Southend United have reportedly identified their preferred replacement to lead the side next season, following Kevin Maher’s exit earlier this month.
The Shrimpers qualified for their second consecutive play-off campaign last season, but instead of reaching the final on this occasion, they were beaten in the quarter-finals.
However, they did go on to achieve Wembley success by beating Wealdstone on penalties in the FA Trophy final, which ultimately ended Maher’s time in charge.
He departs this summer when his contract comes to an end and the work now begins for the club to try and source his successor.
Southend identify Maher replacement
Recently, the Echo News confirmed that Southend had received over 100 different applications for the vacant managerial position following Maher’s departure.
This isn’t necessarily surprising when you consider they’ve had back-to-back play-off finishes, two trips to Wembley and a trophy to celebrate whilst also being a former EFL side until recent struggles saw them go down.
However, despite receiving a substantial number of candidates for the role, Southend have reportedly set their sights on their preferred target.
As reported by journalist Pete O’Rourke, Southend United have identified South Shields manager Ian Watson as their preferred replacement for Kevin Maher.
Watson successfully guided South Shields to a second-placed finish in the National League North last season, just missing out on the title before eventually falling to defeat against Kidderminster Harriers in the play-off final.
South Shields lost just seven matches in the entirety of the previous season, scoring 99 goals in the process and had the best defensive record in the division.
How big of a job does the next manager have?
In short, Southend are a football club that have already begun a significant change both on and off the pitch – with Maher’s exit adding to that.
The club have already said goodbye to plenty of experienced players including Nathan Ralph, Noor Hussin and Gus Scott-Morriss whilst club journalist Chris Phillips admitted earlier this week that he doesn’t expect any of the players currently in talks with the club to stay either.
Therefore, the new manager already faces a busy summer in terms of attempting to rebuild the squad ready to compete for promotion once again.
The excitement for the new manager (potentially), is that he will be eligible to rebuild the squad immediately to suit his style of play, which may give them an advantage ahead of their promotion rivals during the early stages of the campaign.
Southend have had three top eight finishes in the last three seasons and are likely to be pushing to make it a lucky fourth time in terms of returning to the EFL.
With the club having one of the biggest fanbases in the division once again next season, there will be additional pressure to not only better Kevin Maher’s results, but also deliver the all-important ticket back to League Two.
