Haunted by a 93 game hoodoo:
Jonathan Lee
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10 Years ago - Southend 2 Pool 2
Haunted by a 93 game hoodoo:
Jonathan Lee
Steve McMahon has changed the personnel. Loan duo centre half Brian Reid and right back Mark Maley both making solid debuts. But he still ended the match wanting to change the tape! Yet here, after their 4-1 win at Kidderminster, they had a glorious chance to rip up the record books once and for all and lay both their clean sheet and double win hoodoos to rest. At 2-0 up at half time thanks to John Murphy and Brett Ormerod netting their ninth and sixth goals of the season respectively the Seasiders were well on their way Murphy's towering header came on the end of Paul Simpson's 16th minute cross after neat build up work down the left by Lee Collins and Danny Cold.
And when Ormerod smashed in a low shot right on the stroke of half time after Southend had only half cleared Murphy's header from Tommy Jaszczun's cross, all looked set fair After the break they had chance after chance to make it 3-0 and put the game beyond doubt. And as each opportunity slipped by there was always the possibility Pool would be made to pay. Sadly so it proved as Mark Tinkler poked home on 71 minutes and substitute Trevor Fitzpatrick headed in an 89th minute corner to complete the Seasiders misery. Steve McMahon even feared another Torquay çoming back to haunt him as Southend looked the likelier side to snatch all three points in the three minutes injury time.
But Pool managed to hang on to a point. Scant consolation on a day when the Seasiders did everything except kill the game off. Even more than 24 hours on it's hard to believe that Blackpool haven't doubled their home league wins since their opening three pointer against Hull. For turning points, take your pick! The moment Paul Simpson hit the post ten minutes after the break was just about the most critical. Simpson, who had another outstanding game, did everything right after Lee Coffins had shipped the ball on to him just outside the area.
And when Ormerod smashed in a low shot right on the stroke of half time after Southend had only half cleared Murphy's header from Tommy Jaszczun's cross, all looked set fair After the break they had chance after chance to make it 3-0 and put the game beyond doubt. And as each opportunity slipped by there was always the possibility Pool would be made to pay. Sadly so it proved as Mark Tinkler poked home on 71 minutes and substitute Trevor Fitzpatrick headed in an 89th minute corner to complete the Seasiders misery. Steve McMahon even feared another Torquay çoming back to haunt him as Southend looked the likelier side to snatch all three points in the three minutes injury time.
But Pool managed to hang on to a point. Scant consolation on a day when the Seasiders did everything except kill the game off. Even more than 24 hours on it's hard to believe that Blackpool haven't doubled their home league wins since their opening three pointer against Hull. For turning points, take your pick! The moment Paul Simpson hit the post ten minutes after the break was just about the most critical. Simpson, who had another outstanding game, did everything right after Lee Coffins had shipped the ball on to him just outside the area.
With a neat shuffle Simpson created the room he needed then shaped to shoot low into the right hand corner. He knew exactly where he meant it to go, he hit it sweetly enough, but it hit Andy Woodman's woodwork and stayed out. It was cruel luck on a player who, after a brief blip, hot on the heels of his man of the match s how at Kidderminster is back to the sort of form which makes him the star of the season so far: And after he was again denied in the cruellest circumstances with 15 minutes left, Simpson must wonder if someone, somewhere is sticking pins in the Seasiders.
Again Simpson beat keeper Woodman this time with a delicate chip after being played in on the left by Collins, only for Phil Whelan to clear it off the line on his way into the back of the net. Ormerod isn't far behind Simpson when it comes to Pool's player of the season. But despite scoring his sixth of the campaign when crashing in a ricochet right on half time, he should have had more, or at least laid on more for others. Time and again in the second half Ormerod broke free only for a combination of crossed-wires, poor crosses, poor finishing and good goalkeeping to prevent Pool netting the all-important third. Only four minutes after the break Ormerod was racing through on goal after being put in the clear by the perfect through ball from strike partner Murphy. But Ormerod saw his shot saved.
Ten minutes later Ormerod, whose speed was simply too hot for Southend to handle, wasted another glorious chance when put through by a looping ball down the right from Maley. Ormerod took the ball to the byline but never looked up and played his cross far too close to-the line when a quick glance and a simple pull-back to Murphy would have surely made it 3-0. On the 65th minute mark, Simpson's ball again put Ormerod in behind the defence. This time his cross along the line was the right option but when all it needed was the slightest of touches at the far post Murphy failed to stretch out his leg.
