Widdrington leaves Southend United

Assistant manager Tommy Widdrington has left Southend United – seemingly after his relationship with boss Paul Sturrock broke down.
Southend United’s Ministry of Information has claimed it was Paul Sturrock’s choice.
The statement comes about 14 hours after the said Ministry of Information had claimed that Widdrington had not left and was not at last night’s game with Cheltenham due to “special circumstances”.
In a line chillingly similar to that when Paul Brush was dismissed in March, the club statement says “a fresh impetus” is needed.
I believe if the traffic along Victoria Avenue is quiet enough, you will be able to hear Ron on the phone to Dave Webb as I write.
Fans will have mixed views on the news. Widdrington’s non-league contacts are arguably what brought two of our better players, Sean Clohessy and Ryan Hall, to the club. And there is always the possibility that there is more to his departure than meets the eye – ie the old issue of staff not being paid again, which has been speculated by some fans recently.
However, if there have been factions in the managerial team, it could explain some of the lacklustre and inconsistent performances over the course of the season. Widdrington was, of course, Sturrock’s own man, but the two had never worked together before.
Either way, Southend fans will be praying the “fresh impetus” is not the type brought about by Brush’s sacking, which saw the club drop like a stone into League Two. With the Blues still only four points above the trapdoor into the Conference, that kind of “impetus” really isn’t helpful.

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