Get yourself ready for relegation - The players R

[Murkey_Mouse]

We don't deserve to stay in the Championship on this display, the players seems to cannot play at this level & after 2 promotion in a row, the gap between League 2 and Championship is huge & it showing. I have accapted relegation to League 1 for 2007/08 season & have written off this season & enjoy the last 33 games as I will have to make the most of it as we won't be in Championship next season.

We are being exposed agasint Championship side & the players seem to be inexeperince agasint them as they seems to don't know what they can do and get ready to deal what the Championship side has to offer & after that, we can show them why we won the League 1 champion last year, but we cannot do that.

Iam getting sick and tired of "we cannot get loans players as the premiership side won't let them go" that bollox, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs & Chelsea got hatfull of Central Midfield or striker that need a games. Tilson, get on the phone and ask them, it won't hurt to try, this sqaud need freshen up as they look like giving up before the kick off & the loans players can give the team the lift they needed. Ipswich got 3 loans players, look what happen to them, it help a lot & same for Stoke as well.

PS: Stan, If you need to train with the club and are planning a footballing comeback, PLEASE pick up a phone & give Tilly a call, we could do with someone of your abillty as our forward do not have same abillty & experince like you.

 

[blue heaven]

Well said!

 

[Andy_S]

I don't actually agree with "we're not good enough"


I think recent results have been more down to certain players mentality and certain players not giving 110%. We've got a far better squad of individuals than Col******r, but just look at them to see what happens when you work your socks off game after game. Our players need to take note of what they're doing with their budget and squad.

 

[Spikey Shrimper]

Can I just add that the Championship season lasts for 46 games and not 13. A hell of a lot can change in that time.

We might even go on another 8 match winning run!

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Quote[/b] ]I think recent results have been more down to certain players mentality and certain players not giving 110%. We've got a far better squad of individuals than Col******r, but just look them to see what happens when you work your socks off game after game. Our players need to take note of what they're doing with their budget and squad.

Col******r without Dann & Parky seem to do better than us, it just watching SUFC players today remind me of 1996/97 season, Iam bitter about these players in 1997 as they seem to give up easily (expect Tilson, Simon R., Hail & Marsh etc) at the moment the team of today are making the team with Dublin, Nally & Whelan as manager look better.

If certain players mentality and certain players not giving 110% was true & they play like if they wanted Tilson out, they are doing a good job

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Quote[/b] ]Can I just add that the Championship season lasts for 46 games and not 13. A hell of a lot can change in that time.

We might even go on another 8 match winning run!

Donkey may fly if that ever happen

 

[Winkle]

Quote[/b] (Murkey_Mouse @ Oct. 21 2006,19:05)] I have accapted relegation to League 1 for 2007/08 season & have written off this season

Jeez, I am very dissappointed by todays result, but anyone who thinks that the season is over allready needs help! We are all down at the moment and its very easy after such a dissappointing match to feel crap and deflated, but most of us agreed at the start of the season, that to stay in this league would be fantastic effort, lets try and keep things in perspective.......( he says sheepishly).

 

[Southendsleeper]

Quote[/b] (Spikey Shrimper @ Oct. 21 2006,19:23)]Can I just add that the Championship season lasts for 46 games and not 13.  A hell of a lot can change in that time.

Agreed

Long time to go yet

The teams ahead of us havent pulled away

 

[Welly7]

Thirteen games into a season is long enough to judge a team and it's clear that we're not good enough at this level. We played the first few games of the season in 'cup final' mode and played above ourselves, but now we're getting found out and the league table doesn't lie. Too many of our squad are not up to Championship standard. We need two or three new faces just to compete, because at the minute, we're not in games. If we carry on the way we're going then, yes, we'll beat a couple of big teams away and collect a few scalps at home, but ultimately it won't be enough.
Personally, only Maher, Eastwood and maybe Flahavan have shown that they are comfortable at this level and that's why we haven't won in two months.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Have to agree but is anyone surprised. Our squad is made up of league 1 and league 2 players. almost every other team has at least 3 or 4 players probably good enough to play in the premiership. In terms of wage bills, attractiveness and stadium size we are light years behind all the other teams. If we do go down so be it, we have the nucleus of a very good league one squad and who knows maybe a couple of seasons in the league one would do us better in the long run and allow players like Clarke, Hooper, Harrold and Paynter to become better players.

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

We did'nt get out of first gear to Beat Bounemouth & Brighton in League Cup, so maybe there is hope for an promotion challege in 2007/08 season - if we keep everyone together, but sell some player who don't want to be here & add strong player who can make an impact to get us back up!

