Echo News Southend United boss Mark Molesley will not rush into making signings

[GBJ]

Yes but why ? Who was in charge at that time and what tactics did he use?

Come on mate, you can’t seriously hold MM responsible for the fact that we were ill-equipped to begin the season.

At the time of his appointment, some teams had been back in pre-season training for nearly a month.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Come on mate, you can’t seriously hold MM responsible for the fact that we were ill-equipped to begin the season.

At the time of his appointment, some teams had been back in pre-season training for nearly a month.

Of the 12 outfield players who featured in the second half of our last match, I think White was the only one to even complete the entirety of Molesley's shortened pre-season.

And he may have started late due to finishing last season injured.

 

[GBJ]

He certaintly wasn't but MM has been tasked to keep us out of the conference.He's manifestly not up to the job.

What would you do, if you were Ron?

We’ve got 5 days before the transfer window shuts. We’ve got an injury list which is beginning to rack up again. We’ve got transfer targets turning us down left, right and centre, and we have no money to dig ourselves out of trouble.

Sacking MM (and his backroom team), would only add to our ever growing list of monies owed.

We would then need to somehow find the funds to appoint a new man/team, who would have to accept the job knowing that he will inherit the same players, the same injury problems, the same money troubles & the same expectant chairman. Oh and he’d have just 14-weeks to save the club.

We, as a fanbase, have to learn that throwing money around constantly, isn’t good for business. It’s just not sustainable. In fact, the reason we’re in this mess, is because we spent more money than we could afford. Do you honestly think the answer to our problems is to spend even more?

I’ve said this several times over, we should have stuck with Chris Powell - even if it meant relegation - and allowed him to try and rebuild this club. There’s not a chance we’d be worse off, than we are right now.

 

[GBJ]

Of the 12 outfield players who featured in the second half of our last match, I think White was the only one to even complete the entirety of Molesley's shortened pre-season.

And he may have started late due to finishing last season injured.

“Shortened pre-season”, doesn’t do it justice. We had four and a half weeks, IIRC. A typical pre-season is 6-7 weeks long... and that’s without the 5-month Covid break.

We were one of the last teams to go into pre-season training. The writing was on the wall, even back then.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

What would you do, if you were Ron?

We’ve got 5 days before the transfer window shuts. We’ve got an injury list which is beginning to rack up again. We’ve got transfer targets turning us down left, right and centre, and we have no money to dig ourselves out of trouble.

Sacking MM (and his backroom team), would only add to our ever growing list of monies owed.

We would then need to somehow find the funds to appoint a new man/team, who would have to accept the job knowing that he will inherit the same players, the same injury problems, the same money troubles & the same expectant chairman. Oh and he’d have just 14-weeks to save the club.

We, as a fanbase, have to learn that throwing money around constantly, isn’t good for business. It’s just not sustainable. In fact, the reason we’re in this mess, is because we spent more money than we could afford. Do you honestly think the answer to our problems is to spend even more?

I’ve said this several times over, we should have stuck with Chris Powell - even if it meant relegation - and allowed him to try and rebuild this club. There’s not a chance we’d be worse off, than we are right now.

14 weeks to save the club ....

I agree with the Powell comment but you cannot turn the clock back - that is not an answer.

14 weeks to save the club and you still actually think MM and his crew are the answer ... ...

92nd with 14 weeks to go - please, please they are the answer - please let my let all my worries and doubts be completely wrong .. please .. please let MM get us a few points and get us out of this.

I cannot imagine watching non-league football... TBH - league 2 is horrific.

 

[Danshrimper]

It'll be the last 3 games after tonight.

It probably will be yes. But that’s down to injuries and suspensions. That’s out of MMs control and not really reflective of how the rest of the season will go. Losing tonight won’t relegate us. Ultimately, our fate will be decided by whether we are able to strengthen in this window or not. 2 or 3 more signings and some good luck (or at least not our usual terrible luck) with injuries and MM has the ability to keep us up as he was able to display in December with a near full strength squad.

 

[Barry.C]

Just going back briefly to something we call tippy tappy, which was awful to watch, I wondered when it really started to become the in thing. Where did all that thinking and coaching come from, Who in their right minds could have even thought it vaguely entertaining, if getting punters through gates was an ultimate ambition?

