chapperzUK
Guest
Just for a bit of fun, I downloaded an update which include promotions & relegations, manager changes etc. for the coming season for Football Manager. As an another debating point, I left Corr in the team to see if he is up to League 1.
So lets see how Brown and the boys get on.
July
After signing a new 3 year deal and becoming a shareholder, the fans are looking forward to the new season with renewed hope. A day later, Brown is off to Sheffield United and 2 weeks later Brian Laws is hired as the new boss. No time is wasted as within a week, James Craigen, Callum Ball and Olly Lee are snapped up.
Pre-season started poorly after the loss of Phil Brown. First a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday followed by a draw with Bournemouth before Laws took charge. A draw with Wycombe followed, but no penalty shoot out this time, and a defeat to Man City under 21s.
August
Transfers continue to flood in with Matt Sparrow, Frank Simek and Maxime Blanchard are signed up.
First game of the season against Shrewsbury resulted in a 3-1 defeat and an injury to Barry Corr, a sprained ankle that would keep him out for the next few weeks. Humiliation against Derby in the Capital One Cup followed after going 4-0 down in the first 25 minutes, fans feared the worst but Derby seemed to ease up and not bother attacking knowing the result was in the bag. A respectable draw with Peterborough and then something that has not been seen for a while, 3 wins in a row scoring twice in each match. 2-0 wins against Burton and Walsall was swiftly followed up by a 2-1 win against Fleetwood firing the mighty Shrimpers up to 5th in the table. Fans started to dream, but was it too soon?
Key players: David Worrall (3 goals in 6 games & 7.07 ave. rating) and Frank Simek (7.08 ave. rating) have formed a good partnership down the right hand side with Callum Ball proving to be a good lone striker (2 goals in 4 games).
September
On deadline day, Lee Miller and Martin Taylor are signed up to add experience with Janoi Donacien loaned in from Aston Villa.
Morale was high after 3 wins, but there were still some doubts over the current manager with his reluctance to play 4-4-2 with 2 genuine forwards. Rochdale visited Roots Hall and grabbed a deserved point with the prolific John White grabbing the equaliser for Southend. Next was a trip to Bury, "Who put the ball in the Bury net? Worrall Worrall" sang the Southend supporters and it only took 27 minutes for the inevitable as Worrall made it 3-0 to send them home happy. It was the return of the "Orange one", Sheffield United were to visit and the atmosphere around the Hall was electric. Phil Brown emerged from the tunnel to a huge roar and standing ovation. Banners flew and songs were sung, women wearing the blue of Southend were seen crying screaming "I love you Brown!" .... well that is how it happened in Brown's head. The game was heated, Sheffield United took an early lead which lasted only 5 minutes thanks to a Kevan Hurst goal. Yellow cards were flourished and it wasn't long before Hurst was given his marching orders for another yellow card offence. The game died down and with less than 20 minutes left, Sheffield United snatched the win. Following the defeat, a draw to Gillingham and a win against Doncaster thanks to goals from Hurst and Worrall.
October
A good win against Coventry started the month off well, but fans were brought back down to earth with a bump after a poor 3-0 defeat to Gillingham in the JPT as Jason Williams starts his first game. It clearly wasn't his fault though, despite having a poor game he should have been played in a 4-4-2 are the cries from ShrimperZone. 2-1 wins against Chesterfield and Swindon followed, but another 3-0 defeat, this time to Crewe followed with Jason Williams making only his 2nd start. Wigan took advantage with a solid 1-0 win and while Southend were still 4th in the league, groans could be heard from the fans.
November
A poor months leads to Southend dropping out of the play-offs. 2 defeats (1-0 to both Blackpool & Bradford) and 2 draws (1-1 to both Oldham & Scunthorpe) mean no win in 6 league games. The only positive being a 1-0 win over Southport in the FA Cup 1st round to set up a 2nd round draw with Swindon. Despite the form of David Worrall and Martin Taylor, the Shrimpers are dropping and dropping fast, can Brian Laws stop the rot before it is too late?
December
Things started to pick up with a goalless draw in the FA Cup 2nd round against Swindon, the replay finishing 1-0 to the Shrimpers after a 90th minute winner from Simek. In between was the Essex derby, a huge crowd of over 10,000 in attendance to see the first clash between these two since 2010 and there was only one winner - Barry Corr. On the stroke of half-time, Barry Corr scored the only goal of the game as the winless run was finished. Barry Corr would score again against Shrewsbury as the Shrimpers put in a solid display to win 2-1. A strange decision followed, Corr would be dropped for the next 2 games and the results, a 1-1 draw with Port Vale & 3-0 defeat to Barnsley, only intensified the outrage from fans. Despite only being 1 point off the play-offs, fans were concerned over the lack of goals having the 2nd lowest tally in the top half. With the January window opening, would Laws stick or twist?
