Evening Echo
The News
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- Jun 14, 2011
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SOUTHEND United are facing their second survival fight of the season.
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Echo News Southend United facing survival fight of a different kind
- Thread starter Evening Echo
- Start date
Supershrimper
First XI⭐
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Messages
- 3,246
SOUTHEND United are facing their second survival fight of the season.
The Shrimpers arguably upset the odds by starting the season amid extreme financial issues.
And they certainly exceeded expectation on the pitch by brushing aside a huge number of hurdles to pick up points courtesy of pleasing performances.
Slowly but surely Blues have battled off the pitch to keep the club alive and, despite unwanted delays, those involved in the deal continue to insist it remains very much in place for the consortium headed up by Justin Rees to take control.
In reality, the consortium are already running things at Roots Hall - lifting the transfer embargo, paying staff, handing out new contracts and bringing in new players.
But just when it seemed the problems should be over and the future should be bright another huge issue has raised its ugly head, relegation.
The shambolic way the Shrimpers had been run at the start of the season resulted in a 10 point penalty which meant there was little room for error for Kevin Maher’s side this season.
A truer reflection of the team’s efforts in the most testing of times does come without the deduction of those points.
However, the stark reality of the situation is that Blues find themselves on the brink of the relegation zone after a poor run of results.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at bottom of the table Oxford City made it four games without a win and a goal for the Shrimpers.
But the concerning statistics do not stop there.
Blues have now triumphed just three times in 10 games and had been beaten six times in nine outings before Saturday’s first goalless draw of the season.
It is not rocket science to spot the root of the issues either as the Shrimpers have now gone 450 minutes without scoring a goal from open play.
And it is a situation which must be sorted if Blues are to work their way out of trouble.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
Blues boss Maher went with Henry Sandat alongside Harry Cardwell in attack at the RAW Charging Stadium, a partnership – which according to statistics – should have helped kick-start Cardwell’s season.
However, the Shrimpers were again unable to make a breakthrough and the lack of goals is becoming an increasing concern.
Much has been made of Blues being guilty of over-passing at times and that more shots must be taken and I’d agree certain players have been guilty of that recently.
But the statistics show that Southend had 23 shots at the weekend so that switches the attention back onto the quality of the efforts rather than the quantity.
Put simply, Blues need more from their players in the final third.
And they are more than capable of delivering.
I’m a big fan of Noor Husin but a player of his talents should not be going 16 games without a single goal or assist and Wes Fonguck should also contribute more given the excellent positions he works his way into.
Fonguck -more than any other midfielder – shows excellent intent and awareness to pop up in good areas.
But he also needs to work on his end product given he has just three goal involvements from 28 appearances this season.
Jack Bridge should also have more than one goal from open play with the talent he possesses while Harry Cardwell – who has shown he has the capabilities to be a regular goalscorer -has now netted just one in 12 games.
It should be seen as a collective effort from all areas of the pitch rather than just the strikers and, with that in mind, set-pieces are another area where improvements can be made.
With the likes of Nathan Ralph, Adam Crowther, Gus Scott-Morriss, Harry Cardwell and Marcus Dackers in the box, Blues should be a real threat from dead ball deliveries.
But the free-kicks and corners were woeful at the weekend.
Confidence and belief is now an issue in front of goal and that will remain the same whatever system the Shrimpers line up in.
As boring as it sounds, it is now simply about continuing to play the percentages and keep getting in the right kind of areas to score.
With that comes an increased chance of scoring and ultimately survival.
But with some very tough fixtures on the horizon, it is looking far from straightforward for the Shrimpers.
And their battles during the most challenging of season are most definitely not over yet.
The Shrimpers arguably upset the odds by starting the season amid extreme financial issues.
And they certainly exceeded expectation on the pitch by brushing aside a huge number of hurdles to pick up points courtesy of pleasing performances.
Slowly but surely Blues have battled off the pitch to keep the club alive and, despite unwanted delays, those involved in the deal continue to insist it remains very much in place for the consortium headed up by Justin Rees to take control.
In reality, the consortium are already running things at Roots Hall - lifting the transfer embargo, paying staff, handing out new contracts and bringing in new players.
But just when it seemed the problems should be over and the future should be bright another huge issue has raised its ugly head, relegation.
The shambolic way the Shrimpers had been run at the start of the season resulted in a 10 point penalty which meant there was little room for error for Kevin Maher’s side this season.
A truer reflection of the team’s efforts in the most testing of times does come without the deduction of those points.
However, the stark reality of the situation is that Blues find themselves on the brink of the relegation zone after a poor run of results.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at bottom of the table Oxford City made it four games without a win and a goal for the Shrimpers.
But the concerning statistics do not stop there.
Blues have now triumphed just three times in 10 games and had been beaten six times in nine outings before Saturday’s first goalless draw of the season.
It is not rocket science to spot the root of the issues either as the Shrimpers have now gone 450 minutes without scoring a goal from open play.
And it is a situation which must be sorted if Blues are to work their way out of trouble.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
Blues boss Maher went with Henry Sandat alongside Harry Cardwell in attack at the RAW Charging Stadium, a partnership – which according to statistics – should have helped kick-start Cardwell’s season.
However, the Shrimpers were again unable to make a breakthrough and the lack of goals is becoming an increasing concern.
Much has been made of Blues being guilty of over-passing at times and that more shots must be taken and I’d agree certain players have been guilty of that recently.
But the statistics show that Southend had 23 shots at the weekend so that switches the attention back onto the quality of the efforts rather than the quantity.
Put simply, Blues need more from their players in the final third.
And they are more than capable of delivering.
I’m a big fan of Noor Husin but a player of his talents should not be going 16 games without a single goal or assist and Wes Fonguck should also contribute more given the excellent positions he works his way into.
Fonguck -more than any other midfielder – shows excellent intent and awareness to pop up in good areas.
But he also needs to work on his end product given he has just three goal involvements from 28 appearances this season.
Jack Bridge should also have more than one goal from open play with the talent he possesses while Harry Cardwell – who has shown he has the capabilities to be a regular goalscorer -has now netted just one in 12 games.
It should be seen as a collective effort from all areas of the pitch rather than just the strikers and, with that in mind, set-pieces are another area where improvements can be made.
With the likes of Nathan Ralph, Adam Crowther, Gus Scott-Morriss, Harry Cardwell and Marcus Dackers in the box, Blues should be a real threat from dead ball deliveries.
But the free-kicks and corners were woeful at the weekend.
Confidence and belief is now an issue in front of goal and that will remain the same whatever system the Shrimpers line up in.
As boring as it sounds, it is now simply about continuing to play the percentages and keep getting in the right kind of areas to score.
With that comes an increased chance of scoring and ultimately survival.
But with some very tough fixtures on the horizon, it is looking far from straightforward for the Shrimpers.
And their battles during the most challenging of season are most definitely not over yet.
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