With nine minutes left and the score at 2-1 Collins and Simpson combined to again put Ormerod in the clear down the right. But his floated shot at Woodman showed the heavy pitch was beginning to take its toll. For all Pool had by far the most and more clearcut chances, there had already been the odd alarm bell at the other end which meant if the Seasiders failed to build on their two-goal cushion Southend were stifi in the game.
In the first half keeper Phil Barnes had done superbly well to catch everything which was thrown at him, a lot of it under intense pressure. And 19 minutes into the second half he was called upon to make a double save to keep out Mark Tinkier and Martin Carruthers. But with new loan men Reid. a tower of strength in the middle, and Maley making a encouraging start at right back, the Seasiders first league clean sheet for more than six months was still on the cards.
With just 19 minutes to go all that went out of the window when Tinkler poked home David Lee's cross.
It prompted a period of Pool panic in which midfielders gave away the ball too cheaply putting pressure on the home defence. Two minutes from time Jaszczun managed to clear off the line. But seconds later Southend were level when Fitzpatrick was given space six yards out to head home the resulting corner.
It prompted a period of Pool panic in which midfielders gave away the ball too cheaply putting pressure on the home defence. Two minutes from time Jaszczun managed to clear off the line. But seconds later Southend were level when Fitzpatrick was given space six yards out to head home the resulting corner.
It's a jinx. There are still three weeks and five more league games before Halloween but this is one nightmare which just won't go away. On their first return to Devon since Torquay, the Tangerines must make it a treat at Plymouth on Saturday? No tricks.
Macca's View
I'M going to give you a tape of last week, the week before, and the week before that to the start of the season, because I'm saying the same things. Just change the name of the team that we play. It's unbelievable. We should have won 4-0 or 5-0, the chances we have had. And then as soon as we concede a goal, what Is it? Is It this place? You could see that once they got one they were going to get a second because we started doing all the wrong things. We couldn't clear our lines, we panic, we snatch at things. Brett should be keeping the ball In the corner near the end. He's tried to go for a third. We are 2-1 up with three minutes to go and he's got a great position to keep the ball in the corner. When we played Brighton the other week they kept the ball in the corner for four minutes. We want results. I almost demanded a clean sheet at half time. I wanted a clean sheet to bury a bit of a bogey that we could keep a clean sheet. And we couldn't even do that. I'm bitterly disappointed because we put so much effort into the game. Anybody watching that game can't blame the players for effort. I just don't know what to say.
Macca's View
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We have got to get 3-0 up. But we shouldn't have to score three goals at home to win a game. It doesn't bear thinking about. I'd love to be like George Graham and win a game 1-0. That would give me more satisfaction than any game this season If we could go through a game 1-0 that'll do me fine. I'll settle for that any day of the week. I don't know what to say on the bench. I'm just absolutely livid. Young right back Mark Maley tired towards the end because of nervous energy He miss-kicked in front of goal which led to their corner.
We've still got to defend that corner with our lives. We've given the guy a free header six yards out. If we clear that corner we win the game, as a player I would have been saying that. But we couldn't even do that. We've got to be more ruthless. I'm hoarse telling them the same things. If you'd have been in the dressing room at half time you'd have heard me saying all I want from the second half is some good solid, defensive performances. Don't switch off, don't leave your men, go and clear balls. We didn't do that. We invite pressure. We haven't got the killer instinct. We have got to kill people off. All of a sudden it's 2-2. I just can't get my breath.
Another Surrender:
John Secker
Blackpool should have buried Southend this afternoon, with enough excellent chances to have reached double figures before the hour mark. However they failed to take enough of them, and once the seeds of doubt were planted, they were back on the slippery slope and it was with no surprise that we saw the equalising goal scored by the visitors just before the end. I suppose it is too much to expect a team in Blackpool's position to have a lot of self-belief, but it was still very frustrating to watch the confidence vanish in a few minutes as panic set in.
