Steve Tilson

[Silencer]

Some people are blinkered with Tilly tinted glasses, some have over biased issues but as someone stated it's all opinions which we are all entitled to.

For me, Tilly is and always will be a legend and gave us some of the best experiences ever as a Southend Fan. But he also made far too many mistakes and went at the right time IMHO

It was a roller-coaster ride but we ended up back in league two and struggling which is where he picked us up - but what a ride. Thanks Tilly but as much as it was fun, I don't think he is a good enough manager to get another league job.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

It was a roller-coaster ride but we ended up back in league two and struggling which is where he picked us up - but what a ride. Thanks Tilly but as much as it was fun, I don't think he is a good enough manager to get another league job.

The harsh reality is, that unless he propels Canvey through successive promotions in the next couple of years, he has no chance of being offered another managerial job in the football league.

 

[buffalowolf]

In my opinion you should cherish those good times ,remember them always,and move on,embrace PS because he has done a remarkable job also at Southend considering the diabolical trouble we was in when he took over and last but not least look to the future and hopefully a new stadium and God willing a return to the good times for the club, town and supporters.

 

[dan_mays]

Kightly was featuring for the first team but did not get enough he was by far a better player than Lawson.

Hooper did not get enough time to prove his worth in the side which is a shame because we can now see the player he has developed into.

Clarkey was a great centre back and many times saved us and deserved his player of the season so that is ridiculous he proved his worth for us!!!

Flavs great keeper in his stints with us an ever present and the best keeper we had since Simon Royce the only thing he lacked was his height, great performances many times for us especially the United game.

Spilldenhall had only a handful of decent performances for us he wasn't all that for us so quite surprised with that statement

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Kightly was featuring for the first team but did not get enough he was by far a better player than Lawson.

Hooper did not get enough time to prove his worth in the side which is a shame because we can now see the player he has developed into.

Clarkey was a great centre back and many times saved us and deserved his player of the season so that is ridiculous he proved his worth for us!!!

Flavs great keeper in his stints with us an ever present and the best keeper we had since Simon Royce the only thing he lacked was his height, great performances many times for us especially the United game.

Spilldenhall had only a handful of decent performances for us he wasn't all that for us so quite surprised with that statement

So bit of a curve ball then.

Say we had the players Tilly had: Kightly, Hooper etc. They were under used and not managed well and we had players like Foran who didnt perform. We still had a season in the championship which gave us great joy at times.

How about we didn't have Tilly as manager but Sturrock for instance. Would Hooper, Kightly, Foran etc have been managed better and got more out of them. Would we have got any promotions. Would Sturrock have handled the Maher situation better and maybe kept him when Tilly let him go. He tolerated a lot from Mohsni, so who knows on that score.

I am not saying things would have been better, maybe, maybe not. Just wondered what peoples thoughts were?

 

[Brett Angle]

Without really knowing what went on in the background II have always felt that the only confident conclusion one can make is that a mixture of bad acquisitions (Paynter, Harrold, Furlong, Ricketts etc), weak man-management of key players and/or situations (Hammell, Foran, Maher, Sawyer etc) and the premature/cheap release of players such as Kightly and Hooper contributed quite significantly to Tilson's demise.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Oh dear, here we are again. One of those threads that re-occurs with incredible regularity.

Steve Tilson was a fantastic servant for this club, both as a player and as a manager. His teams gave us some wonderful experiences, but ultimately - and not just because of off the field issues - he became stale and lacked the vision to turn our on the field fortunes around. His departure was long overdue but that doesn't mean I will forget the things that we should be grateful to him for.

I believe Paul Sturrock is the right man for us now. And that he has been for the last few years. Tilson's time is over - "the King is dead, long live the King".

 

[NZamba Legend]

With hindsight, what Hooper needed was a similar run in the team to what Gavin Tomlin has just enjoyed.

Also I don't think its boring at all going over the Tilson years with a fine toothcomb as there is so much to discuss. The only way to improve your knowledge of the game is to reflect on how/why certain players and combinations were a success and why others were not so successful.

