Thanks Kev - but is a new manager needed?

[Mr Browns Ghost]

I spoke with a very good non league writer and blogger this afternoon and he made a good point that Kev perhaps has a lot in the bank to keep him where he is currently, but many others in his situation wouldn't have that same luxury.

Is there anyone you haven’t spoken to today ?

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

I’m just replying to a poster who claimed the recruitment was poor but we had a decent team, his words not mine.

Surely, if you have a decent team the recruitment just have been decent? Unless the whole team came through the youth teams etc.

I’m wondering if you know as much about football as you make out ?

 

[JB Shrimper]

Looking at the current score of the vote reminds me of the classic song "People are Strange"

 

[Tommy2holes]

Well they have done brilliantly. Not sure the playing side was the absolute priority because we all said we would be patient? Clearly a lie. Regrettably.

Patience yes.

I'm not sure how many fan bases could endure what we have and still come in numbers.

I honestly didn't expect us to be in the autos but last year we missed out on the play offs with a squad of about 13 or 14 players and would have made the play offs but for a 10 point deduction.

We now have a squad that is much bigger and does not show half the fight of last year's team.

If we don't get promoted then so be it but I expect the team to be competitive and enjoyable to watch.

We aren't competitive or enjoyable to watch and the team on the pitch is producing the worst displays since we entered this league. That simply isn't on and it's insulting the fans who are supporting the club on a level above everyone in this league.

 

[bluethroughandthrough]

Yes. Time to go.

Every game same approach but different players.

Manager trains the players, picks the players for game time, chooses the players to add to the team (note the best is not always available in real jobs too), sets the general play strategy, mentality and the team setup on game day, motivates the players and the team.

That's their job in football - like most of us have/had jobs with the items above their responsibility. They are accountable for what I assume a winning team, perhaps to provide entertainment and get fans to follow their cult, pay monies so the business can survive/thrive. The worse the results, the lower the revenue the worse the business operates.

These varied job responsibilities dictate the outcome. Football management is often short lived as the results are more public and fan based revenues closely linked to performance.of the team - win, entertain.

Other lines of work have similar scenarios. Work in sales the outcome is similar - don't perform you're out and this is regardless of what's been done in the past. Run a business you're given time but it's your job to do the best you can with the resources at hand. Fail and the business is no more or you're removed. In football the cult elements can have a stronger influence - ie the past memories and contributions.

Therefore, based on the above his performance in his responsibilities to meet his accountabilities are poor and on a downward trajectory. It's a harsh reality of being employed to do something where outcomes and results are more apparent, transparent and important.

Why invest more into a manager not showing the foundational ability to get a team consistently playing well and scoring goals for example? There's the argument that better players will change the team but are they in our reach? Will they really make a difference if the foundations arent working?

In finding the right players for team, choosing the right players for each game, setting up the foundations, strategy, team mentality, in game management the results this season speaks for themself. 3 points above the relegation zone, clear goal scoring opportunities created and shots taken/on target comparatively low, goals scored (and conceded) stats moving in the wrong direction, total fan attendance dropping, fan disapproval increasing - all these metrics showing negative trends suggest he's not performing. Simple data assessment.

His style when the odds were against us put credits in the bank. We over performed with the assets we had. The backs against the wall mentality really helped the team over perform. However we are not in that scenario. That motivation is no longer an option. This is about setting up a team to perform and win with more variables at hand to find the right formula of success. He's failing in this.

A few weeks ago he said he knew what to do to shift the momentum. Another loss this week. There has to be a line/target/performance review outcome where enough is enough because we are a business - we rely on fans to pay money ( who are doing so to be entertained).

A great guy with some historical connection and some success in keeping the club on an eve keel is socially favourable. But it's not how business is done and he should be managed and judged in the same way with performance metrics.

That's why unemotionally I'm voting a yes.

I'm not being entertained. We aren't doing well and it's craley obvious where the issues on the pitch sit.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

My biggest issue is, we have played 18 league games and out of those how many have we actually played well in - 2 maybe 3.

