Reasons to be cheerful?

[applelover]

Is this all that bad for league two? Personally I think it could be a lot worse.


Southend Squad



GK - Oxley
RB - Bwomomo
CB - Mitchell-Nelson
CB - Dieng
LB - Clifford
RM - Egbri
CM - Phillips
CM - Demetriou
LM - Barrett
CF - Humphreys
CF - Kelman

Subs
Seaden, Ralph, White, Gard, Klass, Hutchinson, Goodship

Reserves

Lennon, Kyprianou, Kinali, Rush. Acquah


GK:
Mark Oxley - 2021
Harry Seaden - 2021 (option until 2022)

DEF:
Elvis Bwomono - 2020 (option until 2021) - option exercised until 2021
Jason Demetriou - 2021 (option until 2022)
Rob Howard - offered deal until 2021 with club option until 2022 - Naps says he's signed
Nathan Ralph - 2021 (option until 2022)
Tom Clifford - 2021 with club option until 2022
Ide Osimeh - signed professional contract
Harry Kyprianou - 2021
Theo Vassell - ????
Timothy Dieng - optioned exercised until 2021
Harry Lennon - 2021
John White - signed until Jan 2021 only
Richard Taylor - option exercised until 2021
Miles Mitchell-Nelson - signed professional contract



MID:
Emmanuel Osadebe - ????
Stephen McLaughlin - 2020 - Offered meeting to discuss offer of new contract expected to join Coughlan's Mansfield
Isaac Hutchinson - 2021
Eren Kinali - option exercised until 2021
Sam Barratt - 2020 - Offered meeting to discuss offer of new contract - Echo reports talks are making "good progress"
Lewis Gard - 2021 with club option until 2022
Michael Klass - offered deal until 2021 with club option until 2022
Harry Phillips - 2022 with option until 2023
Terrell Egbri - signed professional contract
Jon Benton - signed professional contract
O'Shane Stewart - offered professional contract



FWD:

Stephen Humphrys - 2021
Charlie Kelman - 2021
Brandon Goodship 2021 (option until 2022)
Matt Rush - signed professional contract
Emile Acquah - offered professional contract

 

[Strykr]

Fills me with fear and dread looking at that squad...

 

[applelover]

Fills me with fear and dread looking at that squad...

I added the ‘?’ to the title as I’m not exactly 100% confident

However, there’s 23 players in there who’ve all played league one football. Almost of whom have put in decent performances at that level on occasion.

The wage bill is relatively tiny.

There’s goals in the front line.

We’ve got several players outside my match squad who could arguably be in the first XI

Two very decent full backs. Admittedly the CB’s are a bit scary

 

[applelover]

Plus

No older players who we’re overly reliant on and could fall off the cliff at any moment

Genuine competition for every position

A squad who know each other inside out

I’m doing my best here guys

 

[applelover]

Oh ... and a proper kit!

 

[Strykr]

Yeah, i might be wrong, might only take a few players to click, a couple of the youths to excel, a manager instilling confidence and good team spirit, a good game plan a bit of luck and we might be ok.

I just feel burned by a lot of those names tbh given recent seasons, and not fussed seeing any of them in a blues shirt again tbh.

I dont think any of us truly know whats gonna happen in L2 though, we could hold our own, or get bullied off the park every match.

 

[rigsby]

Yeah, i might be wrong, might only take a few players to click, a couple of the youths to excel, a manager instilling confidence and good team spirit, a good game plan a bit of luck and we might be ok.

I just feel burned by a lot of those names tbh given recent seasons, and not fussed seeing any of them in a blues shirt again tbh.

I dont think any of us truly know whats gonna happen in L2 though, we could hold our own, or get bullied off the park every match.

So you would bin the likes of Kelman, Clifford, Kyprianou etc because the likes Cox, Ridgewell, Kiernan, Demetriou and Mcl decided to go on strike or just completely take the p***.

There are only two things that will guarantee we end up in the National league.....

1) Binning our under 23's because of other peoples crimes

2) Turning up at RH next season and taking out your frustrations on our under 23's because of other peoples crimes.

 

[damien]

If we keep hold of one of the two forwards, and the group of youths that played pre covid as a core with a few bruisers I see a mid table finish. A lot of teams will be in a similar position. Keep the faith, Kevin maher and Steve tilson as a 1 2 will get us back on course

 

[GBJ]

There’s goals in the front line.

Certainly is.

Sadly, they probably won’t be scoring goals for us next season.

 

[defender05]

Looking a that team if the other teams play the ball on the ground we would give them a game but if a physical or long ball team turns up I can't see us competing.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

That's the poorest squad we have had for about 20 years. Not one winger or striker that excites me there as well. Normally there's one or two at least. Obviously we just hope some of the youngsters coming through sprout wings in their development.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

So you would bin the likes of Kelman, Clifford, Kyprianou etc because the likes Cox, Ridgewell, Kiernan, Demetriou and Mcl decided to go on strike or just completely take the p***.

There are only two things that will guarantee we end up in the National league.....

1) Binning our under 23's because of other peoples crimes

2) Turning up at RH next season and taking out your frustrations on our under 23's because of other peoples crimes.

Actually there is a couple more guarantees...

3, Ron can't play the players on time again, and the suspended points deduction is applied
4, Club is put into administration (perhaps to avoid being wound-up due to failure to pay tax-man)

Personally I'd think Ron's actions are more likely to cause problems that your supporters but hey, deflection is key eh!?

