I'm losing faith in Kevin Bond. Are you?

[overseas shrimper]

I voted 'no' in the poll for this thread... and that 'change vote' is beginning to look rather tempting. I just hate the idea of booting a manager out so early in the season. Especially when he has brought a number of players in. However, it isn't like he's brought in specific players that suite the system he seems hell bent on utilising (IF he knows exactly what that system is beyond 'pass it around and hope the opposition become mesmerised to the point of paralysis').

The thing is, I am worried that a serious rot is setting in, that the players are not buying into Bond's 'way' and that we're losing ground.

The league stats are awful and do not lie. P4 L4 GF1 (o.g.) GA10.

Another shambles this weekend I may end up having to click begrudgingly click that 'change vote' button.

 

[fbm]

Yes Paul Clarke always talks sense on the radio but has no more chance of becoming our manager than Nick Alliker.

AB would be a good one. If we really put our minds to it we could spoil another club legend. That would be two in less than a year.

Your first job as a manger is the most important. Hope AB sees sense and doesn't waste that chance with us. I like the fact he can still come here with his family and enjoy it.....Sadly that can never happen for CP ever again.

Who ever it is they won't heal up Humphrys face. Hopper has along slog a head and we will be lucky to see anywhere near his best until the new year. Cox has never been a good forward for others to play alongside and us fans will go out of our way to make sure Theo fails.

As for the team cant pass.....I thought that was the whole idea of football......After all we booooooed the team of last season for hoofing. ....Maybe Cox has grown 6 inches this summer and it might work.

I'm not sure I agree with that.

Do we think any less of Powell's playing career because of his managerial stint? No. He wouldn't be booed on his return by any fans old enough to remember him as a player and the ones who don't remember him don't regard him as a legend anyway.

I shared your view once re Barrett, but Barrett the player's reputation will never change in our minds. Barrett the manager might be absolute rubbish. But what about Tilson, player of the Millennium? He had zero experience but has been our most successful manager ever.

We don't think any less of Tilly's playing career and if anything, his first 2/3 years in management elevated him to far greater status than he ever would have attained as a player.

I'm coming to the conclusion that we don't want club legends back as we want to remember them fondly and don't want to spoil our own memories of them. That's our stuff and it makes us more comfortable.

I doubt Barrett will give a stuff; he will know that the reputation as a player will be untarnished.

Now might be time.

 

[GBJ]

I agree. Would prefer Maher be given the chance.

Undoubtedly Maher will get his chance one day.

With Neil Harris being present last night, I’d say there’s more chance of him taking charge (with Barrett as his First Mate) than Maher

 

[fbm]

Undoubtedly Maher will get his chance one day.

With Neil Harris being present last night, I’d say there’s more chance of him taking charge (with Barrett as his First Mate) than Maher

Why on earth would Neil Harris leave Millwall for us?

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

In normal circumstances, I’d say that you’re right.

But we’re not getting beaten by bad luck, we’re being swept aside with ease.

The most concerning part is, we’re persisting with a system that clearly doesn’t work. Bond is so desperate for that clean sheet, that any idea of playing with an attacking intent, comes way down the priority list. Both Blackpool & Posh worked that out very quickly.

And even then, when we concede, do we change game plan? Do we throw caution to the wind? No, it’s the same old crabby passing, and slow tempo.

This is Bond’s team now, he’s made several signings, and yet still doesn’t know his best XI, or formation. Aside from the fact that we’re playing people out of position, we’re not even playing to their strengths either.

Look I’m not going to defend bond or the team unless they deserve it. I don’t think we did get swept aside last night.

Not knowing our strongest team. That’s so common. I’m pretty sure unless you’ve got the same 11 from the season before and the same manager. The opening games are always of a similar shape. Try various bits and pieces.

I have to say, I love the style, but I do think we should pick our moments with it. I’d prefer to consolidate in the first 10 and then go from there.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing the same way even after we concede.

As Gareth Southgate said at the start “trust the process.” I was thinking about it and comparing with England’s set up. We’re doing similar stuff to that style. It wasnt great to start with. The players began to trust it out of sheer stubbornness and it worked. I’m not doing a like for like comparison I’m just saying it’s sort of a similar feel.

