hot off the press

[W4 Shrimper]

I'm not going to quote that rant Matt - it's too long.

Suffice to say though - spot on!

 

[sufcintheprem]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ April 29 2004,10:27)]I'm not going to quote that rant Matt - it's too long.

Suffice to say though - spot on!

Agreed, let him go, potentialy for nothing? You must be having a laugh.

 

[The General]

Quote[/b] (CS Cockles @ April 29 2004,09:22)]

Quote[/b] (The General @ April 28 2004,22:06)]Cant see the Lockwood thing happening really! He's on £130,000 at Orient (which is about £2,200 a week). Im not just making this up either as it comes from the horse's mouth so believe me. He also has a very nice BMW Beamer and can be regularly found playing golf down at TBGC ...

Kev

The General: Hi Matt im a spotty boy who writes on a Southend United Web site, just wondered how much money you earn a week Mr Lockwood? if you don't find that question to rude

Matt Lockwood: Not at all little fella! im on exactly £2200 pounds a week. Anything else?

The General: ummmmmmm yes do Orient give you a nice shiney car?

Matt Lockwood: Well funny you should say that they've given me a spanking new BMW

The General: AAahgg thats nice

Matt Lockwood:Yes I thought so


I can see it know

Haha. Nice one Cockles. You really make me laugh sometimes ...

Kev

 

[footymad13]

Quote[/b] (Javea Shrimper @ April 29 2004,09:55)]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 29 2004,09:50)]And yet people are here saying, "oh, he's not all that, wouldn't be too fussed if he went."

I thought it was only that sage of sh*te football knowledge ... FM?

WS

Excuse me,

Once again you mix my words up, I said SIGN HIM UP ASAP however i don't think its fair for him to be compared to Colly. I don't believe Connie would cut it above the Second.

His a good lower league player, nothing special but he has a nac for scoring goals and id take that against a very skillfull, talented player who scores 5 a season.

Sign him up, but people seem to think his the best player in the world.

 

[Fat Bastid]

Quote[/b] (footymad13 @ April 29 2004,15:23)]but people seem to think his the best player in the world.

I have got a spade to assist you with digging an even deeper hole for yourself!

Go back to your beloved ARSEnal!

To us, anyone who can score over 20 goals in Division 3 is a bloody hero and should be hung on to if possible!

Keep your **** poor opinions to yourself!

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (Prophet of Doom! @ April 29 2004,15:31)]To us, anyone who can score over 20 goals in Division 3 is a bloody hero and should be hung if possible!

Bit harsh

 

[footymad13]

Quote[/b] (Prophet of Doom! @ April 29 2004,15:31)]To us, anyone who can score over 20 goals in Division 3 is a bloody hero and should be hung on to if possible!

And iv said different have i ?

 

[Fat Bastid]

Quote[/b] (Napster @ April 29 2004,15:34)]

Quote[/b] (Prophet of Doom! @ April 29 2004,15:31)]To us, anyone who can score over 20 goals in Division 3 is a bloody hero and should be hung if possible!

Bit harsh

No!

FM should be hung if possible!

Sorry Luke, but sometimes your posts make my blood boil!

And Napster! You got me going there!  I had to read my post over again!

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (Prophet of Doom! @ April 29 2004,15:38)]And Napster! You got me going there!  I had to read my post over again!

 

[BENFLEET BLUE!]

I would just like to say (before i die of alcohol poisoning, due to a long weekend in Ireland) Connie is the b******s!!!!!!!!! Him and Dudders up front could make next season a memorable one.

 

[fbm]

I think you're all being a bit harsh on FM.

Drawn and quartered is quite sufficient...

Seriously though, he does echo my and many others sentiments.

No one is denying that Leon has done the business and gawd help us this season had he not been around. But it has to be said that this is the first time he has ever been that prolific. He is not a striker like, say, Michael Owen, that scores 20 goals because he has had 120 attempts. I would say his strike rate is very high in terms of shots/goals ratio. He doesn't get that many chances, but this year he has put away a very high proportion.

However, he is NOT good in the air and isn't blindingly quick either. He's ok, don't get me wrong, but he is not going to go past people or outpace a defence. He has a knack of being lucky in front of goal - 4th goal v Sc**thorpe illustrates that perfectly - whereas Drewe is an unlucky striker. Earlier in the season Drewe had loads of chances but failed to put any away. But he did look like scoring...

So, the question is, will next year fortune favour Drewe and will Connies goals dry up? Who knows? IMHO each is as likely as not. And what many of you can't seem to grasp is that whether Connie stays is to a degree out of our hands. After a season like this it wouldn't take an agent to tell him that bigger clubs might be interested, so I am sure he'll wait until the last minute before signing (if at all) to make sure he's got the best offer. And with our financial troubles I'm not in favour of breaking the bank or wage structure to keep ANY player.

If any of us were offered more money elsewhere to do the same job at a higher level we'd jump at the chance and pro footballers are no exception.

I won't mind if he stays, but I won't be crying if he leaves. Que sera sera.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

fbm, do you always have to be so negative? why is it when it comes to leon you can't just be positive? you always have to add a little negativity in your comments.

 

[fbm]

Quote[/b] (SHRIMPALISIOUS @ April 29 2004,19:16)]fbm, do you always have to be so negative? why is it when it comes to leon you can't just be positive? you always have to add a little negativity in your comments.

