Mark Molesley unveiled as Southend United manager. What does next season have in store for the Shrimpers?

Being a Southend United fan cannot be easy. However, over the past two seasons it will have been even more difficult for Shrimpers fans to keep the faith. Having escaped relegation on goal difference in the 2018/19 season, the arrival of Sol Campbell as manager did nothing to halt the clubs slide in the shortened 19/20 League One campaign. The season was a dismal one for the Roots Hall club, as they only recorded 4 wins, and were only saved from the embarrassment of finishing bottom by two things, the first being Bolton Wanderers points deduction, and the second being the abrupt finish to football outside of the top two divisions.

It should come as no surprise then, that the club went into the off season looking for a new manager following the departure of Campbell. The man they have chosen to take over the reigns is former Weymouth manager, Mark Molesley.

It's fair to say that Molesley's path to the Roots Hall hotseat is much different to that of his predecessor. Whilst Campbell had a glittering playing career, winning trophies at the highest level and playing for England at major tournaments, Molesley spent the early part of his career in non league, before a stint in League One and Two, representing Bournemouth, Plymouth and Exeter. He then returned to the Cherries and cut his teeth as a coach in their youth setup, before taking up the reigns at then Southern League Premier South club Weymouth FC. Back to back promotions followed for the Terras, and Molesley leaves the club looking forward to competing in the National League next season for the first time in eleven years.

Only the most optimistic of Southend fans would expect that Molesley can complete a personal hattrick of promotions next season, and lead them back to League One at the first time of asking, as the new manager will be inheriting some old, and significant, problems at the Essex club. The Shrimpers financial issues have been well documented over recent seasons, including the non payment of players in December 2019, and will finally face the twice adjourned winding up petition brought against them by HMRC on the 16th September, although it should be noted the club are confident of staving off this threat, at least for now.

Under the stewardship of Sol Campbell, the club faced a transfer embargo, which is still in place, and had to resort to using a very young squad just to complete their fixtures and avoid further disciplinary actions from the FA. We never got to find out if this young squads impressive 3-1 home win over Bristol Rovers in their final game before the lockdown represented a corner being turned or a false dawn, although Shrimpers fans will be hoping that these young players, can hold their own in League Two after a dreadful time last season.

With such a young squad, and no money to spend on players, it may well prove that Mark Molesley is the right man, in the right place, at the right time. His aforementioned experience of coaching young players at Bournemouth might make him the ideal coach to get the best out of young players like forward Charlie Kelman. Molesley will also be reunited with striker Brandon Goodship, who was under his tutelage first in the youth team at Bournemouth, and then at Weymouth, where Goodship was free scoring as the Terras climb up the divisions began. 

With a transfer embargo in place, at least until the aforementioned court hearing on the 16th September, Molesley won't be able to bring in anyone just yet. Even when the transfer embargo does get lifted, and Southend are able to recruit again, they are not going to be in a position where paying fees for players is an option, and will be shopping for bargains. Having a manager who has just spent the last two years working in non league might be beneficial to Southend, as there are plenty of talented players to be found outside of the professional game, and Molesley might know of one or two who could cut it in the Football League.

One factor in Molesleys success at Weymouth was his relationship with former club Bournemouth, as he was able to bring in a number of loan players from the then Premier League clubs youth setup. It may be that this relationship will be beneficial in his new role, and Bournemouth may feel that some of the youth players who had previously been on loan outside of the Football League will benefit from a season of experience at Roots Hall.

League Two is probably the hardest league in England to predict, however, an immediate return to League One is probably off the cards, as there are some established clubs like Bradford, Port Vale and Walsall, and smaller clubs like Forest Green and Salford, with good financial backing who will be hoping to secure promotion. Molesleys first job will be to stop the rot and stabilise the club. Whilst it may be a cliche, it is true that winning and losing are both habits, and with dark clouds hovering over the club, breaking the losing habit will be the number one priority. Perhaps if he can galvanise the young squad and add some seasoned campaigners to it, Southend can have a reasonable mid table finish with an outside chance of securing a play off spot. If he can't, then another long season may lie in store for Shrimpers fans. If this happens then it will be imperative that the clubs financial position is somehow stabilised, as another failure to pay players this season will trigger a previously suspended points deduction. 

Whilst only time will tell whether Molesley is the correct appointment, it does look from the outside that he has the credentials to be what Southend United need at this juncture in their history. At a time where nothing in football seems to make sense anymore, it is refreshing to see a managerial appointment that does.