http://www.shrimperzone.com/vb/showthread.php?73691-Gillingham-1-0-Southend-United The Southend fans seem a little bitter, whilst they do make some valid points, shame there aren't any on this forum to debate with!
The talk of Gills being a load of thugs is a bit rich but much of the rest is accurate. Gills robbed them but our battling defensive display deserved much credit. The trouble was gills were just as outplayed with 11 as when they had 10 and we were the home team!
It wasn't great on the attacking side for us but defensively we have to be proud, I am really proud of how they played, calling us thugs is wrong, Dack was stupid and the challenge by Burton was unlucky most of the time the keeper would be OK but this time he fell bad which was really unlucky.
bristol407 - I understand what you're saying - but I think that a midfield without Charlie Lee and Jack Payne is not as strong. Although Southend had a lot of possession ( quite naturally in the 2nd half ) - Gills coped as well as can be expected by any team playing with 10 men - against a team that had won 4 in a row. Gills cannot be blamed for the wastefulness of the Southend strikers. I know that some Southend fans thought that the referee was poor - maybe they are right. It did seem that Dack (whose tackle was stupid) was unfortunate to be sent off - was it really any worse than the foul on Matt Fish ? Apart from the penalty, the referee gave Gills nothing - especially in the 2nd half. nb. I fully accept that Southend had a couple of decent penalty appeals ( 1 foul, 1 handball ) - just goes to show the standard of officials.
Southend looked a good side and they were embarrassingly in control in the first half in terms of possession and territory occupied. Gills got more people behind the ball in the second half and looked unlikely to concede whereas in the first half they were lucky to concede. I reckon you could pick any 4 from 8 possibilities in midfield and I doubt if the inclusion of Lee or Payne would make a scrap of difference, its more a case of who is in form on the day. Anyway I am not knocking Gills. It was a spirited performance and ir was exciting to watch but good fortune ill not be with Gills every week and they may play better and lose. For the moment its points that count.
They are claiming that Timlin should have had had a penalty, but from where I was sitting I was sure that Allen didn't even touch him and he just went down like someone had shot him. I might be wrong due to the angle it was but did Allen actually have any contact with him?
My impression was that Timlin ducked in from behind Allen, who may have caught him but could not have seen him, therefore I think that this was one of the few decisions that the ref got right. And surely even if the ref had given a foul it would have only been for a (slightly) high foot which is an indirect free kick not a penalty.
i wasnt at the game but have seen the higlights. i think (from the angle given) that actually dack was prob a little hard done by, yes he flew in but the commenty on gills player made it sound a lot worse as he does try and moev his legs out the way. I think if he hadnt gone in from so far away he may have got away with a yellow. As for the thugs part they've been around league 2 long enough to know 3 weeks out of 4 thats what your gonna come up against, strong physical sides who put themselves about. thats life in league 2, this isnt the spanish prem!!
Well I was sat in the upper tier of the Medway Stand and it looked a free kick but nothing more than a yellow. Think the reason why the ref sent him off was just for the pure speed Dack went into the tackle with. Unfortunately terrible referees like that one will send them for an early bath.