 

[GBJ]

4, Club is put into administration (perhaps to avoid being wound-up due to failure to pay tax-man

Pointless task, as we don’t have any assets.

Everything is in Ron’s name (or another one of his companies)

It wouldn’t take too long to price us up.

 

[Chalky]

I do not thinks its a bad squad at all. In fact I actually think it will be a very effective team in league 2.

I only have to look at Colchester to see they are doing the same as us this year with using u23s, I most certainly favour our young players over theirs.

I also then look at Oldham, who again, with money problems are doing the same as us using a lot of young players. Oldham have some french and other European players stuck on their books because they failed miserably at attempting a 'Moneyball' style strategy.

Morecambe and Macclesfield also released full squads pretty much. Macclesfield only have 7 seven players contracted. Barrow and Harrogate will have extremely low budgets.

Don't get me wrong, I understand being a bit fearful, but I think some are forgetting that League 2 has some utter dross in it. I would go as far to say that certain other league 2 clubs would actually love to be us in some ways.

What Im basically saying is, I would be shocked if we were in or around the bottom two, purely because there are fundamentally smaller, worse clubs than us. I literally named 6 just above.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

So you would bin the likes of Kelman, Clifford, Kyprianou etc because the likes Cox, Ridgewell, Kiernan, Demetriou and Mcl decided to go on strike or just completely take the p***.

There are only two things that will guarantee we end up in the National league.....f

1) Binning our under 23's because of other peoples crimes

2) Turning up at RH next season and taking out your frustrations on our under 23's because of other peoples crimes.

Which really shows how important this managerial appointment is, because the hard core of the team is missing and whoever comes in has to either bring players with him or at least have a knowledge of what's needed with only 6 weeks till maybe a ball is kicked.Our whole season last time was defined by our appalling start which we never even started to recover from.The length of time with this managerial appointment is very similar to last time let's just hope Ron gets the right man as we can't afford another start like that which would destroy any confidence some of the younger players might have

 

[rigsby]

Looking a that team if the other teams play the ball on the ground we would give them a game but if a physical or long ball team turns up I can't see us competing.

Actually there is a couple more guarantees...

3, Ron can't play the players on time again, and the suspended points deduction is applied
4, Club is put into administration (perhaps to avoid being wound-up due to failure to pay tax-man)

Personally I'd think Ron's actions are more likely to cause problems that your supporters but hey, deflection is key eh!?

It certainly is...When your a wrong'un from North of the county who tries to troll certain Southend fans.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I do not thinks its a bad squad at all. In fact I actually think it will be a very effective team in league 2.

I only have to look at Colchester to see they are doing the same as us this year with using u23s, I most certainly favour our young players over theirs.

I also then look at Oldham, who again, with money problems are doing the same as us using a lot of young players. Oldham have some french and other European players stuck on their books because they failed miserably at attempting a 'Moneyball' style strategy.

Morecambe and Macclesfield also released full squads pretty much. Macclesfield only have 7 seven players contracted. Barrow and Harrogate will have extremely low budgets.

Don't get me wrong, I understand being a bit fearful, but I think some are forgetting that League 2 has some utter dross in it. I would go as far to say that certain other league 2 clubs would actually love to be us in some ways.

What Im basically saying is, I would be shocked if we were in or around the bottom two, purely because there are fundamentally smaller, worse clubs than us. I literally named 6 just above.

Just because there are clubs in the same league, in a worst position than us, doesn't mean we haven't a bad squad. Of course, about 6 good signings could change that, but as it stands, that looks like a mid table squad to me. There is no attacking flair at all.

 

[OllieSteph44]

I do not thinks its a bad squad at all. In fact I actually think it will be a very effective team in league 2.

I only have to look at Colchester to see they are doing the same as us this year with using u23s, I most certainly favour our young players over theirs.

I really don’t like it when it’s compared to Colchester. And I really dont like having to back them up but this perception that they have released everyone and are using their 23s has to stop. They released 4 senior pros. That is all. One of whom was only on loan anyway and one of whom (Nouble) most people here think was average anyway.

They had a squad that reached the play offs and only marginally missed them the previous season.

Also and I’ve said this before, their 23s are stronger than ours and have been as a cat 2 academy playing some of the top clubs in the country, Sheffield Utd, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Burnley, Crystal Palace etc whereas ours have been playing Stevenage, Exeter and Barnet! I would guess at them having a squad of 24/25 senior pros with 3/4 23s whereas we have a squad of 3/4 senior oros

What Im basically saying is, I would be shocked if we were in or around the bottom two, purely because there are fundamentally smaller, worse clubs than us. I literally named 6 just above.

With what we have and how we’ve gone about restart / pre season I’d be shocked if we aren’t in and around the bottom 2!

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

It certainly is...When your a wrong'un from North of the county who tries to troll certain Southend fans.

Odd definition of a troll but hey, if it makes you feel better whilst you defend Ron at all costs so he can get his golden pension, you crack on!!

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

So you would bin the likes of Kelman, Clifford, Kyprianou etc because the likes Cox, Ridgewell, Kiernan, Demetriou and Mcl decided to go on strike or just completely take the p***.

There are only two things that will guarantee we end up in the National league.....

1) Binning our under 23's because of other peoples crimes

2) Turning up at RH next season and taking out your frustrations on our under 23's because of other peoples crimes.

We need to recreate the spirit and atmosphere of the Lincoln game. Everything clicked that day. With a few good results on the board confidence will improve, on the pitch and in the stands.