Thanks Kev - but is a new manager needed?

[Leigh_Seasider]

Newsflash
Non league footballers are sometimes inconsistent in performance levels, shocking I know.

Yes of course players can be inconsistent they’re human. But there was a world of difference between Barnet (as a recent example) and last night’s second half showing. In some games we’ve been extremely poor, Kev would accept that and so would the players.

Listen to the Hayes interview pre-Halifax. He seemed to understand/accept that fans won’t be happy if performances are poor, neither should anyone be from COSU down … we don’t want acceptance of mediocrity do we? The players want to aim for the play offs, so does Kev, it’s only a few of our fans who seem to have already written the season off!

That said some criticism of Maher has been relentless and OTT and well, that’s maybe why he gives some back. Best way to answer the critics is to play like last night more often.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I take all of your points here, I went through the past 10 games as you posted our form over those games. Stats can be misleading and you could be forgiven for purely looking at the form table as you posted and believe we'd been playing well. My point there was that out of those 10 games only Halifax were a team doing well at that point.

I appreciate we've had other games where we've done well throughout the season and we've shown it in periods, my concern is that most of the time (not always) the poor performances come due to the way we manage the game. Maher is quite stubborn and does tend to stick to a safety first approach. You mention confidence being an issue, well that comes from sitting back and allowing teams to attack you. Play on the front foot, score some goals and the confidence increases, look at Noor last night doing a step over and turn past two players down the left wing, he was enjoying himself for once.

You're right, were not a million miles away, I think that's where my frustration comes from, we show signs and then the tactics chosen are so negative. It happens against team like Woking and Maidenhead etc, no one can think that's acceptable surely?

As for the Sittingbourne game I didn't have any worries going into the game, we'd just played expansive, exciting football against Dagenham and Fylde and I honestly thought we'd go out, attack the game and win, sadly that didn't happen.

We can analyse game by game but in my opinion Maher is playing way too cautiously and inviting teams to come and beat us and many of them are, or are getting a point where they really shouldn't. This negative style has affected the confidence of the team and I truly don't believe he's getting the best out of this bunch of players.

At the end of the day, I hope I'm wrong, I hope you're correct and I'll happily sit here and take that on the chin if it happens, I hope we do start winning more games like last night, it wasn't perfect but at least we had a go!

But Maher’s style isn’t to let teams come at us. Maher’s style is to have us dominate possession and to have Gus and Bridge pin back the opposition in their own third.

 

[Avl1983]

A form table over 10 games - is not a short period of time where stats can be misleading - it's almost a quarter of the season.

If you're dismissing our place in the form table then you really need to analyse all the other teams and their results - do any of Barnets or FGR's wins count as they were against teams below them in the league?

I didn't think it was that hard to understand, I'm simply saying that apart from Halifax our wins have come against poor opposition in the last 10 games, I'm not saying disregard them but that also doesn't mean we've performed well in those games?

 

[Avl1983]

But Maher’s style isn’t to let teams come at us. Maher’s style is to have us dominate possession and to have Gus and Bridge pin back the opposition in their own third.

I would agree that I think in a perfect world Maher wouldn't choose to play that way but I also think that he's too cautious.
I go back to Woking away, 3 up front absolutely dominating the game, looking really good and just unfortunate not to take some good chances, we start the second half, Miley gets sent off and we take Pepple off, our most effective forward and bring in Husin who was not in great form at the time and drop Walker into midfield, leaving Bonne up front on his own, he was completely ineffective, we sat back and somehow hang on to a 0-0 draw.

 

[blues exile]

I didn't think it was that hard to understand, I'm simply saying that apart from Halifax our wins have come against poor opposition in the last 10 games, I'm not saying disregard them but that also doesn't mean we've performed well in those games?

Precisely why we are mid table at present. With the exception of Halifax, our record against the play off contenders is not great

 

[Booma]

I’ve changed my vote from “yes” to “on the fence” last night was such a positive performance against one of the teams with the best away record in the division. Other games like Dagenham and Eastleigh we’ve played positive attacking football and got results.

