Was this season a success?

[AndyT]

McLaughlin, Leonard, Wordsworth, for a start, plus some long-term contracts signed during the season.

Who hasn't, then?

 

[Jai]

what has been to be honest, bar Sheff United, a poor quality division.

Not having a pop but I always find it interesting when people say "it's a poor quality division this year". What is this based on? How much knowledge do people really have about the other teams in this league, bar the one or two games they see them play against us?

 

[Medway Blue]

McLaughlin, Leonard, Wordsworth, for a start, plus some long-term contracts signed during the season.

Who hasn't, then?

I thought we were just exercising our right to extend AW and RL contracts? Aren't they clauses in the contracts which just allow us to activate an extra year without having to ask them? That's why I see it as less of a "commitment" per se on their part. In the case of Leonard I fear that it'll just allow us to get a fee for him this summer :( think we may be ok with Wordsworth due to his current injury and his general injury record, plus although he's had a great season I'm not sure he'd have concrete interest from any clubs much better than us right now. But I fear for our chances of keeping Lenny and Cokes and I'd really like us to tie them down to extensions beyond the end of next season before I feel safe!

 

[Medway Blue]

Not having a pop but I always find it interesting when people say "it's a poor quality division this year". What is this based on? How much knowledge do people really have about the other teams in this league, bar the one or two games they see them play against us?

What I mean is Sheff Utd have been the only team to be streets ahead of anyone else. From what I've seen and what knowledge I have of other squads, the teams placed 3rd-6th aren't much better than us if at all, IMO. Just opinion and what I've seen with my own eyes. Only team to truly impress me have been Sheff Utd. Everyone else has been taking points off each other left, right and centre. It's often been the case in this division. Perhaps less to do with raw quality than it is to do with consistency and mental aspects of the game but still, Sheff Utd has been head and shoulders above an otherwise closely contested pack.

 

[AndyT]

Fair point on the extensions, but unlike last year, when Payne and Bentley were clearly off and Bolger, Deegan, Worrall, Hunt and the like were feeling unhappy here, I don't hear of anyone not willing to stay for next season and actively looking for another club, this time around.

The quality signings : Cox, Ferdinand, Ranger, Fortune and so on, all seem settled and committed to the club, at the moment.

This could leave the door open for other quality players to come, because of what they hear about our club and the players we have. When you read the likes of Luke Amos thoroughly enjoying being part of the set-up and certain troubled individuals seemingly feeling happy at where they are, then there's a belief that we can only strengthen and move forward from here.

 

[Medway Blue]

Fair point on the extensions, but unlike last year, when Payne and Bentley were clearly off and Bolger, Deegan, Worrall, Hunt and the like were feeling unhappy here, I don't hear of anyone not willing to stay for next season and actively looking for another club, this time around.

The quality signings : Cox, Ferdinand, Ranger, Fortune and so on, all seem settled and committed to the club, at the moment.

This could leave the door open for other quality players to come, because of what they hear about our club and the players we have. When you read the likes of Luke Amos thoroughly enjoying being part of the set-up and certain troubled individuals seemingly feeling happy at where they are, then there's a belief that we can only strengthen and move forward from here.

Yes can't disagree with you there. Just want to get some of them tied down for longer rather than taking it year-by-year/leaving it late. Hopefully this season's progress, team spirit, new stadium news and a couple of quality additions to the squad to show we mean business will convince Cokes and Lenny to sign for longer.

 

[Jai]

What I mean is Sheff Utd have been the only team to be streets ahead of anyone else. From what I've seen and what knowledge I have of other squads, the teams placed 3rd-6th aren't much better than us if at all, IMO. Just opinion and what I've seen with my own eyes. Only team to truly impress me have been Sheff Utd. Everyone else has been taking points off each other left, right and centre. It's often been the case in this division. Perhaps less to do with raw quality than it is to do with consistency and mental aspects of the game but still, Sheff Utd has been head and shoulders above an otherwise closely contested pack.

