Question PB v PS

[onceknownasrab]

The way PS left and its timing created a great deal of negative rep for RM and that was compounded for many by the appointment of PB. I wondered now how many people have changed their minds about the gaffer or are willing to give him more time?

The club has well publicised off-field problems that have done little to help PB and his plans but for my money he has been shrewd with the players he has brought in and has got the team playing the way so many wanted for a long time. Inconsistent yes, but if consistency was to be added to the mix we would have a side that in my opinion could be eyeing the autos come January.

This is a success driven business and it is too early to be sure where PB will take us but do you feel more confident now about our prospects on the pitch under the stewardship of PB? I do.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

PB seems to have the edge for me. Even in defeat, we've played the game in the right way and just our inexperience has let us down, but that'll come. Although, PS's "route one" was often effective, it was painful to watch. PB has understood we can't afford a big squad so he has recruited or retained several players that can play well in a variety of positions. Lenny, John White and Will are perfect examples of this.

I've always wondered, with our cashflow issues, why we haven't given our youth team players more opportunities. Bringing them in, while we were in the Championship, would have been a big step up, but surely League 2 is within their grasp. Win, lose or draw, I think it's great to see players like Bentley, Auger, Payne etc getting a runout.

 

[Silencer]

Hard one to judge when you consider the different budgets and constraints in which the two managers were dealt.

Sturrock did a sterling job in the first season to create a competitive side from scratch and on his word and via his contacts, under Tilly I fear we would have gone down again. He built a squad where we still have some players now, the football wasn't great to watch but we were competitive and acheived more than most of us expected when he started with 3/4 pro's. Second season, Sturrock assembled a very decent outfit and we were flying on a few front's, but ill discipline amongst the squad and in fighting saw us fall away - true our points total would normally have been good enough but it wasn't and the play offs we went out with a whimper. Third Season despite starting well went totally wrong, injuries, suspensions and many cup games all played a part and despite making Wembley for which he will always be remembered, it may have been time to go (just a shame not after the final).

Brown has inherited someone else's faltering squad and has been under a transfer embargo ever since - If he was backed financially as much as Sturrock was in the second season then I suspect Brown and Penney could have attracted some very decent players over the summer break and retained others. Considering the contraints, he is doing a decent good and seems very professional (Glad we have ironed out the set pieces) in the role despite being media hungry.

Styles of play are a complete contrast but I felt that both Managers in the main got their respective teams to always give 100%

 

[southchurch]

My main problem with paul was that it was route one and it was horrible. Now we are trying to play football and It is so much more enjoyable.
He does not have the players yet to really make it work but given time and a little money I do believe he has the right attributes to take us further up the leagues.
Will he get the time and the money is the bigger question.

 

[superblue24]

Hard one to judge when you consider the different budgets and constraints in which the two managers were dealt.

Do we know this is/was the case? Genuine question as I don't know.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Do we know this is/was the case? Genuine question as I don't know.

Hard to say but we do know PS brought in a lot of players and seemingly was less constrained than PB.

 

[WightShrimper]

I like to think that Luggy put the brakes on our big slide into obscurity and put a bit of belief back into the players and the fans, but he might never have got us out of the basement in a month of Sundays for a variety of reasons. What I like about Tango is the fact that he wants to play a prettier game of football and is not frightened to stand in front of the cameras and say that Ron et al, need to sort out the financial situation if they want the club to progress, and he might just have the media clout to shame them into it.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

We have 4 more points at this stage than we did last season

 

[rlb999]

We've just won 3-0 at home. PB's blues are much better at Roots Hall.
Last week we got stuffed at Newport. You can easily argue we're less robust away from home.
Seems we can't have our cake and eat it.

 

[Liam AAS]

Under Luggy we were a floodlight failure away from ever needing to ask this question.

Brown has done capably and with a couple of additions I believe we've got one of the better squads in the league. But Sturrock had nothing to prove when he left, and that's still the case now.

Luggy for me.

 

[shrimperton]

PB for me, at least the boys are trying to play football the right way, and for all those still moaning about the floodlight failure, get over it, its gone, the fact was we didn't get enough points over 46 games, floodlights is a poor excuse for the daydreamers who still are in love with Luggys long ball game!!!

I remember watching us play AFC Wimbledon under luggy, that game stands out for me as the worst display I have ever seen from a blues team in 20 years!!

 

[Liam AAS]

PB for me, at least the boys are trying to play football the right way, and for all those still moaning about the floodlight failure, get over it, its gone, the fact was we didn't get enough points over 46 games, floodlights is a poor excuse for the daydreamers who still are in love with Luggys long ball game!!!

I remember watching us play AFC Wimbledon under luggy, that game stands out for me as the worst display I have ever seen from a blues team in 20 years!!

