Are we a victim of the quality of football?

[Sean 2]

That is an absolutely outrageous statement. Mark Bentley is not only the best player ever to have played for Southend, he is also the greatest footballer of his or any other generation.

Bring back B.A.G.

 

[number11]

I actually thought the side that finished off in the play - offs after relegation was better than the one that won the division. To come back from relegation and finish that season so strongly was an excellent achievement and some of the football played was outstanding towards the end of that season. To the team that won the division we had Clark for Prior (downgrade) but Francis and Mulgrew massive upgrades on Jupp and Wilson. Macca (circa 2007) and Bailey were, in my opinion, better than Guttridge and Maher, we still had Gower, and we had Barney upfront. The big difference between those sides though were the spirit of the title winning team, and Freddie Eastwood. His ability to get a goal out of nothing turned poor performances into wins, or at least gave his teammates the confidence that something was going to happen. Sadly those kind of players who can do that something sepcial / extra (Eastwood, Gower, Bailey, Mulgrew etc) are what is now lacking.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

That is an absolutely outrageous statement. Mark Bentley is not only the best player ever to have played for Southend, he is also the greatest footballer of his or any other generation.

True and to doubt it is actually heresy.

You seem a good addition to the board so I wouldn't want to have to burn you at the stake Paul Byrne's Beer Gut, plus I'm not sure I have a stake big enough.

I think Grant and Guttridge are two different type of footballers performing different roles. The player performing Guttridge's role (I use performing in its loosest sense) is McCormack. Only the most one-eyed would dispute that Guttridge was a far superior passer.

The current team isn't as balanced, and is lacking players like Prior, Eastwood, Gower who were cut above.

FWIW I think Guttridge was exceptional first half of our title winning season and our best midfielder. His attitude problem didn't hit us until later, particularly in the championship.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

Our two most dangerous attacking players are Simon Francis and Adam Barrett.

That is so true and also so worrying!

They really aren't the only ones, surely our most dangerous attacking players include, Laurent, Macca, Scannel, Patterson, ect...

You can argue where is no end product though!

Time for that to change !

STAYING UP WITH TILLY AND WEBB!

 

[Jai]

I would argue that not one of the players you have just mentioned could be classed as dangerous on current form.

McCormack is dangerous, but only to me when I'm trying to eat a pie in the South Upper and he decides to shoot.

 

[Tilson_Blues]

good post but comer on we had gower maher freddy gutteridge when he was good id take him back now tbh over any of our cms them players alone were class

 

[Jam_Man]

Our two most dangerous attacking players are Simon Francis and Adam Barrett.



They really aren't the only ones, surely our most dangerous attacking players include, Laurent, Macca, Scannel, Patterson, ect...

You can argue where is no end product though!

Time for that to change !

STAYING UP WITH TILLY AND WEBB!

How depressing is that, none of them are at all threatening, Laurent has moments of brilliance and lots more of doing very little, Scannell never seems to be as dangerous as he can look, Macca is a workhorse but never looks as good as he did with Bailey and havent seen enough of Patterson other than the Charlton goal where the keeper threw the ball in his own net.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

How depressing is that, none of them are at all threatening, Laurent has moments of brilliance and lots more of doing very little, Scannell never seems to be as dangerous as he can look, Macca is a workhorse but never looks as good as he did with Bailey and havent seen enough of Patterson other than the Charlton goal where the keeper threw the ball in his own net.

You definitely went for the...you can argue there isn't any end product though.

You are right sadly. But now is the time to believe. And thats what I am doing, and I will always do. I'll always have a bit of hope. I just know Ron is going to win the case tomorrow and add to his massive trophy cabinet of Jammyness.

UTB !!!

 

[Jam_Man]

You definitely went for the...you can argue there isn't any end product though.

You are right sadly. But now is the time to believe. And thats what I am doing, and I will always do. I'll always have a bit of hope. I just know Ron is going to win the case tomorrow and add to his massive trophy cabinet of Jammyness.

UTB !!!

