Who are we???

[Kevin Hogg]

I feel that many of the club's supporters have totally forgotten who we are and how many seasons Southend United have been unsuccessful over the years.
Can you imagine comments on The Zone had it been around between 1920 (joined Football League) and 1972 - it took 52 (FIFTY TWO) years to gain promotion. Imagine that!! Of course there was a World War in between but it was still slow going.
It took from 1920 to 1991 to get into the second tier of League Football...a whopping 71 years!!

So the people who are currently (understandably) frustrated with a Manager/Team/Club that has failed to win promotion since 2015 ...errr TWO YEARS but (here we go again) has been improving the league position consistently. Well you need to understand who we are and where we have come from. The over reaction to having lost 5 league games out of 13 is the stuff that used to happen at Liverpool or Manchester United.

Yes, Phil Brown has made some mistakes this season, IMO his signing old has-been's is cause for huge criticism - but he is still overall one of our most successful manager's and one of only five manager's ever to achieve a promotion at Southend United in 97 years.
PB is struggling at the moment for certain. However, the over-reaction is absolutely incredible and largely motivated by him being northern, brash, tanned and confident. Many took a dislike from day 1.
I await mass criticism..despite the facts!

 

[ozzie]

Very true Kev.
Just watched a dvd about the GREAT Mr Clough..the best manager ever...and he said "everything takes time"
I believe PB is a good manager and each season we are getting better

 

[AndyT]

It's been documented before that his win ratio is one of the highest in the club's history.

Still currently above 40%.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

We are a mid table league one side at best . The championship season proved that , as we couldn't find a way to get the players we needed to survive , we didn't fill the stadium then, and we will struggle now to fill even if we get a big FA cup draw...

but that is the beauty of being a Shrimper, facing adversity head on and enjoying the days at Wembley and away days with 400 of us ...

We lower league fans dream of bigger things, but the reality is harder.... but let's not run away with ourselves , we survive like so many with a hard core that moans and groans, but if our club gets better , we moan about day trippers and the like, as they get in the way !!33,000 at Wembley. We moaned about where weere these on a cold Tuesday night?

im in my 43rd season, and whilst it's hard now , it could be worse... ask the Hereford fans , and the rushdens ... they would happily change places

remember guys and girls. Once a blue always a blue......

 

[RHB]

No criticism from me Kevin. The thing about following SUFC is that you are in it for the long haul. But it then depends when the long haul starts. For some it is very recent and because they may have experienced more success than failure that will colour the views of many newer supporters.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

It's been documented before that his win ratio is one of the highest in the club's history.

Still currently above 40%.

Andy T , can't disagree with you on the numbers , but Brown plays such a mystifying range of tactics, and what we play is certainly not pretty ... I left my first game is twenty years early last month, I supply couldn't watch the dross anymore... and that is my worry ...our progress has ground to a halt, and his clean sheet mentality will surely bring more hair loss to myself and heart scares for too many to mention ....it's simply not good to watch...

good managemnt needs to realise that plugging away doing the same thing only makes people question the intelligence of those leading...

ive said it before and will again, we change our way of playing too many times when I really think that we confuse people who don't have the basic skills...

But then again , I'm just a simple fan that loves his club...

 

[mattitouk]

Not to mention Phil is our 6th longest serving manager in our clubs 111 year history (recently over taking David Jack 1934-1940)......Come to think of it, was he any relation to Bob Jack? one of our founding managers or just a surname coincidence?

Either which way, as long as we are winning more than we are losing under his management, I don't see a problem for now. We always have a blip, and also have a purple patch. Time will tell I guess.

 

[BrettieAngell]

We've definitely had worse and we have had better, i've never been a massive fan but i've never really shouted for his head either, so he must be generally do something right. Some people on here just seem to not like him whatever he does which is a bit bizzare.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

You (Kev) won't get much of a response from the anti Brown brigade, they made their mind up 2 seasons ago. He (Brown) isn't perfect, and he does do some unexplained things/selections but for me loyalty runs both ways.
Support the whole team, focus on the positives, identify negatives and move forward.