Yet against other sides we set up with such a negative approach “sideways and backwards” and maintain this approach even after conceding.

My doubts still remain, primarily around consistency of style of play and the tactical inflexibility how we start the match is the way we end it regardless of the situation. If we’re 1 - 0 I’d sooner we lose 2 - 0 having a go.

I get we’re national league, but KM has been at this level long enough to be a bit more tactically astute.

 

[onceknownasrab]

So the pro Maher crow Maher after a win played the way we ask for. Quicker to the front and making gaps in the opposition defence. Pressing the opposition and taking the game to them with far less sideways and backwards in our own half. Well done KM, it's what is needed and I hope KM sticks with it. I also hope KM realises his digging out his critics was made to look silly when he did what they asked of him and now he has pats on the back again. 10 games, form guides, uncle Tom Cobley and all, mean zip. We were, with a couple of exceptions like D and G and Fylde, playing in a way that is harder to get those results and inconsistent. Look at the second half of FGR, the games v D and G, Fylde and now Halifax. Those games got us goals and points and allowed the players to show their worth. This team is good enough but, it hadn't been used properly. Let's just hope that is resolved.

 

[ShrimperLee]

I tell you what, if King Kev does eventually get the boot (and i sincerely hope he doesn't) then COSU will have no shortage of experts on ShrimperZone to replace him with, all supremely qualified on how to set a team up, which players to buy and sell and how to interact with fans and media. Here is a news flash for you all. Kev has forgotten more about football than all of us combined (me included) will ever know, so how about we get behind him and the team, offer them our unequivocal support and see where that takes us? The club almost died less than a year ago. We are in an awful league. Sometimes there isn't soap in the toilets. The catering should come with a health hazard. Moreoften than not, we pass the ball sideways. We know all of these things. I for one love every single minute of it......

 

[NZamba Legend]

So the pro Maher crow Maher after a win played the way we ask for. Quicker to the front and making gaps in the opposition defence. Pressing the opposition and taking the game to them with far less sideways and backwards in our own half. Well done KM, it's what is needed and I hope KM sticks with it. I also hope KM realises his digging out his critics was made to look silly when he did what they asked of him and now he has pats on the back again. 10 games, form guides, uncle Tom Cobley and all, mean zip. We were, with a couple of exceptions like D and G and Fylde, playing in a way that is harder to get those results and inconsistent. Look at the second half of FGR, the games v D and G, Fylde and now Halifax. Those games got us goals and points and allowed the players to show their worth. This team is good enough but, it hadn't been used properly. Let's just hope that is resolved.

Maher didn't switch formation because fans or people on SZ told him too. 3-4-3 was the formation he first used when he came in three and a half years ago.

 

[Cricko]

I tell you what, if King Kev does eventually get the boot (and i sincerely hope he doesn't) then COSU will have no shortage of experts on ShrimperZone to replace him with, all supremely qualified on how to set a team up, which players to buy and sell and how to interact with fans and media. Here is a news flash for you all. Kev has forgotten more about football than all of us combined (me included) will ever know, so how about we get behind the him and the team, offer them our unequivocal support and see where that takes us? The club almost died less than a year ago. We are in an awful league. Sometimes there isn't soap in the toilets. The catering should come with a health hazard. Moreoften than not, we pass the ball sideways. We know all of these things. I for one love every single minute of it......

Ok let's shut the forums down now as there is no point whatsoever discussing anything.

People have differing opinions, that is why we are here.

 

[ShrimperLee]

Ok let's shut the forums down now as there is no point whatsoever discussing anything.

People have differing opinions, that is why we are here.

Completely agree. My opinion is different to lots of other people too......but my point that I tried to make is that I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on brain surgery having never performed even rudimentary brain surgery. People on here and in the crowd giving Kev abuse because they think they could do a better job is somewhat laughable to me. You think he wants to stay in the NL forever? You think he doesn't know that performances have been luckluster? What we can control as a group is our support for the team, I suggest we start there and see where it takes us.