This is nowhere near good enough and though this maybe isn't a top 2 squad, it is certainly a playoff one.

That's why I have concerns of whether Maher can turn this around. Leaving out Coker and Morton today was totally inexcusable.

 

[* ORM *]

You only seem to come on here to slag other posters off. I see you.

Really? I was simply pointing out the contradictions in Sherifs post. As for the rest of my posts in my time on the Zone you can accuse me of many things but slagging off posters is not one of them, which is not to say that doesn’t happen.

Not only did I not slag Sherif off I actually posted an opinion on the subject matter.

 

[Guybrush13]

And that is the main point attackimg football. I bought a season ticket this year. First for many a year. If this style of play continues then not for me next year. Are you watching SZ COSU

Like you I bought a season ticket for the first time this year. I'm genuinely thinking of not coming Saturday. I know I'm going to get attacked but I don't live in or around Southend and have to drive over an hour to get to the ground. To see that S**T? If Kev's still in charge next season I'm not sure I'll renew.

 

[Southend Elvis]

The question for me is , do I see a light at the end of the tunnel?
This season so far has been horrible, some say its because we lost Cardwell/Kensdale.. so KM is only a good manager because of 2 players, that doesn't make sense to me.

Style of play terrible, shots on target awful, players looking lost and bereft of ideas, players confidence on the floor, lack of plan B, unwillingness to change a system, new players coming in and nothing improves, favorites etc.

I'm struggling to see the light, but what I do know is that I don't expect us to win many games the way we are playing.
As much as I appreciate Kev, we are Southend united not KevMaherFC

 

[KiwiRob]

I originally voted Kev out , but decided to vote sit on the fence for now.
But if things haven’t improved by January, it will definitely be Kev out.
To be honest I don’t want to see Kev fail, but the consortium need to loosen the budget strings a little. Give the guy a better chance to succeed, isn’t this what we all want.

I am not sure loosening the budget strings is the answer when teams like Altrincham are playing better and more consistently with a significantly smaller budget than Southend have had since Justin Rees and the Consortium took over.

Kevin Maher did a very good job in difficult circumstances during the RM era, but I am not impressed by the fact certain players now seem to play irrespective of their form and others get dropped when they have done outstanding well. That is a recipe for losing the dressing room.

 

[johnlattimerssponge]

It is noticeable that the Yes vote has reduced from the mid 50’s to mid 30’s since the poll opened shortly after yesterday’s disappointing performance and result.

With the recent results and performances it is easy to make a case to remove Kev at the moment but change is not always for the better especially when rushed.

I will not repeat the several reasons we all know that have negatively affected our season but I think they are crucial. For me personally because Kev did such an amazing job in awful circumstances before I have a degree of faith he can turn this round also crucially he has shown loyalty to the club in the past now is the time for us to be loyal to him IMHO.

 

[WestyReturns]

My biggest issue is, we have played 18 league games and out of those how many have we actually played well in - 2 maybe 3.

This is nowhere near good enough and though this maybe isn't a top 2 squad, it is certainly a playoff one.

That's why I have concerns of whether Maher can turn this around. Leaving out Coker and Morton today was totally inexcusable.

Agreed. We are playing poorly majority of games. Players we know who can do better aren't. They can't all be off form. Confidence seems shot and body language looks wrong. I feel the current set could do so much better under different leadership. Sorry Kev, thanks steadying the ship but time for someone new.

 

[AustScullyPriorPowell]

Now is a good time to replace a manager, give them time before the EFL transfer window opens.
We are light in numbers, I think some of these players don't want to be here and play for Maher or maybe the club, can see some departures.

At the end of the day, the table doesn't lie and we’re not improving. Take Halifax as an example, they get 1300k fans on average, small budget and are streets ahead of us. Even PT clubs like Wealdstone are creeping up
It's just not good enough.

 

[GIBBO]

It's gone all stale on the playing front

Bon n Moncur seem a misake looking bk.

Maher got to drop being so stubborn and have balls of steel!

