Question Blair Sturrock: Please Please Please why......

[Jedi Shrimper]

...but surely it's time to wake up and smell the coffee, or alternatively put your money where your mouth is and answer The Seventies North Bank's different striking scenarios laid out above...

OK, I'll step up to the challenge despite the fact I've yet to see a game this season. I know people may dismiss my opinions because of that and that's their decision. So my judgements are based on what I've read on here and heard on BBC Essex.

O.K. guys. Lets see which fans that have defended Blair are willing to answer this and be honest. A hypothetical question for all of you. We play our strongest side all season, where do you think we would finish?

My answers by the way are; A=11TH B=7TH C=2ND

A. With Corr and Sturrock up front = 17th

B. With Corr and Paterson = 15th

C. With Corr and Theo Robinson type goalscorer = 12th

My Reasons. Yes I believe Corr & Sturrock would be the poorest pairing as from all I've heard they are too similar. Paterson may nick a few more goals than Blair, but not enough to make a significant difference. However even Theo himself would struggle to hit 20 in a side that from all I've heard so far struggle to create clearcut chances. It seems to me that it is in midfield where we really are lacking, lacking a midfielder who will add a healthy number of goals & players with genuine creativity. Whether we are lacking that creativity or whether it's a case of the midfield & strikeforce not yet being able to anticipate each others actions I do not know. But with better chnaces created even Blair could could knock the odd 6 or so in over the season. A possibly strong defence, plus a 'Theo Robinson' does not make a promotion winning side.

In the mean time, why not get behind the players especially the ones who need confidence ie. Blair, who knows maybe they'll continue to suprise & surpass expectations. Booing him just because he's PS' son is simply childish, if you (general 'you', not anyone specific) think he's crap then maybe try to remember how well Hooper, Paynter, Revell, Harrold et al have done away from the negative abuse of Roots Hall and turn your boo into encouragement.

 

[haveaguiness]

He is a better all round player than Paterson, but Paterson will get goals.
Someone said earlier that we need about 70 goals for promotion, where do you think these goals will come from?

I think if we scored 70 this season we would win the league... We seem to have found a very solid defense and a good goalkeeper so won't concede many. You only need to look back at previous seasons and find that Bournemouth finished second scoring 61 goals, and Rotherham finished in the playoffs scoring just 55 goals and conceding 52 (and that was with Le Fondre in their squad).

Also if you look back to when Sturrock won this League with Plymouth, securing the greatest number of points, they actually scored 23 less goals than Notts Country did last season, but their sucess was they only conceded 28 goals, just over 1 every 2 games.

So you do not always need to score shed loads of goals to get out of the league, and I would rather we had 4 or 5 players with 8 goals each and others chipping in, than having 1 player that we rely on (just look what happened last year when Barnard left).

 

[Beefy]

Spain won the world cup with only 8 goals. They dont need a 20 goal striker.

France won the World Cup in 98 without a striker. If you're strong at the back and create chances then you'll score enough goals to win enough games.

 

[Napster]

I think if we scored 70 this season we would win the league... We seem to have found a very solid defense and a good goalkeeper so won't concede many. You only need to look back at previous seasons and find that Bournemouth finished second scoring 61 goals, and Rotherham finished in the playoffs scoring just 55 goals and conceding 52 (and that was with Le Fondre in their squad).

Also if you look back to when Sturrock won this League with Plymouth, securing the greatest number of points, they actually scored 23 less goals than Notts Country did last season, but their sucess was they only conceded 28 goals, just over 1 every 2 games.

So you do not always need to score shed loads of goals to get out of the league, and I would rather we had 4 or 5 players with 8 goals each and others chipping in, than having 1 player that we rely on (just look what happened last year when Barnard left).

Look at Twente v Ajax last season - Ajax scored over 100 goals and still came second. You just need to focus on winning...

1 Twente (C) 34 27 5 2 63 23 +40 86
2 Ajax 34 27 4 3 106 20 +86 85

 

[Beefy]

That's a crazy blip though. Ajax even conceded fewer goals than Twente did. I watched a few of their matches last year on ESPN as they're on about the time I'm staggering out of bed on a Sunday morning and every week Ajax seemed to crush someone or other.

