Where did it go wrong for Chris Powell at Southend United?

As the League One relegation fight heats up, Southend United took the call to end what had promised to be a fairy tale by dismissing manager Chris Powell. A hero as a player at Roots Hall, Powell replaced Phil Brown in January 2018, guiding the Blues away from the relegation zone and to safety.

The former Huddersfield boss was given his first real crack at the whip this season, making major changes to the squad with stalwarts like Michael Timlin and Anthony Wordsworth being moved on to make room for Powell to put his own stamp on the team.

This campaign looked set to be one where Powell could join his former team-mate Steve Tilson in becoming a legend for the club both on and off the field. The latter had led his boyhood club to back-to-back promotions between 2005 and 2007. Powells journey ended abruptly, and not with the dream ending that many had been hoping for. The team had gone 11 games without a win, and were left drifting ever nearer to the relegation zone.

This tactical analysis will consider what went wrong for the Charlton icon back at his old ground and how a promising season went so off the rails, leading to his sacking only a matter of days after a vote of confidence from owner Ron Martin.

Injuries

First and foremost, Chris Powells time in charge at Southend cant be considered without injuries. Looking at Powells key men, Mark Oxley, Jason Demetriou, Rob Kiernan, Harry Lennon, Ben Coker, Luke Hyam, Dru Yearwood, Tom Hopper and Steven Humphrys have all missed significant portions of the season.

With 33 players used this season, Powell has not been able to build a settled side. The likes of Nathan Bishop, Isaac Hutchinson and Charlie Kelman have stepped up from the youth teams and have performed admirably, but Powell would never have contemplated that they would be needed when the season began in August.

The precursor came when Sam Barrett ruptured his knee ligaments days after making his professional debut having joined in the summer, with several regulars going on to miss months of action.

The club would go on to claim that they boast the fifth highest budget in League One, with injuries sidelining as much as £20,000 of wages every week from December to March. This analysis will consider how Powells decision making led to his downfall as manager of the team he once played for, but it is important to keep in mind how injuries effectively tied one hand behind his back throughout the fight against the slide down the table.

A failing attacking setup

The season had started well in attack. In fact, at the start of the season, Southend ranked among the leagues highest in xG come September, even with results going against them, and it seemed only a matter of time until results started to pick up and push the side on to become promotion hopefuls. It never materialised though, perhaps due to a lack of patience on Powells part. Despite the team boasting one of the highest shot accuracy rates in the league, they would find themselves in the doldrums of League One.

Now 20th in the xG table, few doubt that had