For those who weren't around last time

[fbm]

This is written for those who weren't around the last time we got promoted to this league in 1991.

You will see Southend play a brand of football you haven't seen before and which you may have thought they were not even capable of playing. Hoofball of any description will be out, especially from the opposition, unless we happen to draw a lower league team in the cup and then we will struggle to cope with the direct tactics.

The ball will be on the deck a lot, and there will be triangles of passes between the midfield and the full backs. At times it will be delightful.

There will be a game or two in the first couple of months where we will get beaten by a late goal. This was one of our downfalls last time - we only played for 90 minutes and the opposition usually played for 90 + injury time.

At Christmas we will all be pleasantly surprised by our position. We will sit comfortably in the top half, maybe even top 4 or 5, simply because we will be an unknown quantity. Our weapon of surprise will work very much in our favour as teams fail to suss us out. We will achieve some high profile wins at the Hall against big teams like Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves and it will **** them off greatly as they would expect to have us down for a 6 point banker. We may even get wins at places like QPR, Derby and Leeds. Who knows?

The second half of the season will be a different ball game. Surprise will no longer be in our armoury and we will be thankful we amassed so many points in the first half of the season.

Predicted finishing position - 12th (which will be our highest ever, by the way).


You heard it here first, folks.

 

[Suomi Shrimper]

Well put and excellently written as usual!

My first game was against Charlton, Xmas 1993 in the old Division One, and that was probably the best football I've seen in a Southend match in twelve and a half years. That is until our promotion party at the Liberty just a few months ago, which was one of the finest matches I've seen in a long time, with both sides playing real football. I can't wait until 3pm on the 5th August and we get a whole season of even higher quality football, and hopefully many more to come in the future!

 

[palexander]

Quote[/b] (Brum Uni Shrimper @ July 27 2006,02:11)]Well put and excellently written as usual!

My first game was against Charlton, Xmas 1993 in the old Division One, and that was probably the best football I've seen in a Southend match in twelve and a half years. That is until our promotion party at the Liberty just a few months ago, which was one of the finest matches I've seen in a long time, with both sides playing real football. I can't wait until 3pm on the 5th August and we get a whole season of even higher quality football, and hopefully many more to come in the future!

Some of our games in the first season in Division 2 were a joy!

I remember some cracking games (home and away) to Charlton and games against Swindon always used to be excellent as both sides played great football - one in particular was a 3-2 win for Southend, with Brett Angell scoring one of my all-time favourite Southend goals!

I agree FBM, when we got promoted last time it was superb, but maybe I was a little too young to fully appreciate what had happened to the club I supported from Division 4 (I was 15).

Now, I'm going to savour every moment!

 

[J]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ July 27 2006,00:09)]Predicted finishing position - 12th (which will be our highest ever, by the way).


You heard it here first, folks.

joint highest..

i think we will finish second or top.. you heard it here first

 

[steveo1]

FBM, did you write a similar piece at the start of last season, ending in a prediction of our finishing position?

Would be interested to see it if you did.

 

[fbm]

Quote[/b] (steveo1 @ July 27 2006,08:29)]FBM, did you write a similar piece at the start of last season, ending in a prediction of our finishing position?

Would be interested to see it if you did.

Oh, almost certainly, I mean I must have done... and I would have called it exactly, predicting the title, oh yes, just can't find it on a search...

Don't think so stevo1

 

[Jam_Man]

Yep thats the way it panned out last time, lets hope it does this time too.

Im actually not worried too much about relegation as Im hoping our first few months will see us do ok off the back of previous success, after that it will get harder.

Im actually missing 3 out of the 4 first home games so Im hoping when I see the 5th we wont be struggling near the bottom. If we get a decentish start under our belts we will be ok, but if we get 6 games in and are in the bottom 5 it will be very hard to get out.

 

[KrustyTheKray]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ July 27 2006,00:09)]This is written for those who weren't around the last time we got promoted to this league in 1991.

You will see Southend play a brand of football you haven't seen before and which you may have thought they were not even capable of playing.  Hoofball of any description will be out, especially from the opposition, unless we happen to draw a lower league team in the cup and then we will struggle to cope with the direct tactics.