The thing that does my head in is we play a certain way and the fans love it because it’s working (yesterday at half time). We concede and some fans start questioning it and booing a side ways pass.

If they lumped it in the box they’d also boo.

It can’t be only applauded when it works. Stick by a philosophy and grow it.

The call will be made if it needs to be made.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Hard compare these two, FL has a second team of superstars warming the bench, many would walk into a premier league team, we barely have ones that would warm a Division two bench

What does that have to do with anything? We're not in the Premier League

Barrett taking over here is completely relative to Lampard taking over at Chelsea

 

[overseas shrimper]

Undoubtedly Maher will get his chance one day.

With Neil Harris being present last night, I’d say there’s more chance of him taking charge (with Barrett as his First Mate) than Maher

Okay... but my comment was tongue in cheek.

 

[SheldonW65]

Look I’m not going to defend bond or the team unless they deserve it. I don’t think we did get swept aside last night.

Not knowing our strongest team. That’s so common. I’m pretty sure unless you’ve got the same 11 from the season before and the same manager. The opening games are always of a similar shape. Try various bits and pieces.

I have to say, I love the style, but I do think we should pick our moments with it. I’d prefer to consolidate in the first 10 and then go from there.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing the same way even after we concede.

As Gareth Southgate said at the start “trust the process.” I was thinking about it and comparing with England’s set up. We’re doing similar stuff to that style. It wasnt great to start with. The players began to trust it out of sheer stubbornness and it worked. I’m not doing a like for like comparison I’m just saying it’s sort of a similar feel.

The thing that does my head in is we play a certain way and the fans love it because it’s working (yesterday at half time). We concede and some fans start questioning it and booing a side ways pass.

If they lumped it in the box they’d also boo.

It can’t be only applauded when it works. Stick by a philosophy and grow it.

The call will be made if it needs to be made.

Southgate's process wasn't clueless. When Southgate speaks he clearly has a plan. Have you listened to Bond ? he has no plan, no process, no clue.

 

[Blueronron]

What does that have to do with anything? We're not in the Premier League

Barrett taking over here is completely relative to Lampard taking over at Chelsea

OK agree to disagree to save going off in a different direction

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

Southgate's process wasn't clueless. When Southgate speaks he clearly has a plan. Have you listened to Bond ? he has no plan, no process, no clue.

But that just isn’t true. No plan? No process? No clue? That is just madness. You can say it’s not working or the players aren’t good enough but you can’t just say those things as truth. They’re not true.

 

[GBJ]

Why on earth would Neil Harris leave Millwall for us?

Right now he wouldn’t, at least not voluntarily. I’m saying that I think he’ll take charge before Maher does, which I expect is still years and years down the line.

Worth remembering though, that he’s not very well liked down The Den. The fans have been calling for his head for the past two seasons. They believe the team have started well this season, despite him, not because of him. I believe he’s on borrowed time there.

 

[Blueronron]

But that just isn’t true. No plan? No process? No clue? That is just madness. You can say it’s not working or the players aren’t good enough but you can’t just say those things as truth. They’re not true.

Never stopped a couple of posters on here before

 

[SheldonW65]

But that just isn’t true. No plan? No process? No clue? That is just madness. You can say it’s not working or the players aren’t good enough but you can’t just say those things as truth. They’re not true.

What ? I asked if you have listened to him ? If you have and still can't see how clueless he is that's your problem. He's even admitted he doesn't know what to do next so how does he have a plan ? LOL

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

What ? I asked if you have listened to him ? If you have and still can't see how clueless he is that's your problem. He's even admitted he doesn't know what to do next so how does he have a plan ? LOL

I wouldn’t take it so literally. What’s wrong with people saying things with feeling in an emotional moment. Loads of people on here talk so much **** in the heat of the moment literally all day.

If Ian Holloway said that **** about “the end ain’t nigh in my book” or “do I need to soak it up with 4-6-0” loads of people would be absolutely all over it.

 

[GBJ]

Look I’m not going to defend bond or the team unless they deserve it. I don’t think we did get swept aside last night.

We were absolutely swept away, and it only took two pieces of slick play to do it.

Their entire back line took the rest of the night off after they’d scored.

