A YEAR ago today, Sol Campbell was appointed manager of Southend United.

But the former England international lasted just eight months in the Roots Hall hot-seat.

Campbell won only four of his 23 games in charge and suffered 14 defeats as Blues were relegated from League One.

Echosport made contact with five members of last season's squad but all declined to comment on Campbell's spell in charge.

However, the Echo's chief sports reporter Chris Phillips watched all of Campbell's games in charge of Blues.

Here is what he made of Campbell's spell in charge.

Sol never really seemed entirely settled at the Shrimpers.

Make no mistake about it, the Roots Hall hot-seat is right up there with the hardest jobs in football and we're saying that again right now with Mark Molesley.

The fragile finances, the late payment of players’ wages and a transfer embargo mean any manager would have found it tough going at Blues.

However, those issues are far from a secret in the footballing world.

And Campbell would surely have known the size of the task he was inheriting both on and off the pitch, especially after watching a club record 7-1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers just minutes after his appointment.

Campbell could certainly not be blamed for the club’s relegation but he appeared to be ground down by the issues he was continually having to face.

And instead of focusing on what he could look to try and influence it seemed as though he would often opt to look at what he couldn’t.

Speak to those inside the club and a lack of communication would also often be the biggest criticism of Campbell’s regime.

The 46-year-old is believed to have mainly only spoken to the coaches he brought in with him and had hardly any dialogue with the staff already at Roots Hall before his arrival.

Duirng lockdown, it was also understood Campbell had minimum dialogue with one or two members of the squad but the majority went 12 weeks with no contact at all.

And he often seemed not to know what was happening above him at Roots Hall.

It was probably best for all concerned that Campbell departed and many of the squad were far from complimentary about his methods in off the record discussions.

The former Arsenal defender has worked in the media since leaving the Shrimpers and has found himself ridiculed on social media for some of his more controversial comments.

Campbell will now be hoping to talk his way back into a managerial role but only time will tell whether or not his reputation has been completely tarnished by his spell at Roots Hall and if he will be given another chance to carve out the career in the dug-out he so desperately craves.