 

[Grayson]

It's a real slog finding people with nuanced views on here.

Of the two entrenched sides of this debate, by far the most tedious are the ones who post 'Maher out' when we lose/draw and 'finally he listened to me' when we win. They put themselves in a position where they are never able to be wrong. It's so easy, any of us can do that, but it adds so little value to discussion. And these people post it on every single ****ing thread.

 

[Cricko]

Completely agree. My opinion is different to lots of other people too......but my point that I tried to make is that I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on brain surgery having never performed even rudimentary brain surgery. People on here and in the crowd giving Kev abuse because they think they could do a better job is somewhat laughable to me. You think he wants to stay in the NL forever? You think he doesn't know that performances have been luckluster? What we can control as a group is our support for the team, I suggest we start there and see where it takes us.

Unfortunately it happens at every single football ground.

Opinions are like arseholes, we all have one

 

[Cricko]

It's a real slog finding people with nuanced views on here.

Of the two entrenched sides of this debate, by far the most tedious are the ones who post 'Maher out' when we lose/draw and 'finally he listened to me' when we win. They put themselves in a position where they are never able to be wrong. It's so easy, any of us can do that, but it adds so little value to discussion. And these people post it on every single ****ing thread.

I generally delete the stupid one liners if I see them.

 

[GBJ]

Having now had notifications for this thread pop up for months and votes for Maher to leave increase despite an uptick in form since the original question was asked, my conclusion is that it's just simply a matter of patience and sympathy. Some have it, some don't.

This is the part I don’t get.

Since the start of the thread, which was back in mid-November, we’ve lost four games.

Four losses in three months.

I can understand if we were being battered week after week, but we’re not.

It seems even more absurd when you take into account we’ve won over 50% of our games since the creation of this poll, too.

 

[Avl1983]

This is the part I don’t get.

Since the start of the thread, which was back in mid-November, we’ve lost four games.

Four losses in three months.

I can understand if we were being battered week after week, but we’re not.

It seems even more absurd when you take into account we’ve won over 50% of our games since the creation of this poll, too.

its not the results, you can't support Southend and expect to win every match, that was never the issue! It's the manor of the performances, the lack of ambition etc.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Maher didn't switch formation because fans or people on SZ told him too. 3-4-3 was the formation he first used when he came in three and a half years ago.

What he did three and a half years ago has no bearing on what he has subsequently done. Also, I didn't say he changed because of what was said on SZ. I said the change was what many of us called for. Strange that playing the way we did last night made the strikers, whose ability many questioned, looked like good enough recruits whereas playing the way KM favours gave the strikers no chance whatsoever to have space to play well.
This league needs front foot football. I hope KM is the manager to give it to us but, as in the past, one of two steps forward end up with three steps back. Let's hope he sees the style and the results, playing as we did last night, are what is required. Despite the division between fans opinions, most would like it to be KM that delivers for us.

 

[GBJ]

its not the results, you can't support Southend and expect to win every match, that was never the issue! It's the manor of the performances, the lack of ambition etc.

I can scroll through this thread, or any number of similar threads to this one and find plenty of anti-Maher posts using the phrase ‘football is a results business’ as to the reason why Maher should go.

What ambition do you think we lack?

Sturrock was a stubborn manager who played much worse football than Maher. One up front, at home, is never going to be a crowd pleaser. But he got results.

 

[Medway Blue]

its not the results, you can't support Southend and expect to win every match, that was never the issue! It's the manor of the performances, the lack of ambition etc.

But so many people on here who are discussing about style of play and quality of performance, are also saying that it's a results business.

So which is it?

 

[Thundersley Blue]

But so many people on here who are Discussing about style of play and quality of performance, are also saying that it's a results business.

So which is it?

I would point then in the direction of Tottenham and even West Ham. The fans there wanted entertainment and look what has happened. For me it is a results business.