This is the worst southend side ever

[Brett Angle]

I don't think there is any doubt that it is the worst group of players I've watched since the late 70's. What some teams may have lacked in ability they made up for in effort. This side even when putting a shift in come up short game after game. There needs to be a significant investment in new players (required for the last 3 years) - but have not heard anything to suggest is coming - and therefore steeling myself for much of the same for a good while yet.

The goalkeeper (Arnold) is probably the only one (on current form) I'd keep. Murphy, Dalby, Bridge and Ralph have all shown at times they could still have a contribution to make this season. Can't see anything beyond those 5 although always felt Kinali was the best of that what now appears (unfortunately) to be the mediocre young crop that came through- and yet the heirachy clearly don't agree.

 

[SUBBlue]

I don't think there is any doubt that it is the worst group of players I've watched since the late 70's. What some teams may have lacked in ability they made up for in effort. This side even when putting a shift in come up short game after game. There needs to be a significant investment in new players (required for the last 3 years) - but have not heard anything to suggest is coming - and therefore steeling myself for much of the same for a good while yet.

The goalkeeper (Arnold) is probably the only one (on current form) I'd keep. Murphy, Dalby, Bridge and Ralph have all shown at times they could still have a contribution to make this season. Can't see anything beyond those 5 although always felt Kinali was the best of that what now appears (unfortunately) to be the mediocre young crop that came through- and yet the heirachy clearly don't agree.

I’d love to see Tilsons League 1 Champions team versus the spineless drivel turning out for the club at the moment, I think they would annihilate them in short order.

Shows how far, as club owner, Ron Martin has allowed the club to fall. It shocks & depresses me every time I think about it.

 

[meerkat54]

Think some of the players released last summer were better than the new signings. How are we in such a poorer state when our wage bill is high.
Don’t think some of the players give a ? hoot. Shocking lack of professionalism. I know it’s been said many times but if the players at least put a shift in it would be easier to live with.

 

[palexander]

Always thought Alvins side was pretty much the worst I'd seen, but given they were in the "Championship" its hard to judge. But going back and looking over it, we had some bloody good players in that side;

Royce, Roget, Nathan Jones, Hails, Coubalt, Clarke, Grids, Marsh, Maher.

Strikers were a mediocre crop at the time I guess, though Boere (RIP, loved him!) scored 14 in that team which is impressive. Rammell, Thommo and Williams would all walk into this side, probably at their age now :D

 

[LCBB72]

I’d love to see Tilsons League 1 Champions team versus the spineless drivel turning out for the club at the moment, I think they would annihilate them in short order.

Shows how far, as club owner, Ron Martin has allowed the club to fall. It shocks & depresses me every time I think about it.

Southends reserve team from the late 60s early 70s would **** all over the present team .

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

The 1998-99 team under Alvin Martin was pretty woeful as well.

Simon Livett, Dave Morley, Neil Campbell, Alex Burns, Keith Dublin to name a few.

 

[BoyWonder2]

I’d love to see Tilsons League 1 Champions team versus the spineless drivel turning out for the club at the moment, I think they would annihilate them in short order.

Shows how far, as club owner, Ron Martin has allowed the club to fall. It shocks & depresses me every time I think about it.

I don’t think the current crop are “spineless”. They are devoid of confidence, an imbalanced collection of players, with no real identity. They lack pace, energy and a bit of creativity, but they do at least put a shift in. Whether they are good enough is another debate.

Same can’t be said of some of the other squads over the last 3/4/5 years. None of this current crop have knocked on the physios door (Difficult without a full time one at present) with an “injury” to miss a game. Some players in recent years have done that. Some have done it after that final training session on the Friday/Tuesday morning, some have done that the day of the game.

 

[Barry.C]

Dalby/murphy aside, MM's squad that took us out of the football league for the first time in 100 years was better.

How the f has this happened and our wage bill so high!

Its called the Phil and Ron show

It strongly appeared that Phil looked in his old black book and as a Manager expecting full control persuaded Ron that ensuring the squad was based on mature, leaders and experienced professionals was exactly the way to go *( although all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction )

Phil later admitted we needed time to understand the league, like around 8 more weeks, while Bus throwing

Ron then signed off trusting in the Phil speak

It took me about 3 days to get a much better understanding of this league. Its nice to now be retired and follow my Southend passion, even if it was more from the couch through Covid and needing to get a new life, coupled with the surprise of a late life Aspergers assessment that feeds my desire for researching stuff and maybe repeating myself, ( which, sorry I probably enjoy too much )

I looked at the National league restructuring and its consequences since its inception, . I examined every squad in the league, I researched the history of teams going up and the make up of their squads, I looked at what budgets I could find, and the history , structure and culture of some of the clubs'; I researched a few years of past loan signings and their ramifications and read quite a few articles about this. I looked at the consequences of squad size limits in the EFL and the ramifications for this league and thought about the no transfer window ramifications

I averaged out all last years Chaperz ratings on our squad

I recorded every teams signings rating them from whence they came and as loans, fees, purchases, unattached etc

I struggled with it but kept reading the league rules over and over /

I examined in detail over 25 pieces of research around injuries to players , especially older players and the ramifications for squads and impacts. That was just for starters

I concluded early on this wasnt a Country for old men, or cloggers, but that we needed to drastically re- shape and accept I upset folks with constantly referencing the need for peak age players drawn from this league, the lower levels, the best left out from the 350 now out of jobs in the above leagues and the use of loanees as a key trigger ' to produce a balanced, appropriate squad, otherwise I thought we would be in deep doo doo.

