Its not just injuries, suspensions...

[paddysat]

...and Sturrock's "Tic-Tacs" that has F**ked Southend this year, but also the decision to not have any reserve team football.
This year has proved, IMO, how important reserve team football is. Keeping "fringe" players, players out suspended, and players coming back from injury, vital match time, within a reserve squad, and is an all important cog in the football merry-go-round.
If the reserve squad was there and playing, the likes of Freddy, Harris, etc, could be kept nearer to first team fitness, and allows players like Tomlin, and Barker/Phillips (when ready), access to recover from injury, rather than being thrown back in the deep end.

 

[sufcjoe]

Can't blame sturrock for no reserves this year because there isn't a league to enter this year. He was gutted there wasn't one this year because as you said we
Need it

 

[OldBlueLady]

Quite agree, after all, I said this on the match report thread earlier this morning!

As was said to me before the game, when I was chatting with with Ayrshire and Badgershrimp, our squad is suffering from the lack of reserve team football. So many of our players would have benefited massively from a couple of games in the reserves before being thrust into the 1st team, or in Smith's case, to get a few games in without people cussing him from the word go. That's something that really needs to be addressed. I wonder how many of those teams in the top and play off places are able to participate in regular reserve team matches?

 

[paddysat]

OBL, I read that, and totally agree, and its why I decided to bring it up as a separate subject (sometimes worthy comments are lost within a thread).

Does anyone know if the Reserve team football was dropped for all of League 2 this year, or just a Southend decision not to participate?

 

[Thorpe Groyney]

I'd like to see the reserve team play in the Essex Senior League, but rules dictate that clubs in senior non-league, in whatever shape or form, have to be separate entities.

A way round it would be perhaps to just call the reserve side Prittlewell or something, set it up a new entity, and put the players on 'dual registration'. Get the home games played at a local non-league club, either Great Wakering Rovers, Southend Manor or Hullbridge Sports.

It's just an idea of the top of my head, and I'm sure those with much more insight into the workings of non-league football will point out the pitfalls of it, but it would ensure the reserves have regular weekend football at a half decent level.

 

[Csboy]

I'd like to see the reserve team play in the Essex Senior League, but rules dictate that clubs in senior non-league, in whatever shape or form, have to be separate entities.

A way round it would be perhaps to just call the reserve side Prittlewell or something, set it up a new entity, and put the players on 'dual registration'. Get the home games played at a local non-league club, either Great Wakering Rovers, Southend Manor or Hullbridge Sports.

It's just an idea of the top of my head, and I'm sure those with much more insight into the workings of non-league football will point out the pitfalls of it, but it would ensure the reserves have regular weekend football at a half decent level.

Good idea so when Southend United go out of business we would have a ready made club to start again with.

 

[WightShrimper]

Or if it is a league decision not to have a competition for reserves to play, then couldn't the league two clubs just organise friendlies between themselves every week. All clubs would be in the same situation of having players looking to play, for whatever reason, and it wouldn't matter if clubs fielded first team/second team/ youths as all that would matter is that everyone is getting a game against a varied selection of opposition. And if not every club wants to take part, then they don't have to and those that do could just play each other more often.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Or if it is a league decision not to have a competition for reserves to play, then couldn't the league two clubs just organise friendlies between themselves every week. All clubs would be in the same situation of having players looking to play, for whatever reason, and it wouldn't matter if clubs fielded first team/second team/ youths as all that would matter is that everyone is getting a game against a varied selection of opposition. And if not every club wants to take part, then they don't have to and those that do could just play each other more often.

To be fair, I think Sturrock has said that if he wants to arrange a game then that's more or less what he does, just rings Gillingham or Colchester or Dagenham for a friendly.

 

[Firestorm]

Iirc there were so few teams which wanted to play in a reserve league it either became a one game a month type of league or play the same team 8 times! so it was felt that arranged games would be of greater benefit Particularly as the u18s are playing regularly and without them we would struggle fill a weekly reserve team

 

[paddysat]

To be fair, I think Sturrock has said that if he wants to arrange a game then that's more or less what he does, just rings Gillingham or Colchester or Dagenham for a friendly.