True but then again the teams we have played this season aren't necessarily worse than the ones we played last season. It's just that we're a better side, so the opposition look worse.

Generally speaking with a few anomalies English football has been getting better every year for a couple of decades. If you watch highlights from some of our games in the mid 1990s in what is now the Championship, well, you could argue that League Two now is higher quality than the Championship was back then.

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

I think this season has been a success. Not reaching the play offs has been disappointing but the season has not been a disappointment. My personal mark of sucess in the summer was top ten. We managed that and then some.

We have a First XI of high Third Tier standard. We have potential to kick on and have a squad to match. Anyone who has been over-achieving this season can then be replaced by a decent player.

We started and ended poorly, mainly due to the thin-ness of the squad. Fix that and we look good for the play offs.

If at the start of the season, nevermind in October, i'd been offered going into the 80th minute of the last game in a play off position i'd of snapped your hand off.
so overall the season has been a great success.

know what? i had fun, I enjoyed it. I made some friends, had some experiences, watched some beautiful football, tried to tear my hair out, lost all hope, regained it many times. I'm ready to enjoy the cricket for a few months then do it all over again next season.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Right now, I'm still feeling a bit miffed about missing out on the top six but overall, we've improved - so yes it has been a success.

Also, this has been the first season I've taken my children to games. There is no doubt that they are Southend fans now, so I'll always look back on 2016/17 as a massive season in this household!

 

[AndyT]

Yes can't disagree with you there. Just want to get some of them tied down for longer rather than taking it year-by-year/leaving it late. Hopefully this season's progress, team spirit, new stadium news and a couple of quality additions to the squad to show we mean business will convince Cokes and Lenny to sign for longer.

I think that might come, during the next few months, particularly with some quality additions, hopefully.

Another season in League One, could be a really good thing for the club.

 

[rlb999]

Despite the disappointment of the last 5 games, a massive success overall. Just hope we can replace those we lose this summer, and that Ron can make the finances hold out.

 

[rayleigh dan]

Great season overall. My target was to finish higher in the league than last season and we've smashed that. If we can keep hold of our best players I see no reason why I shouldn't set the same target again. 2017/18 6th or better! COYB! :happy:

 

[londonblue]

We don't really know what a realistic goal for the season was. We all demand promotion or the play offs at least but was that realistic? Given the bookies had us down for relegation you'd have to say not. So I've voted yes on the basis that we've improved on last season and seem to be generally heading in the right direction.

We've all seen what can happen if you achieve too much too soon. Patience, and slow progression, is the recipe for long term sustainable success. Look at how Burton have done it.

 

[Polish_Blues]

I was resigned to relegation back in October and the turning point was beating Chesterfield at Root Hall, has we lost that, there will be a chance we hit rock bottom, after that, we really kicked on and never looked back since then. If we get a fit and settled squads who is ready and up for the first games (including new 'upgrade' signing) and make a better start in first 3 month, then we can look at finishing in top 6!

 

[united we stand]

This is a tough one to answer for me,we were sooooo close, and it should have been in our hands. There were so many. 'Almost' moments in those last few games. However the big thing for me is if we about to jeep the nucleus of the squad and our manager. Had we got promoted. If we don't then just missing out could become an even bigger deal, plus of course the huge increase in revenue we would have got with promotion. I would gave much rather have missed out in the playoffs rather than not got there. I don't understand why some posters state we have one of the best starting 11's and a great squad , but are then happy with 7th- surely that's a contradiction?

 

[mrsblue]

This is a tough one to answer for me,we were sooooo close, and it should have been in our hands. There were so many. 'Almost' moments in those last few games. However the big thing for me is if we about to jeep the nucleus of the squad and our manager. Had we got promoted. If we don't then just missing out could become an even bigger deal, plus of course the huge increase in revenue we would have got with promotion. I would gave much rather have missed out in the playoffs rather than not got there. I don't understand why some posters state we have one of the best starting 11's and a great squad , but are then happy with 7th- surely that's a contradiction?

We have a decent starting eleven but some of the lads cannot play in most games which means our strength in depth needs to be good,which it isn't .

