#Champions17/18

[TTS]

We know it's obvious...one bloke cannot see it though!

The one bloke that season on season here has improved our final standing. Good point you've made there...

 

[mrsblue]

That bloke could see much more than you....Fortune was head and shoulders above anyone else today, yet in your eyes not worth his contract?

No I said the length of deal was mad considering his age....he was superb today and long may his form continue.

Why was he hardly used in the run in...bizarre.

 

[Feathers]

Just reached the LDV final and were sitting a few points off the play offs. Proper floundering yeah. PB has had much worse periods in charge yet remained.

PB screwed up our LDV final by dropping the players that got us there, played Mohsni right out of position and then we finished the season lower than when Sturrock left us. We weren't floundering, we were going through a rough patch, just the same as PB has on more than one occasion

Sturrock did a brilliant job in his first season with us and something I doubt Brown could have.

We may have been a few points outside the play offs when Sturrock was sacked but were dropping like a stone after an appalling run of home games against teams all at the bottom of league 2. I have seen many poor games at Roots Hall under numerous managers but as a collection of games they rank as the worst I can remember.

It is easy to say Brown screwed up against Crewe but there is no guarantee that we would have fared any better under Sturrock and is disrespectful to what was at the time a pretty good Crewe team.

Since Brown has taken over we have improved year on year; not only achieving promotion but to an extent where we are disappointed at missing out on the play-offs.

You don't like Brown, that is your prerogative, but isn't it time you gave him credit for what Southend United have achieved in such a short time under his leadership.

 

[enfieldblue]

Lol, should see him later - I get a proper hug though, not a "man" one! Will pass on your best wishes. He's a great bloke, they're nearly all good with the kids. I liked the fact Lenny gave away his boots today and walked round in his socks, just something to make one youngster feel special.

was in the west today and for some unknown reason I thought he giving away his shin pads:'(

 

[Blues 'n twos]

No I said the length of deal was mad considering his age....he was superb today and long may his form continue.

Why was he hardly used in the run in...bizarre.

Sometimes you need to "dangle a carrot " to get the right players...in this case it was a decent contract, and worth every minute!

 

[RHB]

Also saw on twitter that Lenny gave his match shirt and training top to a couple of young supporters, what an absolute star he is! You wouldn't get a prem player doing that.

Christian Walton gave his gloves to a young lad in front of us. To say he was impressed was an understatement.

 

[rigsby]

Sometimes you need to "dangle a carrot " to get the right players...in this case it was a decent contract, and worth every minute!

Come on mate you know the rules....If a player leaves, its the clubs fault for not offering a decent contract. If a player stays we are mad for offering a decent contract.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Sturrock did a brilliant job in his first season with us and something I doubt Brown could have.

We may have been a few points outside the play offs when Sturrock was sacked but were dropping like a stone after an appalling run of home games against teams all at the bottom of league 2. I have seen many poor games at Roots Hall under numerous managers but as a collection of games they rank as the worst I can remember.

It is easy to say Brown screwed up against Crewe but there is no guarantee that we would have fared any better under Sturrock and is disrespectful to what was at the time a pretty good Crewe team.

Since Brown has taken over we have improved year on year; not only achieving promotion but to an extent where we are disappointed at missing out on the play-offs.

You don't like Brown, that is your prerogative, but isn't it time you gave him credit for what Southend United have achieved in such a short time under his leadership.

I was just making the point that Sturrock wasn't going through such a bad run as Brown has gone thru yet Sturrock deserved the sack but Brown didn't

 

[Blues 'n twos]

Come on mate you know the rules....If a player leaves, its the clubs fault for not offering a decent contract. If a player stays we are mad for offering a decent contract.

Ooopps sorry....how silly of me :dim:

Forgot to use my feminine sides mentality :smile:

 

[rigsby]

I was just making the point that Sturrock wasn't going through such a bad run as Brown has gone thru yet Sturrock deserved the sack but Brown didn't

Yep, Sturrock saved us and Brown promoted us..... So aren't we lucky that both of them and Ron have more good points than bad otherwise we would could be at the same level as Stockpot County.

