SO what exactly did go wrong for Southend United?

It is a question that every supporter will be asking throughout the summer as they analyse their side's relegation from the Championship.

The season started full of optimism after two successive promotions but it did not take long for even the most fanatical of followers to realise it was going to be a real struggle to survive at this level.

For - after beating Sunderland in mid-August - Steve Tilson's troops went 17 league games without a win, picking up just six points from a possible 51.

From then on Blues were always playing catch up and never really recovered from that wretched run.

A number of factors contributed to that poor period, including a real lack of luck, but it was the midfield area where the Seasiders surprisingly struggled the most.

Luke Guttridge, who had been a star in League One for the Shrimpers, looked completely out of place in the Championship and that created a real void alongside the outstanding Kevin Maher in the centre of the park.

Defenders Lewis Hunt and Peter Clarke were both pushed forward in a bid to solve the problematic position but it was not sorted until mid-November when Alan McCormack returned to Roots Hall.

By then though, the majority of the damage had already been done.

Despite that, McCormack's tenacity and infectious energy did temporally spark a Southend revival and at times they looked a class act - seeing off Premiership leaders Manchester United in the Carling Cup and beating five of the top seven sides in the Championship.

But that sparkling form could not be consistently repeated, especially against their fellow relegation rivals.

As a result, Blues did not beat any of the four sides nearest to them at the foot of the division and they claimed two points against those teams from the 24 on offer.

That - more than anything - contributed to Southend's relegation but there were also serious problems in both penalty areas.

A new look back four - which included three summer signings - took time to gel and defending set pieces also became a real weakness.

Subsequently, 20 goals were conceded from dead ball situations and that piled more pressure onto the Shrimpers strike-force which was also often below par.

Freddy Eastwood led the way with 16 goals but an analysis of that tally paints a more accurate picture of the influential front-runner who failed to catch the eye quite as frequently this season.

Four of his goals were scored from the penalty spot and just nine came from open play in the Championship - only one higher than winger Mark Gower.

Eastwood seemed to get distracted by the headline hitting hysteria which followed his fantastic free-kick against Manchester United and he scored just one goal in the 15 games which followed.

His work rate also dropped and just when Blues needed their star to shine brightly he failed to deliver the goods.

The 23-year-old was not helped by his strike-partners though as the seven forwards he figured alongside managed just eight league goals between them.

That was in comparison to last season when Shaun Goater chipped in with 11 and the year before when Wayne Gray bagged 13.

That remains the biggest concern and, with Eastwood's future uncertain, it is an area which also needs to be strengthened if Blues are to bounce back from this disappointment.

Elsewhere, the Seasiders look strong with one of the best goalkeepers outside of the Premiership in Darryl Flahavan.

Defender Peter Clarke and winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce both also proved their worth during the second half of the season, while the likes of Maher, Gower, McCormack and Adam Barrett - when fit - also impressed.

Consequently, the core of the side still looks strong but - at this stage - Championship football proved a step too far.

Limited finances restricted the size of the squad and that was always going to be exposed by the massive clubs at this level.

Many of those teams pay their players more than the whole Southend side put together and that underlines just how tough the task facing the Shrimpers was this season.

That makes it hard to be too critical, especially as Tilson's team have enjoyed such success in recent seasons.

But - in hindsight - maybe that glory came almost too quickly as it left Southend lacking in quality and quantity - and no amount of effort was ever going to compensate for that.