LASTSEASON
LEAGUEONE19thFACUPSecondRoundLEAGUECUP
FirstRoundTOPSCORERSimonCox(below,17)LASTSEASON
LEAGUE ONE 18th FA CUP Fourth Round
LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Fejiri Okenabirhie (16)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 69SHREWSBURY TOWn SOUTHEnD UnITED
SEASOn PREVIEW
FFTVERDICT
10TH FFT VERDICT
18TH
Eye-catching transfer activity from
Sam Ricketts has generated some
optimism, despite 2018-19 largely
being a campaign to forget. Ethan
Ebanks-Landell and Aaron Pierre
will provide a solid foundation, and
League One defenders won’t enjoy
coming up against Steve Morison.Though this campaign will surely
bring better luck with injuries, it’s
hard to be confident of anything
much better than another fight to
survive. With Simon Cox earning
Southend many a point last term,
there’s quality in the side – but an
unknown quantity in the dugout.The big talking point among the fans
is that Mat Sadler, who made more
than 200 appearances and captained
us to two Wembley finals, and Danny
Coyne, a popular goalkeeping coach
and caretaker manager on a couple of
occasions, have decided to move on.
This season will be different because
the manager, Sam Ricketts [below] has
now had a pre-season to implement
his footballing philosophies and bring
in the players to suit his methodology.
There are no excuses.
Our key player will be young defender
Ro-Shaun Williams. What a difference
he has made since joining in January
from Manchester United. Our defence
changed from his very first game. He’s
a rock at the back, a leader at the age
of 20, passionate, talented, powerful,
clever and great on the ball. He will
be a big difference for us this season.
The best Shrewsbury social media
accounts are @B_and_A_Online and
the @salopcast podcast.The player I’d happily drive to
another club is Lenell John-Lewis.
I won’t be happy unless we show
progress in terms of more aggressive,
attacking football. Last season, any
confident and controlled attacks fell
away in the final third, and the team’s
finishing was abysmal. The signing of
Steve Morison may help in improving
our attack... but he’s 36 in August!
Save the date for Ipswich away on
August 31. They took Paul Hurst, Chris
Doig, Jon Nolan and Toto Nsiala from
us last term, with the Hurst deal done
in the days leading up to our play-off
final – which we lost. Rumour has it
that Hurst had cleared his desk before
jumping on the coach to Wembley.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that he’s quite cautious – young and
ambitious, yes, but considered in his
approach – and still finding his feet.
However, I’m hopeful he will turn his
safety-first stance into something
more attacking once the defence is
sorted, and we’ve already brought in
some strong defenders. It’s probably
not a make-or-break year for him.
We’ll finish 14th, in lower-mid-table
and safe, building for next season.The big talking point among the fans
is that Kevin Bond has managed only
one league club in Britain before now,
and that was more than 10 years ago.
This season will be different because
the club feels rudderless right now.
Bond was a stopgap appointment to
take us to the end of last season. We
have a side built by the previous two
managers and now playing for a third.
I won’t be happy unless we survive.
The best Southend social media
account is @CJPhillips1982, the local
journalist doing the work of about six
men, although @AllAtSeaFanzine say
the things he can’t print.
Did you know that we’ve had charity
shirt sponsors on our top for the past
two years – a great move by the club.
Our most underrated player is Elvis
Bwomono. He stepped up when other
players were out of form or injured.
Our best celebrity fan is Alison Moyet- Blues royalty. Worst? Jeremy Kyle
gave us a team talk. Does that count?
Look out for Isaac Hutchinson [above],
a 19-year-old goalscoring midfielder
with a couple of good feet. Nathan
Bishop, Charlie Kelman, Michael Klass,
Emile Acquah, Lewis Gard and Dru
Yearwood have made league outings
for us in the last few seasons, too.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Steve McNulty, who helped
Tranmere win promotion last season
and has now joined non-league York.
Save the date for Lincoln at Roots
Hall in February. The Cowley brothers
used to teach PE at a local school, so
it will be a big homecoming for them- if they’re still at Lincoln by then...
Our key player will be Simon Cox, as
he’s the only person who can be relied
upon to create or finish opportunities.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Bond ended up in the Southend
job by accident. I’m not too sure how
much responsibility he can take for
survival, and now he has an entirely
different challenge in building a club.
Over his shoulder is Harry Redknapp –
his stench around the football club is
as divisive as Brexit.
We’ll finish safe in mid-table after
a year blooding talented youngsters.
FAn FILE
LIAM AGER
@realliamagerFAn FILE
ANDREW GREENWAY
blueandamber.proboards.com