Escape the drop or relegation?

[RobM]

In our last 13 games we have gained thirteen points. We need a minimum of eighteen points from the remainder I think. Those two points lost due to Oldham's crossbar could be crucial.....

Against that, the woodwork has saved us on a few occasions too.

 

[Stuart W]

I think you need another poll.
How many fans base their opinion on one result?
I would wager if RHF's shot or EA's header had been a couple of inches lower, a number of people predicting relegation on this thread, would have voted the other way.
It will be the same after Tuesday; a scrappy ugly 1-0 win, and we will be safe; another draw and it's goodnight campers.
People need to look at the bigger picture; we were dead and buried in December. Now we have given ourselves a fighting chance. NOTHING will be settled for weeks yet and along the way there will likely be dismal performances, fighting performances and even outstanding performances a la Forest Green Rovers.
Until there are two or three games to go, nothing will be decided.
You might as well toss a coin before voting in this poll.
Enjoy the ride, it could be bumpy but it won't be dull.

 

[superblue24]

No one in this side is capable of scoring (outside of the occasional screamer). If we can't convert 3 points for the games we play well in, how can we hope to survive? People on here keep saying "it'll come", but I don't see it. Time after time I see our "strikers" miss the target, or pick the goalie out when they have the whole goal to aim at. Our inability to score goals will 100% be our downfall this season if someone doesn't start finding the target soon. It seems that Acquah gets himself in the best positions to convert, but messes it up every single time. 2 goals in 22 outings that boy. Akinola has 2 in 8, Goodship 1 in 16, RHF 1 in 10.

It's beyond a joke! At this point, we should be trying out others up front, not sure Halford is the key though.

 

[tottenham541]

Go and watch Great Wakering then......probably closer than Roots Hall.

Nothing wrong with non league football, I go quite a bit, mainly Harlow and bishop stortford, a lot better value and a fair few players would love a crack at league football and make it, I see Acquah play and score a few goal for Harlow when on loan, he was still rubbish but got the odd goal, I for one am looking forward to going to a fair few away games next season if we go down, it’ll make a massive change.

 

[graingerroad54]

Why does MM persist with just one up front when we have one foot in the NL? Next year what will he do about rebuilding as the loanees will return to their clubs rather than play in the NL. Or will Ron put him out of his misery before then

 

[tottenham541]

Why does MM persist with just one up front when we have one foot in the NL? Next year what will he do about rebuilding as the loanees will return to their clubs rather than play in the NL. Or will Ron put him out of his misery before then

Yep that’s it eh, it took a fair bit of rebuilding this season and it’ll be exactly the same next season, loans going back and contracts expired, it’ll be interesting for sure, for MM or the new manager.

 

[Fairport]

I don't think we were playing for a draw yesterday, we had 15 goal attempts. The problem is the lack of players who can finish or get into decent goalscoring positions, whether that's strikers or midfield players. All we can do is hope that somehow the players we have can convert the chances that come their way.

 

[Sentinel]

If we do go down I hope Col U go down with us!

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

TBH it's impossible to say. That's why bookies are rich and punters aren't. However I'd prefer to be playing well coming to the end of the season than those teams that are in a bad run. Few have mentioned that we seem to be forever playing rubbish teams even though some are at the top of the league and all are above us. This is because we are becoming really good at stopping them. We are fit (is this the fittest squad ever) and play an excellent pressing game. The team is just that a team. When could we really say that in the last few seasons. The problems are well documented but we created enough good chances yesterday to win a couple of games. Other managers are cottoning on to the fact that we are no easy touch but cannot score and I wonder if this will change their tactics. I've already said that we will stay up but it may go to the last game. The important thing for me is to hold on to MM who I believe may turn out to be the best manager in our history.

 

[blues exile]

The standard of football in L2 is abysmal and on their day, any team can beat another regardless of form or league position. Defensively, we are probably as good as anyone else and better than most but the new found solidity has come at a price. The FG goals apart, which were of the once in season variety, should not mask the fact that we just cannot score goals from even the most inviting opportunities. We should have won comfortably yesterday on the number of chances created but nobody could take advantage and it's unlikely that will change by the end of the season. Substitutions often change a game but when Akinola was replaced by a defensive midfielder leaving two other attacking options on the bench, you do wonder about MM's judgement.

 

[RHB]

I think you need another poll.
How many fans base their opinion on one result?
I would wager if RHF's shot or EA's header had been a couple of inches lower, a number of people predicting relegation on this thread, would have voted the other way.
It will be the same after Tuesday; a scrappy ugly 1-0 win, and we will be safe; another draw and it's goodnight campers.
People need to look at the bigger picture; we were dead and buried in December. Now we have given ourselves a fighting chance. NOTHING will be settled for weeks yet and along the way there will likely be dismal performances, fighting performances and even outstanding performances a la Forest Green Rovers.
Until there are two or three games to go, nothing will be decided.
You might as well toss a coin before voting in this poll.
Enjoy the ride, it could be bumpy but it won't be dull.