I don't consider myself negative... just realistic. Supporting Blues for 35+ years does that to you I'm afraid.

I am actually a "glass half full" type bloke, and usually look for the good in every situation. In fact, a couple of weeks back I criticised another poster for being negative after the win against Darlo! But I know a little bit about players contracts and I don't have any particular expectations - that way I'm not disappointed.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

I know that it is very unlikely that leon will be here with us next season, but im not talking about that i talking about leon. You always seem to be so neagative about him but when it comes to someone like drewe u make excuses for him.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

:P

 

[footymad13]

Exactly, Thank you fbm !

 

[fbm]

Of course, another way of looking at it is that Leon has scored so many because he is hungry. Apparently he is on £500pw plus a goal bonus? So he has scored quite a few this season to supplement his modest (for a footballer) income. If he was on £2K per week would he score so many?

I have long subscribed to the view that players are overpaid and therefore many of them are in the comfort zone. We have certainly had loads of those down here since the Div 1 days. They get their money regardless... if they have a bad game, well hey! Never mind! When we were last relegated players even had protected contracts so that their wages could not be cut if the team dropped down a division. So why should they be bothered?

I am all in favour of lower wages and bonuses paid according to performance. Sadly, until football as a whole adopts this as a standard, it will IMHO have little impact.

Drewe does a job, sometimes better than other times. But he is a striker with not many goals or assists so is he worth his place? That's not making excuses, thats simply expressing an opinion. I am not in the "Drewe is king" camp, yet I can see his potential worth and if he stays, then fine.

Lets face it, any player showing the sort of quality expected by us lot is Premiership bound, so why should we expect to keep him? Any div 3 player is going to be too short/unfit/inconsistent in any event. Players are here for a reason. I would prefer to sell them for cash, but due to Bosman that ain't gonna happen in many cases.

So realistically I accept whatever comes our way.

P.S. I did say that Leon has been great for us...

 

[BluePartridge]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 29 2004,09:50)]

Quote[/b] (Beefy @ April 28 2004,20:44)]I think this stuff about Connie only offering goals and nothing else is a tad overstated. Earlier in the season that was a fair comment and one that I made several times, but over the past couple of months his all-round contribution has increased significantly imo. He's been dropping off, going out wide, showing a bit of skill on the ball and he's still been able to get into the right place at the right time. IMO he's a hell of a lot more talented a footballer than most of the people we've had up front in the past few years as well as having an incredibly impressive goalscoring record. A Spurs supporting mate of mine who has seen a fair few Southend games this year says he reminds him of Freddie Kanoute and I think its a fair comparison. He might not look the most orthadox player you'll ever see and isn't the kind of player whose talent is obvious at first glance, but he's a very good player and one I'd rather have in our side than in one of our rival's.

Beefy, you are a sage and a scholar, and I agree with you 150%.

We're never fuggin' satisfied, us lot...  talk about looking gift horses in mouths!

Even if strikers are supposed to stick the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis (as you noted, Mike), how many of them actually achieve that?!

Answer - not bloody many!!!  More's the point - NONE at Roots Hall since Bretty Angell, over a decade ago... until now!

How many have scored more than 20 in the league in Div 3 this season?  Answer: 3... Graham (Torquay), MacLean (Sc**thorpe - but owned by Rangers) and...

<span style='font-size:17pt;line-height:100%'>Leon Constantine!</span>

And yet people are here saying, "oh, he's not all that, wouldn't be too fussed if he went."

What the fcuk are you lot on?!

Have you forgotten our bowel-quiveringly awful record from the penalty spot during the first-half of the season?  Well, that's no longer a problem, because Leon Constantine takes them - and scores them (5 so far).

Have you forgotten the fact that we were the lowest scorers in the fuggin' football league in December?  Well, that's no longer a problem, because Leon Constantine puts the ball in the back of the fcuking net after all our pretty approach play.

IF we were to let him go in the summer, I can guarantee there would be a lot of people sitting here rueing his departure, just as we missed Carruthers' goals (Brentford miss notwithstanding) after he left.

And the main difference is: Carruthers was on a BIG wedge when he was here (at least £1,500 a week) where as Connie has, reportedly, been on £500 a week.

How about showing him a bit of faith in his abilities - and in what he can bring to the side - by offering him a bit more cash, and asking him to give his all for a club where he's clearly playing the best football of his career to date?!

Rant over.

Matt - originator of the "Leon Constantine for PotY campaign"

I can see a fully fit Corbett being able to stick in a good amount of goals next season including pens, if that's the way it goes.

What I was saying is that it is very nice to have a player in our team who can score goals and I was the first one saying that this man has pretty much got us survival with his goals, but we seem to have a good team and management going here and I think that we could still make the play-offs without Connie like so many other teams have done before us...

I was just shocked by some people(not many) comparing him to Colly sheer lunicy!

Also we have been extremely poor in the air up and down the pitch excluding Drewe. Maybe it's Flavs or maybe it's the fact that Leon Cort doesn't seem to have the knack anymore? We really need to get that sorted to stop all those stupid goals going in before we worry too much about scoring them. Also with the amount of corners and crosses we often get in if we had a team like say Huddersfield or Hull with those big lads who will never shy away from a header, we would have an absolute bagful from all over the pitch.