 

[AndyT]

ive said it before and will again, we change our way of playing too many times when I really think that we confuse people who don't have the basic skills...

That has been one of the only criticisms I have had and I agree with you.

Football is not as complex a game as pundits and the like make out.

Webby and Tilly had a simple 4-4-2 system and stuck to it rigidly and brought in the players they needed for that system.

Don't worry about the opposition. Just get our game plan right is all I would ask.

When PB has done this, we've gone on three very successful runs of form.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Not to mention Phil is our 6th longest serving manager in our clubs 111 year history (recently over taking David Jack 1934-1940)......Come to think of it, was he any relation to Bob Jack? one of our founding managers or just a surname coincidence?

.

He was his son. He went to Hamlet Court school then called Leigh Road. Plaque is in Hamlet Court Road.

 

[AndyT]

I'll look out for that plaque.

Didn't realize that was there. :thumbsup::cool:

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

it's in the residential end of Hamlet Court Road BTW. David Jack lived in The Drive and Mount Road Westcliff when he was manager. Feels funny having a great player living in the town. I remember reading that David Jack, his father who had returned to Southend after his time as one of Plymouth's best managers to do a bit of scouting (he lived in Nelson Road by Chalkwell school BTW, Jimmy Nelson who captained the 1932 Newcastle team in their cup final victory over Arsenal in 1932 (David Jack played for Arsenal in that game) and Jockie Wright a former SUFC player and friend of Bob Jack's met in Nelson's pub the Golden Lion and arranged for Jockie's son and Southend wonder kid Dougie Wright to be transfered to Newcastle. It was said if Dougie had not got injured in the war then he would have got more than his one England cap that he won in 1938.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Dougie wernt to Westborough school I forgot to mention.

 

[AndyT]

it's in the residential end of Hamlet Court Road BTW. David Jack lived in The Drive and Mount Road Westcliff when he was manager. Feels funny having a great player living in the town. I remember reading that David Jack, his father who had returned to Southend after his time as one of Plymouth's best managers to do a bit of scouting (he lived in Nelson Road by Chalkwell school BTW, Jimmy Nelson who captained the 1932 Newcastle team in their cup final victory over Arsenal in 1932 (David Jack played for Arsenal in that game) and Jockie Wright a former SUFC player and friend of Bob Jack's met in Nelson's pub the Golden Lion and arranged for Jockie's son and Southend wonder kid Dougie Wright to be transfered to Newcastle. It was said if Dougie had not got injured in the war then he would have got more than his one England cap that he won in 1938.

Top stuff and a little bit of our history that I knew nothing about.

Thanks for posting. :thumbsup:

 

[The Big Dady]

I'll look out for that plaque.

Didn't realize that was there. :thumbsup::cool:

The plaque is on the front wall of 254 Hamlet Court Road.

Loads more info here:-

https://www.shrimperstrust.co.uk/n_images/client/pdf/committee_blogs/30-04.09.14-rc.pdf

 

[AndyT]

Perfect and Much Obliged. Really good article, that. :thumbsup:

I might park up that way on Tuesday night and will have a look then.

Just Google Mapped it. Dead opposite Carisbrooke Road.

 

[RHB]

Not to mention Phil is our 6th longest serving manager in our clubs 111 year history (recently over taking David Jack 1934-1940)......Come to think of it, was he any relation to Bob Jack? one of our founding managers or just a surname coincidence?

Either which way, as long as we are winning more than we are losing under his management, I don't see a problem for now. We always have a blip, and also have a purple patch. Time will tell I guess.

The answer was not long coming courtesy of The Big Dady.

https://www.shrimperstrust.co.uk/n_images/client/pdf/committee_blogs/30-04.09.14-rc.pdf

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Only problem is Kev....as a supporter of a similar age we are running out of time.WHY can't we just be lucky like Bournemouth were.Just makes it worse when teams like Wimbledon, Wigan do more in 20 years than we have in over 100 years.

 

[Tommy2holes]

It's been documented before that his win ratio is one of the highest in the club's history.

Still currently above 40%.

That may be true but he also has been afforded the highest budget in Southend a history.