Rather than worry about who should have played against Crew why don't you draw on the positives from this season and think about next.

 

[Fitz]

What the hell a post about whether we will be champions next year or not has to do with harking back to 2013....let's look forward with positivity to next season.

I for one hope Brown stays, we build on the squad we have a give it a right good go next season.

Feels weird football season finishing in April and with no international tournament a long summer without football!!

 

[buffalowolf]

seriously i dont think an 18 month contract is too long for a player off MAF calibre even if he is well into his 30s.He has maintained his fitness throughout his career ,seems to be a model professional to me ,a person who cares about his body and his health.See no reason he cant go another season.

 

[Feathers]

I was just making the point that Sturrock wasn't going through such a bad run as Brown has gone thru yet Sturrock deserved the sack but Brown didn't

It was the timing of the bad runs and relevant to the targets set to the managers by Ron Martin. Sturrock's goal was to achieve promotion, or at least the play offs. At the time he was sacked that looked very unlikely and the club were going backwards on the previous year.

We had a bad run under Brown last season but he had already achieved the target of securing our position in League One. The club were still on an upward curve.

Ron Martin is unusual in that he gives his managers time and with the case of appointing and keeping Phil Brown has to date been proven correct. The challenge comes next season as it will now become difficult for us to keep on that upward curve.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

It was the timing of the bad runs and relevant to the targets set to the managers by Ron Martin. Sturrock's goal was to achieve promotion, or at least the play offs. At the time he was sacked that looked very unlikely and the club were going backwards on the previous year.

We had a bad run under Brown last season but he had already achieved the target of securing our position in League One. The club were still on an upward curve.

Ron Martin is unusual in that he gives his managers time and with the case of appointing and keeping Phil Brown has to date been proven correct. The challenge comes next season as it will now become difficult for us to keep on that upward curve.

This says a lot about a man. Accepting a job when the current manager is still managing. I have no respect for anyone that does that

 

[AndyT]

I thought Luggy had intimated, at the time, that he wasn't likely to want to carry on the following season, due to his health, amongst other things?

This is a vague re-collection, in truth.

 

[JD]

1st job for Phil and Ron - Sign up Ferdinand, Thompson, White and Atkinson. Fend off bids for Lenny, Woody, and Cox.

2nd job - Release O'Neill, Hinds, Mooney and Nouble

Then comes the difficult bit. Signing above-average league one players takes deep pockets as you have to pay top dollar for them to even contemplate not having regular first team football.

Rons pockets have been deeper than we all thought this season but they are not deep enough to sign those extra quality players needed to top this division next season. So expect average league one players to back up the above.

Champions?.....no. Play-offs?.....possibly.

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

I've enjoyed this season, but ultimately a bad start and inconsistancy ended up biting us on the backside. I'm already positive and looking forward to next season and with a couple of signings we could even push for automatic; however, I've followed SUFC since 1963 and know that the complete opposite is also very possible

 

[Bratislava Blue]

That bloke could see much more than you....Fortune was head and shoulders above anyone else today, yet in your eyes not worth his contract?

Flew over for yesterdays game and saw Fortune for the first time. If he can put in performances like that for a whole season then we have a very talented player in our squad. His performance was outstanding.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Flew over for yesterdays game and saw Fortune for the first time. If he can put in performances like that for a whole season then we have a very talented player in our squad. His performance was outstanding.

One of the best players I've seen for some time, playing with his back to goal.

 

[bazzashrimper]

seriously i dont think an 18 month contract is too long for a player off MAF calibre even if he is well into his 30s.He has maintained his fitness throughout his career ,seems to be a model professional to me ,a person who cares about his body and his health.See no reason he cant go another season.

If we had offered him a contract to the end of the season, everyone sensible would want him to have another season. 18 months is clearly not too long.