Paul Sturrock: New signings needed to pep up Southend United

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United manager Paul Sturrock feels he must make new signings to help his side bounce back from Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Exeter City.

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[undercovershrimper]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

 

[IloveShrimp]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

and what about a no2 rightback too?

 

[chapperzUK]

and what about a no2 rightback too?

Got Leonard as cover. More pressing issues with the midfield IMO.

 

[Depor_Shrimper]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

And a new Keeper.

 

[dannypav]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

There were certainly games we were winning fairly comfortably at 2-0 and even at 3-0 , but he kept Britt and Tomlin on until the last 5 mins.
Hindsight is a great gift , but agree he missed an opportunity a few times to give some a breather.

 

[superblue24]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

Benyon, Straker and Spicer please.....

 

[Jam_Man]

If Luggy thinks we look leggy maybe he should take a look at his management of the squad over xmas and new year when HE refused to freshen up the team. He should of managed his resources better. We need one CM and a LM and that is all. He will have to get players out of the door before he can bring anyone in.

'Dont change a winning team' seems to be a hard policy to argue with when you are 14 games unbeaten. Id be interested who should have been rested at any point in that run.

 

[southendkid]

Benyon, Straker and Spicer please.....

I think there's a good player in Straker somewhere (although possibly not in defense,) the fact we paid money for him suggests Sturrock must have seen something in him before signing him.

 

[dannypav]

'Dont change a winning team' seems to be a hard policy to argue with when you are 14 games unbeaten. Id be interested who should have been rested at any point in that run.

Yep , totally agree with you on that in terms of starting 11.
Just would have liked him to use subs earlier in some games when we were well on top.

 

[Jam_Man]

Yep , totally agree with you on that in terms of starting 11.
Just would have liked him to use subs earlier in some games when we were well on top.

Agree with that. As I said in another thread recently, Eastwood appeared 6 times out of 9 substitute appearances in the 82nd minute onward. That didnt really help him or whoever he replaced.

 

[onceknownasrab]

I have spoken on numerous occasions about man management and I am sad to say I fear it is not a great trait of PS. The whole point of a talented squad is to use it. Too often he spurned the opportunity when we were coasting to give onfield players a break and subs some much needed game time. We are paying the price. Add to that the business of subbing Smith and I really feel too many errors of judgement are being made, not unlike last season and unless the gaffer changes his stance we will have two blown seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong. For this season I believe PS made changes for the better and he has learned from past mistakes, albeit too late for last season, but I feel he needs to shift his thinking just a tad more. I am sure he can do promotion this season if he makes the changes soon.

 

[Jam_Man]

I have spoken on numerous occasions about man management and I am sad to say I fear it is not a great trait of PS. The whole point of a talented squad is to use it. Too often he spurned the opportunity when we were coasting to give onfield players a break and subs some much needed game time. We are paying the price. Add to that the business of subbing Smith and I really feel too many errors of judgement are being made, not unlike last season and unless the gaffer changes his stance we will have two blown seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong. For this season I believe PS made changes for the better and he has learned from past mistakes, albeit too late for last season, but I feel he needs to shift his thinking just a tad more. I am sure he can do promotion this season if he makes the changes soon.

How talented are the fringe players really though ?

In the unbeaten run who really could have played much of a part that wasnt injured?

As I said above sometimes subs could have been made earlier, but we didnt really have an abundance of riches to fall back on, nor do I disagree with him keeping a settled side, its what brought success after all.

The price we are paying now is not having two decent midfielders after Tam left. If we can get a decent replacement (and if Laird isnt out long) then fingers crossed it will stabilise the side.

 

[undercovershrimper]

We zoners all knew we had a busy period over xmas and new year, so should of Luggy. He is the manager and he hasnt managed his resources. You cant just keep sending out the same XI every game when the fixtures are building up. I for one am getting fed up with PS. If we dont go up this season he must GO

 

[Jam_Man]

We zoners all knew we had a busy period over xmas and new year, so should of Luggy. He is the manager and he hasnt managed his resources. You cant just keep sending out the same XI every game when the fixtures are building up. I for one am getting fed up with PS. If we dont go up this season he must GO

Great with hindsight.

