Loan Window

[Smiffy]

I know old habits die hard, but why do we need a 6th centre-back again?

Because I said so.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

I'm fairly happy with what we have at the moment, Sturrock has done extremely well to get these players in so quickly. If theres a young forward out there available for loan and wants to come to Southend and can add something different to the squad then great but so many times we've had loanees with a **** poor attitude and just look like they can't be bothered. i.e Malone, Vernon, Milsom.

 

[pringlejon]

I said in another thread Febian Brandy is just the player we could do with. Very quick and got me promoted out of league 1 on football manager with, believe it or not, more than 20 goals!

 

[dusterman]

There was a great article on the Beeb this week documenting the plight of players still unattached... Although the majority are unattached for a reason (usually attitude, Lee Hendrie), I was surprised to see Simon Whaley is still without a club. I remember him at Bury being a cracking little player with a bright future, which has subsequently been blighted by injuries.

If we didn't have a relative abundance on the wings, he'd be precisely the kind of player I'd like us to target.

Talking of Lee Hendrie, anyone see Soccer AM and the mention of him being offered something at Southend and him turning it down? Never saw anything about him during the summer....

And Thornton - good player but is a dirty Northern monkey and we wouldnt take to him unfortunately.

 

[West Stand Benfleet Blue]

We need to tap up the premier clubs to get a young goal hungry striker on loan for a season, and get some of our so called strikers out on loan for short term loans to sharpen up.

 

[monkwell]

I said in another thread Febian Brandy is just the player we could do with. Very quick and got me promoted out of league 1 on football manager with, believe it or not, more than 20 goals!

I agree - he looked excellent when we played Hereford a couple of years ago and could easily cut in league one.
I can't believe Smiffy even mentioned Sean Thornton!!!

 

[TrevorFitzpatrickHattrick]

I agree about Brandy, he'd take this division apart. Rosenior is far too good for League 2 and Leon Knight is a huge has-been. The Leon Knight circa 2006 would be a different proposition entirely.

 

[Beefy]

We need to tap up the premier clubs to get a young goal hungry striker on loan for a season, and get some of our so called strikers out on loan for short term loans to sharpen up.

Wow. I hadn't realised this management lark was so easy.

 

[superblue24]

Of course we can still sign players who are out of contract. The list is huge and quite depressing actually. So many talented players left on the scrap heap.

Here's a few realistic targets for us I feel (Maybe not everyone's cup of tea though) In my opinion we need another Centre Half, a creative Centre Mid and a Striker who can get 15-20 goals this season.

Tristan Plummer - Centre Mid
Sam Hewson - Centre Mid
Sean Thornton - Centre Mid (Yes I know, ******!)

Liam Rosenior - Centre Back/Right Back
Hasney Aljofree - Centre Back/Left Back

Febian Brandy - Striker
Danny Fernandez - Striker
Franny Jeffers - Striker
Leon Knight - Striker

Dont forget Ade Akinbiyi, Smiffy.

I'd fancy he has another season in him

 

[EastStandBlue]

Dont forget Ade Akinbiyi, Smiffy.

I'd fancy he has another season in him

Why would we need Ade Akinbiyi? We already have two strikers whose ability is in holding up the ball, rather than racing onto and feeding from knockdowns. If we're going to move for anybody in this loan window, I'd imagine it'd be someone in the Izale McLeod fashion.

 

[Beefy]

I remember seeing a documentary on Akinbiyi a few eyars back, about all the work he does back home in Africa for people. He seems like a top guy. Completely not what we'd be looking for though!

 

[superblue24]

Why would we need Ade Akinbiyi? We already have two strikers whose ability is in holding up the ball, rather than racing onto and feeding from knockdowns. If we're going to move for anybody in this loan window, I'd imagine it'd be someone in the Izale McLeod fashion.

I would agree with that, although I wish we'd have looked at Akinbiyi over the likes of BS for a hold-up type player.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I would agree with that, although I wish we'd have looked at Akinbiyi over the likes of BS for a hold-up type player.

Indeed. It'd feel more like Southend if we were to be paying more than double for someone to do a particular job, when there's someone equally as adequate available for a fraction of the price.

 

[Beefy]

Double? I'd suggest that Akinbiyi would command a lot more than twice Blair Sturrock's wages! He's without a Club for a reason.

 

[superblue24]

Buy cheap, buy twice.....

I would have Akinbiyi alone over Corr and BS any day of the week.

But hey, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Buy cheap, buy twice.....

I would have Akinbiyi alone over Corr and BS any day of the week.

But hey, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

As opposed to last year, where we paid handsomely and got monkeys.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

As opposed to last year, where we paid handsomely and got monkeys.

Not only that, but the constant whinging about the squad size that we've endured for the last 7 or 8 years.

 

[superblue24]

As opposed to last year, where we paid handsomely and got monkeys.

Agreed, but whose fault is that? The buck stops with the hierarchy for me.

Seems that Ron wants overnight success for pennies, which isn't going to happen.

If you ask me, I think the current squad is fine, but I feel we should make an exception for a proven goalscorer like McLeod....It really would be the difference between play-offs\top 3 and mid\low table.....

A match winner at L2 level could prove invaluable to us.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Agreed, but whose fault is that? The buck stops with the hierarchy for me.

Seems that Ron wants overnight success for pennies, which isn't going to happen.

If you ask me, I think the current squad is fine, but I feel we should make an exception for a proven goalscorer like McLeod....It really would be the difference between play-offs\top 3 and mid\low table.....

A match winner at L2 level could prove invaluable to us.

Whose fault is it that we paid them handsomely? Ultimately Ron Martin. Whose fault is that we signed monkeys? Well, it depends on who/what you believe. RM/Jennings/Tilson/Brush, delete as applicable. But that's been discussed to death and it's not an argument for this thread.

I think it's unfair to accuse Ron of wanting overnight success on the cheap, though. He wanted success and gave Tilson a handsome budget to achieve it, which he simply couldn't sustain and culminated in last year's tussles, struggles and implosion. I think what you're seeing now is Ron Martin pulling the club closer to financial security with a mass overhaul and a verifiable budget.

As has been said elsewhere, a proven goalscorer would be great, but they're like golddust at this level and, to my mind, the only one currently in this division would be Le Fondre, who Rotherham have fought tooth and nail to keep hold of, and will more than likely leave in January. Our only hope is to take a starlet on loan, which is what PS is obviously looking at now.

For what it's worth, Akinbiyi is by no stretch of the imagination a goalscoring forward any longer. He might be capable of pitching in with 10 or so goals in an average season, but he's a support striker in the Goater mold given his experience/tired legs and not one worthy of the "match winner" tag.