Will this be the season?

[the dark deshrimper]

I remember saying this exact topic last year, but i can honestly say, this year feels right for The Blues to take promotion into League 1.

Whether it will be through play-offs (please no

) or auto promotions, everything seems ready to leave this league and go on to bigger and better things.

It could be my youthful hopefulness, which is clouding the truth, but it seems this season, that we have a strike force who will score goals - even Drewe is putting them away in friendlies. With the signing of Prior we have a watertight defence, one of the best in the League i think - Nicolau, Prior, Barret, Edwards and Jupp.
Our midfield, which i believe was our downfall at the start of last season, seems ready for the challenge, with Maher, Kightly and Gower all looking eager to do well this season. And of course we have our two keepers, who are both very skilled keepers in their own way.

It could be the pre-season hope, but i do believe this season will be the season. (you can remind me of this come christmas, when we are bottom)

 

[Benfleetshrimp]

I aggree with alot opf what you say.
I also was very confident this time last year.

However our defence is looking very good and the signing of Spinner on a two year deal was bloody good work from Tilly and the Board. I would even go so far as to say that Spinner is our most impressive coup since Mike Marsh from Galatassary.
Our midfield is also looking good and I really am impressed that we seem to have competiton for places.

It is our strike force that I am not so confident about. Granted I have only seen Gray play against Millwall Personally I would like to see Drewe and Duddfield up front but dont think it will happen.
If we can get a decent forward partnersgip early on then who knows what could happen.

 

[Bigdel]

Fully believe Gray will be the surprise package this year,he will be the fox in the box,that we need so badly.
I just hope Husbands ,Kightly,Corbett,Gower can unpick defences when away team put 5 across the back,because Im confident Gray will be able to put anything away from within the box

At 33/1 with Hills I believe Florida will be booked next year

 

[StainesShrimper]

I also believe this year is OUR year. Last year we had a very new (and unproven) squad. This year we have only filled the gaps that Constantine, Cort, McSweeny have left with players double they're quality. We also had a unproven manager, who eventually turned out to be a complete t***er. We now have Tilly who has proven himself by getting us from the bottom of the league to mid table and taking the Shrimpers to our first ever cup final.
This year is OUR year !

Staines Shrimper

 

[the dark deshrimper]

Nice to see the fans in high spirit.

i'm sure our confidence will be shown down the hall come next saturday

 

[Technician]

Quote[/b] (the dark deshrimper @ July 29 2004,21:19)]Nice to see the fans in high spirit.

i'm sure our confidence will be shown down the hall come next saturday

I hope so too...

I would positively encourage all of Southend United's fans to make themselves heard in a big way for all the forthcoming fixtures of this season... let's really create an atmosphere in the Hall and make it into a fortress the way it used to be!!!

[I hope this doesn't count as incitement?

]

Roll on Aug 7th...

 

[wiggy]

No chance with our so called strikers. Only one worthy of the name Dudfield!

 

[Southend Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (wiggy @ July 29 2004,22:15)]No chance with our so called strikers. Only one worthy of the name Dudfield!

Nice positive remark as usual Wiggy!

 

[The Artful Shrimper]

Baed on what i've seen and what can be expected, at worst I reckon 12th,...I can't be optomistic any more, too many years waiting for the present I want, nay, demand that b@st@rd Santa Clause to personally deliver League One status without me asking anymore! (yes I've got the knack of the new fandangled set up).


* he goes to sleep with distant echoes of a long lost tune.. This time more than any other time, this time......*

 

[wiggy]

Watched every friendly and sorry to say, Husbands fast but too lightweight, poor final ball and Gray hides, poor movement and falls over a lot, if he was on trial he would be sent straight back. Happy with the keepers, defence and midfield though. Back the draw every week and you won"t go far wrong!

