Has Mark Molesley taken on the hardest job in the EFL? I’d certainly argue so.

Cash-strapped Southend United were relegated to League Two after the 19/20 season was curtailed in a period where much change was needed at the club.

After the departure of Sol Campbell, a lengthy managerial search resulted in the appointment of Mark Molesley arriving on a three-year deal, as the blues lured the 39-year-old away from his roles at Weymouth and Bournemouth, where he enjoyed great success.

In truth, there was some surprise that we managed to secure his services.

A sign, perhaps, of how far the clubs has fallen. Not long from a flirtation with the League One play-offs, to struggling to make a part-time manager in the National League feel compelled to jump on board.

But I suppose unpaid tax bills in excess of £600,000 do not breed confidence for players and fans alike, and the appointment of Molesley turned out to be the first good piece of news for Shrimpers fans in a very long time.

Never

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Said tax bill not only puts the future of the club in doubt but also hinders the playing squad as only 23 players can be registered at a given time.

A relegation season often needs to be followed by a sizeable rebuild and that was definitely the case for Southend, but the squad limit made this very challenging for the new boss.

It didn’t help that in desperation for results in the previous season, Campbell handed games to multiple youngsters that ultimately aren’t ready for league football and have taken some of the 23 squad places.

Further hindering the Blues was the consistent late payment of wages by chairman Ron Martin.

This created a pretty disgruntled group of players, with some understandably not wanting to continue with Southend.

Not only that, but such instances complicate transfer business.

What player would want to join a club that has a track record in late payments?

So as you can probably gather, the situation has been messy, not helped by the fact that the club was in obvious need of a major rebuild.

Before the 20/21 campaign, Southend had won just six of their last 53 league games, and so not only was a rebuild in terms of personnel required, but also in terms of mentality.

A losing mentality had been ingrained into the minds of players and fans, and that is never going to sit well with a serial winner like Molesley.

In previous seasons, I’d come away from a defeat feeling really down, a Southend loss would ruin my week.

But the embarrassing defeats of the 19/20 campaign were so constant, I really did just get used to it, my enthusiasm was drained and going to the games ultimately felt like a chore.

Tough times at Roots Hall

So, it’s fair to say the ex-Weymouth boss has a huge job on his hands, and it’s not going to be a quick fix, getting the fans back on board and surviving in League Two would be a successful first season.

I know it’s early on and sitting second from bottom in the standings, my positivity may seem misplaced, but already I, like many other Shrimpers feel there is a club to love again.

It’s been a tough start to the season no doubt, but improvements game upon game have so far been evident and the very fact that we felt we had dropped two points, rather than gained one when drawing against Exeter City last time out shows just how far we’ve come.

As I’ve said, it’s no quick fix.

It will probably take years to get this club functional in the way that Molesley wants it, but he has taken on a monumental project and I say keep the faith Shrimpers, we’ll be back to our best, it just might take a little while.

words Leon Imber, D3D4 Southend United writer