How do you assess Sol’s start at the hall

[OldBlueLady]

For me the buck stops with Ron. He was swayed by public opinion and appointed Powell when he sacked Brown despite the fact that Powell had no real track record. When that didn’t work he had his head turned by Rednapp . After Brown he should have looked for a grizzled lower league manager who knew the ropes at this level. As a very astute wheeler dealer he seems to lack sound judgment these days when choosing managers. Fingers crossed he has got it right this time but I am not holding my breath.

Erm....promotion from L1 with Charlton as Champions? They finished 9th in the Championship the following season - hardly "no real track record".

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Erm....promotion from L1 with Charlton as Champions? They finished 9th in the Championship the following season - hardly "no real track record".

It’s easy to say how rubbish he was now. Initially he did very well here .. he also had a lot of bad luck with injuries. But it’s becoming more and more evident that stuff was going on behind the scenes that CP should’ve addressed. Yes it started under PB, got worse under Bond but CP should’ve got the fitness side and the discipline side of things sorted. You can kind of see why Ron let him go but to replace him with Bond?? Big big mistake. Bond didn’t bring any tactical revolution, he didn’t drastically change things and we stayed up by the skin of our teeth (as our players decided they’d up their game for once). I’d wager it had b*gger all to do with old Kev.

 

[blue pilot]

When Sturrock came in he signed a lot of players in a very short time, realised we had to go long, play percentages etc.... It wasn't always pretty but it was effective and got us out of trouble.
You can't give 2 silly goals away if the ball is in the opposition box and it's pointless having 65% possession if most of it is in your own penalty area. Campbell needs to wise up to that fact the team isn't good enough for tippy-tap. I'm sorry but Saturday was as bad as anything I'd seen under Bond. Go back to 4-4-2, Drop the hopeless Kiernan and Milligan, send Hamilton back, tell Goodship if he wants to play to get his finger out (laziest player in the squad). Oh, and tell the keeper to release the ball quicker and get it forward.

 

[Blueronron]

It’s easy to say how rubbish he was now. Initially he did very well here .. he also had a lot of bad luck with injuries. But it’s becoming more and more evident that stuff was going on behind the scenes that CP should’ve addressed. Yes it started under PB, got worse under Bond but CP should’ve got the fitness side and the discipline side of things sorted. You can kind of see why Ron let him go but to replace him with Bond?? Big big mistake. Bond didn’t bring any tactical revolution, he didn’t drastically change things and we stayed up by the skin of our teeth (as our players decided they’d up their game for once). I’d wager it had b*gger all to do with old Kev.

Just out of interest when KB saw over the great escape v Sunderland we had Harry or so reported on training side
Did Harry still come in the new season or had he left, just seems weird the rot happened at the start of the season

 

[Napster]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1198951804651876352

 

[Rob1920]

Far too early to judge Sol. Whatever has gone so badly wrong happened before he arrived. Waddock knew what he was talking about when he said whoever takes over has got a massive job on their hands. Wouldn't surprise me if we lose every game until Sol can at least freshen up the side in January. This lot are so entrenched in a losing mentality we need to get rid of as many as possible as soon as possible, and then again at the end of the season. I can see us starting next season with no more than maybe one or two of the current first team.

 

[SheldonW65]

Horrific isn't it - and yes, most of the blame is on the players absolutely. But I'm also surprised not much has changed. im surprised we haven't gone to a solid 442 and tried to play long ball to hopper and humps or something. Anything. Anything different to just picking the same players that have let us down for so long now and trying to play same system.

clean sheets are a must. Play 7 at the back. I don't care. Do it. Stop the rot.

i gave sol the grace of Ipswich, Sunderland and Portsmouth as thats a horrific start at this level with our confidence and the cup I could care less about - my target was alwaye "the season starts today" and flip me, we got done 4-0 at home. I'm out of ideas.

Hmm but in reality Ipswich were going through a sticky patch, Sunderland have been awful for most of the season as have Portsmouth. Big names maybe but apart from Ipswich they are mediocre to poor at best.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I see signs of improvement. I see us playing with more direction and commitment. I see fitness levels improving. But people were kidding themselves if they thought there was going to be an overnight improvement in results.

I still favour the clearout I've been hoping for two years for but that won't be possible until the summer.

In the mean time it's going to be a struggle. We'll see the improvement in results away from home first - where we can play without the negativity and pressure of Roots Hall. I actually fancy us getting a point in one of our next two away games but that's not really going to cut it in terms of staying up. Instead, if we want to avoid depression, we should concentrate more on evaluation. Who should Sol build around - I think Isaac raised his stock further in his sub appearance, Hopper looks the part - the ball sticks when it goes to him - and Elvis, whilst not at his best Saturday, remains a bright light from this season. Others may emerge as well between now and the transfer window reopening.

 

[Ricky Otto]

I was very happy with the Sol appointment and thought he would get some sort of reaction from the players. That obviously hasn't happened and I think more than anything this is further evidence of just how bad this bunch of players are, particularly their attitudes. Sol hasn't made the difference but I won't condemn or praise him at this stage. We could be reflecting back this time next year from the top of league 2.
I'm not a fan from playing out from the back and I think it's very brave/stupid at this level. It is obviously the way Sol wants to play though and if relegation is a foregone conclusion I can see the merit in using the system he wants to use and rating the players ability to fill the positions in that system. I think we all know that we are going to have a massive overhaul of players but if we can get to the summer with a few new faces in Jan and a couple of existing players comfortable with the new system/style and putting in performances then we could have a springboard for next season.
A lot of ifs there but ifs are all we have to cling to

 

[united we stand]

What is sol”s priority?

