Echo News Southend United facing fight to keep striker Henry Sandat

[Rayleigh boy]

Well, for one thing (which gets us nicely back on topic) he invested heavily into the academy, which has been the mechanism to produce the youngsters like Sandat who hopefully we will make some money from.

The last 3/4 seasons have been the worst in our history, granted. But there were some fantastic seasons earlier on (you mentioned Tilson who did brilliantly with us but dreadfully at Lincoln) and you can't just airbrush those achievements out of the history books.

If Ron is to blame for everything that is going wrong now, then he must also be given credit for all the good things that have happened over the last 25 years. Blimey, there have even been some good things that have happened in the last season and a half (the appointment of TL, the management team, training ground being built). If you say he has nothing to do with the good and everything to do with the bad, you are pretty much defeated by the hypocrisy of your own argument.

fair comment - I think I am just very upset about being a NON LEAGUE wan+er ..

tbh I thought I would never ever watch football at this level .. and thought people who did were .................

 

[cerbera45]

Let me know when he wants to leave and I'll drive him there myself! Scored one lucky goal and falls over a lot! Not good enough for us!!

Oh you crack me up!

 

[londonblue]

fair comment - I think I am just very upset about being a NON LEAGUE wan+er ..

tbh I thought I would never ever watch football at this level .. and thought people who did were .................

Aren't we all?

I think the only difference is that I was impressed by people who watched football at this level when they could so easily have gone elsewhere.

That said, SUFC are different because we get reasonable size gates so it's a lot easier (Ron aside) to continue supporting. Going to a match where you're likely to see a crowd of less than a thousand takes a special kind of person.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

It really is, isn't it?

terrific ... we have a little group think -

Could you guys get back to explaining in detail - ad nauseum - your concerns over the size of the stadium. 16k 3 sided or what ? And the planning details for another 1000 pages --

Cos you lot have been mugged .. get over it ;-)

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Aren't we all?

I think the only difference is that I was impressed by people who watched football at this level when they could so easily have gone elsewhere.

That said, SUFC are different because we get reasonable size gates so it's a lot easier (Ron aside) to continue supporting. Going to a match where you're likely to see a crowd of less than a thousand takes a special kind of person.

I make you right on that last point. I went to a couple of Billericay games (they get a respectable crowd) this season and had it not been for the opportunity to sink a few beers in the stands, it wouldn't be the same at all. Don't get me wrong, the set-up there is incredible for the level they play at, but it just doesn't feel right with no real atmosphere.

 

[gatecrasher]

A real shame, but expected. He seems physically older than he is and his ability looks fantastic. Sell and loan back for the season an option maybe? Win win then

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

what I do resent is the lies and smoke screens and manipulating the supporters and slaughtering playing budgets because he needed the cash ...

Ron has always provided his managers with a decent budget. Overspending on old crocks’ wages trying to aim for the Championship is part of the reason we’re here.

 

[Realist]

Why on earth wasn’t he used more ?

 

[JWShrimper]

Ron has always provided his managers with a decent budget. Overspending on old crocks’ wages trying to aim for the Championship is part of the reason we’re here.

Mostly, I’d agree but not under Mark Molesley (and possibly Sol Campbell too, in that January window he was here). He probably wasn’t the right person for the job at the right time but we were under an embargo until December of that season, which all but relegated us, in my opinion.

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

Even at National League level, a young player who shows potential but is still very much learning his trade should not be viewed as a shoe-in, first-name-on-the-teamsheet player for a 46-match league season. If he were to stay with us next season, the frequency of Henry's appearances in the starting line-up would, I think, be judged carefully by the management team and increased or rowed back in accordance with how he is coping both physically and mentally. If he were to move to a responsible club in a higher division, the situation would be similar. The differences would be that he would not have to worry about whether he would be paid or not; his training and match opportunities would be in the company of better players whose experience would advance his development; and he would not so often be playing against brick-outhouse defenders kicking chunks out of his legs with little protection from inept referees. I would be sad to lose him but, from his point of view, a move to a club with a good track record in developing young players with potential has to be the right one. This is in no way a criticism of our current management team, whose decisions last season on when to play him and when not to play him were, I am sure, based on their judgement of what would be best for Henry set against the needs of the first team and the nature of the opponents.

 

[rlb999]

Absolutely this. He’s not been played more because he’s only just becoming ready. If he stayed there’s no guarantee he’d be an automatic starter next season - he’s a kid.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Even at National League level, a young player who shows potential but is still very much learning his trade should not be viewed as a shoe-in, first-name-on-the-teamsheet player for a 46-match league season. If he were to stay with us next season, the frequency of Henry's appearances in the starting line-up would, I think, be judged carefully by the management team and increased or rowed back in accordance with how he is coping both physically and mentally. If he were to move to a responsible club in a higher division, the situation would be similar. The differences would be that he would not have to worry about whether he would be paid or not; his training and match opportunities would be in the company of better players whose experience would advance his development; and he would not so often be playing against brick-outhouse defenders kicking chunks out of his legs with little protection from inept referees. I would be sad to lose him but, from his point of view, a move to a club with a good track record in developing young players with potential has to be the right one. This is in no way a criticism of our current management team, whose decisions last season on when to play him and when not to play him were, I am sure, based on their judgement of what would be best for Henry set against the needs of the first team and the nature of the opponents.

I agree with much of this very good post but would take issue with the bit in bold.

Training and playing at NL level is, IMO, far preferable (IMO) to training and playing at u23 level for a Championship club.

I’d also take issue with the idea that the NL is somewhere skilful forwards have lumps kicked out of them by brick outhouse defenders. Notts County led the way but there’s also the likes of Dorking and Gateshead and ourselves playing out from the back. For my money the most physical league we’ve been in in the last 20 years was actually our stint in the Championship. Teams didn’t outpass us but they were direct and bigger and stronger and even our players who were with us in L2 couldn’t cope with it.

 

[Chrisb]

I doubt that very much! I was right about kelmen not cutting it too.

He's just had his QPR contract extended by a year so they must see something you didn't.

 

[Strykr]

Even at National League level, a young player who shows potential but is still very much learning his trade should not be viewed as a shoe-in, first-name-on-the-teamsheet player for a 46-match league season. If he were to stay with us next season, the frequency of Henry's appearances in the starting line-up would, I think, be judged carefully by the management team and increased or rowed back in accordance with how he is coping both physically and mentally. If he were to move to a responsible club in a higher division, the situation would be similar. The differences would be that he would not have to worry about whether he would be paid or not; his training and match opportunities would be in the company of better players whose experience would advance his development; and he would not so often be playing against brick-outhouse defenders kicking chunks out of his legs with little protection from inept referees. I would be sad to lose him but, from his point of view, a move to a club with a good track record in developing young players with potential has to be the right one. This is in no way a criticism of our current management team, whose decisions last season on when to play him and when not to play him were, I am sure, based on their judgement of what would be best for Henry set against the needs of the first team and the nature of the opponents.

Precisely.

 

[Shrimpet steve]

He's just had his QPR contract extended by a year so they must see something you didn't.

I'm surprised by that,he's not shown anything to warrant it! Tell me what's he done apart from score from the half-way line for us??

 

[Rayleigh boy]

I'm surprised by that,he's not shown anything to warrant it! Tell me what's he done apart from score from the half-way line for us??

oh .. i thought he won something at orient this year

 

[Shrimpet steve]

oh .. i thought he won something at orient this year

I know an orient fan who said he's not good enough