But yeah, it's about winning matches not scoring goals.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

He is a better all round player than Paterson, but Paterson will get goals.
Someone said earlier that we need about 70 goals for promotion, where do you think these goals will come from?

Paterson will get some goals but if you don't count penalties, I think he will struggle to reach double figures as he's too lightweight against no-nonsense league two centre halfs.

As for 70 goals to get promotion, I don't believe we will get that and if we are going to get promoted which is unlikely it will be through a series of low scoring wins rather than an influx of goals from one particular player.

And yet despite all that and against all logic it wouldn't surprise me if we did go up this year.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

France won the World Cup in 98 without a striker. If you're strong at the back and create chances then you'll score enough goals to win enough games.

I agree, but I don't think World Cups are particularly good comparisons, as cup competitions are a different beast to the league.

Look at Twente v Ajax last season - Ajax scored over 100 goals and still came second. You just need to focus on winning...

1 Twente (C) 34 27 5 2 63 23 +40 86
2 Ajax 34 27 4 3 106 20 +86 85

Or look at the year we finished second top scorers, despite no-one scoring 15 goals, yet only scraped into the play-offs with Clarke and Barrett at the back.

 

[Beefy]

I agree, but I don't think World Cups are particularly good comparisons, as cup competitions are a different beast to the league.

Fair point

Or look at the year we finished second top scorers, despite no-one scoring 15 goals, yet only scraped into the play-offs with Clarke and Barrett at the back.

You feeling ok? You passed up a perfectly good chance there to take a pop at a certain midget in goal and a certain drunken Irishman protecting the back four.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

OK, I'll step up to the challenge despite the fact I've yet to see a game this season. I know people may dismiss my opinions because of that and that's their decision. So my judgements are based on what I've read on here and heard on BBC Essex.



A. With Corr and Sturrock up front = 17th

B. With Corr and Paterson = 15th

C. With Corr and Theo Robinson type goalscorer = 12th

My Reasons. Yes I believe Corr & Sturrock would be the poorest pairing as from all I've heard they are too similar. Paterson may nick a few more goals than Blair, but not enough to make a significant difference. However even Theo himself would struggle to hit 20 in a side that from all I've heard so far struggle to create clearcut chances. It seems to me that it is in midfield where we really are lacking, lacking a midfielder who will add a healthy number of goals & players with genuine creativity. Whether we are lacking that creativity or whether it's a case of the midfield & strikeforce not yet being able to anticipate each others actions I do not know. But with better chnaces created even Blair could could knock the odd 6 or so in over the season. A possibly strong defence, plus a 'Theo Robinson' does not make a promotion winning side.

In the mean time, why not get behind the players especially the ones who need confidence ie. Blair, who knows maybe they'll continue to suprise & surpass expectations. Booing him just because he's PS' son is simply childish, if you (general 'you', not anyone specific) think he's crap then maybe try to remember how well Hooper, Paynter, Revell, Harrold et al have done away from the negative abuse of Roots Hall and turn your boo into encouragement.

Thank you Drastic Sturgeon you for stepping up and answering those 3 questions.

 

[Beefy]

Thank you Drastic Sturgeon you for stepping up and answering those 3 questions.

No offence but it just seems like pointless speculation and guesswork (although I guess that could be applied to 99% of Shrimperzone). No one knows what sort of side we're going to settle down into being let alone know how we'd be with a 'Theo Robinson' up front who would no doubt completely alter the way that we play (as he did when he was here a couple of years ago). It's crystal ball work.

 

[EastStandBlue]

No offence but it just seems like pointless speculation and guesswork (although I guess that could be applied to 99% of Shrimperzone). No one knows what sort of side we're going to settle down into being let alone know how we'd be with a 'Theo Robinson' up front who would no doubt completely alter the way that we play (as he did when he was here a couple of years ago). It's crystal ball work.

This isn't a slight on Tilson as a manager, but given his experience and judging by the players he's chosen already to play his system, I'd think Sturrock would be a little less prone to building a squad/tactic around a loanee. Robinson changed the way we played, and it certainly was effective (if unattractive), but any loanee Sturrock brings in would have to learn to play off of Corr's knock downs.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Thank you Drastic Sturgeon you for stepping up and answering those 3 questions.