David Webb will sort them

Scannell, stop running like a headless chicken, cross the ball.

Laurent, stop arsing about and being so greedy.

Macca, pass to a blue shirt.

Sorted.

 

[grassroots]

Hang on a minute, what would we give now for 2 out of Eastwood, Gray and Goater!? As for the midfield, Maher, Bentley, Gutteridge, Gower, non of today's squad would shift any of them. At the back, Francis may get the nod over Juppy, but even dear old Che was better than the assortment we've had recently and Flahaven wins it over Mildenhall - so we are already running with a Div 2 squad that could easily take us to the Conference.

 

[number11]

Hang on a minute, what would we give now for 2 out of Eastwood, Gray and Goater!? As for the midfield, Maher, Bentley, Gutteridge, Gower, non of today's squad would shift any of them. At the back, Francis may get the nod over Juppy, but even dear old Che was better than the assortment we've had recently and Flahaven wins it over Mildenhall - so we are already running with a Div 2 squad that could easily take us to the Conference.

Agree with most apart from the last two....The left backs we have had have all been fairly competent. As for the last one, slightly shocked as thought most now realised Mildenhall is superior to shorty...

 

[Jam_Man]

Hang on a minute, what would we give now for 2 out of Eastwood, Gray and Goater!? As for the midfield, Maher, Bentley, Gutteridge, Gower, non of today's squad would shift any of them. At the back, Francis may get the nod over Juppy, but even dear old Che was better than the assortment we've had recently and Flahaven wins it over Mildenhall - so we are already running with a Div 2 squad that could easily take us to the Conference.

Flahavan was replaced by Mildenhall and as good a shot stopper as he was Im not sure the lack of confidence most had in him at set pieces would help much right now.

As for a League Two squad I think thats highly unfair, I think the players we have now are good enough for this league, its the fact we didnt have a squad until January thats done us in...

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I would argue that not one of the players you have just mentioned could be classed as dangerous on current form.

McCormack is dangerous, but only to me when I'm trying to eat a pie in the South UpperWest Stand and he decides to shoot.

Corrected.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Agree with most apart from the last two....The left backs we have had have all been fairly competent. As for the last one, slightly shocked as thought most now realised Mildenhall is superior to shorty...

To be fair he was talking about a Flahaven, whereas you are thinking about Flahavan whose decision making, communication and kicking were all below par.

 

[Blue_Wes]

The other thing you need to remember that during the Bentley/Guttridge era, we had Kevin Maher in midfield. Maher is the best midfielder we have had in recent years. For me, our midfield this season is not a patch on the midfield we had then. Maher and Gower alone had more attributes than Moussa, Grant, Christophe and Macca put together. Moussa has shown nothing this year to suggest he has progressed and for me is in the squad purely as a result of lack of numbers. Gower used to contribute 10 goals a season guarenteed, not to mention numourous assists. Our midfield has struggled to muster half the goals he would score on his own over the course of the season. Maher used to get criticised a lot for his set pieces, but the number of goals we scored through Barrett and Sodje during his tenure as set piece taker speaks volumes as well.

Macca is going backwards, he is our most experienced midfielder, but without a decent partner to reel him in and cover him, (alá Maher & Bailey) he struggles to make an impact. Whether this is the weight of expectations or the off the field troubles weighing him down we'll probably never know, but on the pitch he is in my opinion going backwards.

What we wouldn't do for one of Freddy, Maher or Gower in our team now.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

The other thing you need to remember that during the Bentley/Guttridge era, we had Kevin Maher in midfield. Maher is the best midfielder we have had in recent years. For me, our midfield this season is not a patch on the midfield we had then. Maher and Gower alone had more attributes than Moussa, Grant, Christophe and Macca put together. Moussa has shown nothing this year to suggest he has progressed and for me is in the squad purely as a result of lack of numbers. Gower used to contribute 10 goals a season guarenteed, not to mention numourous assists. Our midfield has struggled to muster half the goals he would score on his own over the course of the season. Maher used to get criticised a lot for his set pieces, but the number of goals we scored through Barrett and Sodje during his tenure as set piece taker speaks volumes as well.