Anyhow I mention it because we often said on here we were just not good enough and capable of doing it at this level, but I wonder how many have noticed recently just how many complete bal..s ups are being made because of it in virtually every Premiership game, Certainly the ones Ive watched lately and that includes exactly the same mistakes made that we watched, by players from the likes of Man Utd and Liverpool, its just as comical

 

[Rayleigh boy]

MM has the ability to keep us up as he was able to display in December with a near full strength squad.

well thats ok then ..

just because he has led us to 92nd does not mean I should be worried

 

[GBJ]

14 weeks to save the club and you still actually think MM and his crew are the answer ... ...

We’ll have to wait and see I guess.

Remember though, firstly, I was never an MM man from the start. And secondly, I was the one who was saying we’d be in for a relegation battle all summer. I was the one saying I’d happily take 22nd place, before a ball was kicked. I was the one who has said repeatedly that this will get worse before it gets better.

None of this season has come as a shock to me. We were set up for failure, and the writing was on the wall back in the summer.

What we need now, for the sake of our mid/long term future, is to learn from our mistakes. The same continuous mistakes we’ve made ever since axing Phil Brown. We need to focus on the fundamentals. We need to adopt an identity. We need to instill a philosophy & a style of play. We need a settled, balanced squad. We need players who are learning & improving all the time. We need to stop living beyond our means and trying to buy success.

I don’t want to jump the shark, but I’d be more than happy to stick with MM if the worst was to happen, because the alternative is we risk reliving this whole process again, and the downward spiral continues. If you think the prospect of non-league looks bad, you’d hate to see what comes below that.

 

[rigsby]

Then please explain why we're still stuck at the bottom of L2.

Its been said on here a number of times. If you don't understand now you never will.

A positive note and glad to see you have fully immersed your self in Spanish culture. Assume your team can buy who they like and demand the mangers head if you lose two in a row.

Im sure you will be waving your white hankie 1minute into tonights game.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

Why emphasise 92nd when criticising MM? I don’t remember him being the one that got us relegated to League 2.

he has been the current manager of Southend United for the season 2020-2021 ..

he takes the money - he takes the responsibility -

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

It probably will be yes. But that’s down to injuries and suspensions. That’s out of MMs control and not really reflective of how the rest of the season will go. Losing tonight won’t relegate us. Ultimately, our fate will be decided by whether we are able to strengthen in this window or not. 2 or 3 more signings and some good luck (or at least not our usual terrible luck) with injuries and MM has the ability to keep us up as he was able to display in December with a near full strength squad.

Since you're so interested in our recent form, our record since 29th December reads LWDLL.

That's one win in 5 games almost certainly one win in 6 after tonight.That's relegation form, especially considering where we are in L2 atm.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

What would you do, if you were Ron?

We’ve got 5 days before the transfer window shuts. We’ve got an injury list which is beginning to rack up again. We’ve got transfer targets turning us down left, right and centre, and we have no money to dig ourselves out of trouble.

Sacking MM (and his backroom team), would only add to our ever growing list of monies owed.

We would then need to somehow find the funds to appoint a new man/team, who would have to accept the job knowing that he will inherit the same players, the same injury problems, the same money troubles & the same expectant chairman. Oh and he’d have just 14-weeks to save the club.

We, as a fanbase, have to learn that throwing money around constantly, isn’t good for business. It’s just not sustainable. In fact, the reason we’re in this mess, is because we spent more money than we could afford. Do you honestly think the answer to our problems is to spend even more?

I’ve said this several times over, we should have stuck with Chris Powell - even if it meant relegation - and allowed him to try and rebuild this club. There’s not a chance we’d be worse off, than we are right now.

I'm not arguing for MM to be sacked.IMO he owns our performances and results all this season.

FWIW,I think the Chairman should back the manager in what will probably be his last tranfer window with us.That means bringing in a creative midfield player and striker.With that we might have achance of avoiding the drop.

I fully concur with your last comment but then hindsight is always a wonderful thing.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

We’ll have to wait and see I guess.

Remember though, firstly, I was never an MM man from the start. And secondly, I was the one who was saying we’d be in for a relegation battle all summer. I was the one saying I’d happily take 22nd place, before a ball was kicked. I was the one who has said repeatedly that this will get worse before it gets better.

