I'm losing faith in Chris Powell. Are you?

[NZamba Legend]

Let me get this straight.....

We want to replace an entire coaching staff, with 11 games to go, whilst on the brink of a relegation scrap that could go to the wire, in the middle of the worst injury crisis in the clubs history, with an ex player who has never managed a side at any level and who’s only coaching experience is 18 months with a development side?

Ok let me think about that.......????‍?‍?‍?‍?‍?‍?‍?‍???

Or even worse, with a BBC Essex co-commentor as manager!

 

[Grapevine]

?? you couldn’t make it up in any business except football fans heads!!!

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

There’s only one Adam Barrett, one Adam Barrett!

Yesterdays performance had all the hallmarks of Adam's last game away at Rochdale. Calamitous performance by an older centre back that cast a shadow over a worthy career,
Followed by mass realisation that unless changes happen relegation is likely.
I doubt we will see Mr Turner in a starting line up again unless it is in a back five.

 

[Zeuss]

Time’s up for SCP, yes he has had atrocious luck with injuries, but his team selections, tactics, choice of captain and inability to motivate the players that he does have available suggest that we need a change before it’s too late.

SHOULD HE STAY or SHOULD HE GO ?
I’d like to consider aspects of both sides of the argument looking at yesterday’s grim surrender:
1. INJURIES —we all know the unbelievably long list and yesterday the two decisive goals came from horrible errors by two of our youngsters,Bishop and Klass,who both show promise but under normal circumstances wouldn’t even be getting a place on the bench.
2. TACTICS — I was praying Barnsley wouldn’t nick one before HT,so Powell could use the interval to make sure we exploited their 10-men to the full :keeping possession,using the extra space (+time on the ball),especially on the wings,tiring them out as the match wore on AND to make sure we kept one point at the very worst.

 

[Mick]

Or even worse, with a BBC Essex co-commentor as manager!

..... he'd be the one who regularly talks more sense than our recent managers ???

 

[Grapevine]

show promise but under normal circumstances wouldn’t even be getting a place on the bench

Not aimed at you @Zeuss as I have heard it said by a few people, but I really hate this phrase “under normal circumstances wouldn’t even be on the bench”!

Why not? Whilst I agree that this season they may not have had the opportunity without the injuries the fact is, the situation has offered us this opportunity to lead the way and forge a bright future (providing we can stay up which I believe we will) using young talented technically gifted players, who in my opinion are as good if not better and definitey will be better than what we had.....

Regardless of how their opportunities came about, you aren’t telling me that with Oxley in goal we’d have conceded less goals? It’s arguable given his form we’d have conceded more!! Or that Klass hasn’t shown to be as good already as Mantom or Dieng are? Has Kightly or Macca offered more since December than Hutchinson has? Would you swap Robinson for Kelman?

I agree it’s hard when we may have had to play them all at once but I’m not just talking potential I’m saying right now, today, I’d take Bishop / Klass / Hutchinson and say they’ve earned the right to be considered or picked alongside or in place of several senior players.

 

[Gridelet's contact lens]

My view is that the second half performance showed a squad that did not know what the coaches wanted from them. A horrible display of fear and confusion. I cannot see Chris Powell turning it around. Tough decisions will have to be made.

 

[mfurok]

Yesterdays performance had all the hallmarks of Adam's last game away at Rochdale. Calamitous performance by an older centre back that cast a shadow over a worthy career,
Followed by mass realisation that unless changes happen relegation is likely.
I doubt we will see Mr Turner in a starting line up again unless it is in a back five.

Did you go to Adam's last away game at Rochdale?

There was no calamitous performance from Adam.

The reason for the utterly shambolic performance was Brown's calamitous tactics.

Initially Mooney was totally isolated on his own up front unable to hold the ball up. This led to wave after wave of Rochdale attacks which, of course, lead to Rochdale goals.

Instead of giving Mooney some help up front, after about 30 minutes the tactical genius that is Brown decided to withdraw Mooney and play Anton Ferdinand in midfield. You can imagine how successful that never repeated experiment was.

After the game Adam, quite rightly, spoke out saying that we were in a relegation battle. Brown refused to play him or talk to him again.

No shadow whatsoever cast over Adam's career, only over Brown's man management and tactical capabilities.

 

[Blueronron]

Not time for AB has no experience to manager a team
Be happy to learn under an experience manager but not head first
One idol has lost a lot of the crowd hate to see another go same way within a year or two
Had the same years ago with the great Peter Taylor

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Did you go to Adam's last away game at Rochdale?

There was no calamitous performance from Adam.

The reason for the utterly shambolic performance was Brown's calamitous tactics.

