Brown out...

[Bearded Shrimper]

Yeah we look inept with our finishing, we create chances just fine. Unless Brown is telling his players to scuff their shots I don't see what a change in coach would achieve, we just need a striker coach to sort them out. I'm also not sure why you are so confident we would have gone up whoever was in charge, unlike the premier league we don't get extended highlights of the other teams in the league, how do you know we have one of the best squads in the league?

this for me. we create plenty of chances but struggle to finish them. that for me is something for the manager to look at rather than a reason to sack the manager.
i actually don't think our squad is as good as the people who say that if they or their favourite or Uncle Tom Cobbly was in charge rather than Phil Brown would of won the league in January. i exaggerate but it does annoy me

 

[Jam_Man]

Well I was one of those that asked for PB to go and I still feel the same way. It might sound churlish to some but for me we blew it on numerous occasions during the season. We also blew it on the final day, away to Morecambe, and we stuttered over the line in the last seconds of extra-time at wembley, having played poorly for much of the final.

To me it would have been more difficult to stop this side going up but PB very nearly managed it.

I firmly believe many other managers would have got us up well before the seasons end. For me it is about the attacking. The formation has changed many times and none seem to be outright winners in terms of results but at least PB did try options. That is where the plaudits stop.

Even the most ardent PB supporters will have seen how inept we were made to look in front of goal. What you think that will change just because we have gone up a league? A lot of midfield endeavour seemed to be followed by a lack of killer last balls and efforts on goal that too rarely caused the opposition keeper much trouble.

Some have called for a striker coach and maybe that will make the difference needed to PB's management. Who knows? One thing I believe is that without a major change in our 'forward' thinking then we will remain goal shy. Factors conspired, much against the odds, to negate our lack of scoring prowess this season but I doubt that will happen too often.

Of course I am glad we went up. Glad and grateful. But as things stand I do not feel we have the helmsmanship to navigate the white waters of league 1 or at least get the very best out of the eleven we field.

You do make some good points about our attacking shortfalls and agree we need to improve there, but I just dont see why people feel we should have gone up easily.

This amazing squad we had, it only had one striker until January, it lacked creativity throughout, as you say the midfield has always been full of endeavour but Worrall aside lacked any spark.

Those are things that Brown can be criticised for sure, but the comment about this squad should have walked promotion from the start is certainly not something I saw at anytime. The squad lacked balance and creativity for half the season.

There is plenty of things to criticise Brown over but even the ardent critics should also look at what he has achieved, 84 points, play off victory, only 9 goals conceded at home in 23 games, countless clean sheets.

I know its not the stuff that inspires fans, but the team has performed well as a defensive unit which in itself went a long way to promotion and nullified the lack of goals.

 

[mrsblue]

You do make some good points about our attacking shortfalls and agree we need to improve there, but I just dont see why people feel we should have gone up easily.

This amazing squad we had, it only had one striker until January, it lacked creativity throughout, as you say the midfield has always been full of endeavour but Worrall aside lacked any spark.

Those are things that Brown can be criticised for sure, but the comment about this squad should have walked promotion from the start is certainly not something I saw at anytime. The squad lacked balance and creativity for half the season.

There is plenty of things to criticise Brown over but even the ardent critics should also look at what he has achieved, 84 points, play off victory, only 9 goals conceded at home in 23 games, countless clean sheets.

I know its not the stuff that inspires fans, but the team has performed well as a defensive unit which in itself went a long way to promotion and nullified the lack of goals.

I watched 16 games last season

First 25 against Boro was brilliant in the league
PO against Boro was fantastic

The rest were crap/boring/tedious including the final which only had fleeting moments.

I cannot knock Phil for getting us up,but my god the football was dog.

 

[rigsby]

I watched 16 games last season

First 25 against Boro was brilliant in the league
PO against Boro was fantastic

The rest were crap/boring/tedious including the final which only had fleeting moments.

I cannot knock Phil for getting us up,but my god the football was dog.

Depends on what you want from a play-off final. Lose 4-3 in an 'exciting end to ender' or a Joe Pigott moment.

I know we had to wait until 122 minutes for our goal but from memory as the ball nestled in the corner I don't recall anyone around me demanding their money back :winking:

 

[Beefy]

So Sturrock got abused for crap football when we got 83pts and Brown gets abused for crap football when we get 84pts and promotion.

I dread to think how Alvin Martin/Alan Little/Rob Newman would have fared with our fans today.

