Absolutely disgraceful

[Bielzibubz]

For the first time so am I ... and my glass is ALWAYS half full

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Kenny @ Oct. 21 2006,20:13)]I think in a very strange way getting promoted last season was the worst thing to happen to us ...

Hmmm ... I seem to remember saying exactly the same thing back in May and getting absolutely flamed for doing so! I won't do a wiggy and rest on my laurels just yet (heaven forbid!) but I think we're being found out very, very quickly; we're discovering that we won a very weak league and that the step up between League One and the Championship is absolutely huge, almost gargantuan. Col Ewe are enjoying themselves a bit - so did we when we won our first ever promotion to this level back in the early 90s - but I'd wager they won't finish much higher than 15th or 16th come the end of the season. On the other hand, we're just not good enough at the moment and you can't get any better evidence than the current league table.

BTW - I was sitting in a bar watching Sky Sports Saturday with, amongst others, fans from Leeds United, Hull City and Manchester City; you can imagine how "fun" my afternoon was; it was almost like being at Roots Hall ...

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (chadded @ Oct. 21 2006,21:41)]I will admit though, that yes, I am enjoying just watching Southend at the moment, as since April, I've seen five games, missed the promotion party for the second year running, and just got back from 6 months in the World's premier holiday destination (See signature).

I've seen two in the last three years and missed both promotion parties!

BTW - I missed much of the 1996.97 season when I was in Bosnia on Operation Resolute and got back just in time to see us concede ten goals in the last three games and suffer relegation! I never got so much stick as I did for wearing the custard-splat replica shirt around the metal factory in Banja Luka!

 

[Benfleet Blue]

Our squad, quite truthfully, I don't think is as good as it was last year. Last year we fought for each other, and I appreciate against poorer opposition, but you always thought, even if we went a goal down we could pull it back. We give the better teams far more space than they give us, and quite simply, our defending is atrocious.
Tilly mus be aware he's quite truthfully, bought badly, our full backs, Francis and Hammell can't defend, even Tilly must know that to have moved Francis to right midfield, Clarke's positioning is awful for such a highly rated centre half, and I believe it was Clarke who was nearest to the smallest player on the pitch who scored with his head, and I wonder just how many more times we're going to concede from crosses or set pieces. Clarke reputedly cost over £200,000 - money well spent

?
In addition to this we have spend a reputed £250,000 on Billy Paynter who I cannot for the life of me see that value in the player. He just simply won't score goals, doesn't link well and quite truthfully,IMO is a waste of money.
Our management has worked wonders over the past 2 years, there is no denying that, but as someone said earlier, that is the past. The team seems to lack the unity we have seen in the past, doesn't play well as a unit in any department, and even yesterday, when Ipswich were 3-0 up, Magilton and his assistant were at the edge of their technical area yelling instructions whilst Tilly and Brushy were leaning on the dugout wall writing notes. I personally expect more at this level. It was always good when we were winning but we simply do not know what to do when we're losing. Add to this the number of goals we concede straight after half time and all must admit there is something drastically wrong.
Unless we stop the rot now, before we drift too far away from the rest of the teams in the Division, what chances the stadium pland are dropped since we couldn't justify the stadiium planned in Division 1 with crowds back to 6 or 7,000.
I hate to say it but ColU kept the majority of their squad together and from what I have seen look far better than us at this moment in time. It's time for Tilly to prove if he really is the up and coming manager everybody is speculating he is.

 

[Blue Shrimp]

I think Tilly is out of his depth in the Championship as are most of the team. The defence is just terrible, if it was not for our goalkeeper I dread to think.

When Sodje came on things were much better. Why has he been so long returning to the 1st team? I saw him in a reserve game some weeks ago. He scored a great powerful headed goal. Unless Freddy scores we are stuffed.

No fight, no passion, little belief, halftime sleep in, no loan players, but lots of "It's hard to bring them in!" Others teams do but is it that we will not match the wages.

Div 1 next, then Div 2. It's been done before. The New stadium will then be roomy for a 3,500 crowd. I can then chose my row of seats for a season ticket.

 

[stickyboy]

Quote[/b] (Blue Shrimp @ Oct. 22 2006,09:11)]When Sodje came on things were much better. Why has he been so long returning to the 1st team? I saw him in a reserve game some weeks ago. He scored a great powerful headed goal. Unless Freddy scores we are stuffed.

think he suffered another minor achilles injury which kept him out for a few a games

 

[Shrimpersarmy]

I really think we miss a Wayne Gray type player.