The ball will be on the deck a lot, and there will be triangles of passes between the midfield and the full backs.  At times it will be delightful.

There will be a game or two in the first couple of months where we will get beaten by a late goal.  This was one of our downfalls last time - we only played for 90 minutes and the opposition usually played for 90 + injury time.

At Christmas we will all be pleasantly surprised by our position.  We will sit comfortably in the top half, maybe even top 4 or 5, simply because we will be an unknown quantity.  Our weapon of surprise will work very much in our favour as teams fail to suss us out.  We will achieve some high profile wins at the Hall against big teams like Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves and it will **** them off greatly as they would expect to have us down for a 6 point banker.  We may even get wins at places like QPR, Derby and Leeds.  Who knows?

The second half of the season will be a different ball game.  Surprise will no longer be in our armoury and we will be thankful we amassed so many points in the first half of the season.

Predicted finishing position - 12th (which will be our highest ever, by the way).


You heard it here first, folks.

Superb post, i couldn't agree more!

I was there when we tanked Newcastle 4-0 on new years day!

We will be nicely surprised next season!

UP THE BLUES!

 

[SUFC_Al]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ July 27 2006,10:06)]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ July 27 2006,00:09)]This is written for those who weren't around the last time we got promoted to this league in 1991.

You will see Southend play a brand of football you haven't seen before and which you may have thought they were not even capable of playing.  Hoofball of any description will be out, especially from the opposition, unless we happen to draw a lower league team in the cup and then we will struggle to cope with the direct tactics.

The ball will be on the deck a lot, and there will be triangles of passes between the midfield and the full backs.  At times it will be delightful.

There will be a game or two in the first couple of months where we will get beaten by a late goal.  This was one of our downfalls last time - we only played for 90 minutes and the opposition usually played for 90 + injury time.

At Christmas we will all be pleasantly surprised by our position.  We will sit comfortably in the top half, maybe even top 4 or 5, simply because we will be an unknown quantity.  Our weapon of surprise will work very much in our favour as teams fail to suss us out.  We will achieve some high profile wins at the Hall against big teams like Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves and it will **** them off greatly as they would expect to have us down for a 6 point banker.  We may even get wins at places like QPR, Derby and Leeds.  Who knows?

The second half of the season will be a different ball game.  Surprise will no longer be in our armoury and we will be thankful we amassed so many points in the first half of the season.

Predicted finishing position - 12th (which will be our highest ever, by the way).


You heard it here first, folks.

Superb post, i couldn't agree more!

I was there when we tanked Newcastle 4-0 on new years day!

We will be nicely surprised next season!

UP THE BLUES!

that was an amazing day, never forget that as long as I live

4-0 to top the league on new yeras day 1992!

 

[sufcintheprem]

Considering I hadn't hit double figures last time round, I can't claim to remember much of it. Certainly didn't appreciate the difference between good and bad football. My most vivid recollection of an early game was us tonking Reading. My mum tried to explain that this was about as good as it was likely to get but when you have no previous seasons, it's difficult to appreciate that!

Really looking forward to the new season and currently got all 4 of our first games pencilled in the diary.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

It is going to be awesome, i was far too young last time round, I was 4.

I cant wait for it all to start, but I do think that we will do ok, and pull off some shocks, like last year, we will certainly do the best out of the new boys!

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (Marky_Gower @ July 27 2006,10:41)]Superb post, i couldn't agree more!

I was there when we tanked Newcastle 4-0 on new years day!

We will be nicely surprised next season!

UP THE BLUES!

that was an amazing day, never forget that as long as I live

4-0 to top the league on new yeras day 1992![/QUOTE]
There was a company who produced T Shirts and sweatshirt abount memorable matches, I have one at home somewhere for this game, showing the program, various newspaper headlines , the league table etc. One headline was , I think, "Southend have the Ansah"

That was the beginning of Newcastle's rise to the top. IIRC the next game they lost to west brom, sacked Ardiles in came Keegan and the rest is History .
What always bugs me is when the press mention Mewcastles Loyal fans. When they played us at St James's earlier in the season (they won 3-2 Tilly & Angell) the crowd was only 14,740 (© sufcdb.co.uk )

back on topic, Also expect oposition fans moaning when they don't thrash us "it was only Southend "...
Any reputed "Big Clubs" sacking managers should we thump them
Managers and overpaid primadonna's moaning about the state of the dressing rooms
Cockles , jellied eels, east enders on holiday, candy floss, essex girls , white high heels and Ford escorts being mentioned with nauseating regularity in the media

