Pre-Match Thread Southend United v Maidenhead United, Saturday 5th October, 15:00k.o., NL

[nick12]

I have given up going to matches this season with any kind of expectation so I will leave today happy with a point and ecstatic with 3

If we are setup in fear and play what has now become our standard negative style of play that every team in the league has worked out then I won't be at all shocked if we get hit on the counter and lose again.

UTB

 

[Shrimper95]

Doesn’t look like it’s going to be too big of a crowd today, I guess that’s the effect of some recent terrible performances already!

 

[40yearsafan]

Despite all the doom and gloom, I gutted to be missing this one. Wife and I have both tested positive for COVID so sensible to avoid the Hall this week. Enjoy the game and get behind the boys.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Doesn’t look like it’s going to be too big of a crowd today, I guess that’s the effect of some recent terrible performances already!

It’s weird that we consider a crowd of 6,000+ as not too big for a non league team. I remember well the mid 80s when we were regularly getting less than 2,000 for home games in what is now League Two. Funny old game.

 

[40yearsafan]

It’s weird that we consider a crowd of 6,000+ as not too big for a non league team. I remember well the mid 80s when we were regularly getting less than 2,000 for home games in what is now League Two. Funny old game.

Lets not forget though that was period when the clubs debts began to spiral, the Hall remortgaged and the old South Bank sold off. We need to maintain and improve attendances to be competitive.

 

[RHB]

Despite all the doom and gloom, I gutted to be missing this one. Wife and I have both tested positive for COVID so sensible to avoid the Hall this week. Enjoy the game and get behind the boys.

Hope you're both feeling better soon mate.

 

[Shrimperborn1957]

Despite all the doom and gloom, I gutted to be missing this one. Wife and I have both tested positive for COVID so sensible to avoid the Hall this week. Enjoy the game and get behind the boys.

Was going to post similar. Tested positive Tuesday. Been an awful week so going to miss first one of season.

Hope you recover soon.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Let’s not forget though that was period when the clubs debts began to spiral, the Hall remortgaged and the old South Bank sold off. We need to maintain and improve attendances to be competitive.

In the mid 80s crowds were really low in Britain generally. This was in the wake of Heysel and the Bradford fire. Also hooliganism was prevalent. I know this is off topic but have at look at some of then Division One crowds back then.

 

[Chalky]

It’s weird that we consider a crowd of 6,000+ as not too big for a non league team. I remember well the mid 80s when we were regularly getting less than 2,000 for home games in what is now League Two. Funny old game.

Apologies for slightly detracting off the thread topic, but I have seen the 80s low crowds discourse on here quite a bit recently. Out of interest, was there a particular reason why?

I was born in 98 so naturally haven't a scooby, but see it referenced a lot. What was up?

*edit* - just seen your post above. That helps

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Apologies for slightly detracting off the thread topic, but I have seen the 80s low crowds discourse on here quite a bit recently. Out of interest, was there a particular reason why?

I was born in 98 so naturally haven't a scooby, but see it referenced a lot. What was up?

*edit* - just seen your post above. That helps

Blimey, where to start! Too much, many things and so far off topic.
For todays game and to get some 80s atmosphere go in the toilets and rip them off the walls, pee everywhere, shout racist, homophobia stuff, get into a scuffle with the rossers and then have your face slashed by a stanley blade as you leave.
Today's pitch should be very good, weather is just about perfect. Hoping for the best.
And Benji is back!

 

[RHB]

Blimey, where to start! Too much, many things and so far off topic.
For todays game and to get some 80s atmosphere go in the toilets and rip them off the walls, pee everywhere, shout racist, homophobia stuff, get into a scuffle with the rossers and then have your face slashed by a stanley blade as you leave.
Today's pitch should be very good, weather is just about perfect. Hoping for the best.
And Benji is back!

Shame we're not playing Bury.

