Let's talk about the Southend United game

[selby]

  I have got to say the FL would be hard pushed to find a worse Tuesday night away game for our clubs team and supporters. Why Southend on a Tuesday and Tranmere  on a Saturday makes me wonder if anyone in those offices  have any common sense, or respect for the fans of our club.
  Southend have had a couple of better results lately after a poor start, but in Cox and Hopper have two experienced forwards, and have players who have done well at other clubs throughout the team, and should not be underestimated.
  Todays result, and the quality of football played to get the result  today should apart from any injuries picked up, mean few changes on Tuesday. If possible I would go for more of the same please.
   It will be a test for old man Coppinger, with three games in seven days, but with the display of skill and link play shown today, I would not for a minute contemplate starting a game without him in the starting eleven, as he was involved in most of the good things we did as a team with Whiteman and Sheaf in midfield. As a trio in the centre and Sadlier and Taylor on their game in wide positions, they take some beating when playing well in this division.
    The game will not be easy, and Southend will be looking to carry on with their improved form.
    Would you make changes?
    It would be nice to go on a run of wins, are we capable of the consistency required to do so?
    It is along journey, especially for a night game, are you going?
   Lot's to discuss, and lots of pressure on the game to prove we can string wins together, please have your say. 

[drfchound]

Agreed on the travelling to Southend for a Tuesday night game selby.
For the match I would start with the same team that started today if everyone is ok.
Copps would probably be ok for at least an hour and could have a big influence on whether we win the game or not.
It is often worth paying to watch us just to see some of the stuff he produces.

Let’s get the points from Southend and then worry about the Tranmere game.
Is it idler or IDM who says “one game at a time”?

[adamtherover]

   It will be a test for old man Coppinger, with three games in seven days,

Are we still.suggesting that you can have two Saturdays in the same week?.  🤔

[since-1969]

Back to Back wins would must be the target and set up a week of max of 9 points .

[Chris Black come back]

Form is no guide to future results - but their home record in the league this season is truly, absolutely dire.

6 home games in league and they have lost every single game except one draw. They got hammered 4-1 the other week by equally awful AFC Wimbledon. Southend have conceded on average 2 goals each home league game this season.

[selby]

Chris, now that worries me,  we have a long history of getting teams out of bad runs.

[Alan Southstand]

Nailed on for 0-0 then, cbcb

[Campsall rover]

We have a great record against Southend over the last 15 years as we have against Bristol Rovers home & away.
In fact i would say they are the 2 clubs we have the best record against in that period since our return from the conference.

[Chris Black come back]

Even better than that - when we were in the conference we beat them in the FA Cup, with Dave Penney scoring the winner in a 1-0 away victory in November 1998.

In the last 15 games home and away to Southend United stretching back to February 1990, we have lost once in that 15 game run. Ironically this was in 2007/08 season which culminated in Copps destroying them in the League One play off semi final second leg at the Keepmoat.

[DRFC_TID_93]

Even better than that - when we were in the conference we beat them in the FA Cup, with Dave Penney scoring the winner in a 1-0 away victory in November 1998.

In the last 15 games home and away to Southend United stretching back to February 1990, we have lost once in that 15 game run. Ironically this was in 2007/08 season which culminated in Copps destroying them in the League One play off semi final second leg at the Keepmoat.

You can imagine that sinking feeling for them when the team sheet comes out, 'Oh god, not again' 😂

[DonnyOsmond]

This is the start of a nice looking run of games. Only one team in the next 8 (potentially 9 with Bolton) games is in the top 12, the rest are bottom half teams. We've so far played 12 teams and on average they're currently positioned 8th. The next 8 games on average are positioned 16th, with Bolton would be 17th.

At this moment in time we've played 9 of the top 12 (we're 9th, so only 2 others were playable - Wycombe and Sunderland).

[IDM]

Agreed on the travelling to Southend for a Tuesday night game selby.
For the match I would start with the same team that started today if everyone is ok.
Copps would probably be ok for at least an hour and could have a big influence on whether we win the game or not.
It is often worth paying to watch us just to see some of the stuff he produces.

Let’s get the points from Southend and then worry about the Tranmere game.
Is it idler or IDM who says “one game at a time”?

I say that.. the next fixture is always the most important fixture..

You would hope we don’t pick up any injuries on Tuesday nor a suspension, but it’s not impossible of course.

[silent majority]

Selby,
The fact that the Southend game is on a Tuesday night is not a mistake. The EFL, through the fixtures working group, have been deliberately making midweek games long distance games for quite a few seasons.

[Dutch Uncle]

This is the start of a nice looking run of games. Only one team in the next 8 (potentially 9 with Bolton) games is in the top 12, the rest are bottom half teams. We've so far played 12 teams and on average they're currently positioned 8th. The next 8 games on average are positioned 16th, with Bolton would be 17th.

At this moment in time we've played 9 of the top 12 (we're 9th, so only 2 others were playable - Wycombe and Sunderland).

Yes but we have not actually beaten any side in the botom half yet (2 draws, 1 defeat). Good chance to put that right on Tiesday.

[selby]

SM, I didn't know that thanks, and for what reason? are they really wanting less supporters to attend games?