 

[the dark deshrimper]

Quote[/b] (wiggy @ July 29 2004,22:44)]Watched every friendly and sorry to say, Husbands fast but too lightweight, poor final ball and Gray hides, poor movement and falls over a lot, if he was on trial he would be sent straight back. Happy with the keepers, defence and midfield though. Back the draw every week and you won"t go far wrong!

obviously you havent seen the Thurrock game where our strikers tran a mock. We have been banging goals and all our strikers have scored.

You need to look at the truth and see pre season doesnt mean diddly squat.

Come next saturday im sure you will be singing a different tune

 

[Technician]

Quote[/b] (The Artful Shrimper @ July 29 2004,22:33)]at worst I reckon 12th,...

Personally, if we finish top half that's positive too...

 

[wiggy]

I did see the Thurrock game and lets be honest they were out of there depth. Thurrock would put seven past Hullbridge sports etc. class matters! Lets not get blinkered as even Husbands scored two which he rarely threatens to do against decent opposition!

 

[The General]

Got to agree with wiggy on this one. I believe our weakness is our attack. I do like Drewe in the team, but is never going to score bucket loads, Gray looks a different player every time i see him, Tes is very inconsistant and Jimmy isn't being given a go upfront, which is a shame. Dudfield is the obvious starter and once he and one other get a good partnership going then we could be in luck. It all depends on how quickly the partnership takes to find ...

Pretty confident about the others area's though. 12th for me, still!

Kev

 

[BluePartridge]

Wiggy what are you scared of? So if you get optimisitic and we lose who gives a damn that's what supporting your team is all about. If you've become disillusioned with it all then don't bother. I'm sure there's much better teams out there, but who cares we're all on 0 points at the moment and if we get a good start and keep on movin' on up then who knows. No way would I ever predict this damn division there's only one certainty and that's Rochdale still being here at the end. I'm not gonna say 12th and if we got their be well we deserved it based on our team and all that crap, because DESERVE don't mean sh*t. Loads of people deserve and don't get and then vice versa, still waiting to gauge at the start of the season though I guess.

 

[wiggy]

Not scared of anything, just saying that promotion would be a possibility with most of this team but we are sadly lacking a quality partner for Dudders. Time will tell but having watched Gray our supposed replacement for Connie, i would rather have back Rawle or Belgrave and i"m not a fan of either of those!

 

[Jai]

No, Wiggy is spot on. If I had a striker who scored five times in six games during a trial period he'd be straight back to where he came from, wouldn't even get expenses.

Apologies for the sarcasm - after all I refuse to get carried away about the forthcoming season - but I don't understand what people want from our strikers. Drewe gets stick for not scoring goals when he does everything else but (I've rarely seen a striker contribute more to a team effort, assists, defensive set-pieces etc), and when we get a striker who has got on the scoresheet, people complain that he doesn't impress on the ball, etc.

Frankly if Gray bundles in five goals from every six this season I couldn't give a monkeys if he falls over his feet every 20 yards, after all, Constantine was hardly a terrific all-round player, was he?

 

[Javea Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (wiggy @ July 29 2004,22:44)]Happy with the keepers ...

Wiggy, nice to see that you can actually change your mind, mate. Just a few weeks ago you were ready to plunge a whole set of kitchen knives into the back of Griemink ...

WS

 

[Javea Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Jai @ July 30 2004,00:20)]No, Wiggy is spot on. If I had a striker who scored five times in six games during a trial period he'd be straight back to where he came from, wouldn't even get expenses.

Yeah, I was a bit miffed by that one, Jai. I appreciate that I haven't seen Gray in action but surely a clutch of goals in pre-season is something to be optimistic about? (BTW - Constantine is going down like a lead balloon up at Peterborough; take a look at the "Ex-Shrimpers Forum"!)

WS

 

[Kim Mitten]

Personally i think we will come 9th, and i would see that as a good season and a step in the right direction.
After that we could hopefully keep a hold of the same squad and really challenge for the division title in 2005/06 and be in League One (Div 2) for our centenary.