 

[londonblue]

I watched 16 games last season

First 25 against Boro was brilliant in the league
PO against Boro was fantastic

The rest were crap/boring/tedious including the final which only had fleeting moments.

I cannot knock Phil for getting us up,but my god the football was dog.

To a certain extent I agree with you. I wouldn't have worded it so strongly, but at times the football hasn't been great to watch. IMO, if we had converted a higher percentage of our chances we wouldn't be having this discussion at all. So, the issue wasn't the lack of chances, just we didn't score as many as we all would have liked.

However, as I've said many times previously: I wanted us out of League to by any means necessary. If that meant "boring" football with extremely sound defending, and the odd goal then so be it.

If we do the same next season and reach the playoffs then I'll be equally as happy!

 

[Uncle Leo]

So Sturrock got abused for crap football when we got 83pts and Brown gets abused for crap football when we get 84pts and promotion.

I dread to think how Alvin Martin/Alan Little/Rob Newman would have fared with our fans today.

Quite. We are remarkably picky given we support a side that has spent most of its existence in the bottom third of the 92.

 

[Jam_Man]

Im sure Wycombe will be feeling quite happy, they scored a lot and had plenty of excitement this season Im sure.

The football hasnt been scintillating, but it was better than watching Sturrocks and its League Two where we have to build a squad for free.

If people are only happy when we both win games and play exciting football week in and week out they better prepare themselves for plenty of disappointments following Southend....

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

So Sturrock got abused for crap football when we got 83pts and Brown gets abused for crap football when we get 84pts and promotion.

I dread to think how Alvin Martin/Alan Little/Rob Newman would have fared with our fans today.

depends if they played 442

 

[Bobby dazzler]

We just cannot be happy can we ? too slow in the build up I warrant you but having spent nearly half a century following the Blues I am easily pleased. Dissapointment is something I am used to with SUFC so these moments of joy are worth celebrating not picking apart.
Leave me to enjoy myself not pull a manager apart that actually got us promotion.
If I wanted to watch attractive attacking football I wouldnt have picked the right team to watch over the years. But Southend are my team so I get what I get.

 

[Bkdside]

Nice to see both the new signing mentioning Brown as one of the big reasons they are here....Brown out.

 

[Lord Football]

At home, last year, we were dreadful. The football was dirge. I put that down to some extent teams like Dagenham and Cambridge playing for 0-0s and us not having the guile to deal with it. We wont see that next season (well Burton will probably try it) as teams will have different tactics that might involve getting forward occasionally.

Away was much better, because teams had a go (bar Wimbledon) and we were usually good enough to get a goal and not concede any.

Being in a new division brings better opposition, better players and more quality. I am hoping the coming season will be much better.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Nice to see both the new signing mentioning Brown as one of the big reasons they are here....Brown out.

YorkshireBlue has been awfully quite today......Brown out.

 

[Bkdside]

At home, last year, we were dreadful. The football was dirge. I put that down to some extent teams like Dagenham and Cambridge playing for 0-0s and us not having the guile to deal with it. We wont see that next season (well Burton will probably try it) as teams will have different tactics that might involve getting forward occasionally.

Away was much better, because teams had a go (bar Wimbledon) and we were usually good enough to get a goal and not concede any.

Being in a new division brings better opposition, better players and more quality. I am hoping the coming season will be much better.

Better than Promotion? We would have to go some to win this league...

 

[Bkdside]

Just leave this here as a little reminder...

 

[Leoblue]

Just leave this here as a little reminder...

I'm with you on this, PB IS CLASS........ It doesn't matter even if we lost today, I still think he's a class act and have always said so... We're lucky to have him (it will take time to get promoted) if not this season, it will happen under him........ AND as for the Sunderland no 2, his words, I'm the Southend Utd manager, end of story.

 

[RHB]

I don't disagree, I've always been pro-Brown as he is our manager. I'm not aware that there has been a bash Brown series of post recently though so I don't really see the need to bump this.

 

[Leoblue]

I don't disagree, I've always been pro-Brown as he is our manager. I'm not aware that there has been a bash Brown series of post recently though so I don't really see the need to bump this.

No, I haven't of late I will agree but I didn't bump it, I just agree with the chap or lass who did........ :thumbsup:

 

[Jam_Man]

I think with the amount of times we got told he was a terrible manager last season, and even beginning of this season when we had a poor start we were told he was lucky to get us up its warranted to highlight it again :smile:

 

[Bkdside]

Serves as a nice reminder though doesn't it...then when we lose a couple on the trot this year ...which will happen! and the usual crap that follows those defeats ....that it is not needed. Trust what we have.