I wasn't, for one moment, basing this poll on one result, it was about how posters feel after 33 games and 13 to go. The poll runs for 7 weeks so there absolutely no need to vote now if you don't want to. Alternatively posters can vote now but change their vote as circumstances dictate. So there is no need for another poll as far as I'm concerned.

 

[kentblues]

The Oldham game alarmed me.
We were on top and Oldham were creating nothing. 3 points for the taking- and on come defenders and defensive midfielders with our attacking options left on the bench.
With our Southend 0 set up and mentality my fear is the statistical 8 further goals we will get this season will not be enough.

That said 13 games is a lot of games to make up gaps at the bottom where teams aren’t getting so many points.

 

[Stan33]

We need 47 points I reckon. That's 18 points from 13 matches. 3 draws, 5 wins, 5 defeats. That's a big ask. Which of the 13 games could we win? We have to think that we could win any of them but maybe the best chances are home to Walsall on 23rd March, home to Crawley on 10th April, Away to Colchester on 20th April, home to Orient on 24th April and home to Newport on the final day, 8th May. If we win all of those......I'll be surprised.

Is that a wind up ?????

 

[kentblues]

I don't think we were playing for a draw yesterday, we had 15 goal attempts. The problem is the lack of players who can finish or get into decent goalscoring positions, whether that's strikers or midfield players. All we can do is hope that somehow the players we have can convert the chances that come their way.

Playing CBs at RB and CF, bringing defensive midfielders on for forwards, is certainly more consistent with trying not to lose..

 

[Stan33]

Obviously hope we survive. But even if we do, how many of the current squad will still be here next season?.
We will still have a big rebuilding task ahead of us?.

Shall we worry about this season first

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

I don't think we will score enough goals to survive.
MM needs to tweak things slightly to give us a chance of staying up.
Particularly at home, until Olayinka is fit, I would play Holmes just behind Acquah. We need Ricky to impact games and he has a better chance of doing that if he's played more centrally, with Ferguson and Dieng providing the defensive cover in behind him. He doesn't have the pace anymore to be as effective playing wide left.
A lot of his energy is wasted having to track back providing defensive support.

 

[Danshrimper]

Why does MM persist with just one up front when we have one foot in the NL? Next year what will he do about rebuilding as the loanees will return to their clubs rather than play in the NL. Or will Ron put him out of his misery before then

Because the idea that playing 4-4-2 suddenly means scoring loads of goals is a complete myth.

 

[Stuart W]

I wasn't, for one moment, basing this poll on one result, it was about how posters feel after 33 games and 13 to go. The poll runs for 7 weeks so there absolutely no need to vote now if you don't want to. Alternatively posters can vote now but change their vote as circumstances dictate. So there is no need for another poll as far as I'm concerned.

I think you are missing my point. All I am saying is that whatever the poll says today, it will be heavily influenced by the latest result. If we had sneaked a 1-0 win yesterday, the current poll would be a lot different from what it shows now.
You may not be basing the poll on one result, but I bet a lot are.
Fans can be fickle, you only need to read the posts after the Boxing Day win against Col U and compare them 5/6 games later after our home defeat against Bradford City.
I would wager that if we had had a poll at the beginning of December it would have probably had 98% saying we would be relegated. I would guess your poll is currently around 45%/55% in favour of staying up.
I just think this will fluctuate wildly between now and the end of the season.
I'm not having a dig at your poll, more the validity of the results.

 

[40yearsafan]

I remember saying during the December optimism that this would go to the wire, my head says we are down but it will be tight.

On points per game so far, projected for the rest of the season it finishes something like:
Colchester 52 points
Port Vale 46 points
Barrow 43 points
Southend 40 points
Grimsby 36 points

More optimistically if you use last 6 form for everybody's remaining games it finishes:

Colchester 45 points
Barrow 44 points
Southend 42 points
Port Vale 38 points
Grimsby 32 points

We could be saved by the shocking late season form of some of our rivals.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Zoners have mentioned fluctuating results to determine optimism or pessimism.
But the truth is we're not getting the breaks.
Just when it looks as if we're on the up there is a dip; there are injuries; there are signings we didn't get: Akinde, for example, or just plain bad luck.
Actually, cancel 'luck'.
Sure, the odd deflection goes in off a backside, but you have to shoot in the first place.
We don't do it enough because we can't; we don't have the forward options.
We are a lot better than the first 15 games, but that wouldn't take much, and I've seen a lot of Southend sides over 59 years.
I hope, but the head says 'no'.
On the plus side, was never that enamoured with a new stadium further from the centre.