𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬: Southend Preview
Despite the unpredictability of such encounters, here is how myself and
Shrimpers supporter Ryan see the game going, with plenty of build-up for you to
enjoy below…
A huge game, two rivals meeting
competitively for the first time in years, for the first time outside of league
football and a game that has added significance due to the managerial situation
at Southend. These are the sort of games where the league table and current
form; it all goes out of the window, the occasion takes hold, and it is who
turns up on the day.
However,
hints at who will turn up on the day can be sought from the recent performances
and ultimately, the personnel – man for man – who has the better chance? The
Daggers have had a rough(er) time of it of late compared to their flying start
which saw them unbeaten in 6 games (winning 5 of them).
But, off
the back of three straight league defeats, the incredible comeback against
Wealdstone seemed to mark a revitalisation of the character of the team that
had been brought into question – had the wheels fallen off? No, the 1-2 victory
with ten men proved that the wheels are very much on the Daggers car, McMahon
driving them to a hopefully successful season.
On the
other hand, you have our opponents in Southend who have three new drivers in Darren
Currie, Mark Bentley and Kevin Maher – the latter in overall control. This,
following a concerning start to life in non-league for the Shrimpers;
signalling they’ll perhaps be staying here for a little longer than planned.
Here is
what Southend fan Ryan has made of their campaign so far:
Where do I even begin to start?
You hear successful managers, players etc say that winning becomes a habit,
well for us over the last few years I believe that losing has become a habit
and unfortunately it’s carried over to this season as well. That coupled with
the short tenure of Phil Brown, who was never the right man to come back in the
first place, has seen us start the season so badly and has many of us fearing
yet another relegation fight. One of Brown’s failings I believe was his
insistence of playing 5 at the back… with a left back playing at centre back
and two wingers having to play out of position as wing backs. The players never
looked comfortable and with that we just never looked like competing in games.
Looking
ahead to the match itself, and the individuals who could step up to the
occasion, here is who Ryan said to watch out for, for the Visitors – including a
familiar face:
Rhys Murphy is obviously a player
you guys know well and has looked good in the games I’ve seen of him. He looks
a constant threat (when given the service) and contrary to what fans of Yeovil
said about him before he joined, from what I’ve seen he puts in a shift every
game and doesn’t give defences a moments rest. Jack Bridge though playing out
of position is probably our most creative player and again just doesn’t stop
running throughout the 90 minutes. If we are to get a result, those two will be
involved one way or another.
Myself, selecting
a 'one to watch', I think that the Daggers this season are obviously a great team
as a collective, but we have required the odd player to step up from time to
time. The likes of Walker, Jones and even Will Wright, but I feel our key
player today will be the returning Mauro Vilhete. We’ve missed him in recent
weeks and the influence he has on the team and the positive, free-flowing
football – he’ll be a key component to any success on the pitch.
I also
asked Ryan on what he feared about McMahon’s men going into this one:
You score goals, plenty of them.
Last weekend we had to field a much changed defence with only two recognised
defenders in the team and my worry is, we haven’t heard anything from the club
this week regarding returning players and if we have to field a similar
defence, I worry that you’ll fill your boots.
On what I
fear of Southend, perhaps a boost with their new coaching team, players eager
to impress? Also, with some positivity brought into the camp with their
appointments there could be a confidence boost? But, really, I see nothing to
fear in this out of sorts Southend side other than the fact that they are
Southend playing against Dagenham and so will be very much up for it; especially
due to their new coaches being all too aware of the significance of the
rivalry.
However,
that’s the only way I see the Blues taking all three points and toppling the
Daggers, wanting it more and being more alert – quality wise I believe we’ve got
the upper-hand.
To
predictions, and how we both see our teams lining up...
My Daggers XI:
The enforced
absence of McCallum, through suspension, is of course a blow but I feel the
Daggers can function and function well without him in the side. A notable
absence from my XI, through choice, is that of Matt Robinson in the heart of
the midfield. I’ve stated before how I believe both Jones and Robinson are
fantastic players but don’t seem to work well together, so unfortunately feel
the need to leave one out. I’m not confident this will happen tomorrow, but it
is how I would approach the game with Sagaf offering more fluency and
forward-thinking in the midfield.
Here is how Ryan lines up his Southend XI:
I’d expect to see something like this providing
everyone I’ve selected is fit... as I’ve previously said though, we’ve had no
updates this week from the club regarding the fitness of players.
So, there
you have it, the talking is done and ultimately as I said at the start – it’s
down to who wins their battles on the pitch in this one. Let’s hope the Daggers
can get back to winning ways in the league and see off the Seasiders in front
of a bumper Victoria Road crowd!
Thanks for reading,
Keane
COYD
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