Is it getting us to play the way he wants or
Is it fighting off relegation.

If it’s the later then I am disappointed ( admittedly Saturday has a lot to do with this and has maybe stopped by me see from seeing thebigger picture)
I”m not going to give him credit for getting us fitter, every man and his dog could see that was necessary.

I am still with him and I still hope he is the right man for the job, BUT whilst it’s still possible for us to stay up surely we have to aim for that?

Therefore the tactics should be aimed at what is most likely to get us points
Isn’t the definition of madness attempting to do the same thing time and again but expecting a different result- that’s what Saturday felt like.
Surely he has watched every one of our matches from the last year- and if not why not?

I also think it’s 100% correct to have a view on Campbell BEFORE he gets in his own players. Yes we can’t form a full picture until until he has his own players- I get that, but I also get that it’s his job to get the best out of what we have.

At the moment his league record is in real danger of being worse than Waddock”s
If we loose a lot of these players and they go on to play non league then clearly league football is beyond them, but if they go on to play league football then it suggests they were capable of more.

We may not stay up, but we can do better than this ( if you don’t have hope what’s the point)

 

[duncan bulgaria]

What is sol”s priority?

Is it getting us to play the way he wants or
Is it fighting off relegation.

If it’s the later then I am disappointed ( admittedly Saturday has a lot to do with this and is maybe stopped by me see some bigger picture)
I”m not going to give him credit for getting us fitter, every man and his dog could see that was necessary.

I am still with him and I still hope he is the right man for the job, BUT whilst it’s still possible for us to stay up surely we have to aim for that?

Therefore the tactics should be aimed at what is most likely to get us points
Isn’t the definition of madness attempting to do the same thing time and again but expecting a different result- that’s what Saturday felt like.
Surely he has watched every one of our matches on bee the last year- and if not why not?

I also think it’s 100% correct to have a view on Campbell BEFORE he gets in his own players. Yes we can’t form a full picture until until he has his own players- I get that, but I also get that it’s his job to get the best out of what we have.

At the moment his league record is in real danger of being worse than Waddock”s
If we loose a lot of these players and they go on to play non league then clearly league football is beyond them, but if they go on to play league football then it suggests they were capable of more.

We may not stay up, but we can do better than this ( if you don’t have hope what’s the point)

Great Post - Waddock got dug out as a bad manager and motivator but has had the exact impact Sol has, i said on here a few times that i didn't think GW was as bad as some made out , he's been around lower league football for some time and he's parting sentence says it all for me.
totally agree that we don;t need draws , we need wins , id rather see us lose whilst going for it than trying to keep it tight and nick a draw .

I also think you might be right about our away form.

 

[Gridelet's contact lens]

Dear Mr. Campbell,

I know that you have been passed a poisoned chalice and i believe we have no future in this League, as I suspect you do as well. You do have a free pass this season to make your impression on this club. So, please stop setting up your team to try and out play better oppositon, please throw caution to the wind and try and take a leaf out of Barry Fry and Paul Sturrock' book and throw players forward. We may still loose, as keeping a clean sheet is totally beyond the metal capability of this squad. At least we have some enjoyment and that seems to been forgotten to try and stop the rot. Losing 3-4 or 2-3 is better than trying to bore the oppositon before they bide there time before we make a howler in front of our own goal.

Thank you

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United manager Sol Campbell has clamped down on what the Shrimpers squad eat at the Boots & Laces training ground.

More...

 

[Ex-Member1]

I reckon he's got a bloody sauce.

 

[Chrisb]

Anyone know why ketchup is so bad for them or has he also banned all the other food that they put it on.

 

[onceknownasrab]

I think Sol he got the team, slowly, moving in the right direction. The Oxford result was abysmal but there were a few signs that we can turn the corner. The gaffer definitely needs to master lg1 football but hopefully he is a learner. I predict we will stay up by the skin of our teeth. Things look terrible but we only need a good run to catch several other very poor teams. UTB

 

[IloveShrimp]

Underwhelming is my impression thus far!

 

[united we stand]

Anyone know why ketchup is so bad for them or has he also banned all the other food that they put it on.

I am going to guess that it’s more the principle-and trying to get them to think in a different way-
You are meant to be an athlete, this isn’t good for you- don’t eat it

 

[mfurok]

I am going to guess that it’s more the principle-and trying to get them to think in a different way-
You are meant to be an athlete, this isn’t good for you- don’t eat it

Appalling.

I don’t remember Paul Clark, Barry Fry, Steve Thompson or Chris Powell saving us from almost certain relegation by playing five at the back, a sweeper in front and suicidal passing across our own goal.

Sol is tactically a downgrade on Kevin Bond.

Probably better in the transfer market though..........

 

[fbm]

To be honest, i think Fossets Farm will be rejected, Council only interested in Seaway project?.
I fear our future within next 3 years.

Nope. It will happen.