Look at yesterday, they had De Vos at centre back, he will win headers all day long but he simply wouldn't be able to keep up with a pacy striker. We are SERIOUSLY lacking a pacy player to get in behind Championship defences. Freddy is quality but is hardly quick enough to run in behind defences, ditto Gower. Paynter, and Harrold are more of an aerial threat and are never going to outpace a defender. The only pacy player we have to get in behind is JCR but as we know the final ball would more than likely be poor.

If you look at the line up for the Ipswich game there is no pace at all. Absolutely none. We need to get a few speedy players in on loan or at the very least put Mitchell Cole back in the side.

 

[Maldon Blues]

I think it's madness that Mitchell Cole is still on loan at Northampton. We started yesterday with Francis - a right back - and a totally out of sorts Gower on each flank. Neither of whom have any real pace and neither of whom have the skill or flare to worry any defence at this level. Mitchell Cole has.

Tilly has made a massive mistake in breaking up our defence from last season. Clarke and Barrett simply cannot play together, it's got to be one or the other (and I'd vouch for Barrett everyday of the week) alongside Sodje, and Sodje has to play with immediate effect. Clarke and Barrett are similar players, and they need a more commanding centre half alongside them. Barrett has been so impressive since he arrived playing alongside Spencer Prior, Andy Edwards and Efe Sodje, three players who are going to win everything in the air.

Barrett hasn't had a great season, but I'm sure he has plus points on Clarke who in particular seems to have a real problem marking his man, be it from set-peices or open play, and his distribution is atrocious. It's maybe acceptable slicing the ball out of the ground playing at Blackpool, but in our team it's not going to work.

Hammell isn't good enough at defending when a player is running at him, and he's barely won a header all season. Yes, he can take a good set-peice (although he had a touch of the Maher's yesterday), but he is primarily a defender and his job, first and foremost, should be to defend!! Please Tilly, give Che the opportunity he deserves. He didn't put a foot wrong last season. Simon Francis, even more so, is a no no at the back, something it seems Tilly has spotted, and Lewis Hunt has done a decent job there.

But then there's the centre of midfield! Oh Dear, oh dear, the centre of midfield!

Kevin Maher has done a decent job to be honest IMO, but he needs a ball-winning attack-minded player next to him and not in a million years in Luke Guttridge that man. Guttridge had a decent season last year but has proven, probably more than any one else that he is a long way out of his depth in the Championship.

There is so much space for the opposition in midfield it's almost laughable, and there's simply no one there putting their foot on the ball and breaking forward. There's no life, no spark. Mark Bentley, we really do miss you.

My only remedy here, at the moment, is that Guttridge is replaced by either Barrett or Clarke, whichever doesn't partner Sodje at the back. Their play might not be pretty but it'll certainly be more damn effective than Guttridge and they'll fight for every ball, that's for sure.

There's so much more I can say, but i'll hold fire for now!

However, it's a good job we were playing a poor Ipswich side yesterday, I'd hate to think of the carnage had we been up against the likes of Birmingham, West Brom, Preston etc.

 

[KrustyTheKray]

Quote[/b] (Richard_Cadette @ Oct. 21 2006,18:27)]I have managed to somehow refrain from posting hours after the final whistle in previous weeks, purely because I felt the need to try and sit back and evaluate what I had just witnessed before saying things which werent necessary, but no more.

What I witnessed this afternoon was one of the most gutless, inept, passionless and pathetic displays I have seen from a Southend side in a LONG time.

After seeing us play so well on Tuesday night, I arrived this afternoon with high hopes that we were turning the corner and things were on the up - I could not have been more wrong.

A shambolic performance, almost without exception, and I include the management of the team in that assessment.

Make no mistakes, Ipswich are a poor side, one of the poorest we have played this season, and yet again, we allow them to score 3 of the easiest goals you will ever see.

On top of this, what the hell does Tilly say to them at half time these days?.... Go out there lads and do your best to concede as many goals as possible in the first 3 minutes of the second half, and then see if we can turn it around?

 OK, I jest, but I am sorry, he must be doing something very wrong at half time for them to continually concede so early in the second half - It was embarrassing, and yet, you knew, you absolutely knew, it was going to happen.