We beat Wimbledon away 4-0 under Luggy, but I guess you must be speaking about another game which doesn't fit your point. I don't care how the ball gets in the back of the next I just care that it does. Long ball game hasn't done Stoke any harm

 

[TrueBlue]

Under Luggy we were a floodlight failure away from ever needing to ask this question.

Brown has done capably and with a couple of additions I believe we've got one of the better squads in the league. But Sturrock had nothing to prove when he left, and that's still the case now.

Luggy for me.

Well we could have gone up then been slaughtered and been relegated so yes we could still be asking the same question

 

[Liam AAS]

Well we could have gone up then been slaughtered and been relegated so yes we could still be asking the same question

Without the floodlight failure we WOULD have gone up and then COULD have been slaughtered and relegated (definite v maybe).

If we'd have gone up we'd have probably kept Hall, Mohsni, Clohessy and strengthed with a few others. Gates go up and club gets better. Success begats success.

I don't think the jump from L2 to L1 is that great to be honest. Not for a club ouf our size.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Without the floodlight failure we WOULD have gone up and then COULD have been slaughtered and relegated (definite v maybe).

If we'd have gone up we'd have probably kept Hall, Mohsni, Clohessy and strengthed with a few others. Gates go up and club gets better. Success begats success.

I don't think the jump from L2 to L1 is that great to be honest. Not for a club ouf our size.

Sturrock did well in his first 2 seasons with us but failed badly in the league last season with a big budget along with host of soul destroying performances at home.

Im enjoying watching Southend again under Phil Brown which under Sturrock match day almost felt like a chore.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Hard to say but we do know PS brought in a lot of players and seemingly was less constrained than PB.

They seem to have just managed their budgets differently. PS opted to bring in players, PB opted to double the coaching staff.

PS also ensured a larger budget by going on cup runs and developing sellable players (eg Ryan Hall, Kane Ferdinand and if we'd have accepted some of the offers, Bilel Mohsni). Even so he was certainly constrained when we were crying out for a midfielder around this time last year. He might not have made a song and dance about it, but his hands were clearly tied.

And on that note, how good it is to see Laird fit again.

Well we could have gone up then been slaughtered and been relegated so yes we could still be asking the same question

It's a possibility, but our we held our own in cup games against League One opposition under Sturrock so I'd suggest we'd have probably been ok until financial problems struck again.

His team would have probably been slaughtered by our fans though.

 

[Silencer]

Do we know this is/was the case? Genuine question as I don't know.

Think you only need to be relistic in terms of squad sizes and calibre of players. Also, many on here know of people within football circles and I personally know and have known people inside the club.

If you look at the players within the PS squad, at one stage you had big earners for this level like Freddy, Dickinson, Harris, Martin and Barker.

Now Freddy aside, I can almost guarentee that none of our current squad earn anywhere near what these boys were on.

Throw into the mix that Brown is operating with 19/20 of which many are youngsters, previously fringe players, inexperienced then it is a no brainer.

 

[usa_shrimper]

PB for me, at least the boys are trying to play football the right way, and for all those still moaning about the floodlight failure, get over it, its gone, the fact was we didn't get enough points over 46 games, floodlights is a poor excuse for the daydreamers who still are in love with Luggys long ball game!!!

I remember watching us play AFC Wimbledon under luggy, that game stands out for me as the worst display I have ever seen from a blues team in 20 years!!

Maybe 15 years..... We played like that every game under Alvin Martin...

 

[Silencer]

I don't buy the whole "Without the floodlights going" excuse of the "83 pts is usually enough for promotion" arguements, it's only what is.

Don't forget we won the league on 82 pts - that is usually never enough points to win a title in a 46 game season, we didn't moan then did we. It's what is and not what if.

Every team could say, if only we didn't conceded in the last minute, or if only that handball was spotted, penalty wasn't given etc etc

Unfortunatley, from topping the table we blew it and what made it was worse we gambled in the January transfer window by splashing the cash we maybe didn't have - Flood, Belford, Benyon, Baldwin, Martin, Timlin (Arguably the only successful signing)

 

[Chairman Trigg]

PB on the radio last night made the point that the team will be travelling 3,000 miles in a short space of time and that he had made the board aware that that the squad need to have alternative to the normal coach travel if we really want to be at our best in the coming fixtures.Get the feeling that if he doesn,t get the backing from Uncle Ron and promises met he won,t be aound for more than 1 season.

I like to think that Luggy put the brakes on our big slide into obscurity and put a bit of belief back into the players and the fans, but he might never have got us out of the basement in a month of Sundays for a variety of reasons. What I like about Tango is the fact that he wants to play a prettier game of football and is not frightened to stand in front of the cameras and say that Ron et al, need to sort out the financial situation if they want the club to progress, and he might just have the media clout to shame them into it.