Finishing 7th is a bloody shame.

 

[AndyT]

Was thinking this morning. How come, even though The Championship, League One and League Two all have 24 teams in them, it's only League Two that promotes four teams.

Why not the others, particularly League One?

I can possibly see why the Premier League would want to protect the extra club, but there seems no logic in Leagues One and Two not being the same.

Even throw The National League in and promote four from there. They already relegate four from that league. Might even do the struggling teams at the bottom a favour to go down.

 

[Tyga]

Had us about 13th at the start of the season so to be in with a chance of a playoff spot with 5 minutes of the season left is a success.

 

[mrsblue]

Was thinking this morning. How come, even though The Championship, League One and League Two all have 24 teams in them, it's only League Two that promotes four teams.

Why not the others, particularly League One?

I can possibly see why the Premier League would want to protect the extra club, but there seems no logic on Leagues One and Two not being the same.

Even throw The National League in.

The championship is littered with ex prem clubs is probably why only 3 drop.
The National league however is a disgrace only allowing 2 up.

 

[fbm]

It's a difficult one to answer without letting ultimate opinion be guided by fluctuating expectations. I'll just go back to my expectations just before the season started. I honestly thought we had the individual quality in the squad to make the playoffs at the least. So I expected a playoff push. In that respect it's as a suspected. Yes we may have small-ish budget at this level but pound-for-pound I think we've fairly consistently been able to have one of the strongest matchday squads in what has been to be honest, bar Sheff United, a poor quality division. I will always say that our position in October was false and brought on by Brown being out of his depth at that stage. So I can't be one of these people who turns around and says "I'd have taken this in October when we were relegation fodder" because a big part of me felt that if PB stopped overcomplicating things and made the changes that he did eventually make (and we can thank Adam Barrett for some of that), that we would break out of that false position.

We're now in a great position to really push on. A largely strong season and the new stadium plans going in could make us an attractive proposition for decent available players this summer. Make sure the shortlist is drawn up, start making moves ASAP, sell the club in the right way, add some quality and strength and make sure that everyone, especially some of our crocks from this season, are fit and raring to go to get a full pre-season behind them. Then we can hit the ground running next season, when I think playoffs really SHOULD be the aim.

Agree with most of that, other than the fact that next year, with this squad plus an enhancement or two, we should be looking to get promoted, not play offs. And I can't see how Brown can be out of his depth; he's managed in the Championship and the Prem and is one of the highest profile managers we have ever had. I think it's down to the fact that we we had a poorer squad and were unfortunately having to rely on poor old AB, who should have only been a support player this season. We also had 4 new signings in Cox, Demetriou, Oxley and McGlashan who all took some time to bed in, plus Rangers injury. But the key for me was Anton Ferdinand. He made all the difference.

I thought we were just exercising our right to extend AW and RL contracts? Aren't they clauses in the contracts which just allow us to activate an extra year without having to ask them? That's why I see it as less of a "commitment" per se on their part. In the case of Leonard I fear that it'll just allow us to get a fee for him this summer :( think we may be ok with Wordsworth due to his current injury and his general injury record, plus although he's had a great season I'm not sure he'd have concrete interest from any clubs much better than us right now. But I fear for our chances of keeping Lenny and Cokes and I'd really like us to tie them down to extensions beyond the end of next season before I feel safe!

Yes can't disagree with you there. Just want to get some of them tied down for longer rather than taking it year-by-year/leaving it late. Hopefully this season's progress, team spirit, new stadium news and a couple of quality additions to the squad to show we mean business will convince Cokes and Lenny to sign for longer.

I think you'll find that the club will agree with you but it's the players and the agents who won't commit. Young players, like Bentley and Payne, just would not commit. Bentley moved for a 500% increase in pay (who wouldn't at his age? Or any age, actually!) and Payne is now part of a Huddersfield team in the play offs.

Let's face it, if the best teams in the country have trouble holding onto their players, what chance have we got?

Unfortunately, we will always be a selling club.