On a Roll

[duncan bulgaria]

What a 2009 we are having , it seems we now have a well balanced team with some pace , fight , quality and belief . Having questioned Tillys some what disasterous start to this season it seems that he has finally getting together a team capable of going to teams backyards and grinding out results and he deserves massive credit for thisand for a cracking result tonight.

He is now playing players in teh right positions and although Barrett maybe not a left back it seems that he is no longer the force at CB he once was and with a bit of class alongside him Clarke and the defence are looking strong so its a justified switch.

When all the moaning was going happening on this board i felt it was justified , we had a weak side , no pace , no bollox and no belief , if tilly would of not strengthened and kept with that weak side i'm convinced we would be sitting dangerously near the relegation zone . People like myself don't come on this site to dig players and the staff out but seriously can anyone say they were happy with the **** that was being played around oct / nov / dec because something needed shaking up and it has happened and look at the evidence .

So the whole background staff can pat their selves on the back for the turnaround but should learn a valuable lesson that a **** team with no belief and quality and pace and balance will not win you football matches , and guess what fans expect for their teams to win games .

I can't see us making the play offs as its a massive ask and we are not ready for the CCC at the moment but very encouraging that we have a goo dteam again and please let us get one of either Robinson or DD as thats the quality you need to climb this league .

 

[Rob Noxious]

What a 2009 we are having , it seems we now have a well balanced team with some pace , fight , quality and belief . Having questioned Tillys some what disasterous start to this season it seems that he has finally getting together a team capable of going to teams backyards and grinding out results and he deserves massive credit for thisand for a cracking result tonight.

He is now playing players in teh right positions and although Barrett maybe not a left back it seems that he is no longer the force at CB he once was and with a bit of class alongside him Clarke and the defence are looking strong so its a justified switch.

When all the moaning was going happening on this board i felt it was justified , we had a weak side , no pace , no bollox and no belief , if tilly would of not strengthened and kept with that weak side i'm convinced we would be sitting dangerously near the relegation zone . People like myself don't come on this site to dig players and the staff out but seriously can anyone say they were happy with the **** that was being played around oct / nov / dec because something needed shaking up and it has happened and look at the evidence .

So the whole background staff can pat their selves on the back for the turnaround but should learn a valuable lesson that a **** team with no belief and quality and pace and balance will not win you football matches , and guess what fans expect for their teams to win games .

I can't see us making the play offs as its a massive ask and we are not ready for the CCC at the moment but very encouraging that we have a goo dteam again and please let us get one of either Robinson or DD as thats the quality you need to climb this league .

Thought we were good early in October... but yes, this is a top top turnaround & credit all round. Though we didn't get enough loanees in in the window, the two we did get have helped immensely. Rock on!

 

[Beefy]

No one was happy with the way we were playing a few weeks ago. But the fact is that none of us would have been as unhappy as Steve Tilson was.

The fact that we've now gone on a good run doesn't prove those who moaned and moaned and moaned were right. It simply illustrates how wrong they were to have lost their faith so easily. I hope they remember this the next time we go half a dozen matches without winning.

 

[Csboy]

Just 6 points off the play offs now, don't think we will make it but if we finish in the top 10 and finish above colu I will be happy.
Thank goodness Ron didnt listen to all the doom and gloom merchants and sack Tilly. he remains the right man for the job and hopefully if he is given the funds we can make a push for promotion next season.

 

[Magnum PI]

There is one very simple reason why we stopped the rot...

We sorted the defence out !!
Simple as

 

[Shoebury Blue]

There is one very simple reason why we stopped the rot...

We sorted the defence out !!
Simple as

completely agree - as soon as we moved Barrett out of the firing line then its changed the base of the team to a much more solid looking partnership, just a shame that neither of them will be around next season!!!

 

[ElstreeBlue]

No one was happy with the way we were playing a few weeks ago. But the fact is that none of us would have been as unhappy as Steve Tilson was.

The fact that we've now gone on a good run doesn't prove those who moaned and moaned and moaned were right. It simply illustrates how wrong they were to have lost their faith so easily. I hope they remember this the next time we go half a dozen matches without winning.

