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Happy New Year?

Forums New posts
Southampton Shrimper

Southampton Shrimper

Team Eggheads
We are probably all glad to see the back of 2010, which has been a dismal and depressing year both on and off the pitch for Southend and their long-suffering fans.

In fact, the stats prove it: In the whole of 2010, we managed a paltry eight wins in the league, which is the lowest number of victories of any calendar year (war years aside) since we joined the Football League 90 years ago.

But that's all behind us now. What can we look forward to in 2011? Surely we can improve on our worst year on record?

:scared:

Happy New Year!
 
We actually have the makings of a really good side.

We're not there yet, but you build from the back and we're quietly establishing a bloody good defence for this level. Bilel is the key to this. He's a rough diamond but under Sturrock's supervision those rough edges are being smoothed. The highlight of the last couple of months has been how he's improving. He always had the aerial dominance that any defence needs, but he's now learning where he needs to position himself to play as part of a unit.

In his last 8 league games, we've conceded just 4 goals which is excellent.

His record alongside Barker is even more exceptional. When both have been on the pitch we haven't conceded a goal since a goalkeeping error in the 4th minute at Hereford back in late September. That's some 481 minutes ago. That's the type of defence that championships can be built on.

Mohsni, Barker and Clohessy have all impressed at the back. Gilbert hasn't particularly, but he's defensively fairly sound and is essentially no worse than Che Wilson who we managed to win back-to-back promotions with. What has let us down defensively has been our defensive depth, but here you need to remember that we've basically been without Phillips all season. Phillips was a regular in a team promoted from this division and looked OK in the brief glimpses we've had of him and an upgrade over what we had last season. If he's third choice centre-half then Coughlan becomes the 4th choice one, which means he plays less and his legs last better. Coughlan has looked like Spinner did in his last season. He can contribute in short bursts which is fine for a 4th choice centre-half. Prosser has got the ability to be a really good defender at this level, but his confidence seems shot and I worry whether he is mentally strong enough.

We may not make it to the next level (and Sturrock may not be the man to do it), but do not underestimate how close we are to being a really good team. We have the first building block down, which is the defence. The question is now can we (1) take it to the next stage and sort out a rhythm of play with the ball before we lose Mohsni and Clohessy to bigger clubs and (2) play with some confidence and freedom, particularly at home. Even if Sturrock is not the man to take us to the next stage, he'll have left his successor (a more attack minded manager?) in a very good position to build from.
 
Southampton Shrimper said:
We are probably all glad to see the back of 2010, which has been a dismal and depressing year both on and off the pitch for Southend and their long-suffering fans.

In fact, the stats prove it: In the whole of 2010, we managed a paltry eight wins in the league, which is the lowest number of victories of any calendar year (war years aside) since we joined the Football League 90 years ago.

But that's all behind us now. What can we look forward to in 2011? Surely we can improve on our worst year on record?

:scared:

Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

I think it's safe to say 2011 has been better.

By my (quite possibly dodgy) count we have notched up 22 wins this calendar year in all competitions. With over 2 months of the year remaining and, I think, a possible 11 games still to play in 2011, we've already won more this year than we have in all but four of the last 20 years.

Of those four, we're already equal with Steve Tilson's first full calendar year in charge (LDV Final), just one behind 2008 (when we made the play-offs) and two behind 1993 (the Barry Fry era). I'd like to think that we'd easily surpass those marks. Trickier, but still doable is the 28 games we won in 2005 (play-offs, LDV Final and the start of our title winning season).

I'm not sure of the overall record, but I think 1990 under Webby (promotion from the 4th, start of our first ever promotion from the 3rd division and a Leyland Daf Cup run) when we won a whopping 30 games must be up there. I expect winning 8 out of the next 11 is a bit too much to ask as we must be due a dodgy patch, but then I wouldn't have said we'd have won 7 of the last 8 either.
 
Up to 23 wins in 2011.

That's more than in Tilly's first full calendar year in charge when he kept us, took us to the JPT Final and the first half of the play-off winning season.

Next target is the 24 wins in 1993 under mainly Barry Fry. That was the year of Collymore, the FA Cup 5th round and then the team assembled by Judas with the Collymore money that shook up the first division before Judas took his 30 pieces of silver instead of a shot at the big time.
 
I need to put the Fat Judas betrayal behind me... why does it still hurt, almost 20 years on?! Ho hum.

As for this year, we have 7 more league games plus a minimum of two cup games (JPT QF(S), FA Cup 1R) to play this year. If we win both those cup games, that would result in another two cup games this year (JPT SF(S), FA Cup 2R).

So we have 9 or 11 games left in 2011. We could yet break that Webby record, but we'll have to keep up our current amazing run of form to do so.

Matt
 
Oh it was!!! Smart bit of manoeuvring on the part of certain people!!! :winking:
 
Kent Shrimper said:
No you dont Matt, He is a Fat Juds **** that ****ed on us all from a great height!!!
Click to expand...

I think for people of MtS, Kenty and my sort of generation it was a massive betrayl. We had the side of a generation probably and he walked out so cheaply on us. I abused him in the Roots Hall car park years ago and felt better for it.

Maybe it wasnt so bad for the older generation who had seen it before. For me at say 14 I was heart broken.
 
Dave the Shrimper said:
I think for people of MtS, Kenty and my sort of generation it was a massive betrayl. We had the side of a generation probably and he walked out so cheaply on us. I abused him in the Roots Hall car park years ago and felt better for it.

Maybe it wasnt so bad for the older generation who had seen it before. For me at say 14 I was heart broken.
Click to expand...

Agreed....I couldn't stand the fat goshbite before he joined us. Then just when I was starting to warm to him (well dislike him less) he does that. ****ing ***
 
Now up to 25 wins in 2011.

The only two times we've won more in a calendar year since I've been watching have been when we've been achieved consecutive promotions.
 
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