SOUTHEND UNITED
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE ONE 19th FA CUP Second Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Simon Cox (below, 17)
FANFILE LIAM AGER @realliamager
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.