Happy Anniversary Mr Sturrock

[Angell Delight]

What PS has achieved in the past year really is highly impressive, just 12 months on from a threat of liquidation (I know we're not out of the woods yet but things do at least look brighter) and an amount of players you could count on one hand I'm amazed that we now find ourselves in a great position to get back into League One. To possibly do that within 2 years of relegation given the dire, dire state we were in at the end of 2009/10 says everything about Paul Sturrock. With his record of building sides to win promotion I know we shouldn't be too surprised but surely this has been his toughest ask as a manager.

With the quality we have in the squad we can bounce back next season I've no doubt about that, whether we will or not is another matter. It's true for me as I'm sure it was for most of us that the first few months of last season felt strange, the club I supported every week didn't feel like Southend United to me and I thought it would take longer to get that feeling back but I have and I haven't looked forward to a new season so much since our Championship return! Thankyou Luggy!

Up The Blues! :loyalsupporter:

 

[Angell Delight]

Let's look beyond the hyperbole..

Can't see what all the hero worship is about.

I agree to a point but that is all. I feel some are overdoing the adoration a tad, but under PS there seems to be a steadying of the ship and a genuine feel good factor is emerging. I am not suggesting that I agreed with his every decision last season but then I am not the manager and have not agreed with every decision of any manager in football. There is still clearly bitterness about the departure of Tilly on here, which is a shame. I wanted Tilly from the start and he still has the prospect of becoming a good manager but during his tenure with us his progress stagnated and I believe it was due to the lack of experience. For me, the dream ticket years ago and still now would have been Tilly as manager with a character like PS as Director of football so that ST could be nurtured and matured. ST made enough mistakes to warrant the chop. We dont have him now and I doubt my version of the dream ticket will ever materialise. In the absence of dreams I am more than happy with the reality that is PS, in the hope that this season will reap further progress. I will judge PS more when he leaves the job and his record is there to see. For now I would rather appreciate having a good manager, a club and a future.

Personally I can see Tilly returning at some point. However I think the next "dream ticket" in a couple of years could well be PS upstairs, Coughlan as manager and Harris as player/coach.......

 

[Tommy2holes]

FWIW im certainly no hero worshipper even when we were riding high under tilly i used to bemoan the fact that the squad wasnt rotated properly and subs never made when they should have been also the fact the we only ever used 4-4-2.

I will and always have been a huge tilly fan , but he was not god!

Tilly had faults as does paul sturrock , but paul sturrock is a manager that thinks outside the box has contacts and has done and seen it all at all levels of the english game and beyond and as much as it pains me to say this i think Ron Martin made the right choice in replacing tilly who i think probably was on a downward spiral both in descision making and mentally and maybe would have taken the club down as he did with lincoln where a rebuild on a budget was necessary.

Paul Sturrock performed admirably at our club, a club where he has no affinity other than being employed here and had to not only listen to fans moaning that he would never be popular because of who had replaced and who had employed him , but that he was to ill for the job.

Paul had to rebuild a team in just a few days and used his persuasion and contact skills to the limit. Who would have wanted to join southend united a team relegated to the basement who by and large doesnt pay what it owes to players?

Yes a good few of those brought in didnt work out , but a good few did and those that did, did the club and the fans proud even giving hope of a play-off place.

On that basis i think paul did a great job.

Paul has always maintained that his job with us is a work in progress and progress we have. I cannot see us not achieving at least a play-off place with the squad we assembling in league 2 and this season is a season to judge.

Until then lets leave the hero worship and post tilly comments alone and just appreciate that we have a great season to look foward to and man in charge who has played a very important part in keeping us from going into non league oblivion .

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

FWIW im certainly no hero worshipper even when we were riding high under tilly i used to bemoan the fact that the squad wasnt rotated properly and subs never made when they should have been also the fact the we only ever used 4-4-2.

I will and always have been a huge tilly fan , but he was not god!

Tilly had faults as does paul sturrock , but paul sturrock is a manager that thinks outside the box has contacts and has done and seen it all at all levels of the english game and beyond and as much as it pains me to say this i think Ron Martin made the right choice in replacing tilly who i think probably was on a downward spiral both in descision making and mentally and maybe would have taken the club down as he did with lincoln where a rebuild on a budget was necessary.

Paul Sturrock performed admirably at our club, a club where he has no affinity other than being employed here and had to not only listen to fans moaning that he would never be popular because of who had replaced and who had employed him , but that he was to ill for the job.

