Source: FOOTYMAD
Southend United's Paul Sturrock continues to chase targets before Barnet and Oxford United
Southend United manager Paul Sturrock in his weekly Echo column has good words to say about Bilel Moshni and his son, the Roots Hall crowd, and getting a new signing into the club. Sturrock: Tuesday night's 4-1 win over Macclesfield Town was, for me, a result that had been coming for some time. Apart from the game with Port Vale and maybe Crewe, when I got the system wrong, I think we have been on top in spells during all of our home games - only to be let down by conceding some sloppy goals. That didn't happen against Macclesfield though. And it was our turn to get on the score-sheet with some zany efforts. Bilel Mohsni got two of them, or three depending on who you listen to, but he could play well anywhere. He has a real zest for the game and will put defenders under all kinds of pressure. I played him in midfield during pre-season and had to take him off when he got too aggressive but he's certainly an exciting talent. Alongside him, I also thought Blair was excellent against Macclesfield. He doesn't get the plaudits because he doesn't score regularly but he works hard and holds the ball up well. That showed on Tuesday and it allowed us to get in behind their defence which is something we haven't always done this season. That helped us get back to winning ways at home and I would like to thank the supporters for the part they played too. I've rambled on about the atmosphere and the fans could have taken that in a negative way. But in the last two games there has been constant noise for the entire 90 minutes. And it does make a big difference. So I've been very pleased by their response and hope that they can keep it going. We also want to build on win over Macclesfield but the game at Barnet on Saturday will be much harder than most people realise. They have assembled a new team and a different strike-force since we beat them in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and Paul Fairclough will have them well organised too. We definitely can't afford to be over confident. But we are moving in the right direction now. We do still have an awful long way to go to get in to the play-off positions. And it would definitely help if we could strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. So far it is proving to be difficult because the players we're after don't want to drop down in to League Two which I'm finding very disappointing. But we're continuing to chase targets and talk to agents. So I'm hopeful we can sort something out soon.