January
Much to the annoyance of the Southend fans, there were no new signings in January with the only activity being Prosser rejecting a move to Forest Green.
A 1-1 draw in the FA Cup 3rd round against Bolton was followed up by a 1-0 win in the dying seconds against Peteborough. Sadly, Bolton proved too much as they strolled to a 2-0 win in the replay. Another poor run followed, a 2-1 defeat to Burton and draws against Millwall, Walsall and Fleetwood brought into question why no transfers were made in January and the gap to the play-offs increasing to 3 points.
February
A poor month with no victories adds to the pressure, defeats to Rochdale (1-2), Gillingham (1-3) and Doncaster (0-2) with draws against Bury (1-1) and Sheffield United (0-0) see the Shrimpers winless in 10 games as the play-offs now seem a distance memory as they languish in 12th place, 8 points behind 6th place. Morale is dropping and Worrall is feeling the strain of having to carry the team and is in dire need of a rest. Prosser is loaned out to Ebbsfleet in an attempt to get him out the club.
March
A victory! There are parties around south Essex tonight as Southend record their first victory after a 10 game winless streak. A 2-1 win over Coventry is followed quickly by a 3-0 demolition of Chesterfield. A 1-0 defeat to Swindon stops fans getting carried away, but a 3-1 win over Crewe and 1-1 draw with Blackpool renew hope of a last ditch attempt to sneak back into the play-offs despite being 6 points off 6th place Bradford and a vastly inferior goal difference. Morale is high among the players again and Jason Williams is sent to Torquay to gain match experience. Is there still a chance to reach the play-offs or is that a pipe dream?
April
A good start saw a comfortable 3-1 win over Oldham, 1-0 win over Millwall and draws with Scunthorpe (1-1) and Bradford (2-2) saw the heroic Shrimpers climb to within a couple of points of the play-offs. As the fans dared to dream, along came Barnsley who stroll to an early 3-1 lead and despite their best efforts, Southend could only pull one back. Defeats to Port Vale (0-2) and Wigan (0-3) followed leaving play-offs hopes dashed and broken.
May
Final game of the season saw Southend play Colchester again. For Southend, only pride was at stake but for Colchester it was their League 1 status. Sitting 1 place outside the relegation zone on goal difference, a win would guarantee safety while any other result would rely on Scunthorpe's trip to already safe Crewe. Colchester took an early lead, but a David Worrall penalty brought the scores level. A very scrappy match with involved 24 fouls ended 1-1. Colchester's safety relied on Scunthorpe not to win ... the result? Crewe won 2-1.
How did Brown do?
Sheffield United win promotion via the play-offs.
So lets see how Brown and the boys get on.
July
After signing a new 3 year deal and becoming a shareholder, the fans are looking forward to the new season with renewed hope. A day later, Brown is off to Sheffield United and 2 weeks later Brian Laws is hired as the new boss. No time is wasted as within a week, James Craigen, Callum Ball and Olly Lee are snapped up.
Pre-season started poorly after the loss of Phil Brown. First a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday followed by a draw with Bournemouth before Laws took charge. A draw with Wycombe followed, but no penalty shoot out this time, and a defeat to Man City under 21s.
August
Transfers continue to flood in with Matt Sparrow, Frank Simek and Maxime Blanchard are signed up.
First game of the season against Shrewsbury resulted in a 3-1 defeat and an injury to Barry Corr, a sprained ankle that would keep him out for the next few weeks. Humiliation against Derby in the Capital One Cup followed after going 4-0 down in the first 25 minutes, fans feared the worst but Derby seemed to ease up and not bother attacking knowing the result was in the bag. A respectable draw with Peterborough and then something that has not been seen for a while, 3 wins in a row scoring twice in each match. 2-0 wins against Burton and Walsall was swiftly followed up by a 2-1 win against Fleetwood firing the mighty Shrimpers up to 5th in the table. Fans started to dream, but was it too soon?
Key players: David Worrall (3 goals in 6 games & 7.07 ave. rating) and Frank Simek (7.08 ave. rating) have formed a good partnership down the right hand side with Callum Ball proving to be a good lone striker (2 goals in 4 games).
September
On deadline day, Lee Miller and Martin Taylor are signed up to add experience with Janoi Donacien loaned in from Aston Villa.
Morale was high after 3 wins, but there were still some doubts over the current manager with his reluctance to play 4-4-2 with 2 genuine forwards. Rochdale visited Roots Hall and grabbed a deserved point with the prolific John White grabbing the equaliser for Southend. Next was a trip to Bury, "Who put the ball in the Bury net? Worrall Worrall" sang the Southend supporters and it only took 27 minutes for the inevitable as Worrall made it 3-0 to send them home happy. It was the return of the "Orange one", Sheffield United were to visit and the atmosphere around the Hall was electric. Phil Brown emerged from the tunnel to a huge roar and standing ovation. Banners flew and songs were sung, women wearing the blue of Southend were seen crying screaming "I love you Brown!" .... well that is how it happened in Brown's head. The game was heated, Sheffield United took an early lead which lasted only 5 minutes thanks to a Kevan Hurst goal. Yellow cards were flourished and it wasn't long before Hurst was given his marching orders for another yellow card offence. The game died down and with less than 20 minutes left, Sheffield United snatched the win. Following the defeat, a draw to Gillingham and a win against Doncaster thanks to goals from Hurst and Worrall.