His substitutions were bizarre to say the least.  OK, Freddie and Matt were unwell, but why oh why was Jay Smith and Moussa not given a run out?  People can argue whether or not Smithy is good enough for this league, and I must say, I have my doubts, but for goodness sake, can we not at least try and find out?

?  What has he got to do to get some time on the pitch for us this season?  

I heard he slammed his top down when Tilly obviously told him that sorry Jay, were 1-3 with no hope of getting anything else out of the game, I am going to play a centre half in midfield and even with one substitution left up my sleeve, Im still not going to put you on.  Ridiculous, Im sorry, but it is, and I really feel for Jay - I hope, for his sake, that he demands a transfer, because I want to see him do well.

As for the rest, defensively, all over the show this afternoon again.  Hammell is OK on the ball, and going forward, but defensively, not even close to being good enough.  His distribution and set pieces were poor today as well.  AB had yet another terrible afternoon at the office.  Clarke I actually thought was the pick of a bad bunch and wasnt nearly as bad as some have said.  Hunt was poor, which is dissapointing as I have been saying for ages he should be back at right back.

Midfield, Gower was completely non existent until we were 0-3 down, and that cannot happen.  Why is it when he has a bad game, he has a terrible game???

Gutteridge was again woeful.  He is in the side to not only tackle and fight, but to get forward and support the front two, and I dont think I have seen him do that once this season.  Maher tried, but most things he tried were not good enough,  Set pieces, which almost goes without saying these days, were shocking, abd his passing was not quite on the radar today, and usually, again as always, looked to blame someone else.  Francis did OK, but has the worst first touch I have ever seen on a professional football player, and I include Dave Regis in that!!

Up front Freddie and Matt were both non existent, but thats not all there fault.  With a supply line like we have, Ronaldinho and Henry would stuggle up top.  Having said that, Freddie needs a partner that carries with him some kind of goal threat, and I hate to say it, but Tilly has signed some very mediocre strikers from what I can see.  The one gem has now, for reasons we still have no idea about, left us, and that needs to be addressed asap.  Having said that, I will give credit for Paynter who came on, ran his heart out, and actually looked effective, and a performance like that week in week out would do wonders for us and Freddie.

Tilly is not beyond criticism here either, something is wrong with us at the moment, there seems to be no organisation at the back, the team talks at half time have the desired effect, but only for our opponents and he is clearly targeting one player that he doesnt like, and that is Jay Smith.  I think he has to buck his ideas up as well as the team - Oh, and I dont want no 'Have I forgotten about the last 2 and a half years' crap that gets spouted on here as soon as you criticise the manager, because no, I havent, but he needs to up his game considerably, along with the team.

I hate to say it, but I cannot see us getting out of this current mess we are in.  We have played 3 extremely average Championship sides in a week, and have conceded 6 goals at home in the process and only gained one point.  That is nowhere near good enough and things need to be changed radically for us to improve.

Other teams are using the loan market, and we have to do so as well, no excuses about money etc and how difficult it is to get players in on loan because that is bullsh*t, heard it too many times and am no longer interested in it.  Other teams, lesser teams, do it, so we can too.

Havent felt this angry and let down after a Southend performance for quite some time, and at the moment, it is no longer fun watching the team I love.

Agree with every word of this!

What annoyed me most about Saturday was, we only seemed to start playing after they scored their third goal!

Yes, Jay Smith definitely should have come as sub, and IMHO should start ahead of Gutts next game. Gutts was very poor Saturday i must hasten to add!

Why is it also these days when the other team has a corner, we leave no one up? We get everyone back! Why??
This is so negative!!!

Still for me, Hammell and Francis are very poor defensively, and (i'll say it again) poor signings by Tilly for this level of football. Yes Francis scored, but anyone could have put that one away Inc Paynter.

Sodje must start ahead of Clarke next game too!

The sub's were baffling beyond extreme, why no Moussa up front? He puts Francis there instead, which i thought was a ludicrous decision.

Fraid Tilly and Brush must take the blame for this poor start to the season. No loan players, poor signings, bad tactics! The pair of them have just not progressed to the CCC.

Wayne Gray would have been a nice option this season (who incidentally had a great game coming off the bench for Yeovil on Saturday), but oh no, they go and release him!

