Echo News 'We're talking and we're trying' - Blues boss Maher on his search for a striker

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United head coach Kevin Maher says the club are in talks with potential new signings.

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[onceknownasrab]

'Its difficult...'. Apparently harder for us than most every other team. Yeah right.

 

[rlb999]

'Its difficult...'. Apparently harder for us than most every other team. Yeah right.

Quality vs quantity hopefully.

 

[Strykr]

I know they are 100% commited to getting the right players in. But its disconcerting when every other team doesnt seem to find it difficult...

 

[onceknownasrab]

Quality vs quantity hopefully.

Chasing 10's when you are a six at best, shows an eye for quality and results in a quantity of 0. You might, occasionally, get lucky and have a fit one on your arm but, they generally don't hang around too long and are always looking around for something better. A hopeful 6 needs a fat wallet or they'll end up window shopping and never buying. Best of not looking at the mantle piece too much and hoping it produces a good fry up in the morning.

 

[rlb999]

I know they are 100% commited to getting the right players in. But its disconcerting when every other team doesnt seem to find it difficult...

I can see other teams are signing players. I don’t know if these players are any good.

If we want to move the team forwards, There’s no point of signing anybody unless they are genuinely better than what we have already. If you look at our midfield as an example we always revert back to the original three. KAF - who I think adds something a bit different - can’t get a game, and Morton plays sporadically when Miley is fit. If I was the chairman and Kev came to me saying he wants to sign player A, I’d be saying to him who are you going to drop to play him?

 

[onceknownasrab]

I can see other teams are signing players. I don’t know if these players are any good.

If we want to move the team forwards, There’s no point of signing anybody unless they are genuinely better than what we have already. If you look at our midfield as an example we always revert back to the original three. KAF - who I think adds something a bit different - can’t get a game, and Morton plays sporadically when Miley is fit. If I was the chairman and Kev came to me saying he wants to sign player A, I’d be saying to him who are you going to drop to play him?

I think you are mainly right. Yet, if we have any genuine promotion ambition this season, yes we need a few quality players, and a couple of younger prospects. However, I seriously doubt the will is there for us to go up this term and so we should be looking to build for next season. We could do with a few capable prospects to blood this term and hit the ground running next season. The 'icing on the cake' players can join in the summer so we aren't carrying the wage bill in a dead rubber season.

 

[wiggy]

I can see other teams are signing players. I don’t know if these players are any good.

If we want to move the team forwards, There’s no point of signing anybody unless they are genuinely better than what we have already. If you look at our midfield as an example we always revert back to the original three. KAF - who I think adds something a bit different - can’t get a game, and Morton plays sporadically when Miley is fit. If I was the chairman and Kev came to me saying he wants to sign player A, I’d be saying to him who are you going to drop to play him?

Need a new manager rather than players.
Yet again his favourite boring two were selected in midfield last night.
Poor old Morton must be the most devastated player ever being left out and when he put the ball in and KAF was in the position to nod it in said it all….and of course Moncur scored for Ebsfleet after all that time being handcuffed by the crab….most negative, stayed in his ways manager in all of the leagues surely?

 

[LennySUFC]

I can see other teams are signing players. I don’t know if these players are any good.

If we want to move the team forwards, There’s no point of signing anybody unless they are genuinely better than what we have already. If you look at our midfield as an example we always revert back to the original three. KAF - who I think adds something a bit different - can’t get a game, and Morton plays sporadically when Miley is fit. If I was the chairman and Kev came to me saying he wants to sign player A, I’d be saying to him who are you going to drop to play him?

This.

There's hardly been a transfer in the NL of late where I've thought we've seriously missed out. I'd rather wait for the right player that will get us into the top 7 over this season and the next than rush to fill a position and end up with a contracted player who isn't good enough and taking from the wage budget.

Whether they are good enough for that or not, we have four fit contracted strikers in a two striker system. Yes it would be nice to go and sign a 25+ goal striker, but every club wants to do that and finding them isn't as easy as sending your scouts onto FM24. Don't forget it'll be much easier to sign these players in the Summer once seasons are done, contracts are finished and so on.

Have some patience, we will make the right signings.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Problem is other than Bim, all we have signed is strikers who can't score. Would be ok if other players scored but take Gus away and we are completely toothless in front of goal.

 

[AustScullyPriorPowell]

Well, a singing or two should boost the ticket sales for Saturday, it seems fairly low considering it's Barnet, and we haven't played for a while.

Right or wrong, I know some fringe supporters who can't be bothered at the moment as the football isn't great and they want the club to go for it on the pitch.

Really feel that on-field investment could be balanced out a bit with extra ticket and wagon wheel sales

 

[Jim Levenstein]

I think its glaringly obvious now that COSU are writing this season off.
A loanee to come in on deadline day maybe?

 

[Barry.C]

SOUTHEND United head coach Kevin Maher says the club are in talks with potential new signings.


The Shrimpers are in need of a striker following the departure of top scorer Bim Pepple.

And Maher confirmed discussions are ongoing.

"We're talking and we're trying," said Maher.

"It's difficult in terms of what people ask for players but we are in conversations.

"We've got to go through the right channels of doing things.

 

[Supershrimper]

If we are in the market for loans then i don't think we would see much movement until near the end of the transfer window. Clubs will understandably want to try and offload players on permanent contracts, and then whatever is left they would look to loan out to get some of the wages of their expenditure.

 

[Deluded Optimist]

most negative, stayed in his ways manager in all of the leagues surely?

Most negative stayed in his ways poster on Shrimperzone surely?

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Most negative stayed in his ways poster on Shrimperzone surely?

Not while I'm around.

 

[rlb999]

Problem is other than Bim, all we have signed is strikers who can't score. Would be ok if other players scored but take Gus away and we are completely toothless in front of goal.

In Bim we had a rare thing at this level, which is a striker who could create a goal for himself - Bim could roll someone, beat a man, and score a goal. As such, almost immediately, he moved up to league 2.

We have strikers who can score, but a team that doesn't create chances. The two things are very different. If we manage to find another striker with Bim's abilities, he'll be gone in 6 months also.

 

[kentblues]

Well if we are “in talks” with potential signings that suggests we have permission to do so - so it’s players/agents/wages/competition from other clubs? Might be reading too much into it but would that be more likely permanents than loans?

The issue is wage expectations, terms etc. and if players are either in the EFL, or think they should be, is it not very likely the may hang on to the end of the window unless we are throwing money at them? Even the better loan players may hang on to see if they can get a loan higher up? Thing is this time of the season everyone is under contract and getting paid.

At least it’s a bit more information. We can be fed information without sharing the actual targets names and clubs?

 

[fbm]

Shrimperzone today - "Signing players isn't difficult. Everyone else is doing it. We're at the stage where we need to get someone in."

Shrimperzone two months later - "What did we sign him for? Surely there were better options"

 

[blues exile]

Well if we are “in talks” with potential signings that suggests we have permission to do so - so it’s players/agents/wages/competition from other clubs? Might be reading to much into it but would that be more likely permanents than loans?

The issue is wage expectations, terms etc. and if players are either in the EFL, or think they should be, is it not very likely the may hang on to the end of the window unless we are throwing money at them? Even the better loan players may hang on to see if they can get a loan higher up? Thing is this time of the season everyone is under contract and getting paid.

At least it’s a bit more information. We can be fed information without sharing the actual targets names and clubs?

Every other club is showing positive intent by actually signing players rather than talking about it. Of course some of these signings will not work out but at least those clubs will have tried.