What is the current injury situation?

[The Big Dady]

Update on Ben Coker's rehab.

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United right-back Jason Demetriou is closing in on a return from a knee injury.

More...

 

[Rob1920]

Blimey I’d almost forgotten about him! I also see in that article Kiernan has now been out since August 2017. Hard to believe he’s ever going to play again. I guess the club must think he might or they’d have pulled the plug by now, unless there’s some insurance thing going on in the background. Although I wouldn’t have a clue about such things..

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

The best way for players to start wanting to be back is for the playing squad to put a run of results and feel good factor together. As the end of contracts/season looms a few players will think on the Josh Wright situation and recall that he lost this season with us by not having the most positive of "can do" attitudes.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

The best way for players to start wanting to be back is for the playing squad to put a run of results and feel good factor together. As the end of contracts/season looms a few players will think on the Josh Wright situation and recall that he lost this season with us by not having the most positive of "can do" attitudes.

In addition to being pony!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

In addition to being pony!

He wasn't that good

 

[Evening Echo]

LUKE Hyam and Stephen Hendrie have added to Southend United’s injury concerns.

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[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United goalkeeper Mark Oxley is not sure how much longer he will be spending on the sidelines.

More...

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

“I was feeling fine and right as reign,” said the 28-year-old.

Glad to see the Echo is maintaining its high journalistic standards.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

I know that our injury record this year has been attrocious, and unprecedented in my 33 years supporting the club, but to blame injuries on the performances in the last few weeks just cant cut it anymore.

We only have 2 real long term injuries that have effected the team, thats Coker and Hopper. Injuries such as Hyam, Bunn, Demetriou, Oxley you get all the time and have to deal with.

Yes we missed Hopper big time, but Humpheys should be an adequate replacement (although lacks the workrate of Hopper).

Coker is a loss, but Hendrie and Hart, again should be adequate replacements for a mid table league one side.

We are all clamouring for Lennon to come back, but I have only seen him pay about 100 minutes of football, and in that time we conceded 3 goals, and he looked to have a mistake or two in him.

I think that the injuries have made life difficult, but it has masked, and hidden what ultimately has been poor selections, poor tactics, poor fitness and work ethic, poor man management, poor transfer dealings and complete inept running of the club since CP took over.

Thoughts?

 

[GBJ]

As I said in the other thread, the starting XI we currently have, is not good enough for this League.

The squad we have - on paper at least - should be more than good enough to be an upper mid-table team at worst.

The “injury” excuse might not wash with some, but if we hadn’t had that injury crisis, I personally don’t believe we’d be having these threads anyway.

 

[Chrisb]

Yes, agree the big losses are Hopper and Cokes - I think we are also missing a real leader on the pitch and the midfield lacks a player who can win a ball and play a pass which would take a bit of pressure from the defence and give the strikers some service. I wonder about the fitness levels too and Chris's assistants.

 

[southendkid]

The big problem for me is the centre backs, White and Turner's legs are gone and are now too slow for this league (similar to Anton in his last season). Teams seem to have started doing their homework and realised as long as they have a player with a bit of pace standing next to one of them then they can just lump it forwards and the pacy player will easily win the race, at which point we basically have to hope Moore can race back in time to cover. Possibly we could start sitting deep so that there's no space to play balls over the top, but that would probably make our attacking play even more feeble than it currently is.

I don't think Kyprianou and Lennon are quality players but they at least will be able to run faster than the aging centre backs we're playing at the moment.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

The big problem for me is the centre backs, White and Turner's legs are gone and are now too slow for this league (similar to Anton is his last season). Teams seem to have started doing their homework and realised as long as they have a player with a bit of pace standing next to one of them then they can just lump it forwards and the pacy player will easily win the race, at which point we basically have to hope Moore can race back in time to cover.

Or Deng,as he so noticeably didn't do for Rovers second on Saturday.

 

[defender05]

The injuries might give us less options but it doesn't stop the ability to ge stuck in and pass to each which our midfield doesn't seem to be able to do.

We should also be playing a style that suits our players that we have available and not still be playing as if Hopper was upfront.

 

[GBJ]

The injuries might give us less options but it doesn't stop the ability to ge stuck in and pass to each which our midfield doesn't seem to be able to do.

We should also be playing a style that suits our players that we have available and not still be playing as if Hopper was upfront.

The injuries don’t give us less options, they give us no options. Hence why the team picks itself at the moment.

And unfortunately that team, isn’t technically good enough/clever enough/experienced enough to compete at this level.

I’m sure CP has done some things wrong. The simple question is, has his decisions/actions actually put us in the position we’re in. IMHO I don’t see what he could do different.

 

[blues exile]

The team hardly picks itself when two of the most experiened midfield players are benched by choice. Both Kightly and McLaughlin are having wretched seasons but honestly, are they any worse than Manton, Dieng or Yearwood in his current state? This does of course beg the question, why, when on paper we look a reasonable side, are our performances so insipid, so lacking in desire and drive and why do the players not appear to know what is required of them? Answer: the management team just do not have the players' full commitment to the cause. Change needed before the downward spiral becomes irreversable. We are just one point better off than last year but the difference is we were on an upswing thennot a slump.

 

[defender05]

The injuries don’t give us less options, they give us no options. Hence why the team picks itself at the moment.

And unfortunately that team, isn’t technically good enough/clever enough/experienced enough to compete at this level.

I’m sure CP has done some things wrong. The simple question is, has his decisions/actions actually put us in the position we’re in. IMHO I don’t see what he could do different.

Not sure how you can say the team we put out on Saturday are not isn’t technically good enough/clever enough/experienced enough to compete. We have a young goalkeeper who was one of the better players out there and Elvis who is trying but isn't a wing back. All of the other players have either been signed by CP or been with the club for a number of years with the exception of Dru who most people would have said was a first choice as the beginning of the season.

 

[Colchester John]

I would dearly love to know what CPs Assistants do apart from chat to him during game time. I wonder if the Club is getting value for money?

 

[RobM]

Or Deng,as he so noticeably didn't do for Rovers second on Saturday.

Nobody did!