Initially Mooney was totally isolated on his own up front unable to hold the ball up. This led to wave after wave of Rochdale attacks which, of course, lead to Rochdale goals.

Instead of giving Mooney some help up front, after about 30 minutes the tactical genius that is Brown decided to withdraw Mooney and play Anton Ferdinand in midfield. You can imagine how successful that never repeated experiment was.

After the game Adam, quite rightly, spoke out saying that we were in a relegation battle. Brown refused to play him or talk to him again.

No shadow whatsoever cast over Adam's career, only over Brown's man management and tactical capabilities.

Yes I did go.
Yes Mooney was isolated, toothless, supplyless and hopeless.
Yes Brown's set to, tactics and substitutes were bizarre, seemingly random and failures.
Adam, like Turner, was trying to do everything he was able to do when he was in his prime BUT it wasn't happening and was always that small margin behind the forwards plays.
My opinion V your opinion.

 

[Ricey]

Did you go to Adam's last away game at Rochdale?

There was no calamitous performance from Adam.

The reason for the utterly shambolic performance was Brown's calamitous tactics.

Initially Mooney was totally isolated on his own up front unable to hold the ball up. This led to wave after wave of Rochdale attacks which, of course, lead to Rochdale goals.

Instead of giving Mooney some help up front, after about 30 minutes the tactical genius that is Brown decided to withdraw Mooney and play Anton Ferdinand in midfield. You can imagine how successful that never repeated experiment was.

After the game Adam, quite rightly, spoke out saying that we were in a relegation battle. Brown refused to play him or talk to him again.

No shadow whatsoever cast over Adam's career, only over Brown's man management and tactical capabilities.

Change the names Brown to Powell and Mooney to Cox and it’s like Deja Vu!

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Change the names Brown to Powell and Mooney to Cox and it’s like Deja Vu!

Thanks Ricey, fairly similar and a senior pro ( this time McL ) gives a doom gloom press interview after!

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United boss Chris Powell is keen for the club’s supporters to stay right behind his team.

More...

 

[Jay_SUFC]

So he left Hutchinson and Wabo out of the squad in favour of 2 centre backs and a defensive midfielder. Complete bonkers.

I suppose we can blame that on the injuries as well!!!!

 

[kentblues]

My biggest issue is playing our best player Cox upfront on his own when it is obvious that it the one role he isn’t suited for. He has to start him up to with Kelman.

Yes a risk but imagine this- Cox gets injured and no other available forward has even had meaningful pitch time..

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Produce in which division though? Big assumption if you think it will be League 1.

I'm quite confident that we won't get relegated this season.

Lucky to have him but you’d get rid of him?

Football has always been a results biz.Next season will be SCP's 3rd in charge.That's why I said what I said.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Genuine question to those arguing for Powell - if he were to be sacked could you see him being employed as a league manager again?

Yes.

He's a former England player with a 100 point season on his CV and no relegations.

How many available managers can say that?

His tenure at Charlton was a huge success until he was forced out by a dodgy chairman.

Huddersfield was shortlived - a little over a year suggests a trigger happy chairman - and whilst it wasn't a success it was hardly a complete disaster either. If he can talk a good game in an interview he can claim to have laid some of the groundwork for their subsequent success (stuff like this is incredibly difficult to verify).

Outside of Southend the football world would be mystified by the sacking of a manager of a team in 13th with a dozen long term injuries (an injury list recently publicised by Ben Coker) when he doesn't seem to have lost the dressing room (only the other week his team came back from 3-0 down against a promotion chasing side live on TV) and introducing numerous kids (outsiders will remember Charlie Kelman's goal). People would put it down to a trigger happy chairman overreacting to one bad performance on telly and there would be accusations aplenty of delusions of grandeur for expecting Southend to be in the play-offs. The actual situation may be more nuanced but that would be the outside perception.

Sacked managers have certainly got further managerial gigs off more unconvincing CVs with more distant success.

My biggest issue is playing our best player Cox upfront on his own when it is obvious that it the one role he isn’t suited for. He has to start him up to with Kelman.

Yes a risk but imagine this- Cox gets injured and no other available forward has even had meaningful pitch time..

Kelman isn't remotely suited (at least at this stage of his career) to that role either.

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United legend Ian Benjamin feels Shrimpers boss Chris Powell should not be judged until he has a fully fit squad at his disposal.

More...

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

LOL

 

[Fairport]

SOUTHEND United legend Ian Benjamin feels Shrimpers boss Chris Powell should not be judged until he has a fully fit squad at his disposal.

More...

Quite right Ian, of course CP should be judged when this horrendous injury crisis hopefully ends.