Football - what do we love about it? (with a bit of Brown to Sunderland? thrown in)

[Rattus Norvegicus]

This is not a Brown in or Brown out post but all the really cracking games and players seem to be in the past - say, pre-Sturrock at least. Is that just being old and not getting so excited anymore or have we seen the last of players like Cadette, Crown, Butler, Ansah, Powell, Collymore, Eastwood (I could go on for ages) playing at Southend?

Perhaps this is due to finances, perhaps due to the manager(s) we have had. As said above Fry seemed to find exciting players with ease.

 

[AndyT]

I think we just get clouded by time.

We all think back to great goals and moments, forgetting that the other 89 minutes was probably dire viewing.

That great 1980-81 season, when we were unbeaten at home, being an example. Many of those games were 1-0 or even 0-0 and probably would bore us rigid if we had to sit through them again now.

 

[AndyT]

He was due to attend our school yesterday but never showed up, so I assume he was signing the Sunderland contract :nope:

Simon Cox and Michael Kightly were in attendance though and seemed like nice blokes. Oh and I got on TV so I am famous now

Many thanks, I have only started at Beauchamps since September, they seem to do a lot for girls football and have a good link with Southend. Me and Simon had a chat and when both of us were at school, girls football just did not exist. Kightly nearly got killed by one of our students though with a powerful shot!

Guess you've seen this 'Althorne' from the SUFC twitter feed :-

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

I think we just get clouded by time.

We all think back to great goals and moments, forgetting that the other 89 minutes was probably dire viewing.

That great 1980-81 season, when we were unbeaten at home, being an example. Many of those games were 1-0 or even 0-0 and probably would bore us rigid if we had to sit through them again now.

Not me, I loved season 80/81. Mind you finishing as Champions may just be clouding my memory of the games.

 

[AndyT]

Don't get me wrong, I did, as well.

Went to loads of away games that season, also, and the Friday night home games and a few beers in town afterwards were days I'll never forget.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

if the man was such a talented manager he would still be in the game at a decent level - he will always be a Southend great but he went as far as he could go manager wise.

Tilly was in a favourable position when he started to be Southend's Manager as he was managing all his team mates. He was very well liked as he is genuinely a nice bloke. So they all wanted to play for him, even tho he wasn't the greatest or most vociferous coach. He found it much harder at Lincoln under different circumstances.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

if the man was such a talented manager he would still be in the game at a decent level - he will always be a Southend great but he went as far as he could go manager wise.

Read my post mate, I do think that Tilly has talents to offer the game BUT he got lucky with the players he had and the team that they formed, my post was about statistics of win % AND also as this is a "Brown to Sunderland" thread also trying to illustrate that managers, like players (example Tomlin or Grant) sometimes need to take a move, signing fee, few years contract when they are at the "top" of their role.
That may be Mr Brown's position this season as next season who could guess if he will be employed anywhere?
And finally Tilly had offers from bigger clubs than us, both as a player and during his good management spell and stuck with us, missed out on some serious money AND history has shown that he might as well have taken the big bucks because his "stock" could hardly have ended up lower than it is now?

 

[rigsby]

Read my post mate, I do think that Tilly has talents to offer the game BUT he got lucky with the players he had and the team that they formed, my post was about statistics of win % AND also as this is a "Brown to Sunderland" thread also trying to illustrate that managers, like players (example Tomlin or Grant) sometimes need to take a move, signing fee, few years contract when they are at the "top" of their role.
That may be Mr Brown's position this season as next season who could guess if he will be employed anywhere?
And finally Tilly had offers from bigger clubs than us, both as a player and during his good management spell and stuck with us, missed out on some serious money AND history has shown that he might as well have taken the big bucks because his "stock" could hardly have ended up lower than it is now?

Surely Basildon ladies would be the pinnacle of any football managers career.

 

[onceknownasrab]

if the man was such a talented manager he would still be in the game at a decent level - he will always be a Southend great but he went as far as he could go manager wise.