Why is it Tilly (on BBC Essex after the game) harps on again about 'we'll only bring loan players in if they are better than what we've got' This is unreal! The squad we have will take us down, and is just not good enough for the championship.

Also, the texts on BBC Essex make me laugh! Calls to drop Flavs and bring Collis in! Wake up people! Flavs is not the problem, if it wasn't for him we'd lose these games by much bigger margins!

This will be one long season! Something needs to be done.

Has Tilly taken us as far as he can? Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us? After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes! Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

 

[Uncle Leo]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Agree with every word of this!

What annoyed me most about Saturday was, we only seemed to start playing after they scored their third goal!

Yes, Jay Smith definitely should have come as sub, and IMHO should start ahead of Gutts next game. Gutts was very poor Saturday i must hasten to add!

Why is it also these days when the other team has a corner, we leave no one up? We get everyone back! Why??
This is so negative!!!

Still for me, Hammell and Francis are very poor defensively, and (i'll say it again) poor signings by Tilly for this level of football. Yes Francis scored, but anyone could have put that one away Inc Paynter.

Sodje must start ahead of Clarke next game too!

The sub's were baffling beyond extreme, why no Moussa up front? He puts Francis there instead, which i thought was a ludicrous decision.

Fraid Tilly and Brush must take the blame for this poor start to the season. No loan players, poor signings, bad tactics! The pair of them have just not progressed to the CCC.

Wayne Gray would have been a nice option this season (who incidentally had a great game coming off the bench for Yeovil on Saturday), but oh no, they go and release him!

Why is it Tilly (on BBC Essex after the game) harps on again about 'we'll only bring loan players in if they are better than what we've got' This is unreal! The squad we have will take us down, and is just not good enough for the championship.

Also, the texts on BBC Essex make me laugh! Calls to drop Flavs and bring Collis in! Wake up people! Flavs is not the problem, if it wasn't for him we'd lose these games by much bigger margins!

This will be one long season! Something needs to be done.

Has Tilly taken us as far as he can? Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us? After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes! Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

Maybe a few more exclamation marks would help really drive your point home?

 

[KrustyTheKray]

Quote[/b] (Uxbridge Shrimper @ Oct. 23 2006,15:56)]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Agree with every word of this!

What annoyed me most about Saturday was, we only seemed to start playing after they scored their third goal!

Yes, Jay Smith definitely should have come as sub, and IMHO should start ahead of Gutts next game.  Gutts was very poor Saturday i must hasten to add!

Why is it also these days when the other team has a corner, we leave no one up?  We get everyone back!  Why??
This is so negative!!!

Still for me, Hammell and Francis are very poor defensively, and (i'll say it again) poor signings by Tilly for this level of football.  Yes Francis scored, but anyone could have put that one away Inc Paynter.

Sodje must start ahead of Clarke next game too!

The sub's were baffling beyond extreme, why no Moussa up front?  He puts Francis there instead, which i thought was a ludicrous decision.  

Fraid Tilly and Brush must take the blame for this poor start to the season.  No loan players, poor signings, bad tactics!   The pair of them have just not progressed to the CCC.

Wayne Gray would have been a nice option this season (who incidentally had a great game coming off the bench for Yeovil on Saturday), but oh no, they go and release him!

Why is it Tilly (on BBC Essex after the game) harps on again about 'we'll only bring loan players in if they are better than what we've got'  This is unreal!  The squad we have will take us down, and is just not good enough for the championship.

Also, the texts on BBC Essex make me laugh!  Calls to drop Flavs and bring Collis in!  Wake up people!  Flavs is not the problem, if it wasn't for him we'd lose these games by much bigger margins!

This will be one long season!  Something needs to be done.

Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?  Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?  After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes!  Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

Maybe a few more exclamation marks would help really drive your point home?

Sorry but that match Saturday made me write so many!

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Why is it Tilly (on BBC Essex after the game) harps on again about 'we'll only bring loan players in if they are better than what we've got'  This is unreal!  

What would you like him to do then, bring in players who are worse than what we've got

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (BILLERICAY BLUE @ Oct. 23 2006,16:09)]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Why is it Tilly (on BBC Essex after the game) harps on again about 'we'll only bring loan players in if they are better than what we've got'  This is unreal!  