 

[Rob1920]

Hoping for a win, should be a win, but when you’re in the sort of form we’re in this is the kind of game that we’ll either scrape a draw or lose 0-1. Prove me wrong pleeeeease.

 

[Chalky]

Blimey, where to start! Too much, many things and so far off topic.
For todays game and to get some 80s atmosphere go in the toilets and rip them off the walls, pee everywhere, shout racist, homophobia stuff, get into a scuffle with the rossers and then have your face slashed by a stanley blade as you leave.
Today's pitch should be very good, weather is just about perfect. Hoping for the best.
And Benji is back!

I just thought about it and spoke to my mum who says it isn't worth it, oh well. Plus, I'm toilet trained anyway.

 

[Evening Echo]

ECHOSPORT talks to Maidenhead United fan Shay Bottomley ahead of this afternoon's match at Roots Hall

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Simon Templar]

Come on ladies and gents, (and others!). There is a lot of doom and gloom on here this morning. I’m pretty sure the players will be trying their hardest to get a result today. If you are going, let’s get behind the team with plenty of noise. UTB

 

[Ipswhrimp]

Blimey, where to start! Too much, many things and so far off topic.
For todays game and to get some 80s atmosphere go in the toilets and rip them off the walls, pee everywhere, shout racist, homophobia stuff, get into a scuffle with the rossers and then have your face slashed by a stanley blade as you leave.
Today's pitch should be very good, weather is just about perfect. Hoping for the best.
And Benji is back!

Spot on. Football was horrible during the 1980s. I stopped going for most of the decade.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

As always I’ll take my seat hoping for the best and look, the weather is decent, maybe this is the game it all starts to click into place. Here’s hoping for a solid performance and for a goal or two from our front players. Gus needs to stop putting himself in the shop window!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It’s weird that we consider a crowd of 6,000+ as not too big for a non league team. I remember well the mid 80s when we were regularly getting less than 2,000 for home games in what is now League Two. Funny old game.

Today’s guest of honour is the legendary Ian Benjamin.

Benji made his Southend debut when we were still in division 4. He played the final eight home games in the 1989/90 promotion season and didn’t once see a 6000 home crowd at Roots Hall that season. The attendance for our final home game in a promotion season was 3656.

The next season we opened up with 2994 at home. We won our opening 7 home games and Benji didn’t see a crowd of 6000+ at Roots Hall until we played a top of the table clash v Grimsby in December. We then had two 6000+ crowds over Christmas.

This free-scoring side remained unbeaten at home in the league (we lost to top flight Crystal Palace in front of 5199 in the League Cup) until we lost to Huddersfield in front of 5509 fans in mid-January.

We didn’t have another 6000+ crowd until March 18th when we’d have been top of the table and hosting Birmingham, although we then went 6000+ for the rest of what was easily our greatest season in our 84 year history.

Can you imagine how weird this will be for Benji to walk out to the adulation of 6000+ for a midtable game v Maidenhead in the NL?

Even the following season in what is now the Championship, where some opposing sides brought a hundred times as many fans as some NL teams do, Benji played half a dozen home games where we had gates of under 5000.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Spot on. Football was horrible during the 1980s. I stopped going for most of the decade.

I loved going as a kid in the 80s. Yes .. sparse crowds for the main part but when a bigger game came around or the team was doing ok there was a special atmosphere back then, standing on the terraces.

It always makes me smile seeing fans winding each other up now but in those days you were pretty certain they’d be waiting outside for a punch up. Travelling away could be a bit dicey especially wearing club colours.

 

[annie1954]

I loved going as a kid in the 80s. Yes .. sparse crowds for the main part but when a bigger game came around or the team was doing ok there was a special atmosphere back then, standing on the terraces.

It always makes me smile seeing fans winding each other up now but in those days you were pretty certain they’d be waiting outside for a punch up. Travelling away could be a bit dicey especially wearing club colours.

True about travelling away back there’s a few on shrimperzone who could tell some stories about travelling away and getting back to Southend in one piece .