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Time to go and I’m not just talking about Powell!

Yes we won yesterday but what if we lose every single game from now until the end of the season and play long ball tactics in some of them? Would you still be saying this thread is stupid? What if CP deliberately picked Southend United under 10s for league games and instructed them to play long balls to strikers even smaller than Simon Cox? What if CP goes so defensive at home that he plays 11 holding midfielders against the bottom team and we still lose? What if CP not only fails to come up with plan B but destroys plan A and encourages the players to mill about on the pitch in their jeans and flip-flops instead of playing football? Then you will be agreeing with this thread and you would all say CP out. Thankfully some supporters are thinking ahead to such scenarios and starting threads accordingly.

Criticising Powell for things that haven’t and won’t happen, interesting
 
And just to point out I was over the moon because it proves the exact point I’ve been making.

Play a target man and it works.
Play 2 up top and it works.

Sorry to disappoint you Will but even Dagenham Kev knew we needed a target man. It wasn't CP's fault that Hopper is out for the season and CP didn't invent the January window rule.

Where he should get credit is for not panicking and buying the first man available on January 2nd. You cant just decide someone is a target man, its a specialist position. Yes of course Humphrys wont be scoring 2 every game but what he clearly showed yesterday is not only hunger, presence and a bit of desire the boy can obviously finish as well.

Now before you point out we didn't have a back up for Hopper, since I've been watching Southend, we have never had a back up for Parker, Spence, Crown. Collymore, Angel, Freddy, Barnard or even Corr...….If you want that you'd best change your name to ManchesterWill….Or except the fact you support a lower league team, cut the manger some slack when he has the worst injury crisis in our known history and enjoy the fact that yesterday was probably one of the best performances in over a decade.
 
Just for the record we played some really nice football yesterday, some very pretty triangles, but we had the option to go long to someone capable of holding it up or making a header which obviously makes a heck of a difference to the overall performance.
 
Now before you point out we didn't have a back up for Hopper, since I've been watching Southend, we have never had a back up for Parker, Spence, Crown. Collymore, Angel, Freddy, Barnard or even Corr...….If you want that you'd best change your name to ManchesterWill….Or except the fact you support a lower league team, cut the manger some slack when he has the worst injury crisis in our known history and enjoy the fact that yesterday was probably one of the best performances in over a decade.

Back in the good old days managers were lucky to have a squad of 16 -18 players when there was only one substitute and you could go out and sign/sell a player at any time. The transfer window, seven subs and no reserve team football means that half the squad could go a season without even playing a proper game of football. How will they ever improve?
 
Back in the good old days managers were lucky to have a squad of 16 -18 players when there was only one substitute and you could go out and sign/sell a player at any time. The transfer window, seven subs and no reserve team football means that half the squad could go a season without even playing a proper game of football. How will they ever improve?

We have the Essex Senior Cup, Checkatrade shambles & the U23s.
 
S
Sorry to disappoint you Will but even Dagenham Kev knew we needed a target man. It wasn't CP's fault that Hopper is out for the season and CP didn't invent the January window rule.

Where he should get credit is for not panicking and buying the first man available on January 2nd. You cant just decide someone is a target man, its a specialist position. Yes of course Humphrys wont be scoring 2 every game but what he clearly showed yesterday is not only hunger, presence and a bit of desire the boy can obviously finish as well.

Now before you point out we didn't have a back up for Hopper, since I've been watching Southend, we have never had a back up for Parker, Spence, Crown. Collymore, Angel, Freddy, Barnard or even Corr...….If you want that you'd best change your name to ManchesterWill….Or except the fact you support a lower league team, cut the manger some slack when he has the worst injury crisis in our known history and enjoy the fact that yesterday was probably one of the best performances in over a decade.

That’s my whole point we had one striker in cox and we play the same system? Why not play it to his feet!

The injuries are not Powell’s fault but the way we play is, you can’t disagree with that.
 
S


That’s my whole point we had one striker in cox and we play the same system? Why not play it to his feet!

The injuries are not Powell’s fault but the way we play is, you can’t disagree with that.

Sorry Will but the word 'system' always goes over my head as do posts which say 'wrong tactics'.

No one is claiming we have been good enough in terms of energy and desire going forward at RH and some of the defending at vital times would never win the annual 'body on the line' award.

I don't accept that we only hoof it and we know CP wanted that big lad from Stoke before he ended up with McCoulsky. But of course beggars cant always be choosers.