As each new signing came in the majority of them at the time received roof top praises

I watched Phil go to work in despair

I am not mentioning some of this to big me up, far from it, but just emphasize how simple it is with a bit of effort to inform yourself, and get a decent picture of what you are letting yourself in for and how to maybe handle it, Its called strategic planning, it applies to many walks of life and Business.
Going out and finding out what others are doing and stealing the best you can from it , is pretty much a key requisite as well!! No wonder the Japanese make the Worlds best whiskey ??! Do your own research is vital

I dont know how much research Phil and Ron allowed after Phil opened his old mates book or how much research was conducted by our Recruitment specialists, but I get Stans point about the past Recruiters must go and if all those signings were a panel job, its a case of rather a lot of shame on you and the need to re.shape the decision making process urgently on recruitment

Hopefully a new structure with Stan will completely reverse the old failing models

Still us fans know fek all

 

[Flinty]

wow, I read the 1st 2 pages and swapping names it could have been last season or this ...which is shocking really

 

[RHB]

Another day, another totally miserable thread to cheer us all up.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Always thought Alvins side was pretty much the worst I'd seen, but given they were in the "Championship" its hard to judge. But going back and looking over it, we had some bloody good players in that side;

Royce, Roget, Nathan Jones, Hails, Coubalt, Clarke, Grids, Marsh, Maher.

Strikers were a mediocre crop at the time I guess, though Boere (RIP, loved him!) scored 14 in that team which is impressive. Rammell, Thommo and Williams would all walk into this side, probably at their age now :D

Alvin Martins team were league 1 and 2. He never managed us in the championship.

 

[Spenser]

The 1998-99 team under Alvin Martin was pretty woeful as well.

Simon Livett, Dave Morley, Neil Campbell, Alex Burns, Keith Dublin to name a few.

Keith Dublin in his prime would be by far the best player in our squad over the past couple of years.

 

[Strykr]

I’d love to see Tilsons League 1 Champions team versus the spineless drivel turning out for the club at the moment, I think they would annihilate them in short order.

Shows how far, as club owner, Ron Martin has allowed the club to fall. It shocks & depresses me every time I think about it.

All ron has done is selected a manager and given them loads of money for wages.

He is to blame through his choices of Management, paying wages late and playing games with hmrc,

But bad recruitment and succesive **** managers are equally to blame imo.

 

[Strykr]

Always thought Alvins side was pretty much the worst I'd seen, but given they were in the "Championship" its hard to judge. But going back and looking over it, we had some bloody good players in that side;

Royce, Roget, Nathan Jones, Hails, Coubalt, Clarke, Grids, Marsh, Maher.

Strikers were a mediocre crop at the time I guess, though Boere (RIP, loved him!) scored 14 in that team which is impressive. Rammell, Thommo and Williams would all walk into this side, probably at their age now :D

Yes i always remember alvins team and that era as being one of the worst.

But our current squad makes dave morley look like van dijk ?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Think some of the players released last summer were better than the new signings. How are we in such a poorer state when our wage bill is high.
Don’t think some of the players give a ? hoot. Shocking lack of professionalism. I know it’s been said many times but if the players at least put a shift in it would be easier to live with.

They put in a shift first half v Daggers. Maybe too much of a shift as they ran out of steam and failed to match that intensity second half.

Interesting therefore to see Maher talk about intensity in training.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

Its called the Phil and Ron show

It strongly appeared that Phil looked in his old black book and as a Manager expecting full control persuaded Ron that ensuring the squad was based on mature, leaders and experienced professionals was exactly the way to go *( although all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction )

Phil later admitted we needed time to understand the league, like around 8 more weeks, while Bus throwing

Ron then signed off trusting in the Phil speak

It took me about 3 days to get a much better understanding of this league. Its nice to now be retired and follow my Southend passion, even if it was more from the couch through Covid and needing to get a new life, coupled with the surprise of a late life Aspergers assessment that feeds my desire for researching stuff and maybe repeating myself, ( which, sorry I probably enjoy too much )

I looked at the National league restructuring and its consequences since its inception, . I examined every squad in the league, I researched the history of teams going up and the make up of their squads, I looked at what budgets I could find, and the history , structure and culture of some of the clubs'; I researched a few years of past loan signings and their ramifications and read quite a few articles about this. I looked at the consequences of squad size limits in the EFL and the ramifications for this league and thought about the no transfer window ramifications

I averaged out all last years Chaperz ratings on our squad

I recorded every teams signings rating them from whence they came and as loans, fees, purchases, unattached etc

I struggled with it but kept reading the league rules over and over /

I examined in detail over 25 pieces of research around injuries to players , especially older players and the ramifications for squads and impacts. That was just for starters

I concluded early on this wasnt a Country for old men, or cloggers, but that we needed to drastically re- shape and accept I upset folks with constantly referencing the need for peak age players drawn from this league, the lower levels, the best left out from the 350 now out of jobs in the above leagues and the use of loanees as a key trigger ' to produce a balanced, appropriate squad, otherwise I thought we would be in deep doo doo.

