill so youre relying
on the players around him to move and pass.
Unfortunately neither of the other 3 midfielders were
up to it. Despite Westlakes goal mid week I see
nothing in him to suggest that he can recover to the
form he showed at Ipswich. Flat footed, heavy legged
and prone to injuries. Douglas again disappointed and
Prutton to me must be related to Douglas very
similar.
Ok, all thats quite negative but heres the positive.
Wises subs (ok they may have been forced) but they
changed the match. Carole came on and showed pace and
directness. He didnt look comfortable on the left but
when shoved on to the right he showed that at this
level he really can make a difference. Hes a
confidence player and once one or two things started
to go his way he looked a class apart. The main
difference came with the introduction of Flo. Playing
an additional striker really confused Southend. They
tried to counter it by bringing on their own defenders
to cover but they didnt know what had hit them. With
the lively Beckford making runs and Carole running
riot on the wing it was only a matter of time before
the chances started to come. When they did Flo took a
swipe and it was in the back of the net. First touch,
one touch, one goal. We havent seen a volley like
that since Parlanes against Boro. I notice from the
reports that people are suggesting that Flo could be
dangerous coming off the bench this season or even
being played behind the front two. Pure toss. Flo is
the best striker at the club and to play Kandol in
front of Flo when he gets fit would be like giving
John Pearson the no 9 shirt whilst keeping Yeboah on
the bench. Of course I have faith in Wise and he wont
do that. After taking the lead we didnt sit back but
just went for the jugular. Beckford suddenly looked
dangerous with his pace and runs and it was only a
matter of time before we went further ahead. A lucky
Marques glanced header gave us a 3-1 lead before
Beckford got his goal with a great run and finish with
his left foot. He did it with no pressure on but I
think this lad will be a star. My mate thinks Kandol
and Beckford are shite and should be sold. I half
agree with him.
Casper 6. Looks a bit suspect on crosses. Flaps a
bit. Will do at this level.
Richardson 6. Did ok but I think this is probably
his level.
Hughes 5. Why the fck are we playing a right footed
midfielder at left back. I hope Wise is not falling in
to the accomodating players trap. Weve got a decent
young left back (Parker) why not play him? Hughes
was shit. I thought he was shit at Tranmere too. Cart
horse.
Marquis 8. Excellent performance. Quick and alert.
Good defender.
Heath 5. Dont rate him. He pulls shirts , he hangs
on to attackers, he is talentless.
Douglas 4. I thought (stupidly) that he might find
his level in this league. Nah. He made no impression
and looked flat footed and heavy. No control, no idea.
What a joke.
Prutton 6. Looks and plays like Douglas however he
has a bit more about him. He made one or two good runs
down the right and got some crosses. I think he might
be ok.
Westlake 4. Really poor. Dead legs somebody called
him.
Thompson 7. Great free kick. Really tried to rally
the troops. Quality passes mixed with losing
possession in front of his area and side footing a
simple ball out of play. Will get better if avoids
injury.
Kandol 5. Dont rate this fella at all. Has no
natural striking ability. Ok he won some headers and
tried his heart out but I was more likely to score sat
in the stands.
Beckford 7. I thought he was lively but
disappointing for the first 75 minutes but whilst my
mate slagged him off and cursed why we hadnt taken
the brass from Scunthorpe I told him to have patience.
This bloke can play and there was nobody more happier
than me when Jermaine got his goal. 20 + goals this
season for me. Also his pace causes problems. With
Carole and Beckford making runs all over the place we
terrified the Southend defence. Pace is always
important but at this level it is devastating.
Subs :
Flo 10. One touch one goal. Fantastic. He is the
number one striker.
Carole 9. Made the difference. Would he make the
same impact from the start ?
Parker 7. This lad did well. He played clever,
simple balls out of defence. He looked to get forward.
Promising.
Wise 8. Good subs. I think the attitude of the
players is a credit to Wise. Whilst the performance
wasnt great the commitment and attitude were first
class. I enjoyed the game and came away happy.
Crowd 10. Great atmosphere. A real us against the
world attitude. I cant see many teams getting too
much at ER. So can we get promotion ? On this
performance NO but with the current team attitude and
improvement of some key players I think we can have a
bloody good go.
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