Simply not good enough...

[Welly7]

It's never nice when you come up short and realise that, despite all efforts, you simply aren't good enough. We have failed to stay in the Championship almost a year to the day since we got there with that 2-2 draw at Swansea.
Personally, I think there are many reasons why. It's easy to point to single moments that have robbed of victory. Maher's red card at Col U, Eastwood's miss at Luton, McCormack's at home to Plymouth, but I don't think it's any of them or any other single moment over the season that has cost us. They of course have all contributed, but ultimately we haven't been good enough throughout, individually or collectively.
As well as the players there have been faults from the management too. The players brought in weren't up to scratch over the course of a season - Peter Clarke apart.
On the tactical side, we are not a good enough team to play to our strengths every week. Looking to play OUR game to get the necessary result week after week hasn't worked. We are not Birmingham, Sunderland or Derby who can turn out the same players, in the same system, with the same tactics and expect to roll teams over.
Tilly and Brush will have learned a lot from this year. So much so there will be reason to be optimistic come August. In our management team there is so much to believe in, but as much as I do believe and also remain eternally grateful for the last three and a half years I don't think they are exempt from criticism.
This year Tilly & Brush and the players weren't up to the task. In the long run if, and when, we get back there WE as a club will be better prepared because of this season and Southend United Football Club will reap the rewards as a result...

 

[Blues Trader]

It's never nice when you come up short and realise that, despite all efforts, you simply aren't good enough. We have failed to stay in the Championship almost a year to the day since we got there with that 2-2 draw at Swansea.
Personally, I think there are many reasons why. It's easy to point to single moments that have robbed of victory. Maher's red card at Col U, Eastwood's miss at Luton, McCormack's at home to Plymouth, but I don't think it's any of them or any other single moment over the season that has cost us. They of course have all contributed, but ultimately we haven't been good enough throughout, individually or collectively.
As well as the players there have been faults from the management too. The players brought in weren't up to scratch over the course of a season - Peter Clarke apart.
On the tactical side, we are not a good enough team to play to our strengths every week. Looking to play OUR game to get the necessary result week after week hasn't worked. We are not Birmingham, Sunderland or Derby who can turn out the same players, in the same system, with the same tactics and expect to roll teams over.
Tilly and Brush will have learned a lot from this year. So much so there will be reason to be optimistic come August. In our management team there is so much to believe in, but as much as I do believe and also remain eternally grateful for the last three and a half years I don't think they are exempt from criticism.
This year Tilly & Brush and the players weren't up to the task. In the long run if, and when, we get back there WE as a club will be better prepared because of this season and Southend United Football Club will reap the rewards as a result...

Good post. In my opinion we have to become more professional. Help is needed with the training, a full-time fitness coach needs to be appointed.Tactically Tilly has been lacking at crucial times of the season. That said you are right to say that ultimately we did not have enough quality. We should rebuild around our proven players.

 

[Skyblue]

If Tilly and Brush have learned just one thing I hope its the fact that you need a decent size of squad of players to work with to enable you to cange things during a game. You only have to look at our subs today to see why we are going down with the small squad we have got.

 

[CM2 Blue]

There is no shame in not being good enough and we are going down because we don't have the capacity in the team at the moment to produce a consistently high enough standard of football. That said, it has been a desperately disappointing end to the season because, overall, I don't think the CCC is of the standard I had expected- there are a number of clubs that are quite lacklustre and were there for the taking. Tilson and Brush now face a huge challenge and that is to rebuild the squad with players that are good enough to return to the CCC and maintain the momentum by consolidating in the higher division. This may mean displaying a ruthlessness in getting rid of some players who have served the club well over the last three years but who are not of the quality to deliver on the determination to go 'Onwards and Upwards'.

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

Help is needed with the training, a full-time fitness coach needs to be appointed.

Dead right my friend...

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Help is needed with the training, a full-time fitness coach needs to be appointed.

Dead right my friend...

Been saying this for 18 months now!

 

[shrimper4life]

Another reason why i think we've failed this year is that we are still playing League 2 football in that we all bunch up into one third of the pitch instead of spreading out wide. I dont know if other Championship clubs do this, but ive noticed this tactic from the League 2 days when every team in the bottom division played this way.