We were on a run because of a settled side, suddenly rotating with players who are playing now and losing doesnt seem like the best of strategies.

Who would you have dropped during that period ?

Britt and Tomlin are first on the sheet.
No point dropping Tam as he was leaving.

Clearly Sturrock wants to bring players in, but he couldnt have done that for Christmas.

 

[dingleydangley]

The club isn't wealthy (no sh*t). With players dropping like flies Sturrock probably thinks that he's now reached the tipping point where he can go cap in hand to the bouffanted one. The unbeaten run was clearly the result of an unchanged side, with Laird and Mkandawire completing the jigsaw. Unfortunately, it only took Tam's exit for problems to begin. The lack of substitutions was probably because Luggy realised how shallow the squad actually was. We had players in waiting, but they weren't as good as those playing. Oh, and Smith played during that unbeaten run. Just saying.

Add to that a glut of fixtures (I know, they only have to play football, but there's a reason they're playing in the fourth division) and it's beginning to look like a knackers yard.

I dunno, maybe they're not waving and clapping enough at the end of matches.

 

[chapperzUK]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Sturrock knows what he is doing and has been there and done it. We went on a great run with a settled team. Making subs 5-10 minutes earlier wouldn't have changed the situation we are in now. Resting players may have helped, but may not have.

What has happened?

Mkandawire has gone back to Millwall - rotating the squad wouldn't have done that.
Assombalonga is injured - doubt it is from being overused as it is not that sort of injury, and Corr has stepped up and is scoring.
Laird is injured - not sure of the full extend, but he wasn't played in the JPT so had a rest then.

Maybe the only thing Sturrock can be responsible for is playing Phillips when he wasn't 100% match fit, as he has played the last 4 where we have not won (in normal time) and have conceded 10 times.

If we can't get anyone in to patch up the midfield, then it will be a long season, but Sturrock knows what is needed and will already be looking at targets.

 

[Jam_Man]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Sturrock knows what he is doing and has been there and done it. We went on a great run with a settled team. Making subs 5-10 minutes earlier wouldn't have changed the situation we are in now. Resting players may have helped, but may not have.

What has happened?

Mkandawire has gone back to Millwall - rotating the squad wouldn't have done that.
Assombalonga is injured - doubt it is from being overused as it is not that sort of injury, and Corr has stepped up and is scoring.
Laird is injured - not sure of the full extend, but he wasn't played in the JPT so had a rest then.

Maybe the only thing Sturrock can be responsible for is playing Phillips when he wasn't 100% match fit, as he has played the last 4 where we have not won (in normal time) and have conceded 10 times.

If we can't get anyone in to patch up the midfield, then it will be a long season, but Sturrock knows what is needed and will already be looking at targets.

Indeed. Our decline is because the team changed when Tam left and Britt got injured, not because it was unchanged for so many games.

Losing MKandawire was always going to be a big thing, we just dont have a replacement for him, and would be very lucky to get anyone of that standard.

Corr has come in and scored goals so has certainly filled Britts place to an extent, however Tomlin has dried up. Im a big Corr fan but how much has his introduction affected the team dynamic, and the partnership of our front two?

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Sturrock had hindsight. He knew that Tamika n Laird could of possibly left when their loan deals expired.

Surely he should of identified targets and spoke with the chairman already?

The weak parts of the team haven't just appeared. Most fans have identified them.

 

[dannypav]

Is there any possibility of Tam returning ?
Read somewhere of the possibility it is being delayed in order that he can return for the season - is this just hope or any chance of that happening ?
If he's not even making the bench at Millwall , I can't see what benefit it is to them having him there ...........