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Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
277
I am only 16, and i don't care what anyone thinks right, but i really just can't believe some people on here, slating Tilly- yes we have played shocking of late, but re-wind to Saturday 29th April 2006, 16:55pm, and what you will get is Shrimpers fans celebrating the clubs back to back promotions, and then a week later the title win (all which was unexpected). And now, nearly a year on it's all doom and gloom! Yes we are all Southend fans, and have been for years (well except those who joined on April 29th 2006 at 17:00pm) and we are all entitled to our own opinions, because we love this club, but it just really pis$e$ me off that all you can do is slate Tilly, after all his done for this club- if he hadn't of taken over we could be mid-table in the conference, or maybe league two at the moment (if we were lucky), with Steve 'poxy' Wignall at the Helm, after being re-appointed because know one wanted to manage us! I know you will say the promotions (back to back) and 2 consecutive LDV finals are in the past, yes they are, but we could of been competing in the FA Trophy vs St Albans (no disrespect) if we didn't have Tilly! But unexpectedly we get 2 consecutive promotions, which i think, last seasons one was to early! But now how the tides have turned, i bet half of you on here wouldn't have the guts to go and confront Tilly, face to face about this slump!!
Your probably thinking to yourselfs (don't worry this kid is only 16, he doesn't know what he is talking about) but i love this club, and it hurts me week in week out (lately) to not be at the Southend games because of work, and seeing todays result on Sky just summed it all up! But im not going to moan, criticise or slate anyone, because i know that what Tilly has done for us over the last two-three years has been something of a miracle, no other manager would have done that, and on a limited budget too!
So please, some of you on here get your heads out of your backsides, and wake up and smell the coffee, it fooks me off reading threads on here from people that the next week, when southend grab a point at Preston, creaming over it and then saying; 'You know what, Tilly is a legend, we are staying up', when the week before 'we were going down'!
Some of you need a reality check, the last two-three years we have been spoilt, and that has gone to your heads!!!!!!!
 
good post... whilst I'm not knocking Tilly or his achievements, it seems that when the chips are down he doesn't quite have the knack of building confidence in the team. Last season we were having similar discussions as we stumbled over the line. This season in many ways he hasn't learnt from his mistakes and whilst we had the run of the green and were lucky in some respects, this year we have probably played a lot better but just without that luck and with some gambles that didn't pay out we have really suffered.

I think the number 1 problem we had last year and Tilly tried to fix was our small squad, he brought in some extra bodies, promoted some youth and there have only been a couple of times that our bench has looked thin. However the players he brought in are arguably not good enough... Gutts didn't settle and Tilly did the right thing and got rid of him. Ricko didn't put the effort in and was rightly given the boot (although i thought getting him in was a masterstroke and we all know that if he got his head straight and into shape he could be a good prem player again)... paynter took a while to settle and the game he looked good he got injured! francis has been outstanding at times but also very poor. Collis looks a more than adequate backup. For me the jury is still out with Foran, he does seem to have an eye for goal but seems a bit out of depth at the moment. Harrold is a good squad player, especially good off the bench. Hammell and Clarke were excellent signings

What we need to keep in mind (and what tilly and RM keep mentioning) is that we just haven't got the resources to buy established players. We have one of the lowest attendences, with other teams averaging nearly triple. Our tickets are one of the cheapest and so in the end the pure economics means that we just CAN NOT compete in terms of signings, both permanent and loan signings. I think in that respect Tilly has done really well to get the players in we have got (Hammell, wanted by Celtic for 1m and Scotland cap... Peter Clarke etc etc).

So IMO Tilly has worked fairly well in the transfer market, unfortunately his main gamble in Ricketts didn't pay out and we have struggled to replace him and take the pressure of Freddy

I think the other problem we have had and not solved yet is whilst the majority of our squad is young, we have relied on our older players a lot and their legs just aren't what they once were. Sodje and Prior have been excellent when called upon, but just aren't up to long stretches in the side. Bradbury is a quality player but he has to look after himself over 90mins and he just isn't quick enough for the Championship. This summer we will have to replace all three of them and that will be a major challenge for Tilly.