For me it's the championship season that was crucial because I don't think we were too far away from staying up. I agree with Yorkshire Blue that we needed to have signed McCormack (or similar) in the summer as we were short on a physical presence in the middle (why was Bentley discarded so readily?); also the Barrett/Clarke partnership was poor (both decent individually but a bad combination). Another problem was that the two full-backs we signed (Hammell and Francis) were decent footballers but weak in terms of concentration. Jupp and Wilson, albeit at a lower level, were both very intelligent, reliable players. What really puzzles me though is why Tilson persevered with Bradbury or Harrold as the partner for Eastwood while he generally ignored Paynter or Hooper. Harrold actually got off to a decent start (goal at WBA- how times change?) but I always felt Paynter was a better player. Also Bradbury's legs had gone by this stage, especially in terms of playing up front alongside Eastwood (v 1.0) whose game was never really about workrate.

 

[Jam_Man]

With hindsight, what Hooper needed was a similar run in the team to what Gavin Tomlin has just enjoyed.

Also I don't think its boring at all going over the Tilson years with a fine toothcomb as there is so much to discuss. The only way to improve your knowledge of the game is to reflect on how/why certain players and combinations were a success and why others were not so successful.

For me it's the championship season that was crucial because I don't think we were too far away from staying up. I agree with Yorkshire Blue that we needed to have signed McCormack (or similar) in the summer as we were short on a physical presence in the middle (why was Bentley discarded so readily?); also the Barrett/Clarke partnership was poor (both decent individually but a bad combination). Another problem was that the two full-backs we signed (Hammell and Francis) were decent footballers but weak in terms of concentration. Jupp and Wilson, albeit at a lower level, were both very intelligent, reliable players. What really puzzles me though is why Tilson persevered with Bradbury or Harrold as the partner for Eastwood while he generally ignored Paynter or Hooper. Harrold actually got off to a decent start (goal at WBA- how times change?) but I always felt Paynter was a better player. Also Bradbury's legs had gone by this stage, especially in terms of playing up front alongside Eastwood (v 1.0) whose game was never really about workrate.

Bradbury did well for us that season, he was great at holding the ball up. I remember him being out for a period and our performances as a team improving when he returned.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Get. Over. It.

 

[Fairport]

I remember seeing Kightly play for Farnborough at Canvey in the Conference. He did nothing of note in that game and I think he may have been substituted. I doubt whether many people in the game could have predicted such a bright future for him in those days. These things happen with players from time to time and is a reason to always keep a close eye on the non-league scene.

 

[Winkle]

Do you know what.. I have read every bit of this thread and I just don't care what anyone says....I would have him back tomorrow. The only thing is that uncle Ron pulled the plug on tillys time at the blues by not backing him anymore and not paying the staff, that was what the sad thing was. He still is a young manager and yes he made mistakes but I can't beleive how supporters turn on him...The same supporters who ran on the pitch waving there shirts in the air when we got promoted to the championship, I suppose that was a fluke as well!

 

[Charisma]

ST; the right man at the right time. That time is not now but may come again in the future.

 

[TrueBlue]

That maybe the case however, I witnessed some of the best and exciting football home and away since the early 70's
Two Trips to Cardiff, Chelsea, two trips to the Lane, man U and finally Swansea away. Don't remember better days than those

Not doubting the football was good I was just answering why nobody else really showed an interest in him

 

[TrueBlue]

Started in league 2

Ended up in league 2

result - ZERO Position gain


Thats not to say there was no fun in the middle!

 

[Jam_Man]

Started in league 2

Ended up in league 2

result - ZERO Position gain


Thats not to say there was no fun in the middle!

That Alex Ferguson took over when Man Utd were in the top tier, they still are, no gain.

The final position of Tilsons reign may have ended up in League Two but if he had a full squad of paid players we no doubt would not have ended up there.

Any manager who achieves what he did should be held in high regard.

 

[Rootshalle]

The article is little out of date http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f340caae-47cd-11e1-b646-00144feabdc0.html and is actually about Sturrock. But look at the table of managers and a certain other Southend manager makes an appearance. Still stats and all that,..

 

[Pubey]

Sturrock and Tilly get all the praise, but not the constant provider for both...

;-)

 

[Blueshrimper]

I am definitely in the pro Sturrock camp, think he is doing a decent job and let's face it we would have been promoted last season with that points total in any other year. What I will say is that I found most matches genuinely enjoyable in the Tilson era, not something I have particularly associated with Sturrock's reign.

 

[TrueBlue]

That Alex Ferguson took over when Man Utd were in the top tier, they still are, no gain.

The final position of Tilsons reign may have ended up in League Two but if he had a full squad of paid players we no doubt would not have ended up there.

Any manager who achieves what he did should be held in high regard.

Manchester United can't get promoted however they can go from a mid table top flight team to a major European power in football and still there!