None of this season has come as a shock to me. We were set up for failure, and the writing was on the wall back in the summer.

What we need now, for the sake of our mid/long term future, is to learn from our mistakes. The same continuous mistakes we’ve made ever since axing Phil Brown. We need to focus on the fundamentals. We need to adopt an identity. We need to instill a philosophy & a style of play. We need a settled, balanced squad. We need players who are learning & improving all the time. We need to stop living beyond our means and trying to buy success.

I don’t want to jump the shark, but I’d be more than happy to stick with MM if the worst was to happen, because the alternative is we risk reliving this whole process again, and the downward spiral continues. If you think the prospect of non-league looks bad, you’d hate to see what comes below that.

So did I .But the chances of our achieving even 22nd place atm look limited to me.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Its been said on here a number of times. If you don't understand now you never will.

A positive note and glad to see you have fully immersed your self in Spanish culture. Assume your team can buy who they like and demand the mangers head if you lose two in a row.

Im sure you will be waving your white hankie 1minute into tonights game.

Just because I think we're going to lose doesn't mean that I hope that's what's going to happen.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

whatever ....

I am sure we are all totally desperate for us to win tonight -

 

[Danshrimper]

Since you're so interested in our recent form, our record since 29th December reads LWDLL.

That's one win in 5 games almost certainly one win in 6 after tonight.That's relegation form, especially considering where we are in L2 atm.

You’re the one that keeps bringing up recent form, not me. I’ve only mentioned post-embargo form as I feel as it’s the fairest way to judge the job MM has done. The side prior to the embargo being lifted clearly wasn’t good enough for L2.

In those 5 games we played Orient and Cambridge, 2 of the best sides in the division. Mansfield were also a lot better than their league position suggests.

well thats ok then ..

just because he has led us to 92nd does not mean I should be worried

You’re right, MM has led us to 92nd. Nothing that has happened at the club prior to the arrival of MM has anything to do with the current position we are in. There has been no other factors since MM arrived, like a transfer embargo for the first 3 months of the season, that have had any impact on our position either.

 

[LBBlue]

Back in the day -Fourth Division clubs could sign decent footballers from First Division and Second Division clubs - Phil Chisnall, Eddie Clayton, Dave Elliott, Colin Morris, Paul Sansome and we were quite attractive to decent pros from clubs in the bottom two divisions -David Crown, Peter Butler, Martin Ling, Adding the occasional home grown product and a non league snip every now and again we put together a decent side.

What happens now - League 2 is almost made up with players from non league with limited talent being supplied by the well over 30s supplemented with very green loanees from the top two divisions.

Just look at the list of top scorers in the Bottom Division in 2004/5 all more than decent players

Phil Jevons, Andy Kirk, John Parkin, Lee Trundle, Nathan Tyson, Simon Yeo, Freddie Eastwood, Paul Hayes, Grant Holt, Lee Steele, Tommy Mooney, Scott McGleish. The first 7 all scored over 20 goals.

Even 10 years ago Luggy was able to pull together enough decent pro footballers to stop the rot.

What have we got now? 24 teams with limited talent who all look like each other. Crawley unearthed a potential talent in Watters, had him for less than 20 games and sold him to Championship club for £1m which less than 7 days later sacked their manager.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

You’re right, MM has led us to 92nd. Nothing that has happened at the club prior to the arrival of MM has anything to do with the current position we are in. There has been no other factors since MM arrived, like a transfer embargo for the first 3 months of the season, that have had any impact on our position either.

All managers at all football club have issues to deal with... budgets, injuries, boardrooms, chairmen, legacy of former regimes, players with problems, pandemics, the EFL - big crowds, low crowds, high expectations. low expectations ...

Some have a difficult hand some have a less difficult hand.

It is winners and losers.. Some managers win, some lose.

 

[rigsby]

All managers at all football club have issues to deal with... budgets, injuries, boardrooms, chairmen, legacy of former regimes, players with problems, pandemics, the EFL - big crowds, low crowds, high expectations. low expectations ...

Some have a difficult hand some have a less difficult hand.

It is winners and losers.. Some managers win, some lose.

Not all arrive after Sol and have to deal with the mess he created.