We played some pretty stuff at times, but it lead to nothing. We retained the ball, but did nothing with it. Most of the shots we had, were out of pure frustration, rather than great interplay which had put us into goal scoring positions.

Not knowing our strongest team. That’s so common. I’m pretty sure unless you’ve got the same 11 from the season before and the same manager. The opening games are always of a similar shape. Try various bits and pieces.

Isn’t that what pre-season friendlies are for?

Isn’t that what day-to-day training is for?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing the same way even after we concede.

Cleary, Bond doesn’t either. During his tenure, can you tell me how many points we have gained, after going a goal behind? I’ll give you a clue, it’s the same amount of shots we had on target last night.

The thing that does my head in is we play a certain way and the fans love it because it’s working (yesterday at half time). We concede and some fans start questioning it and booing a side ways pa

If they lumped it in the box they’d also boo.

It can’t be only applauded when it works. Stick by a philosophy and grow it.

The call will be made if it needs to be made.

I think you’re exaggerating the parts in bold slightly. I can only speak for myself, but I assure you I certainly wasn’t loving it at HT yesterday. Far, far from it.

 

[GBJ]

If Ian Holloway said that **** about “the end ain’t nigh in my book” or “do I need to soak it up with 4-6-0” loads of people would be absolutely all over it.

Ian Holloway is copping some flak today, for blaming VAR on The EU.

He’s another one who also needs a check-up from the neck up.

 

[gatecrasher]

I check my phone feverishly every hour now hoping to see the thread Bond Resigns/Sacked.

Look we all support Southend, if it was about glory we would all be supporting City or Liverpool. Most of us would just be happy with a good cup run now and again, a battle with relegation here mixed in with a push for promotion there. We don’t expect to win every game, but what we do expect is a manager who realises we are where we are and have a team of players who are where they are on the whole because of their level of ability and plays to those strengths, Bond isn’t. All this let’s wait for 10 games in, no he’s had four games to realise his enforced tactics aren’t working, his constant changing of personnel is not working. Keep it simple, make us hard to beat by all means but at least attack - we may have a weak midfield and a so so defence but in Cox we have a proven goal scorer, Goodship a real prospect and Humphreys someone I personally feel could be a very good player - and to top that we have Hopper to comeback!

Setting up to not concede is the worse kind of management - you can’t win games 0-0 - lets go for the wins, if the team isn’t good enough the team isn’t good enough but at least stick to the objective of the game which is to try to win

 

[Razam]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1163921625395470336

“Sack me please” type of comment.

It does sound like he is expecting the sack!

Ok I thought bond was a poor appointment from day one but here we are.
Lots want him out...fair enough.
The eternal question is however the same who realistically would we replace him with. There would be a shed load of applicants as there is with any managerial vacancy...but realistically who.should we get in.

I had a quick look and Gary Rowett, Brian McDermott, Nigel Adkins, Billy Davies, Carl Robinson & Ian Holloway are all showing as available. McDermott has not been in a role for a couple years, so we could get him quite cheap (similar to when we got Brown).

In my eyes he has 2 games, to show something that he is making progress in convincing the players to adopt his "style & culture". Something to show that things will get better. Something to at least show we have the ability to score goals & keep clean sheets. Just to show something! Otherwise, there are plenty of good managers available!

 

[rigsby]

Good luck to you OBD. There will be little point coming on this thread as the same people will now bully anyone with a different view.

Not sure if they really don't understand the no forwards statement or like CP and PB before that are deliberately acting dumb in order to sneer at everything and anything he says or does......Anyway who really cares.

If you do upset the mob on the way to the ducking stall be prepared to receive abusive personal messages on Saturday night if we lose etc. I collected them like badges of honour but some including one of my favourite posters is no more.

Best not to vote in the Inevitable poll we will soon have......You will be called out for any support.

Whilst people have a right to an opinion I think its time for the mods to learn from the past and look at repetitive two line posts or threads by the same people who clearly have an agenda.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Unfortunately many fans, myself included, were underwhelmed by the appointment of KB and this means he was going to be given less leeway than a 'fans favourite' manager. Regardless, he should be given more of a chance, and we may all be pleasantly surprised if his way of doing things comes good. Four league games into a season is a poor time to talk of changing the manager. Give the guy a break.