Im sure that with most clubs finances, they are forced to run with smaller first team squads, so therefore the reserve squads are much smaller. However Im sure that a starting 11 with some subs can be made up with a combination of those "reserve" players and U18, and that there are quite a number of local teams other than Gills, Col U and Daggers that could turn a team out for a game or two...Braintree, Gt Wakering, Chelmsford, Grays to name but a few...infact any of the Essex Senior Cup teams. There must be more opportunities than currently available to give the reserves that valuable match time?

 

[tonie]

braintree reserves play in eastern counties div 1 good move i think

 

[Colchester and proud!]

We have the under 21 squad at Colchester and as well as running our eye over promising young players at Premier and championship clubs with a view to loan or permanent signings it gives us a chance to play some overage players to give them match time or to recover from injuries it seems to work very well.

 

[SU BLUE]

...and Sturrock's "Tic-Tacs" that has F**ked Southend this year, but also the decision to not have any reserve team football.
This year has proved, IMO, how important reserve team football is. Keeping "fringe" players, players out suspended, and players coming back from injury, vital match time, within a reserve squad, and is an all important cog in the football merry-go-round.
If the reserve squad was there and playing, the likes of Freddy, Harris, etc, could be kept nearer to first team fitness, and allows players like Tomlin, and Barker/Phillips (when ready), access to recover from injury, rather than being thrown back in the deep end.

I 100% agree with this
UTB

 

[DTS]

We have the under 21 squad at Colchester and as well as running our eye over promising young players at Premier and championship clubs with a view to loan or permanent signings it gives us a chance to play some overage players to give them match time or to recover from injuries it seems to work very well.

Seems to be working well looking at your league placing.............

 

[buffalowolf]

I agree that you definitely need reserve team football ,how can you expect players coming back from injury to be match fit without it ,also the young players just up from the youth academy ,its a playform for them also to learn their trade at senior level,so they are prepared properly for 1st team football ,should they be deemed good enough,plus it is also a platform to cast an eye over possible new signings .Trialists!.It is something the management must look into for the future,their has to be someone way around it where they are able to enter a team in a league,if not local maybe like Braintree have done.

 

[dan_mays]

Deffo need some reserve team football next season whether friendlies are constantly arranged or we do what other teams are doing and enter an under 21 side within this you can have 3 overaged players.

The likes of Harris, Benyon, Freddy, Moshni, Woodyard, Bentley, Spicer and even Coughlan would of benefited from game time so they can be called upon if required. The Essex Senior cup just isn't enough for our fringe / players lacking fitness to prove their worth

 

[tommy tucker]

With the weather w3e have been having of late Rain rain snow hail and more rain how many res games would go ahead due to waterlogged pitches .Just look at Braintree lost so many games because of this they are now playing Tuesday Thursday and sataday .

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Seems to be working well looking at your league placing.............

Ouch:smile: We have shipped out lots of older experienced players to reduce our wage bill to comply with the new rules as regards finance, these lads are mainly playing league football for the 1st time or after very few games. Players like Walker and Clifford on loan from Chelsea, Eastmond and Watt from Arsenal, Porter from Burnley, Garmston from WBA, Smith from Charlton etc have all done very well for us and have ensured we will probably stay up this season which looked less likely 3 months ago.

 

[tommy tucker]

Colchester n proud your chairman is slowly pulling the plug on your cash flow .And with the kind of gates you get sooner or later you may well be in the money pit we are in .Your cant live on loan players for ever .

 

[EastStandBlue]

Colchester n proud your chairman is slowly pulling the plug on your cash flow .And with the kind of gates you get sooner or later you may well be in the money pit we are in .Your cant live on loan players for ever .

It's not completely Robbie Cowling's fault (although he has been looking for an excuse to make drastic cuts for some time), but it's probably more to do with Colchester having to live within the 55% salary cap which, with the state of their gates, will be hard to do.