I always look at the players, rarely the manager. The truth is there have been to many who have let him down in certain games including every ones favourite Cox.

Kelman is on all our radars but another good lad from that group is Matt Rush. No bigger than Jack Payne but real sharp turn and quick feet. The thing I like about him is how well he challenges for the ball up top. Yes he is not going to win the header but he certainly doesn't allow the defenders an easy day. I have watched to many Joe Piggott challenges in the last few months. In other words jumping but with your head at least a foot from anywhere near danger and make sure your body doesn't contact theirs.

Hopefully with the arrival of Humphrys things will be a lot more positive at home. Lets hope the likes of McL, Kightly and of course Dru start looking a lot livelier and start to attack with some believe and conviction.

We know that one swallow or indeed a 4-0 away win doesn't make summer but up until now we were a neat boxer with out a punch. Keep this quiet form Luton but I think we may have found one....A sleeve tattooed one.
 
Sorry Will but the word 'system' always goes over my head as do posts which say 'wrong tactics'.

I always look at the players, rarely the manager.

That,of course, is where you go badly wrong.
 
Sorry to disappoint you Will but even Dagenham Kev knew we needed a target man. It wasn't CP's fault that Hopper is out for the season and CP didn't invent the January window rule.

Where he should get credit is for not panicking and buying the first man available on January 2nd. You cant just decide someone is a target man, its a specialist position. Yes of course Humphrys wont be scoring 2 every game but what he clearly showed yesterday is not only hunger, presence and a bit of desire the boy can obviously finish as well.

Now before you point out we didn't have a back up for Hopper, since I've been watching Southend, we have never had a back up for Parker, Spence, Crown. Collymore, Angel, Freddy, Barnard or even Corr...….If you want that you'd best change your name to ManchesterWill….Or except the fact you support a lower league team, cut the manger some slack when he has the worst injury crisis in our known history and enjoy the fact that yesterday was probably one of the best performances in over a decade.


I think this is one of the best football related posts I've read on shrimperzone and I don't necessarily agree with all of it - fantastic stuff.
What a difference 4 nil makes to everyone's lives!
 
S


That’s my whole point we had one striker in cox and we play the same system? Why not play it to his feet!

The injuries are not Powell’s fault but the way we play is, you can’t disagree with that.


And then what? He was generally isolated up front and likes to drop deeper to get the ball. He'd be marked out of the game. We can play it to his feet and he can... play it back again.
 
Now we have a big striker will we start banging long even more ?
Well, not more than the Plymouth game because thats impossible.
 
And then what? He was generally isolated up front and likes to drop deeper to get the ball. He'd be marked out of the game. We can play it to his feet and he can... play it back again.
In fairness I'd rather we keep the ball than aimlessly boot it up pitch for Cox to inevitably lose it and invite more pressure on our defence.
 
In fairness I'd rather we keep the ball than aimlessly boot it up pitch for Cox to inevitably lose it and invite more pressure on our defence.

But we won't keep it for ever. We're not good enough and all that means is that we will invariably lose it nearer our goal.
 
A year in charge for Powell, in which his win percentage is 41.8% - higher than any manager who has lasted this long since Dave Webb. Those stats don't tell the whole story of course, few other managers have had to deal with an injury crisis like we've seen this year.
 
But we won't keep it for ever. We're not good enough and all that means is that we will invariably lose it nearer our goal.

This is key. At the end of the day you can tell your team to play the ball out the back and pass in to feet at all times but when you're asking defenders like John White to do so it's not going to work. We have players that are limited technically and when they're put under pressure and are low on confidence they're going to clear the ball, it's only natural.
 
A year in charge for Powell, in which his win percentage is 41.8% - higher than any manager who has lasted this long since Dave Webb. Those stats don't tell the whole story of course, few other managers have had to deal with an injury crisis like we've seen this year.

Skewed somewhat by the fact that Tilson managed us in the Championship where we were seriously out of our depth and lost (I think) 18 on the trot? Not to mention the relegation into Lg2 where the players weren't getting paid and just couldn't be bothered.

Statistics are very powerful but they can also be highly misleading. Can anyone provide Tilson's win ratio pre-2007?
 
As I say the stats don't tell the whole story. But yes it would be interesting to see Tilson's pre 2007 stats with us.

Certainly Powell has had to deal with an awful situation, as did Tilson in 2010 and Paul Sturrock when he took the job, so his 41.6% doesn't look shabby either (albeit all in League Two).
 
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