Southend United's Phil Brown would love to snap up Hogan Ephraim on loan from Queens

[Ricky Otto]

great player, will be very happy if this comes off!

 

[Rick Parsnip]

For what it's worth I think Brown has for the most part done a good job , but agree that the squad rotation ( especially of the midfield players ) has been poor.
I guess his argument will be that they have mostly been performing well , so hard to drop them.
But that doesn't do it for me.
If Laird , Clifford and Payne were appreciably weaker than Leonard , Timlin and Atkinson fine , but they're not.
By rotating ( not dropping ) earlier , the performance levels may have been maintained as well as healthy competition for places.

You are of course welcome to your opinion but obviously you do not understand the game. If you were right in your assumption do you not think Brown would have changed it long, long ago.

I personally like Laird, and would have him in in preference of Timlin, but the other two, no. That is not to say Clifford is a bad player, but he has absolutely no discipline and is, and will prove to be in the future, a liability until he learns how to curb the 'red mist'. Payne lacks experience at this time although I believe he will eventually be a good player.

 

[SS3]

This guy has made 164 appearances

Of which; 132 were in the Championship. 17 in League One and 1 in the Premier League. (the other 14 were in cup competitions)

I think its fair to say with a CV like that, it would be a good singing at any league 2 club.

 

[dannypav]

You are of course welcome to your opinion but obviously you do not understand the game. If you were right in your assumption do you not think Brown would have changed it long, long ago.

I personally like Laird, and would have him in in preference of Timlin, but the other two, no. That is not to say Clifford is a bad player, but he has absolutely no discipline and is, and will prove to be in the future, a liability until he learns how to curb the 'red mist'. Payne lacks experience at this time although I believe he will eventually be a good player.

Thanks for confirming I'm allowed my opinion and also that I know nothing about football.
I am aware of both.
Do you not think that earlier rotation of the midfield would have saved some legs on what have been very heavy pitches ?
Atkinson , Timlin , Leonard and Hurst have been IMO running on empty in recent weeks.
I accept your point about Payne , but the inclusion from time to time of Laird and Clifford would not have greatly weakened us and indeed may have given us a timely boost in energy levels. *

( * I do understand that it's impossible to pick Clifford when suspended )

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Don't understand why some people are judging him by his goal scoring record, if he was an out and out striker then fair enough, but he is not.

Well that's what we need.

 

[tommy tucker]

If the guy has pace to burn that my well be in Browns thinking .On sat how many time did corr pull the ball down only to find there was no player within 5 yards of his knock downs .Weather its the pitches or the players are not able to get along side to attack his knock downs only they know the answer to that . But if we had a player who could get to his knock downs maybe we would have more shots on target or even more shots .There is to much of this crab football side ways backwards in and around the half way line .

 

[Romford Shrimper]

Well that's what we need.

Well this his guy isn't a striker, so judging him by his goal scoring record is pointless.

 

[Ricey]

Well this his guy isn't a striker, so judging him by his goal scoring record is pointless.

So why does the echo article say we are looking at 25 year old STRIKER Hogan Ephraim then?

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Is he being considered to challenge Hurst or Straker as a "supplier"?

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

I'm actually on the fence believe it or not but I'm just not impressed at all with excuses. I spend all day at work cutting through BS and political correctness, and as I work for an American Bank I see a fair bit of it. This is league two with a cash strapped club and we are not alone. The players were 'tired' but very few were rested. Dave Smith would have given his bald pate for a squad 2/3 of our current size.

In a few weeks time, if our play-off hopes have gone pear-shaped, there will obviously be a shed-load of discussion about why the season, which at one time so promising, ended in failure. Interesting that a lot us mentioned how fit the players appeared, earlier in the season.......I don't hear it mentioned too much now. So, I was just wondering, is it possible that a squad could have been trained too hard???

 

[mrsblue]

Goal shy Southend who in their last 16 leagues games have scored nil or one in 13 of those games now want to sign either forward/attacking midfielder and this guy has scored 1 in 19.

You cannot make it up.

 

[Danshrimper]

Goal shy Southend who in their last 16 leagues games have scored nil or one in 13 of those games now want to sign either forward/attacking midfielder and this guy has scored 1 in 19.

You cannot make it up.

Perhaps he is being signed to provide goals not score them. Or maybe he is here to challenge our wingers of which we currently have 2 spaces challenged by 2 players. We do need another striker but another provider and winger isn't going to harm us. And just because he hasn't scored many in the championship doesn't mean he won't at this level. Who do you expect us to sign? a striker who has scored 10 in his last 20? because that's not going to happen, any striker who is in good goal scoring form isn't going to be available for loan, be realistic.

 

[rlb999]

Interesting. The tide is turning against PB so it seems.
For once I agree with him. We DON'T need a forward. We DO need someone to supply chances for our forward line.

 

[mrsblue]

Interesting. The tide is turning against PB so it seems.
For once I agree with him. We DON'T need a forward. We DO need someone to supply chances for our forward line.

Even if we signed Ronaldo or Bale to supply crosses it would make no difference because Corr would still be puffing trying to get in the area.

 

[RHB]

Even if we signed Ronaldo or Bale to supply crosses it would make no difference because Corr would still be puffing trying to get in the area.

I think you are using reverse psychology when you post on Corr as deep down you really rate him but don't want it to look like you are chasing him. He is turn is responding with reactance and playing hard to get. Its all clear now.

 

[dannypav]

Even if we signed Ronaldo or Bale to supply crosses it would make no difference because Corr would still be puffing trying to get in the area.

Pointless.
They both take the ball forward on their own and shoot.
They very rarely cross , so once again Barry would have made the perfect run for what ?

 

[hockleyshrimper]

If we have someone in our team who can create as many chances as Hurst does (or did) and they are both in the team, then i'm sure any of our forwards will score goals. You can have someone with a great scoring record but without the supply they have to take every chance they get, which isnt going to happen at this level.

 

[mrsblue]

I think you are using reverse psychology when you post on Corr as deep down you really rate him but don't want it to look like you are chasing him. He is turn is responding with reactance and playing hard to get. Its all clear now.

Reckon you are past it as I have no idea what you are on about.

 

[Barry.C]

I thought the energy levels against Hartlepool were exceptional, but yet again not a lot went our way for 3 points. Compared to watching Ian Benjamin in the equivalent of plimsoles parading around , I am astonished by the intensity of pace in the modern game at this level. Perhaps we need to chill down, I suggest evenings of pipe smoking or cuban cigars in long holders, whilst wearing ankle length kimonos and chatting about Camus? Worth a try?

 

[slapheadsteve]

The biggest problem we have is we play some lovely football and its great to watch. Barry does some lovely flick on's
or 75% of the time laying the ball back for our midfield/wingers to run into the box.

But Barry is having to go too deep to do this. If you look at nearly all the teams we play against they get
probally double the amount of players in the box than we do?
If you dont have players in the box or around the box who are prepared to have a shot it wont go in?
4-5-1 has worked and will work.
Hurst scored a lot of goals earlier in the season and too me there are signs it will happen again.
If we get this man, he is plenty of experience at levels much better than we play at, why cant he provide with Hurst
and score a few goals and take some of the pressure of the Big Man.