Paul had to rebuild a team in just a few days and used his persuasion and contact skills to the limit. Who would have wanted to join southend united a team relegated to the basement who by and large doesnt pay what it owes to players?

Yes a good few of those brought in didnt work out , but a good few did and those that did, did the club and the fans proud even giving hope of a play-off place.

On that basis i think paul did a great job.

Paul has always maintained that his job with us is a work in progress and progress we have. I cannot see us not achieving at least a play-off place with the squad we assembling in league 2 and this season is a season to judge.

Until then lets leave the hero worship and post tilly comments alone and just appreciate that we have a great season to look foward to and man in charge who has played a very important part in keeping us from going into non league oblivion .

I agree with all of that.

 

[TTS]

FWIW im certainly no hero worshipper even when we were riding high under tilly i used to bemoan the fact that the squad wasnt rotated properly and subs never made when they should have been also the fact the we only ever used 4-4-2.

I will and always have been a huge tilly fan , but he was not god!

Tilly had faults as does paul sturrock , but paul sturrock is a manager that thinks outside the box has contacts and has done and seen it all at all levels of the english game and beyond and as much as it pains me to say this i think Ron Martin made the right choice in replacing tilly who i think probably was on a downward spiral both in descision making and mentally and maybe would have taken the club down as he did with lincoln where a rebuild on a budget was necessary.

Paul Sturrock performed admirably at our club, a club where he has no affinity other than being employed here and had to not only listen to fans moaning that he would never be popular because of who had replaced and who had employed him , but that he was to ill for the job.

Paul had to rebuild a team in just a few days and used his persuasion and contact skills to the limit. Who would have wanted to join southend united a team relegated to the basement who by and large doesnt pay what it owes to players?

Yes a good few of those brought in didnt work out , but a good few did and those that did, did the club and the fans proud even giving hope of a play-off place.

On that basis i think paul did a great job.

Paul has always maintained that his job with us is a work in progress and progress we have. I cannot see us not achieving at least a play-off place with the squad we assembling in league 2 and this season is a season to judge.

Until then lets leave the hero worship and post tilly comments alone and just appreciate that we have a great season to look foward to and man in charge who has played a very important part in keeping us from going into non league oblivion .

agreed as well

 

[sufcjoe]

Happy anniversary Mr Sturrock, absolute superb manager who would surely be managing alot higher up if it wasnt for the Parkinsons. What he has acheived with us is already unbelievable and he is only going to acheive more, League 1 here we come

 

[PEEJ]

You can only be judged against realistic expectations. This time last year, with a handful of players on the books and with a limited pre-season, promotion was unlikely. With a settled squad and a few quality signings, promotion is a realistic target this year.

PS has done a good job so far in establishing and stabilizing a L2 squad. Performances over the next 6 to 9 months will allow us to assess how successful he has been in turning the club around.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Interesting to note that those that thought we were going to go down seem to be the ones disappointed with a mid-table finish, whilst those that thought we would go up and the ones who think he did a good job in finishing mid-table.

 

[CAPTAIN BIRDSEYE]

so why was tilson on a downward spiral?? . howabout the fact the players were not paid on time or at all 6 months in a row, how about having to only name 4 subs on the bench at leeds, as we didnt have enough players signed on. tilly was not on a downward spiral, he was being treated absolutely shockingly by the snake oil salesman. given that sturrock signed 16 players in the close season, i would love to have seen tilly given the same chance, remember this for all you that keep on saying we flirted with the playoffs we also flirted with relegation

 

[Tommy2holes]

so why was tilson on a downward spiral?? . howabout the fact the players were not paid on time or at all 6 months in a row, how about having to only name 4 subs on the bench at leeds, as we didnt have enough players signed on. tilly was not on a downward spiral, he was being treated absolutely shockingly by the snake oil salesman. given that sturrock signed 16 players in the close season, i would love to have seen tilly given the same chance, remember this for all you that keep on saying we flirted with the playoffs we also flirted with relegation

Based on what you are saying is that the blame soley for relegation falls at the door of Ron martin.

Its no secret that the club was run poorely whilst tilson was in charge , but i dont buy into the fact that tilson would have been able to do anything better than sturrock last season and infact im convinced that on a tight a budget as sturrock and with less contacts and experience we would have been battling a successive relegation.

