FKANorwichExile

If we're going for throwback strikers, can you imagine how many goals a fit Sturridge would have gotten in League One?!

I wouldn't wish the heartache or the stress on anyone, but the sense of humility and dose of realism that came from that experience I think 99% of football fans could do with. 
Last season, and this pre-season, have been a breath of fresh air for me, even despite missing out on the playoffs on the final game of the season. I'm just happy that the club exists and that I can still go and watch a game of football on a Saturday (or any other day) that I'm emotionally invested in. Had Derby gone bust then that would have been the end of football for me. so I'm relieved that I still care about the game (through Derby). 
Football, these days, in general, is predominantly a rat race. Everyone desperately chasing the dream of untold riches from the next league up and often going way beyond their means to try and get there. 
Hand in hand, it's the general distribution of wealth across the league pyramid, and a (extremely) poor governance model that purports to "protect" clubs that both drives extremely bad behaviours and tolerates them (perhaps even encouraging them). 
Football in many ways is better than it was in yesteryear, but in others, it's a million miles away from where it should (and needs) to be. 

Forgive me, but I'm taking Pearson's opinion on footballers with a quarry full of salt. What a fraud.

I genuinely wouldn't wish it on anyone, and it's a constant reminder of how lucky we are. Southend are a good club with a decent fanbase who've been through so much in the last decade. I hope a few moneybags have been watching Wrexham and have seen how much can be made from a non-league club.

He'll definitely benefit from having attacking wingbacks who can whip in good crosses. I wouldn't be that surprised if he had a 15 goal season, especially if we play two up top, but I still wouldn't be confident going in to the season with him as our main goal threat.
 

My gut feeling about players is horrendously inaccurate (my friend group don't let me forget that every time I've said a new signing is a donkey, they become a cult hero) so I wouldn't worry too much. Thommo is not even close to the player Bird is right now. I just get the impression there's an incredibly talented player in Thommo.
But I also said Miles Addison would be England captain, and that Giorgios Samaras could be his generations Trezeguet so...

I genuinely wouldn't wish it on anyone, and it's a constant reminder of how lucky we are. Southend are a good club with a decent fanbase who've been through so much in the last decade. I hope a few moneybags have been watching Wrexham and have seen how much can be made from a non-league club.

I genuinely wouldn't wish it on anyone, and it's a constant reminder of how lucky we are. Southend are a good club with a decent fanbase who've been through so much in the last decade. I hope a few moneybags have been watching Wrexham and have seen how much can be made from a non-league club.

There’s an interview with Warne on the official site discussing Knight leaving and Wilson joining, looks like it was part of the interview that aired yesterday. He’s very respectful of Knight, discusses the fact the price of the transfer has to have been acceptable for the club, then discusses how Ward and Wilson can cover both sides at wing back and Forsyth can play there if needed (but probably not how Warne wants….the running?) meaning we’ll probably have the 3 wing backs in the squad so no other addition there;
https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2023/07/rams-in-spain-warne-discusses-wilson-signing-and-knight-departure

These late night announcements are weird, but I'm not gonna complain while we keep making solid signings!

These late night announcements are weird, but I'm not gonna complain while we keep making solid signings!

Forgive me, but I'm taking Pearson's opinion on footballers with a quarry full of salt. What a fraud.

Never underestimate a pain-in-the-arsenal striker! Especially as everyone and their dog are obsessed with playing out from the back. Like previous posters have said, Dikov and CKR spring to mind. In Warne we trust!

Never underestimate a pain-in-the-arsenal striker! Especially as everyone and their dog are obsessed with playing out from the back. Like previous posters have said, Dikov and CKR spring to mind. In Warne we trust!

Never underestimate a pain-in-the-arsenal striker! Especially as everyone and their dog are obsessed with playing out from the back. Like previous posters have said, Dikov and CKR spring to mind. In Warne we trust!

We’re still on Dai-‘l Up…. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 

Noticed on Instagram this evening that Sonny Bradley and Callum Elder have recently followed each other. Never played together before and just found it strange how in the past day they’ve followed one another. There could be something in it as why would footballers who have never really crossed paths apart from playing against each other start following one another with all this speculation? 
 
My striker targets would be:
1. Sam Nombe 
2. Will Keane 
3. Sam Smith 

Can't wait to hear the south stand belting out "They/Them! Their pronouns are they/them!"

When it comes to players like Alfie May and Ruben Rodrigues, it’s key to remember that as fans these are players that the club have definitely been aware of and within our budgetary constraints. They’re clearly players who, for whatever reason, they didn’t like enough to go in for and that’s absolutely fine - providing the players they bring into the club are better. 
If Alfie May goes to Charlton and scores 25-30 goals next season and the guy we bring in is underwhelming and detrimental to the success of the team then Clowes can ask questions of Warne and Thomas.
It’s so, so important to Clowes that the recruitment team are competent on the player evaluation aspect because he doesn’t have Candy Crush money to cover ignorance/incompetence like his predecessor. If they aren’t up to it we may get promoted but we won’t do anything other than struggle in the Championship because we’ll be back to having one of the smaller budgets in the league like we had under Clough. The ownership model is to be sustainable so that’s a wage bill of no greater than probably half of what we were operating under Mel. Not easy to build a successful side in such conditions so everything needs to be running at optimum efficiency. 

Yknow what else is great? We're getting bespoke designs based on little bits of our history, not some off-the-shelf template like we used to get from Adidas and the like.

Yknow what else is great? We're getting bespoke designs based on little bits of our history, not some off-the-shelf template like we used to get from Adidas and the like.

Yknow what else is great? We're getting bespoke designs based on little bits of our history, not some off-the-shelf template like we used to get from Adidas and the like.

Yknow what else is great? We're getting bespoke designs based on little bits of our history, not some off-the-shelf template like we used to get from Adidas and the like.

Throwback done right! My first thought was it was a bit bland and that it doesn't scream "Derby", but the more I look at it the more I love it.

On a side note, still one of the greatest looking shirts we've ever had. This, and the original Argentina style shirt. I guess I'm just a fan of the blue away shirt.