Match Thread - Southport V Curzon Ashton

[Unibond Awakes]

We won’t go down under Brabin can you honestly say we will survive this season if we continue like this?

[Exiled]

We won’t go down under Brabin can you honestly say we will survive this season if we continue like this?

Blyth already look relegated, which only leaves one relegation place. Do you honestly believe that there isn't a single other team apart from Blyth that are worse than we are??

[Big Mac 1985]

There may have already been conversations behind the scenes about changes to the management team in the summer. We cannot continue limping along season after season, but this is a dangerous time to replace a manager, we are only just above the relegation zone on PPG and with the covid context, scrambling some points is the priority for now. Despite Liam's failures we should scramble enough points to survive, then there must be renewal before next season. Stability has turned into stagnation and there is no sense of any urgency or motivation to do better. One win in ten, one home win all season, three home games with the luxury of fans up the wall. You would expect blood on the walls but all I see is shoulder shrugging. The old Liam had fire in his belly, all I see now is resigned acceptance and a lack of motivation. His line about "Marine v Southport being a Boxing Day derby" during his last interview sums up where he sees us a club. To his credit, he is probably a victim of the Phil debacle, he was tempted out of retirememt under the pretense of unlimited money to spend and that didn't materialise. I wonder if deep down, he regrets coming back.

I was supportive of his return because I expected similarities to his previous two spells. Not necessarily in terms of immediate success, but certainly in style and spirit. His teams used to be defined by being free-scoring, defensively solid, combative, hard to beat, experienced, and a threat from set-pieces. The team he has built this time round bears no resemblance to what came before. Why? Hard to say, but it's difficult to not look at the retirement of his old warriors who followed him from club-to-club. "Watson only signs his mates" was always unfair and I can think of many counter examples; but nontheless, you can chart Watson's success and failures as a manager against their presence and absence. His last successful season was 2013/14 when AFC Telford won the league - that was also the last season he had that core of former players. His career has been on a downwards trajectory ever since that cohort hung up their boots.

None of this erases the past and I would love nothing more for him to take a prominent seat on the board, look happy again, while the club progresses with a fresh approach and modern coaching methods that better reflect the game today.

Very good post. Again.

[Alan Spences Pupil]

Speculating as to what is happening at Haig Ave is always difficult, it sounds like Phil Hodgkinson has left a Legacy for the club till 2022 also for the 3 present Directors to hold the fort in the meantime, what do they bring in to the club? The strategy seems to be that we unearth a gem or 2 & sell them on to balance the books, how we doing here? What happens next assuming we are still at the present level, that is the vital question to be answered. In the meantime success on the pitch seems to be a secondary thought at the moment, I think that is the most sad thing about the current set up. In a lot of respects the club as a whole is in a worse state than under previous Stewardship. The lack of finance will cripple the club if the present state continues & another Sugar Daddy is not found with a plan. All speculation but a worry....

[Exiled Port Fan]

I would be looking to the likes of Gary Brabin to come in and shake things up a bit........

And then what? Because Gary doesn't stay anywhere very long, least of all Southport.

Managers 45, 46 and 47 in the following season (including repeats and caretakers)

[Tangled Up In Yellow]

We won’t go down under Brabin can you honestly say we will survive this season if we continue like this?

Blyth already look relegated, which only leaves one relegation place. Do you honestly believe that there isn't a single other team apart from Blyth that are worse than we are??

Based on the last 5 games, there isn't.

[Ralphy Rylance]

Speculating as to what is happening at Haig Ave is always difficult, it sounds like Phil Hodgkinson has left a Legacy for the club till 2022 also for the 3 present Directors to hold the fort in the meantime, what do they bring in to the club? The strategy seems to be that we unearth a gem or 2 & sell them on to balance the books, how we doing here? What happens next assuming we are still at the present level, that is the vital question to be answered. In the meantime success on the pitch seems to be a secondary thought at the moment, I think that is the most sad thing about the current set up. In a lot of respects the club as a whole is in a worse state than under previous Stewardship. The lack of finance will cripple the club if the present state continues & another Sugar Daddy is not found with a plan. All speculation but a worry....

