Page 4 - All at Sea Fanzine Issue 68

4 All At Sea Issue 68
Di *heart* chris powell
ID you see it? In injury time against his third win on the spin.
Wigan? You might not have seen
it. You might have been too busy shaking your head and wondering where on earth that performance had come from. Chris Powell, hearing the rhythmic clapping behind him, turned around to the East Stand and started clapping along. And then he stopped, apparently feeling guilty. He pointed to his watch and started grinning and hurriedly signalling for everyone to stop
clapping just in case they hexed it.
If it is true that everything in the universe must have its precise counter-weight, then Chris Powell is evidently the anti-Jose Mourinho. He’s the only man in football who can start prematurely celebrating and still
come out looking humble and classy.
This is important. I don’t need to tell you that supporting a team like Southend is generally a thankless task. We don’t win much and we don’t have much chance of
winning much. And we are not alone. Lower league teams have had everything taken from them for decades. The bloated super-elite have gorged themselves on all possible resources. They’ve taken the ticket money, they’ve taken the telly money, they’ve beam-fished hordes of young footballers to stockpile and then release en masse when they inevitably stagnate. They even came for our crap lower league cup places, sna ing them up in what appeared to be a concerted e ort to deny small clubs a day out at Wembley. They have taken nearly everything. The only thing they can’t take is our honour. We’re the only ones who can
do that.
That’s why it matters how we conduct
ourselves. That’s why I’m still mi ed that we axed Paul Sturrock two weeks before a cup nal, when we knew the poor bloke had a degenerative illness that was almost certainly going to deny him the chance of ever making it back to Wembley. But that’s also why I’m so pleased that Powell has returned to Roots Hall. And I was pleased before he secured
When he was first linked with the Southend job, there was an interesting response from the supporters. Fans who could recall the David Webb years (second edition) were very much in favour, recalling a player who never gave less than all that he had and who departed with pats on the back and sincere best wishes. But there were some who feared that we were making a sentimental mistake, seeking solace in the arms of someone we loved while ignoring better candidates elsewhere.
Leaving aside the fact that there were no better candidates (The Cowley Brothers are hot property, they’re more likely to head for Ipswich or Barnsley than the likes of us, I’m afraid), it seemed that some had forgotten Powell’s success with Charlton. That club had tumbled down the divisions and was splitting at the seams. It was a horrible job to take on, it was like being the Sunderland boss next season. Not only did Powell settle everyone down, but he led them back to the second division at the rst time of asking and with points to spare. He’d probably still be there now had they not fallen into the hands of an unsuitable new owners.
And while he didn’t do as well as David Wagner at Hudders eld, it should be noted that no one could hope do as well as David Wagner at Hudders eld. His achievements there are once-in-a-lifetime standard. For a team that hadn’t been back in the second ight long, Powell had them pretty much where you’d expect them to be. And instead of slinking away, or dashing himself on the rocks of another unsuitable job, he took his time, did some coaching, did a bit of scouting, refuelled his batteries and came home.
I don’t know Powell very well. I interviewed him once when he was at Hudders eld and he’s been a guest on The Totally Football League Show a couple of times, but I’ve been in his company long enough to know this; you want him to be your friend. He carries himself with an easy con dence. He’s friendly, he’s generous with his time and he never comes across like a