Uncle Leo
This cook is an anti-semite
Not all Southend related, but some views here from the O's gaffer about last weekend:
BEING up against a Championship club away from home is the hardest possible draw in the first round of the Carling Cup, but we go to QPR tonight in fine spirits following an excellent start to the season.
It is always important to get off to a flier, but it was even more crucial for us this season after signing nine players. They needed the belief that we could do well this campaign and to win 2-1 at Southend was a great result for us.
No doubt Southend were the better side in the first half but one of the newboys, Sean Thornton, curled in a fine free kick before the interval and we took control after they had Alan McCormack sent off.
Adam Boyd, another debutant, grabbed a deserved winner late on and now it's a case of us trying to improve on last season's tally of 51 points.
Last season we were towards the bottom, but I was still so surprised to see us put in at 6-4 relegation favourites this time around. I see League
One as split into three sections of eight and this campaign our aim is to make themiddle eight rather than be bogged down in the bottom segment.
Believe me, those odds were mentioned more than once in pre-season and we used it as inspiration to pull the team together. Thanks bookies!
As for Southend, I would say they are priced up about right at 25-1 to win the League One title. I looked at their squad and it's strong, but Steve Tilson's biggest job is going to be replacing Freddy Eastwood.
A striker who can score 25 goals a season can make a huge difference to a team and that's why I fancy Doncaster to go well at 12-1. They have bought well in the summer and James Hayter could make the difference.
Obviously, Sean O'Driscoll saw loads of him when they were together at Bournemouth and I can see the sense in signing playersyou have worked with before. It's usually a safe acquisition.
Anyway, on to tonight's short trip to Loftus Road and it's quite strange how bookmakers price up the games. We were 4-1 at Southend so you would have thought we would have been bigger than 9-2 tonight.
Perhaps we are now starting to be respected by the odds-compilers after the win at Southend.
BEING up against a Championship club away from home is the hardest possible draw in the first round of the Carling Cup, but we go to QPR tonight in fine spirits following an excellent start to the season.
It is always important to get off to a flier, but it was even more crucial for us this season after signing nine players. They needed the belief that we could do well this campaign and to win 2-1 at Southend was a great result for us.
No doubt Southend were the better side in the first half but one of the newboys, Sean Thornton, curled in a fine free kick before the interval and we took control after they had Alan McCormack sent off.
Adam Boyd, another debutant, grabbed a deserved winner late on and now it's a case of us trying to improve on last season's tally of 51 points.
Last season we were towards the bottom, but I was still so surprised to see us put in at 6-4 relegation favourites this time around. I see League
One as split into three sections of eight and this campaign our aim is to make themiddle eight rather than be bogged down in the bottom segment.
Believe me, those odds were mentioned more than once in pre-season and we used it as inspiration to pull the team together. Thanks bookies!
As for Southend, I would say they are priced up about right at 25-1 to win the League One title. I looked at their squad and it's strong, but Steve Tilson's biggest job is going to be replacing Freddy Eastwood.
A striker who can score 25 goals a season can make a huge difference to a team and that's why I fancy Doncaster to go well at 12-1. They have bought well in the summer and James Hayter could make the difference.
Obviously, Sean O'Driscoll saw loads of him when they were together at Bournemouth and I can see the sense in signing playersyou have worked with before. It's usually a safe acquisition.
Anyway, on to tonight's short trip to Loftus Road and it's quite strange how bookmakers price up the games. We were 4-1 at Southend so you would have thought we would have been bigger than 9-2 tonight.
Perhaps we are now starting to be respected by the odds-compilers after the win at Southend.
