Kevin Maher.

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

When Maher plays well, Southend play well, when he is off form, Southend are off form. Simple.

Our poor period this year conicided with Maher going off the boil for a few weeks. The other time he hasn't played. MK Dons.

Over the past 2-3 years Maher has been class.

 

[Beefy]

My biggest problem with Maher is that however badly he plays (and he DOES play badly sometimes) he is never subbed and never dropped/rested. IMO that sends out a shocking message to the rest of the squad.

He's a good player who will hold his own in the Championship but the days of him being untouchable as the best player at Roots Hall are long behind us.

 

[Desert Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ April 05 2006,14:32)]ORM will disagree of course, but my point is that he has been on the transfer list twice in his career here and no-one has come in for him so he can't be that good.

That said, he has been superb for much of this year.  

Not true - he's only ever been out of contract twice and each time he has opted to stay despite other interest. I think Maher has been a fantastic servant to this club and you don't do him any favours in your summary. He was player of the season by a country mile in 99-00 and has been in the top 3 or 4 every season since. Personally, I think in years to come we'll look back on Maher's career with us with a lot more affection than he currently experiences.

Good on him for sticking around and I'm chuffed that he now has some great memories to show for his loyalty.

 

[fbm]

Quote[/b] (The Bloke In The Pram Shop @ April 05 2006,23:21)]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ April 05 2006,14:32)]ORM will disagree of course, but my point is that he has been on the transfer list twice in his career here and no-one has come in for him so he can't be that good.

That said, he has been superb for much of this year.  

Not true - he's only ever been out of contract twice and each time he has opted to stay despite other interest. I think Maher has been a fantastic servant to this club and you don't do him any favours in your summary. He was player of the season by a country mile in 99-00 and has been in the top 3 or 4 every season since. Personally, I think in years to come we'll look back on Maher's career with us with a lot more affection than he currently experiences.

Good on him for sticking around and I'm chuffed that he now has some great memories to show for his loyalty.  

As stated earlier in this thread, the Little Gazette has him down as being transfer listed once. I thought it was twice, but am quite prepared to accept I'm wrong. But I'm certain he has been listed as I was keen to see who he would go to. I don't think there was any interest at the time, and then we changed managers... and the new one offered him a contract.

I think the tone of my original post may have been misinterpreted by some. It was not intended to be crtitical of Maher as he is currently.

Let me now state that since the Wignall era, Maher has shown to me what a fine player he is, although he took the best part of a season to demonstrate it consistently. This season he has been very good on many occasions. I didn't used to like him but he has won me over, so any criticiam I make of him is more than likely to relate to his past rather than current performances.

 

[McNasty]

Like him or not , in these days of lack of loyalty, it is nice to see a player stay through good times and bad and not jump ship for a few extra quid when any offers come along.(That is provided he has had any offers).

 

[Jam_Man]

Im a big fan of Maher, he is a good footballer and last season was the one midfielder who was able to get the ball down and get the team playing on the deck.

He really benefits from a player like gutteridge who can be a bit more attacking as Maher isnt the type to attack the penalty box too often.

Now and again he has a game where his passing can go astray but over the course of the season he has played well and I find it amazing he gets moaned at so often. There is definitely parts of the supporters who are anti-maher and every little mistake is slaughtered whereas if Freddy or Barrett made the same mistake you wouldnt hear a thing.

I never saw Maher in the Wignall days so perhaps my opinion never got tainted....

 

[dave cusaks nose]

Kevin Maher has for me turned out to be a fantastic servant, and a great player for the club, he came to the club as a young reserve player from spurs, had the stuffing kicked out of him but has grown into a fantastic proffesional and a great servant to the club. I for one look forward to the day when I can applaud 10 years of service to 'Super Kev' even the story of the playoff trophy sends a shiver down my spine, turns up in a pub in Ireland with the trophy straight from the match, wasnt it phil thompson who took the European Cup down a pub in Liverpool after one of there famous victories?

 

[The Artful Shrimper]

Maher constantly makes me eat my words.
When i watch him I rate him average. When he's not there, the whole team misses him.
In the days of journeymen and bigheads who thought they were too big for this club Maher has shunned some good offers to remain here. orient offered to double his salary as I recall.

I hope he stays for a 10 year pi$$ up.

 

[londonblue]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ April 06 2006,00:22)]As stated earlier in this thread, the Little Gazette has him down as being transfer listed once.  I thought it was twice, but am quite prepared to accept I'm wrong.

Yep, it must be true of the Little Gazette said so! The fact that no-one remembers it, and it has never been confirmed by the club doesn't mean anything?

 

[londonblue]

Quote[/b] (RobM. @ April 05 2006,21:35)]Maher is so bad that every manager we have had since he signed has put him in the team.

That's why we do the jobs we do and are not football managers.

I said on this forum years ago that Maher was/is a great player. I got slated for that.

I still stand by that statement.

OK he's not Freddy Eastwood. But No Maher -  No Southend. Fact exact.
He's a team player and apparently a decent bloke to boot.

Kevin Maher - I Salute You!

And, his golf handicap is 3 apparently!

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (londonblue @ April 06 2006,10:51)]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ April 06 2006,00:22)]As stated earlier in this thread, the Little Gazette has him down as being transfer listed once.  I thought it was twice, but am quite prepared to accept I'm wrong.

Yep, it must be true of the Little Gazette said so! The fact that no-one remembers it, and it has never been confirmed by the club doesn't mean anything?

I remember reading somewhere that Little dropped and transfer listed him, he got back in the team very qickly due to an injury and started to play well, he never looked back and next season he was captain........

 

[londonblue]

Quote[/b] (The Artful Shrimper @ April 06 2006,10:46)]Maher constantly makes me eat my words.
When i watch him I rate him average. When he's not there, the whole team misses him.
In the days of journeymen and bigheads who thought they were too big for this club Maher has shunned some good offers to remain here. orient offered to double his salary as I recall.

I hope he stays for a 10 year pi$$ up.

That's the thing about him, he does the unglamourous stuff very well. Watch him on saturday. Whenever anyone (and I mean anyone) of our players is in trouble, see who's there to help out. Nine times out of ten Maher will be the only person in space to take the ball off them.

Then watch how badly the ball is played to him. Most of the time the ball is knee height or bobling or too fast (and sometimes all three!) but he still tries to control it, and find a man. It doesn't always come off, but more often than not it does.

Then also count the number of times, when the opposition have the ball, that he reads the game to perfection to come away with the ball. It's usually when Barrett, Sodje or Spinner get a block in on a striker, that Maher is the one that comes away with the ball.

As I said, it's all very unglamourous, but every team needs a Kevin Maher type player. We just happened to be blessed with the real article.