Spot on, Beefy. Don't hold out much hope. No matter how many miracles Tilly and Brush have performed over the last 5 years, people still lose faith and say "Tilly got lucky with Eastwood" or "he's lost the plot". Throughout Tilly's reign, there have been good runs and bad runs. Thankfully, he somehow always seems to dig us out of a hole each time - much harder than keeping on a winning streak.

One thing's for sure, T&B are as good and loyal as we'll get. As you say, they knew there were problems. Do people really think they didn't see them? They can't just pull rabbits out of the hat every week. It's not a computer game!!

I still say this has been their most remarkable achievement for us this year. I thought we didn't have a hope of staying up at the beginning of the season - barely a 5-a-side team, contract rebels, the heart of our team leaving, and the timing of it, questionable funds available for building the team, having to make a patched-up team on a series of loans (which everyone knows was not ideal) and yet despite all of that we're just 6 points off the play-off positions and 5 points from Scunthorpe who've been top 6 all season until tonight.

I wonder if we ran a Tilly poll now what the score would be? I did the same thing 2 games from the end of last season and the poll was labelled stupid. Yes - stupid, because everyone could see at that point how good Tilly had been. The trouble is - the next bad run and you wait to see the same old comments back on here again!

 

[duncan bulgaria]

completely agree - as soon as we moved Barrett out of the firing line then its changed the base of the team to a much more solid looking partnership, just a shame that neither of them will be around next season!!!

Got a feeling we'll get robinson , just feel he is young and is playing in a winning team and is probably getting his ego boosted by the goals and to go back to a side thats struggling and to not be playing week in week out must mean he would seriously have to think about a move here .

If we do get him i feel it will spell the end for Walker but hes defo a big step up to walker so all good .

 

[palexander]

i'll keep this brief as I'm knackered and about to turn in...

A superb result and as I've been saying the last few weeks, all the credit to Tilson and the players for getting it right.

A lot of the vitriol on SZ towards Tilson started when I asked the question "Is (or should) Ron Martin be considering Tilsons position?" - which I felt justified at the time of asking.

As DB says above, whilst I can only speak for myself, I'm sure all of us just want success for Southend and the small group of us that questioned tactics, team selection and transfer policy were I still believe correct. And, although I still feel it was a little by default, Tilson has managed to answer the critics by bringing in some quality players and reshaping the defensive unit.

2 points there that were asked for not just in the last down turn, but over a much longer period - and pretty much as soon as they are addressed, we pick up results.

I'll give Tilson massive credit for keep taking the punches and keep getting back up - somehow he pulls these squads together and gets them working against all the odds. I wonder if its a bit of a seige mentality, or something more complicated!? Either way, I dont care as long as we keep getting results.

Anyway, I dont know what I'm writing now!

In summary... well done Tilson and the players - keep it up! I will now personally be satisfied with a top 10 finish and something to build on for next season. That for me, given the circumstances of the financial situation would suffice.

BTW... Lets not have the good times spoiled on SZ by loads of comments about "where are the moaners", "we were right" blah blah... there are still plenty of problems that need addressing down the line, but with only a couple of months left, lets get behind the team and see if we can make the impossible possible.

 

[CC51DAS]

Its beginning to look like Dorian was the loan signing of the century

 

[bluearmy1]

Some of you may be interested in this link from the excellent Football365 website - interesting to see us top

 

[Bar na bas]

Some of you may be interested in this link from the excellent Football365 website - interesting to see us top

Only Manchester Utd and Brentford in better form than us, in terms of points per game, in the whole of the league...

Well done, Tilly, Brush and all the lads.

 

[Irish_Shrimper]

We will make the playoffs.

I promise not to visit the Hall again this season and jinx the team if this run keeps up.

 

[Chaz SUFC]

Not sure we'll make the play offs but if we keep this run going we will make oldham away a massive game.

I think its clear Leeds, Millwall and Peterborough/MK Dons are certain for play-offs but what with Scunthorpe's poor form that last spot is up for grabs.

Stockport wont get it. Col U wont get it. We have an outside shot.

