Blues Roots Hall form must be improved

We desperately need to sort out our form at Roots Hall before it is too late! Our record of five defeats and one draw from our last six League and Cup outings at home is awful, and is costing us a place nearer the top of the table.

We've played just over half of our Third Division programme, which has seen us perform fairly well on our travels, picking up four wins to date.

This is half-way to a respectable eight victories on opposition soil, which we would expect to propel us into at least a play-off spot. But our home results are costing us this chance.

I think their are three vital factors affecting our form at Roots Hall - tension, taking the initiative and defending.

Southend United are a big club in the Third Division, who have a nice ground and attract good crowds for this level of soccer.

When other teams come here, they see us as a bit of scalp, which lifts their game, and they also enjoy playing at Roots Hall, which is a palace compared to other stadiums in the basement league.

However, our lads also feel the pressure when they take to the pitch, as they know the expectancy level among our fans is massive. I also believe we are too nice to teams. We need to hit them early and knock them out of their stride by taking the initiative.

We need to be commanding the proceedings and dictating play - not the opposition - although I can't say that any visiting side has slaughtered us this season.

None of the teams that have come to Roots Hall have ripped us apart and created lots of chances. We keep giving our rivals goals on a plate which they are happily gobbling up.

We must stop making these errors, or we will continue to be punished and continue to lose ground in the League table.

Stop giving Mark stick

I think it's high time Southend United fans got off the back of our goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe and gave him a chance.

Some of our supporters have decided to victimise Mark because he is playing in goal ahead of their favourite Mel Capleton, which is unfair.

Mark was given a torrid time by certain sections of the Roots Hall crowd during Monday's 2-1 defeat against Rotherham United. They were even giving him a load of stick before kick-off, which isn't right and is certainly not the way to get behind your team.

Mark has been around a long time and knows the game inside out, but even a player of his vast experience suffers a dip in confidence from such abuse.

Having played with Mark before, at Bristol City, I know he is a steady custodian. At 36, he may be getting a bit older now, like myself, but his brain is still sharp.

The boss Alan Little brought him to Roots Hall from Bradford City as a goalkeeping coach - a specialist role he is tailor-made for - but he was also signed to give Mel competition for the number one jersey.

Yet a lot of our fans aren't happy with the gaffer's decision to drop Mel for Mark, which they have let him know loud and clearly. But it's not Mark's fault.

It doesn't matter if every Southend supporter feels Mel should be playing. It is up to the manager who he plays, not Mark, who seems to be getting all the blame.

The gaffer picks the team and Mark is a professional sportsman, so he is going to get on with his job. He's not going to tell the boss that he doesn't want to play.

Mel is the future of Southend United, he still has time to develop and can only benefit from Mark's knowledge of the game. I'm sure Mel wants Mark to do well when he is playing, as Mark would do if the situation was reversed, but whoever is between the sticks needs support from the crowd.

I know Mark made a bad error against Rotherham, but Mel hasn't had the greatest season either and has made his fair share of mistakes, which I think most people should be honest enough to admit. Both are good enough to bounce back, but it's not going to help Mark if he keeps getting booed.

Believe me I know what it's like. When I was at Norwich City, my manager Mike Walker played me up front a few times ahead of the likes of Mark Robins.

I got plenty of "donkey" shouts, but just got on with my job and scored a few goals, although I was never going to be the new Alan Shearer.

But back to Mark, I've heard all these stories about how he's only at Southend because he knows the manager well and it's a case of jobs for the boys, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Mark is here to do a job and he needs to be allowed to get on with it! Now is the time for everyone to pull together and get behind the team - whoever is playing!

Under fire - Blues' keeper Mark Prudhoe

Top form from strikers

I'd just like to congratulate strikers Martin Carruthers and Neil Tolson for hitting nine goals apiece during the first half of this campaign.

I was Southend's leading marksman last season with eight League and Cup goals, so they've both done extremely well to have topped my tally in half the time.

Gandhi and Tolly are on target for 20 goals each, which will help us climb the table, although I'm not ready to relinquish my top scorer's tag yet, because there's time to catch up if I can get back in the side.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.