… YET STRANGELY OPTIMISTIC!!
Sometimes when a team is promoted, the momentum from previous seasons can be enough to carry you still forward – see Wigan last season in the Premiership and just look at what we achieved last year ourselves. But then sometimes the step up in class is just too much – at least initially. Look at the likes of Sheffield United and Watford in this year’s Premiership and then reference our own lowly position.
Clearly, it’s been a difficult start to the season.
Our great start against Stoke and a pleasing first half against Crystal Palace (that surely had most of us believing we’d have nothing to fear this season) gave way to a crazy five minutes when the step-up in quality put us firmly in our place. The disappointing encounter against QPR was then followed by a great result against a pre-form Sunderland. An unlucky defeat to Leicester then preceded a series of battling draws – at home to Sheffield Wednesday, the thriller versus Norwich and the hard-fought point at the home of many people’s favourites for the division, West Bromwich Albion. Wonderful moments and hard-fought points though they were, it still produced a meager return of just 3 points from the 3 games and if we’re going to survive, then even upon these small successes we must improve.
Ups and Downs
Right now, things are down of course. It’s a difficult time. The two successive humblings at the hands of an excellent Cardiff City “on t’ telly” and an in-form Derby County have clearly kicked us hard and caused us no shortage of pain and the coincidence of a run for the scum has made things even harder to bear.
Already the season’s had its ups and downs but despite the points on the board, the number of goals we’ve conceded and our floundering in the bottom three, I still think we’ve showed in most (if not all) of the games we’ve played that we CAN hold our own in this division!
Even in our humbling before the nation against Cardiff City, we’d played well enough and come close to scoring first. If goals change games as the commentators are fond of saying, then Cardiff’s first one took it away from us while the second just before the break killed us off. It might so easily have gone differently.
We need to be winning our home games though.
While it feels somewhat commendable to share points these days with the mighty Sheffield Wednesday and while it was a truly wonderful moment to see Gower tucking it in at the far post against Norwich to turn defeat into a draw, the odd point at home will not be enough to keep us in this division.
I’m sure we’ll pick up the odd point away from home from those who underestimate us, but what needs to happen before we shore up our leaking defence and turn some of these battling draws into narrow (but celebrated) victories?
Well…
The first thing we need is some of the luck we’ve enjoyed over the last couple of seasons.
Many people questioned the lack of depth in our squad last year (and probably rightly so)? However, we definitely got away with it. Our key players held their form throughout the season and we were lucky indeed with injuries. This season, the influence of Luke Guttridge has been sadly lacking and we’ve struggled to carry him (or replace him effectively). The loss of Sodje has also been a contributory factor – if I recall correctly, his absence at the back-end of last season played no small part in our end of season wobble. And while we’ve been failing to convert our chances, with Ricketts injured, we’ve had no one with any degree of experience to come on and show us the way.
We also need a settled team.
The obvious step up in class that we’re facing in the Championship aside, it’s always going to be difficult when you throw three new defenders into your back four. I’ve seen enough from Hammell and Francis to convince me that they’ll be fantastic players for Southend United... and Clarke is adored, nay revered, by all that have got to know him at Blackpool. But at the moment it just isn’t working.
Calls to drop Barrett, drop Clarke, drop Prior, bring back Wilson and throw in Hunt have been loud and consistent, but for me, the defence simply needs to get used to a system, get used to each other and get used to the division. It’s quite possible that Tilly still doesn’t know his best back four yet. I’m sure I don’t but I’ll be watching with interest. That said, I’ll be glad when Efe is back and firing on all cylinders.
We then need to start converting our chances.
3 goals against Sunderland and 3 goals against Norwich notwithstanding, we still need to be taking more of our chances. With chances fewer and further in between, staying up in the Championship this season positively demands that we make the most of every opportunity. And it must not all fall on the shoulders of Eastwood – especially now he is seen by all as the player who can make something happen.
Thankfully, for me, in his cameo appearances, Ricketts has shown that he’ll make a difference. Can he be the new Goat that knocks in goals himself while providing an excellent foil for Freddy? I’m sure we’ve got a lot to look forward to.
In summary, why I think we need to be cautiously optimistic:
We’re conceding lots of goals, we’re sitting in the bottom three and we’re five points adrift of Col******r FFS. But we’ve still played extremely well at times in most (if not all) of the games we’ve played. Our work ethic has been excellent and but for the last couple of games, our heads haven’t dropped when we’ve gone behind.
There’s also far more to come (I say in both hope and expectation):
• Ricketts is getting back to fitness (and hopefully form)
• Guttridge will likely show an improvement in form
• Sodje is due to return
• And our defence is likely to settle in both personnel and prowess.
13th place for me is a realistic target.