Nobody has really taken on my appeal to answer your 3 scenarios either.
Maybe you would have been best off starting a new thread &/or vote?

 

[tangerine dream]

As I said when we signed him, if you ever care to read posts and not just take on board what you want to see (maybe that says a lot about you???) I've seen him play at least 3 games from memory before and he certainly flattered to decieve on those ocassions.

You can also form opinion from statistics and his career record as a forward (he's no striker as even those who're pleased he is here would agree) is shocking for the levels he has played at. As I said earlier, if you can't score at the level that Truro City are at then there's little hope for a goal rush at L2 or (as people are happily quoting the managers target as) L1 level.

If you are going to form an opinion from statistics,then make sure they're accurate.Not so sure he actually played for Truro.Which would make your own performance questionable.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Not so sure he actually played for Truro.

With a username like that I detect some kind of Dundee Utd connection...
Maybe so, but 2 goals in 24 games for Mansfield town isn't exactly Dixie Dean is it?

 

[superblue24]

With a username like that I detect some kind of Dundee Utd connection...
Maybe so, but 2 goals in 24 games for Mansfield town isn't exactly Dixie Dean is it?

Try circa 240 appearances and 31 goals......Always scores on his debut, and we're his 12th club......

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

This thread is completed mad. When Sturrock had his success at Plymouth he used Micky Evans in a similar way as his son. What happens is the midfield are encouraged to bomb up and create/score. Can't people remember then demolishing us a few seasons ago. Although ostensibly playing one up front they regularly had more players in our box than us. Little wonder Grant is playing so well and scoring or at least testing the keeper.
To be harsh, this thread shows how little the average fan knows about football. BTW Evans scored 35 goals in 221 games in his second spell at Plymouth. Probably makes him a flop in SUFC fans eyes as he was a striker so should have scored at least 100 goals but he was pivotal to Plymouth's success.
Of course he was not the manager's son.

 

[Ailsa Road Shrimper]

If you are going to form an opinion from statistics,then make sure they're accurate.Not so sure he actually played for Truro.Which would make your own performance questionable.

Club From To Fee League FA Cup League cup Other
Southend 17-07-2010 Free 3 (1) 1 0 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 1 (0) 0
Mansfield 01-09-2009 17-07-2010 Free 10 (14)3 1 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0
Torquay 27-03-2009 31-05-2009 Loan 6 (1) 2 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (0) 0
Bournemouth 26-09-2008 26-10-2008 Loan 1 (3) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0
Swindon 08-12-2006 01-07-2009 Free 22 (28) 6 3 (2) 2 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 1
Rochdale 04-08-2005 08-05-2006 Free 15 (16) 6 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 1 (1) 0
Kidderminster 24-12-2004 09-05-2005 Free 17 (5) 6 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0
Plymouth 01-12-2001 24-12-2004 Free 9 (54) 2 0 (5) 0 1 (0) 1 1 (1) 0
Brechin 11-08-2000 01-12-2001 Loan 20 (7) 6 1 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 2 (0) 2
Dundee Utd 23-07-1998 11-10-2001 Youth No appearance data available
Totals £ 0 103 (129) 32 5 (11) 2 4 (1) 1 9 (2) 3
Apps Goals
goals / game 0.13 0.12 0.2 0.27

I'll form my opinion on his career goals per game statistics above, and based on this I think he is pretty poor for a striker! Interesting to note that he has played for his dad at 4 different clubs now - when he left the previous 3 that his father managed (Dundee Utd, Plymouth & Swindon) he played for an inferior club soon afterwards (Brechin, Kidderminster & Bournemouth respectively) due to Sturrock Senior leaving to join another club.

 

[Beefy]

I'll form my opinion on his career goals per game statistics above

Why not form your opinion based on his performances for Southend United?

 

[Cricko]

Get real people.it is like getting blood from a stone.....he is crap and his Dad once more gave him some wages.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

Why not form your opinion based on his performances for Southend United?

Because people like an easy target!