FL2: Southend v Torquay 22 October 2011

....jeez all we need

Hope the big fella's ok.

Interesting to see firstly what those at the game have to say (although it is pretty damning judging by the commentary) and secondly what Ling goes about doing to try and arrest this terrible form - I don't think that fiddling around the margins will do anything in the grand scheme of things to change the team for the better.

If Ling thought that there was a solution within the club last week after the home dicking by Gillingham then I'm not sure that a similar hammering this week will register as a bigger problem. After all, I think everyone other than the most hopelessly optimistic expected to lose by at least three or four today and end-up getting sucked closer towards the drop zone - anything better than that would have been a real bonus.

Let's see how the supporters vote with their feet on Tuesday and Saturday after another crushing defeat. I'm not really looking to make a 300 mile'ish round trip whilst the team are gifting the opposition so liberally at the moment and we are seeing nothing to arrest this.

Sorry you had to watch such a poor sounding performance. Do you really think that Ling is anywhere near being shown the door or taking the decision himself to move on?!?! I cannot see the board being able to afford such a move - even if they did think that was the right move (and I don't think that they would be).

Whilst I admire the approach of playing football that Ling tries to drum into the players I haven't changed my mind from the pre-season that this group of players isn't good enough to do anything but struggle. Howe, Atieno, McPhee, Saah and Morris are not good enough to replace Tomlin, Zebroski, Kee, Stanley / Wroe and Benyon / Robinson. Sorry Lingy, you cannot polish turds.

i am a season ticket holder but if we continue to dish up this rubbish whens its a tuesday night and minus 1 they can forget it,so what the pay on the gate supporters? we know the answer to that,the winter of discontent is looming,i wonder if lingy will take the pressure?

Didn't buy a season ticket as one of the reasons was the noises coming from the club after we lost the core of our successful side in the close season together with the managers apointment .
Still hope they proves me wrong mind.

Where to go from here? (Apart from into the loan market that is). It is a long journey back from Essex and I hope Ling takes the time to reflect that the answer does not lie within the current squad. For whatever reason it is just not working and the losing mentality is becoming entrenched. The next two home games are massive, but I am struggling to see where the spark is going to come from, especially if Howe is out. There needs to be new blood brought in. A look at Lincoln's current position in the BSP provides a sharp reminder how disastrous slipping out of the league can be. Having said that the situation is redeemable, it is only October after all, but action needs to be taken by the manager, board and players to arrest this current slide. Again looking at the bench today, I could not see anybody who was going to come on and change the game or provide any impetuous. I was mildly optimistic at the start of the season but I think I underestimated the loss of players like Zebs, the Pickler, Tomlin and Stanley. I worry that Bobby must already be planning his escape route!
The one bright spot today was at least Macklin could not tweet from the bench today as he wasn't bloody on it!!