Tilson did well when he had a big budget to bring quality players and loanees in but when the going got tough he struggled. Sturrock had a vey limited resources and still does but uses his knowledge and contacts to persuade players into the club that i beleive tilson couldnt.

Also tactically i think sturrock is much sharper and doesnt reel out the same old excuses each week.

Tilson is not the god that people make him out to be. Does that mean i dont hold him in high regard? Ofcourse not im as much of a tilly fan as the next but the fact remains he has 2 relegations with us and releagation to non league with lincoln city.

Maybe tilson was a one trick pony?

Face facts he has gone ron is still here and we are in good shape going in to next season.

Will we see you at the hall next season birdseye? Or are you still in protest and just going to bore us all year with more rants ?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Personally I can see Tilly returning at some point. However I think the next "dream ticket" in a couple of years could well be PS upstairs, Coughlan as manager and Harris as player/coach.......

In the opposition dug out one day maybe, once we are in the championship and Tilly is managing another championship team

 

[Jam_Man]

I ended my comments with a (rare?) positive. I've said before I think Sturrock Snr did a decent job, but I wouldn't go further than that. Hopefully this coming season he and the players will do a better job. He has raised expectations with most of his pre-season activity so far and thirteenth will be a failure, so credit for that.

He built a squad in a week from scratch for nothing that at one point was pushing for the play offs. Thats a remarkable achievement.

He now has a settled squad and made some decent signings so now he should be judged on his league table finish. Anything less than playoffs this year will be something to complain about.

 

[MrB]

In the opposition dug out one day maybe, once we are in the championship and Tilly is managing another championship team

Lol. Oh and also, lol.

 

[Beefy]

I wish conversations about Paul Sturrock could be had without reference to Steve Tilson.

 

[CAPTAIN BIRDSEYE]

So what happens if sturrock takes the team to 14th?? Should he be sacked

 

[shrimperhosk]

Sod Tilson give me PS anyday love Tilly but its over and we have a "in my opinion" Better man for the job

 

[South Bank Hank]

So what happens if sturrock takes the team to 14th?? Should he be sacked

Surely that depends on whether you were predicting relegation to the conference at the beginning of the season, no?

 

[Beardoblue]

Well done Paul thank you for a season that we all thought was going to be dire and dismal with fighting off relegation the only thing to get our hearts beating faster, but we had 1) A new squad of players to get used to it took most of us several matches to put the right names to the players. 2) The irrepressible unpredictable Bilal Moshni a player who smiled from start to finish of the season, 3) The flirting with the play offs and the panic of looking at the calendar and wondering if we would have to try to get time off work 4) Some cracking Friday nights at Roots Hall and some very enjoyable trips away, and overall a very good shift put in by the players.

 

[Southend Neil]

I wish conversations about Paul Sturrock could be had without reference to Steve Tilson.

Absolutely right, Tilson has nothing to do with Sturrock's record as our manager.

I personally believe that his achievements last year should not be underestimated. In the normal course of events, 13th in the basement is rubbish, but considering that the club was on its knees with just basically Grant as the only player, no proper pre season etc, we performed pretty admirably. We now looked to have improved again and can now look to the upper end of the table rather than the bottom.

Well done Luggy.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Based on what you are saying is that the blame soley for relegation falls at the door of Ron martin.

Its no secret that the club was run poorely whilst tilson was in charge , but i dont buy into the fact that tilson would have been able to do anything better than sturrock last season and infact im convinced that on a tight a budget as sturrock and with less contacts and experience we would have been battling a successive relegation.

Tilson did well when he had a big budget to bring quality players and loanees in but when the going got tough he struggled. Sturrock had a vey limited resources and still does but uses his knowledge and contacts to persuade players into the club that i beleive tilson couldnt.

Also tactically i think sturrock is much sharper and doesnt reel out the same old excuses each week.

Tilson is not the god that people make him out to be. Does that mean i dont hold him in high regard? Ofcourse not im as much of a tilly fan as the next but the fact remains he has 2 relegations with us and releagation to non league with lincoln city.

Maybe tilson was a one trick pony?

Face facts he has gone ron is still here and we are in good shape going in to next season.

Will we see you at the hall next season birdseye? Or are you still in protest and just going to bore us all year with more rants ?

I agree with this. Life moves on for everyone and things change - these are positive days after so much darkness.
Well done to PS and here's to promotion to league one.