As each new signing came in the majority of them at the time received roof top praises

I watched Phil go to work in despair

I am not mentioning some of this to big me up, far from it, but just emphasize how simple it is with a bit of effort to inform yourself, and get a decent picture of what you are letting yourself in for and how to maybe handle it, Its called strategic planning, it applies to many walks of life and Business.
Going out and finding out what others are doing and stealing the best you can from it , is pretty much a key requisite as well!! No wonder the Japanese make the Worlds best whiskey ??! Do your own research is vital

I dont know how much research Phil and Ron allowed after Phil opened his old mates book or how much research was conducted by our Recruitment specialists, but I get Stans point about the past Recruiters must go and if all those signings were a panel job, its a case of rather a lot of shame on you and the need to re.shape the decision making process urgently on recruitment

Hopefully a new structure with Stan will completely reverse the old failing models

Still us fans know fek all

I really think there are some fans that could be an absolute asset to the club if used correctly, there are a lot of clueless fans, but also little gems who like yourself really do know and understand the lower leagues .

Phil's Ego meant that he never really done his homework on the NL and trusted his 'Im a ex prem manager' mindset and it backfired spectacularly. I for one didn;t see it coming but then i also didn;t know the standard of this league.

I hope Stan does invite the other poster who attended thousands of youth games and someone like yourself for lunch/coffee/meeting to really get an indepth feel of this league and what is needed to get out of it.


the 3 Managers of course know their way around this level but you can't have enough knowledge and help IMO

Great post BTW

 

[meerkat54]

They put in a shift first half v Daggers. Maybe too much of a shift as they ran out of steam and failed to match that intensity second half.

Interesting therefore to see Maher talk about intensity in training.

Yeah I forgot about the 45 mins at Daggers.
I was always in the thinking that Brown’s pre season’s was always tough and the players were fit for duty. Why are they flagging now we have only just got into the season?

 

[onceknownasrab]

Can anyone explain this business about it takes time to get used to this league? We don't play a league. We play opposition that we presumably do our homework on, as in any league, and try to counter their threat and create some of our own. Physicality and pace are favoured in the NL and are backed up with some ability. We knew this before the season started.

If you know a strong and fast attack is in store, then why bring in slow players, however experienced, to deal with it? Why not have more pace in our own attack/midfield? Our current shortcomings are down to recruitment. Ron has thrown good money away, again, having too much faith in his managers. Those managers and the players have let Ron down time and again.

Who is to blame? Well Ron the buck stops with you. The managers brought in were your choice. It's a tough call though, as many fans were happy with the reappointment of PB, so picking the right manager is no easy task.

I think very few can gripe about the current coach set-up. By all accounts the appointments were as a result of extensive interviews by a panel of people and not just Ron's whim picking. We still don't know how successful it will be. Will one have an overriding personality or is it too many cooks spoil the broth? Time will tell.

The current crop of leaders need time, and undoubtedly money, to turn this free fall around. I'm not totally sold on this head of recruitment lark but happy to be proved wrong. I know successive managers have brought in some real dross but I still think managers/coaches know who they want, who they can work with and who will be a good fit in the jigsaw. The jury is out on this one for me.

I also doubt the new coaches need any length of time to work out who they want to keep and who is already on the bus out. Some players may produce a bit more under the new regime but there are, and we can name them, that are simply not up to the task in this league. This situation will only be rectified if Ron opens his wallet again and let's hope there is more than just cobwebs in it.

 

[Kris]

Yeah I forgot about the 45 mins at Daggers.
I was always in the thinking that Brown’s pre season’s was always tough and the players were fit for duty. Why are they flagging now we have only just got into the season?

Because some of them aren't capable of playing 90 minutes anymore. I think PB said that pre-season would be brutal to upgrade fitness but I'm not sure that included working with the ball in training.

It's all very well going on 10 k runs but during a game of football it's different because players are consistently changing direction, combining sprinting and jogging and continuously testing muscles, whether on the ball or off it. Over time the body and muscles become overworked, which is why they become prone to injury or fatigue.

 

[sufc4life21]

This squad by far the worst! To many old crocks who can't handle 90 mins..... that's all down to poor recruitment but same time we are hardly going to be a destination which can attract the right calibre of players. Only handful of the current squad I would keep.... Arnold, Ralph, Bridge, Dalby and Murphy I would keep, the rest are not fit for purpose.