Southend youngster Harry Crawford was tonight hailed as the new Trevor Fitzpatrick following the shock revelation that he's been called up to Ireland's under 18 squad.
The young forward who has banged in no goals in five appearances has received the call to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Trevor Fitzpatrick. It is thought he qualifies for Ireland through having ginger hair.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Replacement for Barnard found at last
The young forward signed from Rochdale appears to be the perfect replacement for departed goal-scoring superstar hero, Lee Barnard. Spencer has banged in a goal every 128 minutes.
That's the type of goalscoring form that could soon see him dubbed as the new Lee Barnard.
And the similarities don't end there. Spencer, like Barnard, joined in the January transfer window and has Premiership pedigree, courtesy of his time at Everton. Barnard was of course on Spurs' books prior to his move to Roots Hall where he enjoyed (or endured) an injury hit 18 months before blossoming in the final 6 months of his contract year and leaving on a knock-down fee.
So Spencer, who has only once managed to complete 90 minutes since joining in the transfer window, can officially be crowned the poor man's Barnard (and boy, are Southend poor at the moment, both off and on the pitch) when injury today ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Club act to ensure positive approach
This news follows the sacking earlier this month of popular assistant Paul Brush because of perceived negativity. In his justification of the move, Chairman Ron Martin claimed he wanted to bring about a fresh outlook to the struggling League One side. The sacking of Brush was followed by the hiring of legendary manager Dave Webb, a move that was condemned by some as cosmetic, but one which did bring about a revival in fortunes as Essex's finest went on a three match unbeaten run, including their first win of 2010.
However in the aftermath of Saturday's devastating defeat at Bristol Rovers, the club moved quickly to emphasis how much worse things could be, by promoting tickets to hear Alvin Martin talk about football. The former Hamster scum is the last manager to have relegated Southend from this division. Under Martin's mismanagement the club slid from the third tier of English football to the verge of the conference - a depth the Blues are proud to have never sunk as low as, unlike their inbred neighbours.
The relief that the inept Scouser Scummer is no longer in charge is likely to be just the boost Southend need ahead of their do or die Easter weekend meetings, as the Blues seek to come back from the dead in a manner not seen since Nicky Bailey died of shame after being tapped in the chest by JFC. For as bad as things may appear at Roots Hall at the moment, at least we haven't still got Alvin Martin in charge.
Monday, 29 March 2010
Southend to appoint legend as assistant
SOUTHEND United are set to react to yet another devastating away defeat by appointing a legendary former manager as assistant to manager Steve Tilson.
The Southend Afternoon Echo Sportsdesk understands that chairman Ron Martin will appoint the former Southend and Torquay manager as assistant manager on Tuesday as he seeks to stave off relegation, an outcome he described as "fatal".
It is hoped that the former full-back will be the man to shore up United's shaky defence that has been leaking goals at an alarming rate and led to assistant manager, Paul Brush being sacked.
When Southend last slipped to an away defeat and into the relegation zone, chairman Ron Martin pulled the trigger and sacked Tilson's long term assistant, Brush. Martin, who promised Tilson would get to choose his own number two, was quick to appoint the sexagenarian Dave Webb as Tilson's assistant until the end of the season, despite Webb having been out of football for some time.
The legendary Webb's return, for no less than his fifth stint, provided a short term boost to the struggling League One side, who drew two and won one of their next three games. However the Webb effect appears to have worn off as the team surrendered an early two goal lead at Bristol Rovers and slumped to a 4-3 defeat.
Now Martin is hoping to capture lightning in a bottle twice - and for Southend to win twice in 2010 - by appointing the septuagenarian Dave Smith as assistant assistant manager.
It is hoped that the dream team of the three most successful managers in Southend United's history will save Southend, or at the very least placate fans. Chairman Martin though refused to be drawn on speculation that such appointments were gimmicks to cover over the fact that the club is subject to a transfer embargo and are unable to bring in any new signings and therefore have to make do with populist appointments of pensioners who have been out of football for years. However a source, who did not wish to be named, revealed that plans to attract the legendary Bob Jack back had to be dropped once Ron Martin saw the price mediums were charging these days.