Where do you get this impression that the club will be in financial dire straits?
Every article and interview I've read and watched has said we're doing well commercially. In my view, off the pitch, we've never been a better run club in the 40 years I've been supporting.
As I've said before we don't know how much the Pure Stadium naming rights deal was worth but I doubt that the existence of the club depends on it entirely. We've got 19 months of that 36 month deal left which gives ample time to line up another stadium sponsor.

[Exiled]

We won’t go down under Brabin can you honestly say we will survive this season if we continue like this?

Blyth already look relegated, which only leaves one relegation place. Do you honestly believe that there isn't a single other team apart from Blyth that are worse than we are??

Based on the last 5 games, there isn't.

I'm guessing you didn't see the game on Saturday, then.

[Ralphy Rylance]

We won’t go down under Brabin can you honestly say we will survive this season if we continue like this?

I can honestly say the current run of league form will not continue for the entire remainder of the season. It will undoubtedly improve and we won't go down.

[Tangled Up In Yellow]

Blyth already look relegated, which only leaves one relegation place. Do you honestly believe that there isn't a single other team apart from Blyth that are worse than we are??

Based on the last 5 games, there isn't.

I'm guessing you didn't see the game on Saturday, then.

I did. Their goalkeeper had nothing to do apart from the 2 goals. We have amassed two points from the last five games. Work it out.

[Ralphy Rylance]

Based on the last 5 games, there isn't.

I'm guessing you didn't see the game on Saturday, then.

I did. Their goalkeeper had nothing to do apart from the 2 goals. We have amassed two points from the last five games. Work it out.

Well here's to many more games where the opposition keeper does nothing but pick the ball out of the net several times.

[Tangled Up In Yellow]

I'm guessing you didn't see the game on Saturday, then.

I did. Their goalkeeper had nothing to do apart from the 2 goals. We have amassed two points from the last five games. Work it out.

Well here's to many more games where the opposition keeper does nothing but pick the ball out of the net several times.

The problem is that when we score "several times", or twice in this case, the opposition also tend to score several times, sometimes several more times.

[Ralphy Rylance]

I did. Their goalkeeper had nothing to do apart from the 2 goals. We have amassed two points from the last five games. Work it out.

Well here's to many more games where the opposition keeper does nothing but pick the ball out of the net several times.

The problem is that when we score "several times", or twice in this case, the opposition also tend to score several times, sometimes several more times.

Yes I had noticed, hence why i was only hoping for the former and not the latter.

[Bobby]

Speculating as to what is happening at Haig Ave is always difficult, it sounds like Phil Hodgkinson has left a Legacy for the club till 2022 also for the 3 present Directors to hold the fort in the meantime, what do they bring in to the club? The strategy seems to be that we unearth a gem or 2 & sell them on to balance the books, how we doing here? What happens next assuming we are still at the present level, that is the vital question to be answered. In the meantime success on the pitch seems to be a secondary thought at the moment, I think that is the most sad thing about the current set up. In a lot of respects the club as a whole is in a worse state than under previous Stewardship. The lack of finance will cripple the club if the present state continues & another Sugar Daddy is not found with a plan. All speculation but a worry....

Spot on

[Stratford Excile]

Speculating as to what is happening at Haig Ave is always difficult, it sounds like Phil Hodgkinson has left a Legacy for the club till 2022 also for the 3 present Directors to hold the fort in the meantime, what do they bring in to the club? The strategy seems to be that we unearth a gem or 2 & sell them on to balance the books, how we doing here? What happens next assuming we are still at the present level, that is the vital question to be answered. In the meantime success on the pitch seems to be a secondary thought at the moment, I think that is the most sad thing about the current set up. In a lot of respects the club as a whole is in a worse state than under previous Stewardship. The lack of finance will cripple the club if the present state continues & another Sugar Daddy is not found with a plan. All speculation but a worry....

