League 2: Southend United vs Torquay United

[hector]

Martin Ling might well have said that we have a "middle third" budget, but that's assuming he knows the budgets of all other League Two teams which seems very unlikely to me. The budget on offer this season was well down on what we started with last season (some of that was redirected to help pay off Colin Lee) and it doesn't take a genius to work out clubs who will have a much larger budget in comparison with ours, the more you look at it I'd say we are firmly in the lower third.

I expect Ling is more likely to know the budgets of other clubs than you and he says we have a mid-8 budget. This cannot be revised simply to suit a point of view.

[Dave]

When a Martin Ling says we have a middle eight budget or any manager for that matter of fact, i would not take that to be literal, if we had a bottom of the league budget say, Lingy is not going to come out in public and say that , just imagine what the reaction the club would get from us fan's, if the team manager says our budget means we are going finish bottom of the league and get relegated.

I dont know what our budget is, or how it compares others, but i do know is there are clubs in the bottom 3rd of the league who are paying £2k a week wages, our club can not do that.

[Southampton Gull]

Sure hector, he knows the budgets of 23 other clubs in our division. He knows them so well he can accurately put forward that ours is in the middle eight. How stupid are you?

[hector]

Sure hector, he knows the budgets of 23 other clubs in our division. He knows them so well he can accurately put forward that ours is in the middle eight. How stupid are you?

Well obviously as stupid as you in that you can suggest ours is not a middle 8 budget or do you know the other 23 budgets as well?

I suspect there is a rough ball-park figure that fits the profile of a middle 8 budget but then of course, you know best. In fact, it seems you think you know everything.

[Southampton Gull]

And what would you guess is the "profile of a middle 8 budget"?

[hector]

And what would you guess is the "profile of a middle 8 budget"?

I'm not the one guessing. Martin Ling is.

[Father Jack]

Its all about perception is it not Matt?

I thought we were devoid of any threat and looked very uninventive until we got the first. They then became a bit more open as they tried to push forward to equalize, giving us a bit more space.
It does somewhat point to the lack of forward penetration however, that the first goal was a corner, the second a nice finish by their player from a poor shot going significantly wide and the third, a flick on from a ball hoofed out of defence.
I thought the scoreline flattered us in the same way that 5-2 flattered Gillingham.

(I think we've strayed into a flame war between Soton and Hector here Matt )

[Southampton Gull]

Which shows the folly of believing it and taking it for gospel that we are in that middle bracket.

[Trojan 67]

I think we've strayed into a flame war between Soton and Hector.

I could be worse, it could be Southampton Gull v Fonda.

Where is Fonda these days ?

[hector]

Which shows the folly of believing it and taking it for gospel that we are in that middle bracket.

What is the folly, exactly? Are you saying Ling is lying for some reason to try and make his budget seem better than it is?

Or are you suggesting the manager is wrong? That you know more than him? The manager has repeatedly stated that it is a middle 8 budget but somehow you seem to suggest you know more about the workings of League 2 budgets than he does. If he wants to be hoisted with his own petard that is his lookout but for you - in your defence of Ling -to dispute what he actually says because it goes against your argument is a little desperate.

[ferrarilover]

I could be worse, it could be Southampton Gull v Fonda.

Where is Fonda these days ?

Dave ate him, with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

You are, of course, correct in your assertion, FJ, that it is all about perception, but I think you'd have to be on a real downer in the club (as most of us are right now) to suggest as you do. Your post does raise an interesting point. Would the opinion of these decisive results be different of we were winning games and doing well?

Matt.

[brucie]

Ling has stated on at least three different occasions in interviews I have heard that we have a middle third budget. So what on eart is "stupid" in assuming that this is correct.

[Southampton Gull]

You have it on repeat, Brucie !!

[Father Jack]

You are, of course, correct in your assertion, FJ, that it is all about perception, but I think you'd have to be on a real downer in the club (as most of us are right now) to suggest as you do. Your post does raise an interesting point. Would the opinion of these decisive results be different of we were winning games and doing well?

Matt.

A poor performance for the majority of the game is a poor performance for the majority of the game. It matters not if we are sat in the top 8 and winning or the bottom 8 and losing.
It still does not mask the fact we were poor for the majority of the game, even though we won 3-0 which flattered us the same way Gillingham were flattered by the 5-2 scoreline. In fact, if you want something perverse, the performance against Morecambe was better than the performance against Maccy, despite only getting 1 point.
On a tanget a bit but I notice that Maccy are 6 points ahead of us now in the top half of the table having beaten Crewe, Aldershot & Swindon and drawn with Oxford (deep into injury time) in their last 4 games. They are probably a better team than you suggest.

[ferrarilover]

They can be the best club on earth, but it doesn't change the fact that they would have sold their collective grandmas for a point that night and their play reflected that.

My question was more one of perception. Do we think that we might view a couple of our performances (those where the performance perhaps is viewed harshly, despite a positive result, Aldershot and Macclesfield spring to mind) in a subtly different light if we were playing well and getting other results go our way?

Matt.