I think it was complicated with Tilly. Some time before he was appointed I put it to RM that Tilly should be considered and felt he could do a job. I think the problem was that he was a good coach and a good manager in the making but as soon as he got the job it went from learning to doing and, as much as Brushy was there too, Tilly would have benefited from a director of football to learn from and continue his progression. I think Tilly should try and get back into league football as an assistant manger and start his career again. As long as history hasn't tainted his desire.

 

[turkishm]

I am not really sure, was Tilson just lucky with the team he inherited, or did he build it himself. You know im not quite sure weather he was a good manager or not.

 

[Southminster Shrimper]

I did thanks Andy. I unfortunately missed out that one as was talking to some of the work experience students:sad:

none of the year 7 students knew who Michael and Simon were. I was very upset. They could ask them some questions too so they asked Michael and Simon if they had any pets:stunned:

 

[AndyT]

Superb, love it ... and do they?

I think there's some more pics on the SUFC twitter feed, if you haven't seen them.

 

[Southminster Shrimper]

Superb, love it ... and do they?

I think there's some more pics on the SUFC twitter feed, if you haven't seen them.

Unfortunately i did not hear the answer! The students know im a Southend fan as i have the logo on my class door. The rules are that they must not enter if they support West Ham so no pencil cases with them on and of course no saying the 'c' word. **** is fine though:smile: i have indeed seen the other pictures thanks. They will be most welcome to come back so i can meet some more of the players!

 

[AndyT]

Top stuff and great work with the kids from your viewpoint.

Good to see the club supporting it, as well.

This is one of the reasons why just having a local football club in the league is such a great thing. Long may it continue. :thumbsup:

 

[Southminster Shrimper]

Agreed. Although the girls did not know who they were they enjoyed them being there and enjoyed Cox and Kightly playing in goal.

 

[LBBlue]

This is not a Brown in or Brown out post but all the really cracking games and players seem to be in the past - say, pre-Sturrock at least. Is that just being old and not getting so excited anymore or have we seen the last of players like Cadette, Crown, Butler, Ansah, Powell, Collymore, Eastwood (I could go on for ages) playing at Southend?

Perhaps this is due to finances, perhaps due to the manager(s) we have had. As said above Fry seemed to find exciting players with ease.

It's all about fitness and athleticism these days - not about players who can skilfully beat another player. When was the last time you saw a winger who could dribble. I'll add Ricky Otto, Colin Morris, John McKinven, Terry Johnson, and Martin Ling to your list. ( Even Scottie Houghton!)

 

[Blue Yonder]

The standard of player and football in league 1 and 2 is higher now than 30 years ago before the large influx of foreign players. Take all the foreign players out of the top two divisions and I suspect the players left would all move up a division. We've had stand out players going back but a lot we've managed to forget who wouldn't get a look in at league level now.

 

[AndyT]

I actually kind of think the reverse.

If suddenly all the money went from football. No live matches. No TV rights. No huge sponsorship. No foreign imports. No expensive match tickets. No ridiculous transfer fees.

If it all got removed and we started again with predominantly English players and maybe a few Scots, Irish and Welsh, would we really all be worse off? Would the entertainment be any less? Would we all move up a division?

The release of all the tut that parades around in the top two divisions would be replaced by local fellas who currently sit with squad numbers in the reserves and under 23's.

Players could still earn decent money, but not so it's ludicrous and is shipped out half the time to offshore investments and the like.

Some 'fans' might end up 'kicking and screaming' but for most, I would wager it would be a huge relief.

At least we'd be playing Oldham today, for a start!

 

[Blue Yonder]

I accept that better quality players don't necessarily mean better entertainment AndyT or that the mass import of players at the higher levels is all good. I do think the current squad 30 years ago would have held their own in the second tier.

 

[AndyT]

You could be right 'shrimper43'. It's difficult to know and compare.

Possibly some of our squad would be playing elsewhere if more opportunities were available higher up, which does suggest the quality is better in the lower leagues, these days, because of the foreign import of players.

Overall, though, for all the money wasted in football, is it any better?