October
A good win against Coventry started the month off well, but fans were brought back down to earth with a bump after a poor 3-0 defeat to Gillingham in the JPT as Jason Williams starts his first game. It clearly wasn't his fault though, despite having a poor game he should have been played in a 4-4-2 are the cries from ShrimperZone. 2-1 wins against Chesterfield and Swindon followed, but another 3-0 defeat, this time to Crewe followed with Jason Williams making only his 2nd start. Wigan took advantage with a solid 1-0 win and while Southend were still 4th in the league, groans could be heard from the fans.
November
A poor months leads to Southend dropping out of the play-offs. 2 defeats (1-0 to both Blackpool & Bradford) and 2 draws (1-1 to both Oldham & Scunthorpe) mean no win in 6 league games. The only positive being a 1-0 win over Southport in the FA Cup 1st round to set up a 2nd round draw with Swindon. Despite the form of David Worrall and Martin Taylor, the Shrimpers are dropping and dropping fast, can Brian Laws stop the rot before it is too late?
December
Things started to pick up with a goalless draw in the FA Cup 2nd round against Swindon, the replay finishing 1-0 to the Shrimpers after a 90th minute winner from Simek. In between was the Essex derby, a huge crowd of over 10,000 in attendance to see the first clash between these two since 2010 and there was only one winner - Barry Corr. On the stroke of half-time, Barry Corr scored the only goal of the game as the winless run was finished. Barry Corr would score again against Shrewsbury as the Shrimpers put in a solid display to win 2-1. A strange decision followed, Corr would be dropped for the next 2 games and the results, a 1-1 draw with Port Vale & 3-0 defeat to Barnsley, only intensified the outrage from fans. Despite only being 1 point off the play-offs, fans were concerned over the lack of goals having the 2nd lowest tally in the top half. With the January window opening, would Laws stick or twist?
January
Much to the annoyance of the Southend fans, there were no new signings in January with the only activity being Prosser rejecting a move to Forest Green.
A 1-1 draw in the FA Cup 3rd round against Bolton was followed up by a 1-0 win in the dying seconds against Peteborough. Sadly, Bolton proved too much as they strolled to a 2-0 win in the replay. Another poor run followed, a 2-1 defeat to Burton and draws against Millwall, Walsall and Fleetwood brought into question why no transfers were made in January and the gap to the play-offs increasing to 3 points.
February
A poor month with no victories adds to the pressure, defeats to Rochdale (1-2), Gillingham (1-3) and Doncaster (0-2) with draws against Bury (1-1) and Sheffield United (0-0) see the Shrimpers winless in 10 games as the play-offs now seem a distance memory as they languish in 12th place, 8 points behind 6th place. Morale is dropping and Worrall is feeling the strain of having to carry the team and is in dire need of a rest. Prosser is loaned out to Ebbsfleet in an attempt to get him out the club.
March
A victory! There are parties around south Essex tonight as Southend record their first victory after a 10 game winless streak. A 2-1 win over Coventry is followed quickly by a 3-0 demolition of Chesterfield. A 1-0 defeat to Swindon stops fans getting carried away, but a 3-1 win over Crewe and 1-1 draw with Blackpool renew hope of a last ditch attempt to sneak back into the play-offs despite being 6 points off 6th place Bradford and a vastly inferior goal difference. Morale is high among the players again and Jason Williams is sent to Torquay to gain match experience. Is there still a chance to reach the play-offs or is that a pipe dream?
April
A good start saw a comfortable 3-1 win over Oldham, 1-0 win over Millwall and draws with Scunthorpe (1-1) and Bradford (2-2) saw the heroic Shrimpers climb to within a couple of points of the play-offs. As the fans dared to dream, along came Barnsley who stroll to an early 3-1 lead and despite their best efforts, Southend could only pull one back. Defeats to Port Vale (0-2) and Wigan (0-3) followed leaving play-offs hopes dashed and broken.
May
Final game of the season saw Southend play Colchester again. For Southend, only pride was at stake but for Colchester it was their League 1 status. Sitting 1 place outside the relegation zone on goal difference, a win would guarantee safety while any other result would rely on Scunthorpe's trip to already safe Crewe. Colchester took an early lead, but a David Worrall penalty brought the scores level. A very scrappy match with involved 24 fouls ended 1-1. Colchester's safety relied on Scunthorpe not to win ... the result? Crewe won 2-1.
How did Brown do?
Sheffield United win promotion via the play-offs.