What would you like him to do then, bring in players who are worse than what we've got

I think the thing with the loan argument is mainly the supporters can see no evidence of Tilly, Brush & Ron going in for these loan players. I know that's the way they like to conduct their transfer business but to be honest if they have tried to get in guys like Lupoli and lost out to other clubs (Derby in this case) surely it might be a relatively good bit of PR to state who they have actually tried to get in. Although I suppose the other side of this argument could be used to say if they did that it would undermine them in terms of who their target(s) would replace within the 1st XI.

I've said it since July, on our budget I personally think it's footballing suicide to not have fully explored this avenue. Again it's our small infrastructure that's holding us back. Ipswich today are rumoured to be trialling some Norwegian wonder-kid. No prizes for guessing we won't have even thought about somebody like that!

Also, no offence to Brushy as now is not the time for us all to be over-critical but maybe Championship level is time for us to look at strengthening the backroom team. I see Nigel Pearson has got a job with Newcastle today, now I'm not saying for one second we could have attracted somebody of his coaching calibre into the club but surely it's again something else to look at to freshen up training, provide a new pair of eyes to comment on squad weakness etc etc etc

 

[C C Csiders]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Why is it also these days when the other team has a corner, we leave no one up?  We get everyone back!  Why??
This is so negative!!!

I have said before on here that this seems to be the en vogue tactics when defending a corner. It is not just us, many teams do exactly the same. Ipswich, I notice were an exception to this current rule.

I believe it may have come out of these UEFA Pro Licence training sessions the mangers (if they haven't got the licence) go to.

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

Ipswich was poor, but make no mistake the Coventry game was far, far more damaging.

We are no strangers to being thumped and comprehensively outplayed at this level. This happened under both Taylor and Whelan with alarming regularity, but we still managed to stay up what was it - 6 seasons? Games like the Ipswich, and more particularly the Cardiff one, happen. What is important is that when you play well you take maximum points.

Against Coventry we played well enough/Coventry were poor enough that we should have won. The damage is when you play near enough your strongest side, you play relatively well and still lose. That kills confidence, especially for a team not yet established at this level with new players who are being barracked by their so-called supporters.

Even if/when Tilly sorts out central midfield and plays a dominant centre half alongside either Barrett or Clarke, we are still going to have to overcome a pyschological barrier. Traditionally the way that has been resolved is by introducing a new manager. Compare the effect that both Barry Fry & Steve Thompson had compared to the season(s) where we were relegated - the added impetus of a change in manager was sufficient to keep us up both times. I don't want us to go down that route. Instead, I think Tilly will need to make that signing that will make the rest of the championship sit up and take notice.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ Oct. 23 2006,16:26)]I think Tilly will need to make that signing that will make the rest of the championship sit up and take notice.

Don't hold your breath HKB

 

[steveo1]

Quote[/b] ]Why is it also these days when the other team has a corner, we leave no one up? We get everyone back! Why??

Yes this is a strange tactic. If you leave 2 up they will leave 3 back and so on which to my mind leaves more space in your own box for you keeper to deal with a corner. I remember watching Wimbledon at Highbury when they first came up. They left 4 men on the halfway line when defending corners which means Arsenal were more or less forced to leave 5 back.

 

[Joolz]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?  Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?  After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes!  Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

"Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?"
If he has, then it is probably as far as any manager likely to come to Roots Hall could.

"Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?"
This is a bit like asking whether we would be better off with a better manager.

Why was it a must win game? Are we already relegated then?

 

[Its grim up north!]

Quote[/b] (Joolz @ Oct. 23 2006,23:11)]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?  Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?  After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes!  Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

"Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?"
If he has, then it is probably as far as any manager likely to come to Roots Hall could.

"Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?"
This is a bit like asking whether we would be better off with a better manager.  

Why was it a must win game? Are we already relegated then?

Thank the maker for such positive posters as TTK!

This has to be the forward eh?

 

[Its grim up north!]

Quote[/b] (Joolz @ Oct. 23 2006,23:11)]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ Oct. 23 2006,15:45)]Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?  Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?  After saturdays shambles. id have to say yes!  Saturday's game was a must win game IMHO, against a poor Ipswich side and at home, we blew it big time!

We're going down!

"Has Tilly taken us as far as he can?"
If he has, then it is probably as far as any manager likely to come to Roots Hall could.

"Would a manager with a better tactical awareness suit us?"
This is a bit like asking whether we would be better off with a better manager.  

Why was it a must win game? Are we already relegated then?

Thank the maker for such positive posters as TTK!

This has to be the forward eh?