 

[canveyshrimper]

After the loss against Crewe, I couldn't see us getting a point from the next 3 games, and we could then have been looking over our shoulders we have since won 5 from 6 and we are in the top half of the table. All credit to the management and players who have achieved this turn around. I think it's too late for us to gatecrash the play offs, the Millwall defeat may have put paid to that, but with Hereford & Swindon away to come, on paper winnable games, win those and dream...

As ever Tilly has probably proved his critics wrong - again!! And while this thread shouldn't turn into a witch hunt against the Tilson out brigade, I will be interested to hear their views now.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Not sure we'll make the play offs but if we keep this run going we will make oldham away a massive game.

I think its clear Leeds, Millwall and Peterborough/MK Dons are certain for play-offs but what with Scunthorpe's poor form that last spot is up for grabs.

Stockport wont get it. Col U wont get it. We have an outside shot.

Of those, I wasn't at all impressed with Peterborough, and Leeds and Millwall are both beatable. Stockport I'm convinced are only up there because of their awful pitch which so many teams find unplayable! We were really unfortunate to play Millwall on the night we did, ordinarily I think we would have beaten them.

 

[CC51DAS]

Of those, I wasn't at all impressed with Peterborough, and Leeds and Millwall are both beatable. Stockport I'm convinced are only up there because of their awful pitch which so many teams find unplayable! We were really unfortunate to play Millwall on the night we did, ordinarily I think we would have beaten them.

Wouldn't want to rule Leeds out of the automatic spot myself. Not just judging by last night's thrashing of a side in freefall, but they have a decent run in and a top manager, who has now had a little time to get things on the right track.

Now that should please our friend Toellandback !

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

OK... here's one to get you all drooling like loons...

clicky

According to the "run-in" table - which projects current form onto the points table - we're on target for finishing 6th.

I would be utterly gob-smacked if we did it - the greatest resurrection since Lazarus...?

Matt

 

[duncan bulgaria]

Its beginning to look like Dorian was the loan signing of the century

no coincidence that since he has arrived our results have picked up , the spine of any team is so important and how weak was Barrett , Milslom , out of form Barnard , Revell .

Look at now we have Dorian ( massive improvement on Barrett ) , In form Macca , JFC or Grant ( all 3 a big improvement on Milsom ), Robinson and Barnard on last nights form once again a massive improvement .

I like a few others never wanted Tilly out , just wanted him and the board to realise that with a weak side we were heading for League 2 , full credit they have rectified the issues at CB and in midfield started playing Grant instead of overlooking him for young loanees and have bought in some pace to relieve pressure off our back line and we are now beating the teams that IMO a club like SUFC with Tilly in charge should be beating .

I was not happy with seeing us get bulldozered by inferrier teams on paper week in week out and i feel the frustration was somewhat justified , maybe a few are to quick to critise but i will always give credit when credit is due and for our last 9 games the whole of SUFC deserve a massive mention .

Play offs - not for me , but stranger things have happened !!

 

[Reg Martin]

BTW... Lets not have the good times spoiled on SZ by loads of comments about "where are the moaners", "we were right" blah blah... there are still plenty of problems that need addressing down the line, but with only a couple of months left, lets get behind the team and see if we can make the impossible possible.

I agree with all of your post including the last bit but as one of the 'rose tinted specs brigade' I would like to comment on it.
There are 'moaners' (no offence intended) like yourself, Richard Cadette and Duncan Bulgaria who post on here during good times and bad and are prepared to review their opinions and I respect that.
There are others whose criticism seems purely destructive and who stop posting during good spells and then return the next time we hit a bad spell and tell us "we were right". Why some people seem to take so little pleasure from following their team remains a mystery to me.
I think those of us in the 'rose tinted specs brigade' get equally depressed/fed up/alarmed etc during bad spells (for me Southend getting beat is a like a kick in the guts) but feel that too many other fans over-react or express their concern in ways that don't help eg getting on players backs - not saying you do that but some always seem to be looking for the next scapegoat.
All that said, I will finish by echoing your sentiments that there are still plenty of problems that need addressing down the line, but with only a couple of months left, lets get behind the team and see if we can make the impossible possible