Comments ladies and gentlemen?
Sometimes when a team is promoted, the momentum from previous seasons can be enough to carry you still forward – see Wigan last season in the Premiership and just look at what we achieved last year ourselves. But then sometimes the step up in class is just too much – at least initially. Look at the likes of Sheffield United and Watford in this year’s Premiership and then reference our own lowly position.
Clearly, it’s been a difficult start to the season.
Our great start against Stoke and a pleasing first half against Crystal Palace (that surely had most of us believing we’d have nothing to fear this season) gave way to a crazy five minutes when the step-up in quality put us firmly in our place. The disappointing encounter against QPR was then followed by a great result against a pre-form Sunderland. An unlucky defeat to Leicester then preceded a series of battling draws – at home to Sheffield Wednesday, the thriller versus Norwich and the hard-fought point at the home of many people’s favourites for the division, West Bromwich Albion. Wonderful moments and hard-fought points though they were, it still produced a meager return of just 3 points from the 3 games and if we’re going to survive, then even upon these small successes we must improve.
Ups and Downs
Right now, things are down of course. It’s a difficult time. The two successive humblings at the hands of an excellent Cardiff City “on t’ telly” and an in-form Derby County have clearly kicked us hard and caused us no shortage of pain and the coincidence of a run for the scum has made things even harder to bear.
Already the season’s had its ups and downs but despite the points on the board, the number of goals we’ve conceded and our floundering in the bottom three, I still think we’ve showed in most (if not all) of the games we’ve played that we CAN hold our own in this division!
Even in our humbling before the nation against Cardiff City, we’d played well enough and come close to scoring first. If goals change games as the commentators are fond of saying, then Cardiff’s first one took it away from us while the second just before the break killed us off. It might so easily have gone differently.
We need to be winning our home games though.
While it feels somewhat commendable to share points these days with the mighty Sheffield Wednesday and while it was a truly wonderful moment to see Gower tucking it in at the far post against Norwich to turn defeat into a draw, the odd point at home will not be enough to keep us in this division.
I’m sure we’ll pick up the odd point away from home from those who underestimate us, but what needs to happen before we shore up our leaking defence and turn some of these battling draws into narrow (but celebrated) victories?
Well…
The first thing we need is some of the luck we’ve enjoyed over the last couple of seasons.
Many people questioned the lack of depth in our squad last year (and probably rightly so)? However, we definitely got away with it. Our key players held their form throughout the season and we were lucky indeed with injuries. This season, the influence of Luke Guttridge has been sadly lacking and we’ve struggled to carry him (or replace him effectively). The loss of Sodje has also been a contributory factor – if I recall correctly, his absence at the back-end of last season played no small part in our end of season wobble. And while we’ve been failing to convert our chances, with Ricketts injured, we’ve had no one with any degree of experience to come on and show us the way.
We also need a settled team.
The obvious step up in class that we’re facing in the Championship aside, it’s always going to be difficult when you throw three new defenders into your back four. I’ve seen enough from Hammell and Francis to convince me that they’ll be fantastic players for Southend United... and Clarke is adored, nay revered, by all that have got to know him at Blackpool. But at the moment it just isn’t working.
Calls to drop Barrett, drop Clarke, drop Prior, bring back Wilson and throw in Hunt have been loud and consistent, but for me, the defence simply needs to get used to a system, get used to each other and get used to the division. It’s quite possible that Tilly still doesn’t know his best back four yet. I’m sure I don’t but I’ll be watching with interest. That said, I’ll be glad when Efe is back and firing on all cylinders.
We then need to start converting our chances.
3 goals against Sunderland and 3 goals against Norwich notwithstanding, we still need to be taking more of our chances. With chances fewer and further in between, staying up in the Championship this season positively demands that we make the most of every opportunity. And it must not all fall on the shoulders of Eastwood – especially now he is seen by all as the player who can make something happen.
Thankfully, for me, in his cameo appearances, Ricketts has shown that he’ll make a difference. Can he be the new Goat that knocks in goals himself while providing an excellent foil for Freddy? I’m sure we’ve got a lot to look forward to.
In summary, why I think we need to be cautiously optimistic:
We’re conceding lots of goals, we’re sitting in the bottom three and we’re five points adrift of Col******r FFS. But we’ve still played extremely well at times in most (if not all) of the games we’ve played. Our work ethic has been excellent and but for the last couple of games, our heads haven’t dropped when we’ve gone behind.
There’s also far more to come (I say in both hope and expectation):
• Ricketts is getting back to fitness (and hopefully form)
• Guttridge will likely show an improvement in form
• Sodje is due to return
• And our defence is likely to settle in both personnel and prowess.
13th place for me is a realistic target.
Comments ladies and gentlemen?