The Southend Afternoon Echo Sportsdesk understands that chairman Ron Martin will appoint the former Southend and Torquay manager as assistant manager on Tuesday as he seeks to stave off relegation, an outcome he described as "fatal".
It is hoped that the former full-back will be the man to shore up United's shaky defence that has been leaking goals at an alarming rate and led to assistant manager, Paul Brush being sacked.
When Southend last slipped to an away defeat and into the relegation zone, chairman Ron Martin pulled the trigger and sacked Tilson's long term assistant, Brush. Martin, who promised Tilson would get to choose his own number two, was quick to appoint the sexagenarian Dave Webb as Tilson's assistant until the end of the season, despite Webb having been out of football for some time.
The legendary Webb's return, for no less than his fifth stint, provided a short term boost to the struggling League One side, who drew two and won one of their next three games. However the Webb effect appears to have worn off as the team surrendered an early two goal lead at Bristol Rovers and slumped to a 4-3 defeat.
Now Martin is hoping to capture lightning in a bottle twice - and for Southend to win twice in 2010 - by appointing the septuagenarian Dave Smith as assistant assistant manager.
It is hoped that the dream team of the three most successful managers in Southend United's history will save Southend, or at the very least placate fans. Chairman Martin though refused to be drawn on speculation that such appointments were gimmicks to cover over the fact that the club is subject to a transfer embargo and are unable to bring in any new signings and therefore have to make do with populist appointments of pensioners who have been out of football for years. However a source, who did not wish to be named, revealed that plans to attract the legendary Bob Jack back had to be dropped once Ron Martin saw the price mediums were charging these days.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Breaking News: Assistant Manager Sacked!!!!
'Drastic times call for drastic measures' appears to be the message coming out of the chairman's office at Roots Hall.
With the spectre of relegation looming over the South East Essex club, the Southend United Chairman took the highly unusual step of sacking not the manager, but rather his experienced assistant. The move has caught many by surprise in Southend, who have been struggling for much of this year without seemingly any concern from up high.
However another away defeat on Saturday - the team has yet to pick up a point on the road this calendar year - appears to be the final straw for the assistant, if not the manager. The team now lies firmly ensconced in the relegation zone and the historic ground-breaking success of six years earlier seemingly set to unravel.
Relegation is likely to be financially disastrous for the club, and if the chairman - who despite overseeing consecutive promotions and second tier football remain deeply unpopular - couldn't afford to sack a manager who remains popular from his playing days, he couldn't afford not to take any action either.
So with his hands financially tied - although many would suggest by his own doing - Chairman Vic Jobson had nowhere else to turn but to sack Ronnie Whelan's assistant manager, Theo Foley in an attempt to break out of the downward spiral that threatens to send the club to the bottom of the bottom tier of the Football League and a depression that could last a generation.
With the spectre of relegation looming over the South East Essex club, the Southend United Chairman took the highly unusual step of sacking not the manager, but rather his experienced assistant. The move has caught many by surprise in Southend, who have been struggling for much of this year without seemingly any concern from up high.
However another away defeat on Saturday - the team has yet to pick up a point on the road this calendar year - appears to be the final straw for the assistant, if not the manager. The team now lies firmly ensconced in the relegation zone and the historic ground-breaking success of six years earlier seemingly set to unravel.
Relegation is likely to be financially disastrous for the club, and if the chairman - who despite overseeing consecutive promotions and second tier football remain deeply unpopular - couldn't afford to sack a manager who remains popular from his playing days, he couldn't afford not to take any action either.
So with his hands financially tied - although many would suggest by his own doing - Chairman Vic Jobson had nowhere else to turn but to sack Ronnie Whelan's assistant manager, Theo Foley in an attempt to break out of the downward spiral that threatens to send the club to the bottom of the bottom tier of the Football League and a depression that could last a generation.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Charlton star brands Southend boss a 'total disgrace'
Charlton captain Nicky Bailey has called his old Southend boss Steve Tilson "a total disgrace".
The Addicks triumphed 2-1 at Southend on Friday night with an injury-time winner to keep alive their automatic promotion hopes.
But the Shrimpers were reduced to 10 men when Jean Francois Christophe was sent off after Bailey went down clutching his head in the 25th minute after clashing with Christophe in the 22nd minute of the League One clash.