Spot on

Agreed too.

[Redrobe fan]

I can honestly say the current run of league form will not continue for the entire remainder of the season. It will undoubtedly improve and we won't go down.

Why 'undoubtedly'?

[Ralphy Rylance]

I can honestly say the current run of league form will not continue for the entire remainder of the season. It will undoubtedly improve and we won't go down.

Why 'undoubtedly'?

The current run of 5 league games without a win won't become 33 games without a win.
The last 3 league and cup games show signs of improvement.
Even if we don't improve our overall form of 16 points from 14 games becomes 48 from 42 at the end of the season. Easily enough to stay up.

[GeorgeCarrExcavation]

I can honestly say the current run of league form will not continue for the entire remainder of the season. It will undoubtedly improve and we won't go down.

Why 'undoubtedly'?

The current run of 5 league games without a win won't become 33 games without a win.
The last 3 league and cup games show signs of improvement.
Even if we don't improve our overall form of 16 points from 14 games becomes 48 from 42 at the end of the season. Easily enough to stay up.

If we can't beat Curzon at home then we could be getting worse.

[Kempster911]

There may have already been conversations behind the scenes about changes to the management team in the summer. We cannot continue limping along season after season, but this is a dangerous time to replace a manager, we are only just above the relegation zone on PPG and with the covid context, scrambling some points is the priority for now. Despite Liam's failures we should scramble enough points to survive, then there must be renewal before next season. Stability has turned into stagnation and there is no sense of any urgency or motivation to do better. One win in ten, one home win all season, three home games with the luxury of fans up the wall. You would expect blood on the walls but all I see is shoulder shrugging. The old Liam had fire in his belly, all I see now is resigned acceptance and a lack of motivation. His line about "Marine v Southport being a Boxing Day derby" during his last interview sums up where he sees us a club. To his credit, he is probably a victim of the Phil debacle, he was tempted out of retirememt under the pretense of unlimited money to spend and that didn't materialise. I wonder if deep down, he regrets coming back.

I was supportive of his return because I expected similarities to his previous two spells. Not necessarily in terms of immediate success, but certainly in style and spirit. His teams used to be defined by being free-scoring, defensively solid, combative, hard to beat, experienced, and a threat from set-pieces. The team he has built this time round bears no resemblance to what came before. Why? Hard to say, but it's difficult to not look at the retirement of his old warriors who followed him from club-to-club. "Watson only signs his mates" was always unfair and I can think of many counter examples; but nontheless, you can chart Watson's success and failures as a manager against their presence and absence. His last successful season was 2013/14 when AFC Telford won the league - that was also the last season he had that core of former players. His career has been on a downwards trajectory ever since that cohort hung up their boots.

None of this erases the past and I would love nothing more for him to take a prominent seat on the board, look happy again, while the club progresses with a fresh approach and modern coaching methods that better reflect the game today.
[/quote

The majority of this should be cast in stone, however not to include
Mr Watson to remain as a director. Any coach worth his salt would
never tolerate interference in team matters which is a strong
possibility if Watson stays.

[TrickyDicky]

Why 'undoubtedly'?

The current run of 5 league games without a win won't become 33 games without a win.
The last 3 league and cup games show signs of improvement.
Even if we don't improve our overall form of 16 points from 14 games becomes 48 from 42 at the end of the season. Easily enough to stay up.

If we can't beat Curzon at home then we could be getting worse.

Against Marine Tony Mc was Mom - verdict lucky
Against Spennymoor- verdict lucky nearly went under at 2-1
Against -Curzon- fair result against a supposed gimme on paper if you think that’s an improvement performance wise then I agree to disagree , barring Blyth and Bradford away we’ve been second best in every other game including Morpeth and South Shields. Hereford, alfreton and Chorley should have beaten us and again we got lucky. We’ve not put together a solid 90 mins in any game and dominated one single game and that to me it’s very very worrying , so I don’t buy statistical extrapolations of how many points we will end up with given our current form.