[silent majority]

SM, I didn't know that thanks, and for what reason? are they really wanting less supporters to attend games?

We've raised it with the EFL on a few occasions, mostly because they hadn't told us that they'd changed their policy by 180 degrees.

So, for years they purposely made long trips a Saturday fixture but changed it because they, and the clubs, felt that they'd affect the revenue from ticket money less if they did it that way. And they can maximise Saturday revenue if the trips are short ones.

So, if you consider that, maybe, 10% of away fans don't travel to the long distance games, then because midweek travelling fans are lower in numbers then you're reducing that lower figure by 10%. The impact on revenue is reduced accordingly.

If you then add in the reduced costs for clubs who will make more trips through the day, for an evening kickoff, then that has a direct cost impact too.

[Colemans Left Hook]

  I have got to say the FL would be hard pushed to find a worse Tuesday night away game for our clubs team and supporters. Why Southend on a Tuesday and Tranmere  on a Saturday makes me wonder if anyone in those offices  have any common sense, or respect for the fans of our club.
  Southend have had a couple of better results lately after a poor start, but in Cox and Hopper have two experienced forwards, and have players who have done well at other clubs throughout the team, and should not be underestimated.
  Todays result, and the quality of football played to get the result  today should apart from any injuries picked up, mean few changes on Tuesday. If possible I would go for more of the same please.
   It will be a test for old man Coppinger, with three games in seven days, but with the display of skill and link play shown today, I would not for a minute contemplate starting a game without him in the starting eleven, as he was involved in most of the good things we did as a team with Whiteman and Sheaf in midfield. As a trio in the centre and Sadlier and Taylor on their game in wide positions, they take some beating when playing well in this division.
    The game will not be easy, and Southend will be looking to carry on with their improved form.
    Would you make changes?
    It would be nice to go on a run of wins, are we capable of the consistency required to do so?
    It is along journey, especially for a night game, are you going?
   Lot's to discuss, and lots of pressure on the game to prove we can string wins together, please have your say.

i read this and believed what Selby said  and actually remembered the phrase -- i was at the time thinking what month i had predicted Bolton would reach "ground zero" points - then i saw Southend had a mighty 5 points looked at the league table smelling a wrong un

won one
drawn two
and lost ten
 and wondered how the hell have they managed to get a couple of better results lately

their last 5 results according to the BBC  W-L-L-L-D    YES they were winning til late on against Trannie so I think the statement just about holds water. But with abilities to" interpret" stats like that  has the original poster thought of becoming a political "spin doctor" with such talents

 

[selby]

 CLH, I am one.

[selby]

 There is no doubt that this game takes on the responsibility the type of fixture of being in our the supporters minds a major step if we are to push for a top six finish this season.
  There are not that many teams we the supporters have got used to being successful against on a regular basis, the semi final win at home,last seasons win that threw up a new crowd favourite in Wilks and got us away to a good start to the season, mostly good feelings against Southend over the years, does every club have a bogey team?
  It means nothing tomorrow night though as far as the result, only putting a little more pressure on ourselves really. We will still have to be at our best to get a result, and crucially have no injuries carrying over from the weekend, as it is becoming more apparent that just a couple of injuries affect our pattern of play, although things are slowly getting better with injured players getting back (Wright) and Thomas although only over a week looking fitter, so we have a little more in reserve.
   I am looking forward to it, and hopefully no injuries, and more importantly another good result fingers crossed.
 

[sha66y]

Very winnable after Saturdays performance....0-3

[selby]

  I very much hope so sha66y, but it is not a given and will be a hard game.

[Surrey Rover]

This is the start of a nice looking run of games. Only one team in the next 8 (potentially 9 with Bolton) games is in the top 12, the rest are bottom half teams. We've so far played 12 teams and on average they're currently positioned 8th. The next 8 games on average are positioned 16th, with Bolton would be 17th.

At this moment in time we've played 9 of the top 12 (we're 9th, so only 2 others were playable - Wycombe and Sunderland).

It could also be said we’ve played just three teams who currently sit in the bottom half of the division and picked up just two points from those games.

[Alan Southstand]

It’s just another game that we have to try and get some sort of run going. The Bristol game was more of a relief, that we got back on track, after the result at Oxford. Now we need to box that performance up and open it up again on a Tuesday night and get the goals to go with our play.

Consistency is key now going into this run of games. And, further, it would be even better to get Blair, John and Sterling back in the squad, with no new injuries added.

[selby]

  What an away trip that was, good company as always, chat before the game wondering if we were looking as though we were getting back some form, and then witnessing a great performance (which it was), we played some brilliant passing football, and a scoreline that didn't flatter us (we could have had double figures).
  At the start I thought we were in for a hard long night, they were trying to impress their new manager, and also looked good in possession, then self imploded trying too hard and committing two terrible tackles, and also a third you could see the referee considering another red, and sensibly giving a yellow.
  So the biggest win away since 1926, was anyone at that game from Doncaster? probably not in those days, we have turned Thomas into a goal machine in a fortnight, he did well by the way, and scored two goals from short range we have not scored this season being in the right place in front of goal, and already looks quicker and fitter.
  Sheaf strolled through the game, a good lad that, and it is on to Tranmere and another big test of consistency taht we require to progress.