Also my other issue is that there have been times when Kev has been monumental and lead from the front. He has scored crucial goals and some games i have been bewildered to why he hasn't had an Ireland callup yet. However, again, when the chips are down and it's coming to the business end of the season, he goes missing. I don't know whether this is a fitness thing or a mental thing. But when Tilly looks so desperate and nervous on the sidelines, it seems to spread to Kev and then the team. Kev gave Sodje an absolute rollocking today after Sodje played a cushioned header into space where either Maher or Macca should have been. But both midfielders were too far up the pitch as all game neither split apart to let the other push up/sit deep. THAT WASN@T LEADERSHIP, he has let the team down by his play and instead of putting up his hands and saying sorry and then getting on with it. He spent a minute laying right into Sodje... obviously this was a fairly rare occurance but it seems to show that there is a nervous streak runnig through our team and it's up to TIlly to work the magic we know he can and to build some confidence and belief in the side. If he can't do that then I don't see us ever getting back to winning ways, this year or next. Teams don't bounce straight back up cos they have almost forgotten that winning feeling, much like why we found League 1 easy(ish)... we just had that winning belief and ruthlessness to go after teams... I'm really worried that if we get relegated, unless we can rely on Kev, TIlly and the other senior players, we are going to struggle next season
 
I don't see us ever getting back to winning ways, this year or next. Teams don't bounce straight back up cos they have almost forgotten that winning feeling, much like why we found League 1 easy(ish)... we just had that winning belief and ruthlessness to go after teams... I'm really worried that if we get relegated, unless we can rely on Kev, TIlly and the other senior players, we are going to struggle next season

I disagree, as much as i still believe that we can stay up, and will fight til the very end to do so, because it is still not mathematically over. If we do get relegated i think we can bounce straight back up.
 
I disagree, as much as i still believe that we can stay up, and will fight til the very end to do so, because it is still not mathematically over. If we do get relegated i think we can bounce straight back up.

after hull and col ewe i just don't see when we are going to start fighting as it hasn't happened yet... and needing to win 4 out of 5 is just too much i reckon... come on tilly i've still got the faith, work your magic over the next couple of days and a win at preston will kick start it
 
im also 16 and i agree with the post although questioning people who have travel across the country following southend if they are real fans is a bit OTT, in my opinion they are just a bit blinded by our recent success and have forgotten how to lose. i think that we are not good enough for the championship- our squad, manager, stadium, fanbase and burgers are not good enough for the championship although Tilly can gain experiance, Fossetts farm, our fanbase is rapidly increasing and as for the burgers... pah. Those that disagree, why are we 2nd from bottom?? i also think the success of col ewe has frustrated fans.
 
after hull and col ewe i just don't see when we are going to start fighting as it hasn't happened yet... and needing to win 4 out of 5 is just too much i reckon... come on tilly i've still got the faith, work your magic over the next couple of days and a win at preston will kick start it

Yeah, i see where your coming from mate. But maybe just maybe the players will finally realise that avoiding relegation isn't as easy as buttering some hovis, and on Monday vs Preston, who seem to be on a lil blip, the players will get into gear and start to fight for the cause. PLEASE!!!
 
Yeah, i see where your coming from mate. But maybe just maybe the players will finally realise that avoiding relegation isn't as easy as buttering some hovis, and on Monday vs Preston, who seem to be on a lil blip, the players will get into gear and start to fight for the cause. PLEASE!!!

We live in hope...
 
im also 16 and i agree with the post although questioning people who have travel across the country following southend if they are real fans is a bit OTT.

No, im not questioning people who travel all over to watch Southend, i fully respect them, because they pay all that money to watch them, and if i didnt work on saturdays i would be doing that too! It's just that whatever the fan, they just seem to have been to accustomed by our rapid rise, and now the ship is sinking! Some people need reality checks mate!
 
yh thats what i was trying to say theyve become blinded by our success and forgotten what its like to lose
 
I disagree, as much as i still believe that we can stay up, and will fight til the very end to do so, because it is still not mathematically over. If we do get relegated i think we can bounce straight back up.

I certainly can't see that happening. We're almost certain to lose Eastwood in the summer, and he's the main reason why we're in this division in the first place. Even if we get reasonable money for him (which we probably won't) then replacing him is going to be extremely difficult - personally I wouldn't bet on our remaining forwards to get enough goals to survive in league 1, let alone get promoted!
 
personally I wouldn't bet on our remaining forwards to get enough goals to survive in league 1, let alone get promoted!

In Tilly's eyes the remaining forward is Bradbury, and i wouldn't bet on him to get enough goals in the Ryman Busman Isthmian Amateur U12's League 4 South at the moment...

Bradbury aside however, i think we'll have a more than competent forward line next season. Foran and Paynter have already proved they can compete at that level or it's equivalent, and i have faith in Hooper to come in and do well. There's no doubt we'll need to bring someone else in, and hopefully we can do that with a little help from a tidy sum from Eastwood's sale.

I have an eerie feeling we might get something at Preston. They're giving goals away at the moment and are in self destruct mode like we are... It's vital however we get the 3 points from both Barnsley and Luton. Fail to win those and we have no hope.
 
But will Paynter be brought back next season (regardless of which division we happen to find ourselves in)...I simply cannot believe that we have left him out on loan at such a crucial stage of the season...this is ok if you have a large enough squad with countless players ahead of him in the pecking order, but to replace Hooper and Paynter with an innefective Foran is beyond comprehension.
 
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