 

[KrustyTheKray]

Quote[/b] (Marky_Gower @ July 27 2006,10:41)]

Quote[/b] (TonyTheKray @ July 27 2006,10:06)]

Quote[/b] (fbm @ July 27 2006,00:09)]This is written for those who weren't around the last time we got promoted to this league in 1991.

You will see Southend play a brand of football you haven't seen before and which you may have thought they were not even capable of playing.  Hoofball of any description will be out, especially from the opposition, unless we happen to draw a lower league team in the cup and then we will struggle to cope with the direct tactics.

The ball will be on the deck a lot, and there will be triangles of passes between the midfield and the full backs.  At times it will be delightful.

There will be a game or two in the first couple of months where we will get beaten by a late goal.  This was one of our downfalls last time - we only played for 90 minutes and the opposition usually played for 90 + injury time.

At Christmas we will all be pleasantly surprised by our position.  We will sit comfortably in the top half, maybe even top 4 or 5, simply because we will be an unknown quantity.  Our weapon of surprise will work very much in our favour as teams fail to suss us out.  We will achieve some high profile wins at the Hall against big teams like Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves and it will **** them off greatly as they would expect to have us down for a 6 point banker.  We may even get wins at places like QPR, Derby and Leeds.  Who knows?

The second half of the season will be a different ball game.  Surprise will no longer be in our armoury and we will be thankful we amassed so many points in the first half of the season.

Predicted finishing position - 12th (which will be our highest ever, by the way).


You heard it here first, folks.

Superb post, i couldn't agree more!

I was there when we tanked Newcastle 4-0 on new years day!

We will be nicely surprised next season!

UP THE BLUES!

that was an amazing day, never forget that as long as I live

4-0 to top the league on new yeras day 1992!

Me too, the North Bank was well and trully rocking that day!

That game has got to be one of the best SUFC game's ive seen!

Along with the 3-0 drubbing of Blackburn on a bonfire night!

 

[OlvisIII]

The speed of passing is so much quicker as well - I will never forget first home game against Bristol City and thinking we were so slow comparitively and they weren't the best team.

Comparing to last time - lets hope we have a good start again, but hopefully Tilly and Martin will stay on friendlier terms than Webby and Jobson!

 

[Joolz]

While I agree with most of what fbm says, I think some of us are having a selective memory when it comes to the quality of football on display. There was plenty of hoofball, just not as much.

 

[Mad Cyril]

I remember a lot Leicester, Wolves and Derby County fans seemd to have terrible moustaches for some reason. Even those in their early 20's.

 

[Joolz]

Should also add that quality football and entertaining football are not neccessarily one and the same. There were some dire & boring games, especially in our last couple of seasons at that level.

That said, I am really looking forward to the new season - honest!

 

[IANichols]

I wasn't our first season in the old Div One aka Championship might of been second season but beating the Hamsters 1-0 at Roots Hall, Collymore broke down the wing beat two players one of which may of been Julian Dicks, crossed it and Brettie Angel rammed in from 12 yards

If you thought the Hall rocked with the win over Bristol City this year those that remember us beating West Ham in a proper competitve game was brilliant, you could go to work, school, college and really give it some the next day

 

[C C Csiders]

Quote[/b] (IANichols @ July 27 2006,13:27)]I wasn't our first season in the old Div One aka Championship might of been second season but beating the Hamsters 1-0 at Roots Hall, Collymore broke down the wing beat two players one of which may of been Julian Dicks, crossed it and Brettie Angel rammed in from 12 yards

Well, take about 7 yards off that. For me the most memorable moment of that match was the stunning last minute save made by Simon Royce from a David Speedie snapshot.

 

[silentshrimper]

My first game was in the old div 1 in our relegation season v norwich when we drew 1-1, they got a last min penalty. But I cant remember what the football was like!
Cant wait for this season so start.