And midfielder Bailey, 25, who quit Southend for The Valley in August 2008, has been infuriated by claims by Tilson he feigned injury.
"I find Steve Tilson's comments quite laughable," slammed Bailey in a rant to the Southend Afternoon Echo Sportsdesk.
"Cheating is not a word that I have ever been associated with" said the Charlton man who was booked eleven times and sent off once during his 12 months at Roots Hall.
"Most managers go up to players after a game and say well done - even if they do not want to.
"But this is the same man who proposes new contracts by scribbling some figures on pieces of paper the size of a travel card or a post-it note when my salary demands would have filled a sheet of A4."
"To call me a cheat from 25 yards away at full-time is a total disgrace: that's closer to me than Jean Francois Christophe's fist ever got. Tilson should keep his distance, if ever gets that close to me again I shall have no alternative but to throw myself to the ground several minutes later, clutching my head and pretending I've been shot."
The Addicks triumphed 2-1 at Southend on Friday night with an injury-time winner to keep alive their automatic promotion hopes.
But the Shrimpers were reduced to 10 men when Jean Francois Christophe was sent off after Bailey went down clutching his head in the 25th minute after clashing with Christophe in the 22nd minute of the League One clash.
And midfielder Bailey, 25, who quit Southend for The Valley in August 2008, has been infuriated by claims by Tilson he feigned injury.
"I find Steve Tilson's comments quite laughable," slammed Bailey in a rant to the Southend Afternoon Echo Sportsdesk.
"Cheating is not a word that I have ever been associated with" said the Charlton man who was booked eleven times and sent off once during his 12 months at Roots Hall.
"Most managers go up to players after a game and say well done - even if they do not want to.
"But this is the same man who proposes new contracts by scribbling some figures on pieces of paper the size of a travel card or a post-it note when my salary demands would have filled a sheet of A4."
"To call me a cheat from 25 yards away at full-time is a total disgrace: that's closer to me than Jean Francois Christophe's fist ever got. Tilson should keep his distance, if ever gets that close to me again I shall have no alternative but to throw myself to the ground several minutes later, clutching my head and pretending I've been shot."
Monday, 22 February 2010
Will selling star striker hurt Southend's chances of staying up?
Southend chairman Ron Martin is coming under increasing pressure not to sell the relegation-threatened side's want-away leading scorer.
A number of bigger clubs are thought to be sniffing around the 24 year old Essex based forward whose goals have made him one of the hottest properties in the January window. With the striker making his desire to move on from his local team known and with his valuation being only likely to drop before the summer chairman Ron Martin must be sorely tempted to sell high.
However whilst many fans concede that their top asset's value has never been higher, supporters argue that selling during the January window would condemn the club to relegation. Fans claim the highly sought-after hot-shot's goals will fire the Blues to safety and that those goals will be worth more than any transfer fee received.
Those protestations are likely to be all the louder if Southend were to cash in and that striker was to finally get off the mark for his new club in his sixth appearance.
Freddy Eastwood is currently Southend's leading goalscorer with 13 goals.
From our January 2007 archive.
Freddy Eastwood was not sold that transfer window, but he only managed a further three goals that season and Southend were relegated. Whilst Eastwood was sold that summer, it was for less than he was being valued at during January and the Essex side proceeded to struggle financially.
A number of bigger clubs are thought to be sniffing around the 24 year old Essex based forward whose goals have made him one of the hottest properties in the January window. With the striker making his desire to move on from his local team known and with his valuation being only likely to drop before the summer chairman Ron Martin must be sorely tempted to sell high.
However whilst many fans concede that their top asset's value has never been higher, supporters argue that selling during the January window would condemn the club to relegation. Fans claim the highly sought-after hot-shot's goals will fire the Blues to safety and that those goals will be worth more than any transfer fee received.
Those protestations are likely to be all the louder if Southend were to cash in and that striker was to finally get off the mark for his new club in his sixth appearance.
Freddy Eastwood is currently Southend's leading goalscorer with 13 goals.
From our January 2007 archive.
Freddy Eastwood was not sold that transfer window, but he only managed a further three goals that season and Southend were relegated. Whilst Eastwood was sold that summer, it was for less than he was being valued at during January and the Essex side proceeded to struggle financially.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
