ShrimperChris
First XI
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2007
- Messages
- 391
In my quite short time as a Southend fan, for me the choices are the predictable but doubtlessly impressive Steve Tilson as manager and Freddy Eastwood as player.
Tilly v Webby is a really difficult one. Webby had us challenging to be premier league founders and laid the foundation for six(?) seasons in the second tier. Tilly also did the consecutive promotions but has failed (so far!) to get us challenging in the second tier, let alone established.
It was a different era then, though. Not taking anything away from what Webby's side achieved in the early 90s but the second tier wasn't awash with cash like it is today. In 91/92 we competed in that league with the likes of Cambridge, Bristol Rovers, Port Vale, Swindon, Brighton, Grimsby, Tranmere, Millwall and Oxford. Even the bigger clubs in that league weren't the miles away from us financially that they would be now.
In 06/07 we were up against big clubs with big stadiums earning them big gate receipts. Add that to the parachute payments that several clubs were earning and we were fighting a losing battle from day one. Us, Luton & Colchester had much smaller budgets than anyone else at the level and whilst Col U did well to keep their heads above water they showed the next season that there's only so much time that a small club can spend swimming against the tide in the modern game.
As for the topic in hand, I'll go for Steve Tilson and Mike Marsh.
Thistle-arse Fergie would be best manager if they had just won and worst manager if they had just lost.......
I was in Manchester the day after they lost the Champions League Semi-Final in 2007, and I've never heard such fickle BS - 'Fergie can't sign a decent midfield player' was one pearl of wisdom (Paul Ince, Roy Keane, Owen Hargreaves - all crap).
Tilly v Webby is a really difficult one.
I think I'm going to give it Webby, on the basis that the 1990-91/91-92 team was so young and so many of them went onto play top flight football. Royce, Austin, Powell, Edinburgh, Prior, Butler, Ling and Angell all went onto grace the top flight, whilst Tilly's best signings (Eastwood, Bailey, Guttridge) have only gone onto play championship football.