It was raining hard at kickoff time at Bloomfield Road, for the first Sunday game for a long time. Blackpool started two of their recent loan signings in defence - Mark Maley at right back, and Brian Reid in the centre alongside Hughes. Apart from that it was the usual 4-4-2 for Blackpool. Coid seemed unsure of where he was supposed to be - for long stretches he was virtually a second right back, much too close to Maley and not taking advantage of the freedom to press forward. He also wandered across to the left wing on occasion, where he was much more effective.
The rain stopped and the sun came out soon after the start, but the pitch was slippery and difficult for most of the first half. This did not make a suitable surface for a passing game, and Blackpool were putting the ball long more than they have recently. The initial exchanges were fairly even, with a couple of crosses from Southend, easily dealt with by the home defence, while Simpson put in a couple of long range shots - worth a try in the slippery conditions. Soon however Blackpool started to get more of the pressure, with a series of corners taken by Simpson. From one of these Reid nearly marked his debut with a goal, but his header was not good.
On fifteen minutes Blackpool struck. A long ball was played from the right of midfield, forward to the left wing. Coid was there, and played it back inside to Simpson, still fairly wide on the left. He played a cross into the box where it found Murphy, about on the penalty spot, and his header was placed wide of the keeper into the net.
Blackpool were immediately fired up, and within five minutes they could have had two more, only being denied by fine saves. First Brett Ormerod took the ball up the middle through the defence, finally firing in a good shot to the keeper's right, and bringing out a fine low dive to turn it round the post. Moments later Simpson broke into the box on the left and blasted in a high shot, which again was well turned away for a corner.
Having weathered the storm, Southend began to come back into the game more, and Blackpool now to endure a period of pressure. A number of corners and crosses were played in high, and every time Barnes dealt with them well, often under strong pressure from the visiting forwards. When the ball came in on the ground the defence were less sure, and there were a couple of scrambles in the box which could easily have led to a goal. At one moment a point-blank shot at the near post was blocked by two Blackpool bodies (Hughes and another) who threw themselves in front of the ball and smothered the danger.
Towards half time Blackpool began to come back into it. There was a good chance when the ball was played to Murphy in the box, but as he controlled it and tried to turn he slipped and fell. However a decisive strike did come, just before the break. Again the ball was played out to the left, and Simpson played it across the area to Murphy. He tried to shape up for an attempt on goal, but could not manage a clear shot. Instead the ball went back across the goal to the other side where Ormerod drove it through a group of players and into the net.
The story of the second half was of a number of golden scoring opportunities turned down by Blackpool, as a Southend team who should have been on the coach home slowly realised there might still be hope for them. The first chance fell to Ormerod, who was put clean through the middle, just left of centre, by a good ball from Murphy. He raced into the box and, as the keeper narrowed the angle, he fired a shot against his legs and away to safety. Next there was a chance for Simpson, set up by Collins, who collected the ball in midfield on the right, and ran towards the box. Rather than have a go himself he passed to Simpson, who took it to the edge of the box, right in the middle. With the keeper expecting a shot to his right, Simpson fired in a low drive to the other side, but it struck the foot of the post on the outside and bounced away.
Then there were two chances when Ormerod got round behind the defence. The first time was up the right - he took the ball to the by-line, then looked up, but his ball back was too far for Murphy or Simpson to reach, and it went away. Next Collins broke rapidly from defence, and put Ormerod away up the left. This time as he broke into the box he released a diagonal ball early, past the keeper towards the far post, but Murphy coming in could not get there. He didn't seem to try very hard - perhaps it was impossible to reach, but a better effort would have been appreciated. The final golden chance fell to Simpson, who was put away up the left and took the ball into the box. One on one with the keeper he chipped the ball over him, but as it was floating into the goal, a defender got back and, with an excellent acrobatic clearance, managed to pull it back to where the keeper fell on it gratefully.
These were only the best chances, Blackpool had many other attacks, with Ormerod and Simpson especially causing problems to the defence. However there were no goals, and around mid-way through the half you could see they nerves beginning to tighten in the home team. They started to struggle to clear the Southend attacks, and they were giving the ball away repeatedly. The referee didn't help - to put it simply, he was dreadful. He failed to penalise a blatant trip on Ormerod, near the Southend area, and he failed to apply advantage when Blackpool were clean away up the right wing, pulling them back to give them a free kick near their area. There were many other examples of poor work by the officials, but those were the worst. All in all, Blackpool's nerve had gone, and in the 71st minute the inevitable happened. A cross in from the Southend right, for once not cleared, and a simple shot from close range.