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

long way to go, there are teams doing as bad as us, we only need to finish 21st

 

[adam barratt is the best]

i think we got better players than Col******r but look at them we all thought they would go down they sold there best player and lost there manager lost there first few games and turned it around we can do it but he needs to add a few proven players or its going to be tough

 

[adam barratt is the best]

i think we got better players than Col******r but look at them we all thought they would go down they sold there best player and lost there manager lost there first few games and turned it around we can do it but he needs to add a few proven players or its going to be tough

 

[C C Csiders]

Quote[/b] (Murkey_Mouse @ Oct. 21 2006,19:05)]Iam getting sick and tired of "we cannot get loans players as the premiership side won't let them go" that bollox, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs & Chelsea got hatfull of Central Midfield or striker that need a games.  Tilson, get on the phone and ask them

The fact is, Murkey, that Premiership sides you mention will NOT loan any of their players to Southend. They tend to allow them on loan to the 'big' Championship sides to gain experience of playing in front of big crowds in good stadia. Examples: Bendtner and Larsson (Arsenal to Birmingham), Lupoli (Arsenal to Derby) etc....

We will have to make do, if indeed we manage to capture anyone on loan, with either players who cannot get games in the Championship, or potentially those that have a bit of experience and quality, but have fallen out with the management of clubs in League One.

 

[Shrimpbizkit]

I think its vital we get our players with championship experience in the team- Sodje and Bradbury in particular. Our team is very young and very inexperience compared to virtually every other team in this division. I also think Tilly has to try and get a couple of experienced heads in in January, hopefully to have the same kind of impact Bradders and Sodje had last season. Priortiy has to be a striker as its asking a lot of Harrold and Paynter to support Freddy for the whole season.

 

[Up The Blues!]

I think its about time fans started acting like proper fans, we new we would have a fight on, the first couple of games have been a reality check, but we need to get behind the side instead of picking up all the negatives and doing stuff like booing our own players (paynter) because thats just not going to help his or the teams confidence.

 

[rabbloke]

This squad is god enough to stay in the Championship! The trick is to pick the right eleven and play them in their favoured positions. Maher is a creator and Gutts is not. Yet when we were clearly not giving the forwards enough supply and Gutts was off form Tilly chose initially put Hunt in the midfield. Another defensive, non-creative player. Why?. JCR got far too many bites at the cherry without producing the one thing he is employed to do and that is provide service to the forwards. Why?. Hammell and Francis are good going forward and on occasion blot their copybook in defense. They are clearly wing-backs and yet we play them as full-backs. Why?. AB is far from convincing this season, still working tirelessly, but exposed too often. He appears to be the first name on the team sheet. Why?. Flahavan has had a torrid time and probably endangered his back muscles picking the ball out of the net so many times. He has produced some fine saves but has also looked suspect on several goals. Collis cannot even get a sniff of first team action in a side leaking goals for fun. Why?. I believe you have to play to the strengths of your players and not to a tried and tired format that has worked in the past. 4-4-2 served us well last season and before but this year 3-5-2 has more appeal. Hammell and Francis could do their job. The midfield would have room for the creativity of Smith as well as the tenacity of Gutts and the forwards would enjoy more routes of supply.

Team;              Flahavan/Collis

              Hunt/Barrett  Clarke  Sodje

 Francis    Gutteridge     Maher      Hammell

                          Smith

                 Eastwood   Paynter

Subs; Flahavan/Collis
        Harrold
        Prior
        Gower
        Hooper.
Yes I know Gower is a good player but the team has to fit to what is available and best. He would be a great sub for thirty minutes to go and in need of a change. If I was to stay at 4-4-2 I would put Sodje and Clarke at the back and replace Gutts with Barrett and leave the rest of the team as we have been playing.

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

3-5-2 is a wretched formation. The wing-backs either end up too far forward leaving the defence exposed, or stuck in what is actually a 5-3-2. Francis and Hammell's defensive weakness is predominantly their positioning, playing them at wing-back is not going to help that. Going forward, they don't beat their man, so will need support from a wide player in order to offer anything going forward.

As much as I'd like to see Jay Smith back, the sad truth is that if he can't run a reserve game the championship is going to be beyond him. Surely Gower, who had an impressive start to the season, would be a better bet for that role if we had to play 3-5-2.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ Oct. 23 2006,12:05)]3-5-2 is a wretched formation. The wing-backs either end up too far forward leaving the defence exposed, or stuck in what is actually a 5-3-2. Francis and Hammell's defensive weakness is predominantly their positioning, playing them at wing-back is not going to help that. Going forward, they don't beat their man, so will need support from a wide player in order to offer anything going forward.

As much as I'd like to see Jay Smith back, the sad truth is that if he can't run a reserve game the championship is going to be beyond him. Surely Gower, who had an impressive start to the season, would be a better bet for that role if we had to play 3-5-2.

To be honest if it meant us picking up dull goalless draws and the odd 1-0 away from home this season I'd certainly try & adopt the "SPL minor teams at Old-Firm" formation of 8-1-1  

Joking aside, we really do need to tighten up defensively (I hoped the 0-0 at Burnley meant this had been taken on board by both the management team & players).  I remember a run of games in League Two when we were shipping goals and we seemed content then to keep it tight & play for 0-0's & also take whatever limited chances came our way.  5 or 6 games with this philosophy could help to improve the mood of the squad and help to get some much needed points on the board.