Kevin Maher: Southend United boss warns team 'must show' they want to be at club
- Published
Kevin Maher's Southend had an 11-game unbeaten run from mid-September to November
Southend United boss Kevin Maher has warned his team they are playing for their futures at the club in their remaining games this season.
They were beaten 1-0 at Dorking Wanderers on Tuesday - their seventh National League defeat in a row.
The Shrimpers are now 12th in the table, nine points short of the play-off places.
"This is a brilliant football club. If you want to be here, you've got to show it," Maher told BBC Essex Sport.
"We've let ourselves down in the last seven games, absolutely. That's everyone, all of them."
Maher made 386 league appearances for the Shrimpers between 1998 and 2008, and was appointed manager in October 2021.
Five of their defeats this month have been by a 1-0 margin and he said: "Personally, it's hurting more than you could believe, because I've got to get success and at the minute, it's not happening."
The 46-year-old felt his side were too slow going forwards against Dorking, who are in their first season in the highest tier of non-league football.
"Our season is now rapidly falling away. We're live on TV on Saturday and what we can't serve up is something along [the lines of] that first half because that won't be good enough," Maher added.
Southend were put up for sale by chairman Ron Martin earlier this month after previously avoiding a winding-up petition by paying £1.4m owed to HM Revenue & Custom.
They have been, however, unable to strengthen Maher's squad as they remain subject to a transfer embargo.
The club lost their place in the English Football League in 2021 following back-to-back relegations during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.