Macca is going backwards, he is our most experienced midfielder, but without a decent partner to reel him in and cover him, (alá Maher & Bailey) he struggles to make an impact. Whether this is the weight of expectations or the off the field troubles weighing him down we'll probably never know, but on the pitch he is in my opinion going backwards.

What we wouldn't do for one of Freddy, Maher or Gower in our team now.

Gower scored 6 goals that season.

 

[Jam_Man]

The other thing you need to remember that during the Bentley/Guttridge era, we had Kevin Maher in midfield. Maher is the best midfielder we have had in recent years. For me, our midfield this season is not a patch on the midfield we had then. Maher and Gower alone had more attributes than Moussa, Grant, Christophe and Macca put together. Moussa has shown nothing this year to suggest he has progressed and for me is in the squad purely as a result of lack of numbers. Gower used to contribute 10 goals a season guarenteed, not to mention numourous assists. Our midfield has struggled to muster half the goals he would score on his own over the course of the season. Maher used to get criticised a lot for his set pieces, but the number of goals we scored through Barrett and Sodje during his tenure as set piece taker speaks volumes as well.

Macca is going backwards, he is our most experienced midfielder, but without a decent partner to reel him in and cover him, (alá Maher & Bailey) he struggles to make an impact. Whether this is the weight of expectations or the off the field troubles weighing him down we'll probably never know, but on the pitch he is in my opinion going backwards.

What we wouldn't do for one of Freddy, Maher or Gower in our team now.

To be honest Mahers corners were rubbish. Rarely beat the first man and when we got the likes of Hammell and Mulgrew taking them we looked far more dangerous.

What we miss from Maher is someone who can get on the ball and play a pass to a winger or switch the play to another flank.

Our midfielders seem to lack any composure in the middle and good passing isnt an attribute Id say any of them have sadly.

 

[tr0ublegum]

Interesting original post and debate. If I may offer the same view from a different perspective:

Although we finished 2nd in 2006, and therefore by rights it wasn't as big a deal as you winning the title, it was a monumental step forward for us, breaking into the 2nd tier for the first time, so the team that did it were heroes, and are seen through rose tinted spectacles already.

My personal view is the team we have now would not only have seen off the 2005/06 vintage comfortably, but would have walked away with the league title. I am absolutely not trying to belittle Southend's achievement in winning it (nor ours in getting promoted along with you) but the division was weaker then. You won it with 82 points - I am not sure how far back you'd have to go to find a lower winning total. This season 90 points may not be enough for promotion.

There is daylight between 7th place and the rest, and all those teams have significantly better goal differences than anyone else with the exception of Southampton, who have no hope of going up with their 10 point deduction but are capable of causing chaos in the run-in (I'm very glad we've taken 4 points off them already).

 

[Smudger]

That is an absolutely outrageous statement. Mark Bentley is not only the best player ever to have played for Southend, he is also the greatest footballer of his or any other generation.

Possibly...but his absurb gait often let him down.

 

[Silencer]

Flahavan despite his lack of height produced match winning saves during the promotion campaigns or at least point earning saves. Despite what people think of him, that is a FACT. Maybe he would be no better than Mildenhall in this team but he was simply immense for those two seasons.

Freddy well that is history, one of them periods of time when you dont really appreciate how special he is until you look back and remember. He was great at the time, he scored all kinds of goals and most importantly scored goals out of nothing. Class, maybe never hit the heights elsewhere but during his spell here, wow!

Gower and Maher, two players who had critics but what most fans would give for them now. Definatley a case for most of "You dont realise what you got till its gone". Then you had Barratt defensiveley and scoring goals.

The rest was momentum, hard work, cracking team spirit. With hard working proper pro's (Sodje, Goater, Bradbury, Prior, Jupp) and hungry non league/lower level players (Bentley, Wilson, Gray, Guttridge) you could'nt go wrong.

I personally dont think any of the current bunch would make the starting XI of a mixed team for me.