We need a keeper.
A solid CB
An horrible Roy Keane type

Let's keep it simple. We need to grow a pair of bollocks all round!

I really want Kev to succeed. I'm on the fence but he needs to be ruthless

Dropping Morton yesterday. Unless had a knock. Was mind-blowing!

I've always said we a poor mans Southgate England all round

Kev - Southgate

Much love and be lucky

 

[Tampa Blue]

I am a simple soul but I can’t understand why it takes a Management Team of 3 to serve up such dross and to make such bad decisions- wtf do Currie and Bentley do and what do they see?

Let’s not even discuss the fact that our Goalkeeper situation is terrible so wtf is our goalkeeping coach doing?

 

[geoffmundo]

Crap player crap manager!

Thought that said crab player crab manager….

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

Sacking Kev wouldn't just be sacking Kev. If you want to bring in a coach who plays a back four, you almost certainly have to find the money to sign a left-back, unless you're going to stick Ralph there and hope for the best. You need to decide where GSM fits in if at all. You need to sign some wide players to add depth beyond GSM and Bridge. The squad has been built to suit the 5-3-2 shape Kev likes, and while it's easy to sit on here and say "why doesn't he change formation?", it's quite tricky to see how he would actually do that, and if he was sacked and someone else was brought in, they wouldn't be able to do anything different unless you give them the funds to do so.

Now, whether that was the right call or not is a whole other debate. It's something Stan spoke about a lot when he was involved, about a Director of Football recruiting for the good of the squad rather than necessarily to fit a specific system. But this is also what you get when you invest the bare minimum into a squad. It's true that COSU have put some money in for signings, but the likes of Moncur and Bonne are probably costing more and contributing less than other options could have. That is on John Still and his recruitment team, and on COSU for not coughing up the money earlier on.

Add in the fact that the three amigos have long-term contracts, I'd be surprised if COSU could afford to pay them off and sack them anyway. Let alone to be able to pay them off, bring in someone new, and give them a budget to work with for new signings. We've ended up paying for COSU trying to scrimp before. How many people on here knew that we needed another forward even before Cardwell left? Then we're left picking up scraps and paying over the odds for Bonne who is not good enough.

So who is to blame? The players, because there are several not playing at the standard they are capable of. Kev and the amigos, because they are getting things wrong. John Still and his team, because there has been budget wasted on poor signings this season. COSU, because they haven't strengthened the squad as much as it needs to be flexible. Ron, because COSU may well have done a bit more if they'd been in the doors earlier.

Where does that leave us? I genuinely question whether COSU would be able to afford sacking the current coaching team, and I don't see why they would be in any rush to walk. I don't think they should be either. What is clear is that something needs to change, and COSU will have to decide whether they're going to go all in and back Kev with the depth he needs. If they don't, they either can't afford to or they're trying to force him out.

Good post.

 

[RHB]

I’m wondering if you know as much about football as you make out ?

Do any of us?

 

[blues exile]

New signings won't make any difference to results or style of play. The current coaching team will simply stifle any creativity or individual enterprise that a new player might bring in with him. Delaying the inevitable only puts pressure on a new coaching team if COSU do not bite the bullet soon. What further evidence is needed that the Maher project has run its course?

 

[sufc4life21]

Now is a good time to replace a manager, give them time before the EFL transfer window opens.
We are light in numbers, I think some of these players don't want to be here and play for Maher or maybe the club, can see some departures.

At the end of the day, the table doesn't lie and we’re not improving. Take Halifax as an example, they get 1300k fans on average, small budget and are streets ahead of us. Even PT clubs like Wealdstone are creeping up
It's just not good enough.

You make good point about the January transfer window opening coming up...... I agree it is good time to get new manager in for that manager to evaluate the squad and potentially do some business. Problem is the quality of manager we might want might not be available now, can't really see dean brennan type manager leaving a team near top of the league to join us. Maher probably be given bit longer given the lack of availability out there. Unfortunately for us it's watching sideways and backwards football for another 6 months.