Watching now became a mixture of embarrassment and pain, as Blackpool struggled to survive the last minutes and escape with a win from a game they should have had wrapped up. Hughes went off soon after the goal, replaced by Jones, but this made little difference. Reid was very good at the centre of the defence, but by now they were under constant siege. Clearances repeatedly went to a Southend player, but even when the ball came to a Blackpool man upfield it was quickly lost. There were less than two minutes left, and we were hoping that we might hold out, when the blow finally fell. An unnecessary corner was given away, and when it came over a Southend forward had a free header and put it into the goal. Even then it was not over, and there were a couple of moments when Blackpool could have gone the whole hog and lost the game, but the whistle went eventually and the points were shared.
So, what is the conclusion? It is easy to say that if the forwards had converted one of the many chances in the second half then Southend would not have come back, and this is true. However it is a bit much to say that the team have to score three or more before we have a chance of hanging on for a win (this is in fact currently the case - our only league wins this season have been 3-1 and 4-1). The problem is in the defence, and in our lack of confidence in it. Even when we are two goals ahead we are always looking over our shoulders, knowing that this is by no means a safe margin for Blackpool. We have two strikers who look capable of 20 goal seasons, and a midfield able to support them with more, but this is not enough if the defence is so leaky. Reid looked very good, and Maley not bad, so we must hope that they can get a settled and solid foundation pretty soon, or McMahon may be joining Kevin Keegan on the golf course more often in the near future.
Another Surrender:
John Secker
Blackpool should have buried Southend this afternoon, with enough excellent chances to have reached double figures before the hour mark. However they failed to take enough of them, and once the seeds of doubt were planted, they were back on the slippery slope and it was with no surprise that we saw the equalising goal scored by the visitors just before the end. I suppose it is too much to expect a team in Blackpool's position to have a lot of self-belief, but it was still very frustrating to watch the confidence vanish in a few minutes as panic set in.
It was raining hard at kickoff time at Bloomfield Road, for the first Sunday game for a long time. Blackpool started two of their recent loan signings in defence - Mark Maley at right back, and Brian Reid in the centre alongside Hughes. Apart from that it was the usual 4-4-2 for Blackpool. Coid seemed unsure of where he was supposed to be - for long stretches he was virtually a second right back, much too close to Maley and not taking advantage of the freedom to press forward. He also wandered across to the left wing on occasion, where he was much more effective.
The rain stopped and the sun came out soon after the start, but the pitch was slippery and difficult for most of the first half. This did not make a suitable surface for a passing game, and Blackpool were putting the ball long more than they have recently. The initial exchanges were fairly even, with a couple of crosses from Southend, easily dealt with by the home defence, while Simpson put in a couple of long range shots - worth a try in the slippery conditions. Soon however Blackpool started to get more of the pressure, with a series of corners taken by Simpson. From one of these Reid nearly marked his debut with a goal, but his header was not good.
On fifteen minutes Blackpool struck. A long ball was played from the right of midfield, forward to the left wing. Coid was there, and played it back inside to Simpson, still fairly wide on the left. He played a cross into the box where it found Murphy, about on the penalty spot, and his header was placed wide of the keeper into the net.
Blackpool were immediately fired up, and within five minutes they could have had two more, only being denied by fine saves. First Brett Ormerod took the ball up the middle through the defence, finally firing in a good shot to the keeper's right, and bringing out a fine low dive to turn it round the post. Moments later Simpson broke into the box on the left and blasted in a high shot, which again was well turned away for a corner.
Having weathered the storm, Southend began to come back into the game more, and Blackpool now to endure a period of pressure. A number of corners and crosses were played in high, and every time Barnes dealt with them well, often under strong pressure from the visiting forwards. When the ball came in on the ground the defence were less sure, and there were a couple of scrambles in the box which could easily have led to a goal. At one moment a point-blank shot at the near post was blocked by two Blackpool bodies (Hughes and another) who threw themselves in front of the ball and smothered the danger.
Towards half time Blackpool began to come back into it. There was a good chance when the ball was played to Murphy in the box, but as he controlled it and tried to turn he slipped and fell. However a decisive strike did come, just before the break. Again the ball was played out to the left, and Simpson played it across the area to Murphy. He tried to shape up for an attempt on goal, but could not manage a clear shot. Instead the ball went back across the goal to the other side where Ormerod drove it through a group of players and into the net.
The story of the second half was of a number of golden scoring opportunities turned down by Blackpool, as a Southend team who should have been on the coach home slowly realised there might still be hope for them. The first chance fell to Ormerod, who was put clean through the middle, just left of centre, by a good ball from Murphy. He raced into the box and, as the keeper narrowed the angle, he fired a shot against his legs and away to safety. Next there was a chance for Simpson, set up by Collins, who collected the ball in midfield on the right, and ran towards the box. Rather than have a go himself he passed to Simpson, who took it to the edge of the box, right in the middle. With the keeper expecting a shot to his right, Simpson fired in a low drive to the other side, but it struck the foot of the post on the outside and bounced away.
Then there were two chances when Ormerod got round behind the defence. The first time was up the right - he took the ball to the by-line, then looked up, but his ball back was too far for Murphy or Simpson to reach, and it went away. Next Collins broke rapidly from defence, and put Ormerod away up the left. This time as he broke into the box he released a diagonal ball early, past the keeper towards the far post, but Murphy coming in could not get there. He didn't seem to try very hard - perhaps it was impossible to reach, but a better effort would have been appreciated. The final golden chance fell to Simpson, who was put away up the left and took the ball into the box. One on one with the keeper he chipped the ball over him, but as it was floating into the goal, a defender got back and, with an excellent acrobatic clearance, managed to pull it back to where the keeper fell on it gratefully.
These were only the best chances, Blackpool had many other attacks, with Ormerod and Simpson especially causing problems to the defence. However there were no goals, and around mid-way through the half you could see they nerves beginning to tighten in the home team. They started to struggle to clear the Southend attacks, and they were giving the ball away repeatedly. The referee didn't help - to put it simply, he was dreadful. He failed to penalise a blatant trip on Ormerod, near the Southend area, and he failed to apply advantage when Blackpool were clean away up the right wing, pulling them back to give them a free kick near their area. There were many other examples of poor work by the officials, but those were the worst. All in all, Blackpool's nerve had gone, and in the 71st minute the inevitable happened. A cross in from the Southend right, for once not cleared, and a simple shot from close range.
Watching now became a mixture of embarrassment and pain, as Blackpool struggled to survive the last minutes and escape with a win from a game they should have had wrapped up. Hughes went off soon after the goal, replaced by Jones, but this made little difference. Reid was very good at the centre of the defence, but by now they were under constant siege. Clearances repeatedly went to a Southend player, but even when the ball came to a Blackpool man upfield it was quickly lost. There were less than two minutes left, and we were hoping that we might hold out, when the blow finally fell. An unnecessary corner was given away, and when it came over a Southend forward had a free header and put it into the goal. Even then it was not over, and there were a couple of moments when Blackpool could have gone the whole hog and lost the game, but the whistle went eventually and the points were shared.
So, what is the conclusion? It is easy to say that if the forwards had converted one of the many chances in the second half then Southend would not have come back, and this is true. However it is a bit much to say that the team have to score three or more before we have a chance of hanging on for a win (this is in fact currently the case - our only league wins this season have been 3-1 and 4-1). The problem is in the defence, and in our lack of confidence in it. Even when we are two goals ahead we are always looking over our shoulders, knowing that this is by no means a safe margin for Blackpool. We have two strikers who look capable of 20 goal seasons, and a midfield able to support them with more, but this is not enough if the defence is so leaky. Reid looked very good, and Maley not bad, so we must hope that they can get a settled and solid foundation pretty soon, or McMahon may be joining Kevin Keegan on the golf course more often in the near future.
Team: (4-4-2) Barnes, Maley, Jaszczun, Hughes (capt, Jones 74), Reid,
Coid, Bushell, Collins, Simpson, Ormerod, Murphy
Subs not used: Caig, Clarkson, Wellens
Coid, Bushell, Collins, Simpson, Ormerod, Murphy
Subs not used: Caig, Clarkson, Wellens